Ang Tunay na Magaling

Kung noong unang panahon, sina Einstein at Thomas Edison lang ang magaling, ngayon, hindi na. Siguro dahil na din sa technology kaya pakiramdam nung iba, magaling sila. Wala namang masama kung isipin mong magaling ka, as a matter of fact, makakatulong ito sa confidence, morale, at lahat-lahat na sa pagkatao mo.

Sabi nga nila, what you want to be, do and you shall be. Okay, imbento ko lang yan, pero malapit na yan dun sa gusto kong sabihin. I-claim mo kung anong gusto mo maging, at magiging ikaw yun eventually. Siguro may Law of Nature aspect ang bagay na yan about claiming, kasi more often than not, nagkakatotoo. Kumbaga, yan yung stepping stone, the push in the law of motion, the nori in maki, the A in the A-Z.

Hindi ako sanay magpatalo. Actually, jan ako nakilala, bilang "ang taong laging tama". Kung may pelikula ako, yan ang pamagat, Wado: Ito ang Tama". Kahit siguro mali, dahil na din sa pride at matinding paninindigan, ginagawa kong tama.

Kaya naman nakikipagtalo ang isang tao, kasi may point siya na VALID to begin with. Hence, the argument. Ang nakakaaway ng mga taong may VALID points ay yung mga tao na OPPOSITE ang VALID points. PEro hindi naman yan ang catch ng blog ko, kundi eto. Nahihirapan na akong ihiwalay ang tama sa mali, kasi wala nang nakikinig sa mga payo ko.

Hindi ko pala na sabi, pero yan ang role ko sa barkada ko dati, ang tagapayo. Kinuha na nga ako ng Face to Face para itabi sa Trio Tagapayo, tumanggi lang ako. Kapag may problema, kahit matigas na lalaki, umiiyak sa akin. Kaya naman ang taas din ng tingin ko sa sarili ko dati. Pero dahil ang mga taong ito ay tumatanda na din, nagsisimula na silang kumontra sa mga paliwanag ko na dati naman ay sinusunod nila.

Ganito siguro ang pakiramdam ng mga magulang kapag nagsisimula nang sumagot ang mga anak nila ng pabaral. Ang pakiramdam ng mga teacher ng college na pinipilosopo ng estudyante nila.

Noong bata ako, lahat ng sabihin ng magulang ko, akala ko tama. Kahit ang pamamalo ng tatay ko, akala ko tama. One time, pinag-aawayan namin ng kapatid ko ang ice candy. Imbes na ituro ang value of sharing, tinapon na lang niya para wala daw kaming pag-awayan. Values from my dad. Akala ko ay tama.

Pagdating ko ng high school, doon ko narealize na karamihan sa tinuturo niya ay mali, VALID para sa kanya, pero mali. Doon ako nagsimulang sumagot pabalik sa kanya, bumaba ang tingin ko sa kanya bilang tao dahil pinilipit niya ako sa mga bagay na mali naman pala *para sa akin.

Noong nag-mature ako, ayaw ko nang makinig sa opinyon ng ibang tao. Akala ko kasi, alam ko na kung ano ang tama sa mali. Kahit nga simbahan eh, sila na ayaw sa RH Bill, pakiramdam ko ay mali. Mga payo ng ibang tao, hindi ko sinusunod, kasi alam kong mas kilala ko ang sarili ko at mas alam ko kung ano ang tama o mali. Ganito na din kaya ang ibang tao towards sa akin?

Eksena:

Wado, tulong. Mahal ko pa siya, pero may asawa at anak na. Mahal daw niya ako, basta secret lang daw ang relasyon namin.

Okay, hiwalayan mo. Sinisira mo ang pamilya nila. Hindi true love yan, libog lang. Ikaw ang masama sa set-up na ganyan.

Ano ba ang alam mo sa love?! Bata ka pa, madami ka pang dapat matutunan. Hindi kami puro libog no! Love yun para sa akin!

END OF CONVERSATION

Mahirap makipagtalo sa taong may desisyon na sa una pa lang. Walang point kasi kahit anong mangyari, ay papanindigan niya ang desisyon niya. Ngayon, eto ang dilemma ko. Bakit ko ito naiisip, ang main thought na ito in general?

A. Dahil ba takot ako na wala nang makikinig sa akin, at hindi na ako powerful tulad dati?

B. Matalino na ang tao, at kaya na nila mag-isip para sa sarili nila? At hindi na mahalaga ang opinyon ko?

C. Wala nang genuine concern sa mundo, lahat may biases na.

D. Patay na ang taong makakapagsabi kung ano talaga ang totoong tama at mali.

Hindi ko pa din maisip kung ano ang sagot, pero ayaw ko na din malaman. Sino ba ang makakapag sabi kung ano ang totoong sagot sa mga bagay na yan? Eh kung sa opinyon ko ay madami lang talagang nagmmagaling sa mundo kahit hindi pa naman dapat. Madami na ang ganyan sa mundo actually, yung mga accountancy graduate na nanlalait ng editing ko, yung mga taong genuinely na bastos in their own right pero galit na galit kay Willie, PA na nag-uutos sa kapwa PA dahil self proclaimed senior PA na daw sila dahil sa tagal ng panahon, yung mga mahihirap na galit sa mayayaman dahil madamot daw sila, yung mga residents ng Gawad Kalinga sites na nambabastos at nanlalait ng mga volunteers, mga ganun.

***

Sa kabila ng lahat, at sa irony ng entry ko na ito, isa lang ang gusto kong mangyari. Sana ay makakita ako ng tao na genuine ang intention, at makakapagpayo ng walang-halong bias. Hindi yung taong mahal ako, kasi puro sa ikabubuti ko ang gugustuhin nila. Eh paano kung sa Singapore ako mag-grow at yayaman, pero ayaw nila kasi mapapalayo ako, at delikado at mamimiss nila ako?

In the coming weeks, I will open my doors to strangers. Find genuine souls, hopeful na maliwanagan ako sa kung ano ang tama at mali.

Kasalanan ito ng CBCP na may opinyon. Ahahah!

***

Salamat sa nagdaang Holy Week, nagkaroon ako ng enough time para magluto. Here's my latest experiment!

Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan

I'd really love to write about my Palawan experience, but sadly, I don't have the right words yet.

But for preview purpose, check out this video I made from the trip.

I'll write aout it soon, I promise.

Bye for now!

Bucket list revisited

So I visited my bucket list I made over a year ago, and somehow managed to cross out some items. Yay!

Looking at myself today, I pretty much still want the same things I wrote on this list. Is it a sign of not growing? Or is it a sign of having a linear vision and philosophy?

One year after graduation, I managed to cross out six items. I hope this year brings more red lines and more productivity.

RANDOMS

Today, I feel weird. Then I figured out why. I spent my entire day at home, and I felt very unproductive, and starved. PMS.

Teeth

I'm an oral hygiene type of person. I judge people through their teeth. It doesn't have to be perfectly aligned, or of the same size, but you have to keep it clean and clean and cleaner. 

Ironically, I hate going to the dentist. 

This afternoon, I visited my dentist for my first of four root canal visits. I am almost certain that inch-long needles were coming in and out of my tooth. It was a really expensive treatment, and I'm sure my doctor charges extra since she works at St. Lukes. 

But I have to give her credit, she saved one of my molars some six months ago, she replaced my molar crown with something harder, and calls it a "mutant" tooth. So if I chew on something hard, this crown will protect my real tooth from breaking. The process costs P4k. Compared to my previous dentists, she has really light hands. And she is really nice. So I'm sticking with her for a very long time. 

Now, this root canal has really gotten into my nerves, LITERALLY. I sat through an agonizing hour of anesthesia, pricking pain, throbbing gums, swallowing blood purposely for breathing. I tasted chlorine, blood, and saw a few smoke coming out of my mouth, probably from the nerve-killing laser procedure. But the pain felt good, like muscles hurting after working out. Pain for the better. YEAH!

But I know this pain will pay off once I'm through with my root canal. Three more visits, and my teeth will be better. And I can go back to judging people's oral hygiene. 

Watching Eat Bulaga on my dentist's cool tv attached to my chair, somehow eased my nerves from the procedure. 

Bras yor tit goys!

Ramenologist

hey friends, recently, I made an attempt to become a food blogger. Please support while I'm still not famous. Nakakahiya naman kung kelan sikat na ako, saka kayo susuporta diba?

Live. Love. EAT!

www.ramenologist.blogspot.com

Quote for today

Never think hard about past, it brings tears

Don't think more about future, it brings fears 

Live this moment with a smile, it brings cheers!

Woorijib Korean Restaurant: authentic Korean food fit for Pinoys

While cruising the streets along Kalayaan Avenue to satisfy my kimchi craving, a not-so-attractive korean restaurant named Woorijib caught my attention. at 9:45 pm, the place was almost empty except for one couple eating their hearts out.

I judge Korean restaurants by the number of Koreans eating inside. But then again, they were about to close, and we barely made it to their last order call. Their waiter knows everything on their menu, compared to Chung Mi Rae along Timog where all I got was "masarap po yan", or "okay naman po ang lasa" from the waiter. Woorijib's waiter explained everything on the menu and words made it to my palates.

But more than that, they were serving pork strips buffet for P299.

This buffet includes unlimited side dishes, unlimited seafood miso soup, unlimited rice and of course, unlimited pork strips. The price range on their menu would play around P250 to P350. S0 I guess the P300 buffet wouldn't be a bad decision at all.

The waiter began setting up the stove beside our table, as several side dishes came. They had kimchi, sweet potato wedges, cucumber salad, bean sprouts, tofu, potato salad, and a green vegetable I assumed wasn't kangkong. They were all very tasty, and I can have as much as I want. 

Another entree came in a sizzling hot bowl. A miso soup with seafood bits inside. It was a relief to see my seafood allergies did not kick in that night. It would have been disappointing to not feast on this tasty seafood miso soup. The chopsticks and spoon were presented like this, hygienic and well, uhhhm...presentable. 

The waiter then came with a huge plate of raw pork strips. He started grilling them while making small talks about the restaurant. 

Aside from the pork strips (sorry if I keep mentioning pork strips. I forgot the name. ahah!), they also serve beef strips buffet for P499 per head. One serving of the pork strips will cost P250, minus the rice and soup. But that night, we were able to consume five servings at the very least. Not bad at all for a P300 buffet. 

The strips were served with sesame oil and soya paste. Koreans eat them in this order:

1. Dip the pork strip in sesame oil

2. wrap it inside sesame leaves or lettuce (which were also unlimited)

3. Dip it in soya paste

4. Eat!

I thought they were going to taste like bacon, but it wasn't even close. It was crunchy, and surprisingly tasty even without any seasoning. I guess pork meat have that distinct flavor which chicken and fish do not. They didn't use oil in grilling them either. They let the pork fat generate the oil needed to cook the pork strips. A dripping saucer was placed beside the grill for the excess oil. 

The place could do a little better. For a Korean restaurant, Woorijib looks a bit mediterranean-spanish. It has a very high ceiling too. Inside was a bit humid probably because of the in-your-face cooking steam, and the big area of the restaurant. A new airconditioner unit might do the trick, or a better ventilation fan, I don't know. I could imagine this place being filled with people, -humid feast. The service crew were kind enough to assign a fan to our table. We were the only customers left then. ahhaah!

They have a parking area in front which could accomodate at least 6 cars.

Overall, the experience was amazing, thanks to the good food quality (and quantity) as well as the warm service of the crew. 

Will I go back to Woorijib? Definitely! 

Price: P250-P500 per head


Food:         *****
Ambiance: ****

Service:     *****

Servings:   *****

Woorijib Korean Restaurant is located at Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City, Metro Manila , Diliman.

When the future is tomorrow

Lucena is really a good place to think my life over. It is the place where I built my dreams, thought about the job I wanted, and saw my future. Now that I am back here, what I lost in Manila, I found again. I remembered why I was so driven when I first stepped in the UST, what pushed me to pursue Communication Arts.

I used to have a professor way back high school who I can say was my confidant. Hidden desires, I'm not sure, but he was really there to help. He claimed he was a fan, of my writings, my skills, and my ability to do things beyond my capacity. He knew I was gonna be big someday, and now he thinks I am. I smiled and said, "hindi pa, minimum pa din ang sahod ko. Maybe next year." He thought I was kidding. He shrugged the issue like a real fan would.

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have thought highly of myself. And I really am grateful. Or maybe that's his way of motivating me, I don't really know. But one thing is for sure, it effected me in a positive way. Thanks, "insan".

Now I think there's a valid reason why things like these change. In high school, I wanted to become a director. To win a FAMAS, and get rich. But when I got in the industry, the dream died a natural death, and then I'm suddenly editing videos. Still, it's the same industry, but in editing, things are less controversial, and the politics is rarely acknowledged. I used to dream of being in the limelight, now, I stay away from it in every way I could. This is the life I suddenly wanted.

Yesterday, I got another offer for an insurance, now with Axa. Everyone I know has one, and I thought it's about time I get one for myself. But another question, am I financially ready? Or am I ready in general? I guess April has more to it than making jokes, I'll start making a future plan.

I've had someone account my money for me for the last eight months, but now I think it's about time I do it myself. My allowable spendings, my savings, bills payments, and more. But more than that, I think I need more money. It's either I get more shows, or I get a better paying job. Chinno insisted that I move to Singapore and work there since the opportunities are close to limitless. He sees my potential and is not happy that I deprive the world of such talent, by just editing a weekly show. (Okay, I might have added a few adjectives here and there, but I'm sure that's what he meant. HAHAHH)

According to him, one reason why Japan is having a very difficult time to recuperate from the earthquake is because they never made themselves international. They didn't study the english language too well because they were better off on their own feet. But now that everything fell apart for them, they couldn't penetrate the nearby Asian countries. Chinno didn't want me to become Japan, sticking to what I think is my strength. I need to make myself international. Same goes with my World Stage family who wanted me to move in Malaysia, "working abroad is like an instant promotion. I don't see why you shouldn't be working here."

Now, work's been really great. I got rid of the stress factors that I've been dealing with for the past nine months. I don't have any reason to leave my current job except the monetary compensation in Singapore is soooooo good. And I think I really need to get myself in the "working mood". I kinda lost it in editing, where I hold my own time, go to work whenever I feel like it. Though there may be deadlines and rules, they aren't disciplinal. Not that there's any need to make it difficult, but the job is too easy for me. Or maybe I've mastered it this early, everything's a breeze from this point on. Lucky me.

If I had an 8-5pm working hour schedule, I think I will gain more discipline.  Not that I'm not disciplined now. Ahahah!

Another random thursday. Can't wait for the weekend. I'll be taking photos of my tita's Jubilee celebration at the Carmel of St. Joseph parish. It's about time I give back to her for being so supportive and a loving aunt at that. She's the head superior of the Carmelite nuns by the way. And she's celebrating her 25th year of being a mother to the Carmel. Can't wait. =)

Here's a song that inspired me to write this blog.

Somewhere Only We Know by Keanne.

*
If the right person comes along, I'll sing to you this song. And hopefully when I do, you'll say yes and walk with me too. AD23

In high school, my friends used to come over and sleep at our place while watching tons of DVDs. Last night, two of my best high school friends came over and went back some five years back. Thanks Jemae and Nonon. It's always a pleasure being the third wheel. AHHAHA!

I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go? So why don't we go?

Oh, this could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know
Somewhere only we know

Paradise

Here;s one photo of me during my Palawan visit. I love the beach so much, sometimes, if not always, I think the waves are trying to tell me something. Everytime it hits the shore, I hear it whisper. That's one thing I have with nature, we connect just like that. AVATAR! Ahahahah!

I'd like to return to this paradise for so many reasons.

RANDOMS