Where do we go from here?

It was a couple of years back. I woke up from a good night sleep in my own bed at home after weeks of sleepless nights in preparation for our feasibility studies presentation which was finally over and the semester was at its end, I was back home at last. I went straight to my parents’ room as I was so accustomed to every morning that I was at home. There I found my mom still sleeping so soundly, maybe she was as tired as I was because each night that I have spent at my classmate’s house where our feasib group was preparing our presentation, she would come at 12 midnight bringing us food thinking that we might be famished with all the work that we were doing. I remember my heart was filled with so much love and gratitude for having a mother so caring, so selfless, so like herself.

She was never a stage mother, my mom. I remember my elementary teachers asking for her during our annual recognition day when my parents were supposed to come to be presented with the medal that I have earned each year for ranking first in our class, but my mom doesn’t like going to such assemblies, not because she didn’t appreciate my effort or that she wasn’t proud but because, as she would always put it, “Your teachers will not see me basking in your glory but they sure as hell would see me in your times of need.”

True to her word, my mom has been with me in all aspects of my life. She was there to lift me up when I fell down and failed to achieve a dream. She fought my battles for me when I was too weak to do so. Her eyes glimmered with pride when I told her that I was to graduate cum laude and that I was chosen to be the Presidential Awardee among all the graduating students from our university. She prayed for me and with me each time I implore God’s intervention for any petition particularly for the CPA board exams. She cried with tears of joy with me when I triumphed over the licensure tests. She was supportive of me when I told her the career path that I wanted to pursue. She shared my joys when I told her that I was getting married. Through it all there was only one person who stood by me, my mama.

I have said it before and it still remains true, I owe most, if not all, of what I have become to my mom who has filled my life with so much love, support, strength of character and faith in God. I have never fully understood how someone could give so much and expect so little, if not none at all, in return. Her love was a steadfast rock which has comforted me as I try to live my life knowing that although I may not be sure of whatever lies ahead of me, I am certain of her affection. And now that she has left us, I am not sure how to go on.

My heart is filled with a sorrow that I have no idea how to quench, in my mind there is a void that I know will never be filled again. When I saw the picture that Junfer took when we where having lunch for Father’s Day, it was a picture of me, my sister Miray and my papa, there was this overwhelming sadness from the thought that that picture will never be again complete.

Where does one go after loosing someone so dear, so important, so beloved? How could I surpass a challenge without the assurance of her voice, how could I overcome my fears without her hand to steady me and how could I go on knowing that she is no longer there to rescue me? How long will I allow my heart to mourn for her loss, for I know that if it were up to my heart, I will not stop lamenting? How do I move on?

During these times, it’s still my mama who gives me strength. The courage that she has shown me and the faith that she has instilled in me urges me to take refuge in the knowledge that she is now at peace and with our creator.

Mama, I know that wherever you maybe, you know how deeply we love you and how bereaved we are for loosing you but as you always say, I know that you will never cease loving us. As for me, I know that I may have lost the loving mother, a confidante, a dear friend and a knowing teacher but I have gained an angel who will watch over me till the last of my days are over. I love you mama and I miss you with all my heart.

The Dreaded Balut

Over lunch yesterday, my Singaporean colleague all of a sudden asked me if I eat balut. I was surprised, so I asked her why. She said that she watched a program from the Discovery Channel called Bizarre Foods (or something to that effect), a show that features various bizarre viands from all over the globe and in the previous episode the host of the show went over to the Philippines and feasted on snakes, crickets and of course balut, among other things. Being Asian, as she is, she is quite used to seeing people eating snakes or insects and she became curious about balut. She asked me if balut was like the Filipino version of the century egg. When I told her that it’s nothing like a century egg, she explained what she meant. She was asking if balut was like the century egg in the sense that we Filipinos eat and actually like balut simply because we have grown up with it similar with her liking century eggs (although a lot of people wouldn’t eat it) because she grew up with it. Thinking about it, maybe she is right, a lot of Filipinos actually love balut and have eaten it since they were young. Come to think of it, if we Filipinos were not so accustomed to eating balut, are we really gonna like it or are we gonna eat it at all?

Today, while having lunch, another Dutch colleague of mine who lived in Manila for four years some 30 years ago during her teenager years asked me how my vacation was. She started telling about her fond memories of the Philippines and how she liked her stay and would want to come back again soon just to see how everything has changed now. She vividly recollects how she studied in an American School where she had loads of fun. She remembers different kinds of food that she ate and liked a lot. Then all of a sudden she said “I loved almost all the food I have eaten in Manila although I don’t remember what they are called, but one thing is for sure, I hate balut (!), although I do love the corn on a cob which was also sold by the Balut vendor”. Then a Bulgarian colleague who was also having lunch with us said she remembered that eating balut was one of the challenges given to the Amazing Race contestants and no one could eat it. Astonishing huh! My colleague actually forgot the names of all the food that she actually liked when she was living in Manila but her aversion to balut remained with her!

Personally, I have never eaten the undeveloped duck embryo inside the balut (which is the main reason why other people wouldn’t dare to eat the stuff). I do sip the watery thingy inside the balut and have eaten the yellow part on some occasion but I could never bring myself to eat the little duck inside a membrane, I just couldn’t. Although, I have always wondered why we Filipinos seem so fond of eating balut and could chew and swallow that unborn duckling without even batting an eyelash. And just because of balut, the rest of the world might be thinking that the Filipinos are one tough race! HAHA!!

Lunch @ Penang Hill

Two of my most frequented blogs have very different reviews of Penang Hill, Dr. EmDy was rather impressed with the food as well as the service of their Shangri La branch while PinoyCook promises not to go back at all to their Promenade Greenhills branch. I became curious as to how a restaurant could be given two very opposing reviews and swore that if given the chance, I would try it out myself.

Right after the initial screening for my Lasik eye surgery which was in the 5th level of the Shangri La Mall, I remembered Penang Hill and so I recommended the place to honey who was so hungry he couldn’t summon enough strength to make any other suggestions so we headed over the ledge and had a very late lunch.

There was no one else inside the restaurant as it was almost 4pm when we went there. The staff was very attentive and was very enthusiastic when asked about their specialties and their best sellers. We decided go with the staff’s recommendations and ordered their braised beef, roasted chicken, sautéed shrimp, bagoong fried rice and garlic fried rice with bottomless iced teas and lemonades. The staff waiting on us said that our order was enough for five persons but we decided to keep the menu just in case, after all, I was with four very hungry men hehe.

The sautéed shrimp was ok but nothing to rave about while the braised beef was fork tender and flavorful but was salty even for honey who likes his food a wee bit on the salty side so it means the beef was really salty. The roasted chicken, on the other hand, was a big hit. It was roasted to golden brown perfection, succulent and juicy inside with a little crisp on the skin outside. There were three condiments that accompanied the roasted chicken but I liked the reddish sauce the best, it was spicy with a tinge of sweetness and tang, just the right condiment for a great roast. The service was excellent, the staff attending us refilled our bottomless drinks without being asked and removed plates immediately after they were no longer required. We ordered just enough for us, although there were still some of the beef and shrimp left at the end of the meal, needless to say the chicken was all consumed.




It was a satisfying meal altogether, not to mention quite inexpensive. If asked if we’ll be coming back, definitely, if only to taste their roasted chicken again and maybe try some of their dumplings as well.

This is my kind of strike (or is it?!?)

One of the things I have always admired about the Netherlands is how efficient the public transport is. The trains and busses arrive and leave on time (in most cases) allowing passengers to efficiently plan their schedule, which is by far a huge improvement from the public transport I grew up with in Manila where the LRT, busses, jeeps and more recently, MRT and FXs do not follow any semblance of time frame. Ever since we moved to our new home, I have never been more comfortable with commuting my way to the office and back since our place is a minute walk away from the bus station.

Connexxion is the largest public transport bus company in the Netherlands and their bus drivers have staged a nationwide campaign for better salary packages (thought that only happens in the Philippines but for higher fares, guess not), they called it a bus strike, although when they started their campaign, which was even before we went on holidays, I thought it was not appropriate to call it a strike because all the busses were still running on schedule and they demonstrated their protests by giving free rides to all passengers. I thought that this was very kind and wise of the drivers since by doing so will be detrimental to the earnings of the bus company without being a hassle to the public. However, when we arrived last Tuesday from our two-and-a-half-week-holiday from Manila, on our way home from the airport, we realized that strike was still on going.

My daily commute only involves busses and so you could just imagine my frustration when I have learned that they were on still strike on my first day back to work come Monday, and this time they mean strike for there will be no busses running the entire day and for who knows how long this strike will go on. My honey dropped me off to work and picked me up from the office yesterday (my very first day back at work) which was all good but he has to work late today and I have to craft my own way back home taking the train and walking from the station to our place. Ooohhh, I am not very fond of taking the train not for anything else but for fear of the unknown. You see I am not very familiar with the routes and stops and platforms and what-have-yous of taking the train, coupled with the fact that I am a typical gal, I am not good with maps, in fact I immediately get intimidated with a prospect of using a map whenever I travel, more so alone, and in my own little mind I think that maps were made by men to confuse women haha.

I really do hope that this strike ends soonish so that I could go back to my old comfortable commuting routine which suits me just fine.

Me and Manila

Oh how I love going back home. Although I do find a lot of glitches in Manila, the traffic, dirty pavements, undisciplined pedestrians, rowdy drivers, unemployment, corrupt government officials and heaven knows what else, I don’t think I can imagine myself not coming back home. As one blogger puts it, a lot of Manilenos have a love-hate relationship with the metropolis, I definitely think that I am one of them. However, living in a city thousands of miles away with oceans in between, I have become more focused on the splendor of the city, its scenic and historic spots, the warm and hospitable people and the scrumptious food that rivals any cuisine in the world, never mind the loopholes.

After months of waiting, booking and planning, my honey and I finally arrived at the Centennial Airport boarding a Philippine Airline-Flight from Bangkok where we had an hour stop over after a grueling eleven-hour flight from Amsterdam. I already felt at home the moment we stepped out of the plane and I felt a surge of humid warm air brush up on my face and I heard the pouring rain clashing to the roof. It was a pleasant surprise that it’s much easier to pass through immigrations and collect our luggage in the Centennial Airport as opposed to going thorough the long insufferable waiting line at the NAIA immigrations counter, like we normally do. Hmm, I think we made a better choice of flight this time around. Another pleasant surprise was how easy it was to find our families waiting just outside to welcome us and the how easily the car picked up our stuff just in front of the main entrance, pretty sweet this Centennial Airport, maybe because there are less international flights in this port, whatever it was, after fifteen hours of travel, my worn-out, exhausted body appreciated the ease of passage.

With only two and a half weeks, we were bent on making every second count that is why from the airport we went straight to Seaside Market in Macapagal road to meet the rest of the family to have a dinner/get together. Honey and Ate Ven went straight to the market to grab us seafood which the resto later on served as adobong pusit, steamed lapu-lapu, ebi tempura and sautéed shrimp with garlic, we also ordered grilled pork. It was a delightful meal and quite inexpensive, if I may add, and the food was fabulous. Tired or not, honey and I enjoyed every minute of the dinner. This is one of the things that I miss about Manila, restaurants offering unbelievably good food which are very reasonably priced and where the service is excellent are always just around the corner.



This was one hectic vacation with my lasik eye surgery, my mom’s constant trips to the hospital for her check ups/laboratories (which she wouldn’t go to if I wasn’t there to push her), dinners and get-togethers with families and friends, catching as many movies as we can, a wedding of a good friend, a Palawan exploration and of course shopping for all kinds of knick-knacks from the Philippines.

With a very limited time, it was bound to miss meeting up with a couple of well loved friends and families. To all those who are very dear to Junfer and myself whom we were not able to visit/see on this trip, please accept our apologies and we do hope and pray that we’ll be able to do so the next time we’re in Manila, or better yet why not come and visit us here.