SURREAL IN THE CITY...

Manang Elma, my dear helper from the idyllic island of Surigao, is one of the sweetest people I will ever know. So integral is this woman to the functions of my home that she will go through all lengths to make sure that my life runs properly and without interruption even if means having to improvise. So instead of verbally reminding me about the unnecessary frivolity of grocery shopping between my harried tour appointments, she instead tries sending me a subtle hint to get her message across. Believe me, nothing says "we are out of groceries" better than a meal of Royal spaghetti with a sauce made of sliced up street corner fishballs, banana ketchup, tabasco, and leftover crabmeat omelette. Mmmmm... Now, I must admit, I really didn't care much for it. But why do I have a ominous feeling that this recipe will become a hit soon at some Jollibee somewhere...

YOU ARE INVITED TO A TEA PARTY...

Once upon a time, there was once this fabulous blog belonging to a fabulous food writer and food stylist named Lori Baltazar. So delicious was this blog that we here at The Living Room had this crazy idea that she should hold an art exhibition featuring a some of Manila's finest desserts with her as the curator. So we called her out of the blue and asked her if she liked the idea. Strangely enough, she said, "Yes". So ladies and gentlemen, allow us to present:

The Living Room
presents
Dessertcomesfirst
An afternoon tea party featuring works by some of Manila's finest
confectionery artisans:
Imelda Go
Karen Young
Sharlene Tan of Qitchen
Dulcelin
Homemade by Roshan
Trina Imperial
Gerald Gan
Coffee by: Cordillera Coffee
Works curated by: Lori Baltazar
March 12.2006. Sunday. 3:00PM. Php500.00/person
Email lori_baltazar@yahoo.com for reservations or inquiries.
Directions to the Living Room here.

More details regarding this show are listed on the blog:
http://dessertcomesfirst.blogspot.com

WELL, I'LL BE DURNED...

On February 15, 2006, at precisely 1845hrs,+8 GMT, my celphone rings. And lo and behold, who might it be? Why it's former Manila Councilor, Kim Atienza, dropping a line to clarify the issues surrounding last week's post, SURREAL IN THE CITY. My, my. Word really gets around quickly in the blogosphere. And my suspicions were confirmed. Apparently, the organizers of the MOSCHINO event at Plaza Sulayman put the image of his face on the poster without his knowledge, which is why they were removed just a few days later. Rats. I was hoping for something more salacious. Actually, the rest of the phone call went on rather uneventfully, it was only talk of TV stations and our recollections of the old Blue Cafe in Malate. But when the topic turned to the political implications of having ones face slathered on posters everywere, things got a little juicier. So, you heard it here and you heard it fresh. Kim said he is NOT running for public office. The actual quote: "I am not running for public office." Not in the next elections. Not ever. So he says. He said that he would rather continue his animal advocacy on television and get back to his artsy roots. Actual quote: "I want to continue my animal show on television and get back to my artist roots." Hmmm. To this I say "good for you, dude." and I intend to see him keep his word. Because in fairness, the man does talk intelligently about animals and this country could stand to have someone out there talk about wildlife and the humane treatment of domestic pets on a national level. And at the end of the day, when it comes to animals, I too would prefer the reticulated ones in the grass compared to the political ones in City Hall.
Animalandia, 6am, Magandang Umaga Bayan, ABS-CBN

SURREAL IN THE CITY...

ALL THIS CAN BE YOURS FOR A SONG...
Do you ever think that life can sometimes be like a musical? Well, now should that urge to break out into melody hit you while walking down Roxas Boulevard, just duck into any of the light blue Karaoke "huts" located between the oversized Coca-Cola bottle at Plaza Sulayman and the Manila Yacht Club. Conveniently located at intervals of about fifty coconut trees or so, you will never more than a few steps away from a potential rendition of "My Way", "Love is a Many Splendored Thing", or "La Vie en Rose". Now one never need to run into a bar or to the mall in order to belt out that theme song deep within.

All songs Php5.00. Korean, Japanese, and Visayan love songs also available.

IN MEMORIAM...

Princess Ingrid Bergman
June 2005 - February 2006

I'm a total wreck. That morbid ominous feeling I had all month finally made sense yesterday when our little Ingrid had to be put to sleep due to a viral infection and resurgence of distemper. And although her time with Tesa and I was short and sweet, her death also comes associated with a very disturbing trend happening among the Philippine upper classes right now: The giving away of puppies as souvenirs. It was just last August when my aunt called me up to asked me if I wanted to adopt a Jack Russel. Being the dog person that I am, I happily accepted the offer. But upon receiving Ingrid, I soon learned the darker story behind the request. Apparently, at some hoity toity soiree thrown by some fruitcake freakshow named Tynie Meneses, Ingrid and her siblings were passed out to my aunt and the guests as they were leaving. And it gets worse, not only were they given away like lollipops without a single thought regarding the pup's welfare, apparently this guy also kept the puppies and their mother on a fighting cock farm in Sto. Tomas - a totally inappropriate place for dog raising. That was where Ingrid's distemper developed. All her other brothers and sisters died of the disease soon after the party and Ingrid was the only survivor. And although I would like to throw all the blame squarely on Tynie's shoulders, sadly, he is not alone in this savage heartless trend. The precedent for this was set by that social climbing C grade actress Gretchen Bareto who gave away dalmatians at the 101 Dalmatian themed party she threw for her daughter's birthday last year. So to you Tynie and Gretchen, I say this: DOGS ARE NOT PARTY FAVORS. YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THE RESPONSIBILITY AND CARE THAT GOES INTO RAISING A DOG. IT'S LIKE GIVING AWAY INFANTS FOR CHRISTMAS. IT'S A BARBARIC ACT THAT IS NEITHER CUTE NOR RESPONSIBLE. IT IS A REFLECTION OF YOUR LACK OF BREEDING, EDUCATION, AND HUMANITY. So for you, Tynie, I wish that you suffer in the same way that your diseased dogs did. And for you Gretchen, I guess it's already bad enough just to be known as a money grubbing, posturing, adulterer who will never fulfill her dream of being the other Gretchen Cowanko.

SURREAL IN THE CITY...

SMELLS LIKE PHILIPPINE SPIRIT
So odd. Just last week, there were these posters that were plastered all over the lamp posts of Roxas Boulevard and they were the most semiotically discombobulating things I have seen in a very long while. Done in an elongated tri-colore design, the words - from top to bottom - read as follows:

MANILA - THE CITY OF FRIENDSHIP
(Photo of Kim Atienza)
"Nothing is more essential than the lasting ties that bind...
Celebrate life. Celebrate friendship." - Kim Atienza
Come celebrate the scent of friendship as MOSCHINO unveils
FRIENDS men.
8PM. February 3, 2006
The Baywalk, Roxas Boulevard
Featuring Barbi Almabis, Itchyworms, and Parokya ni Edgar.
Hosted by Nancy Castiglione and RJ Ledesma.
COME BOND WITH US!

Now, so confusing was the arrangement of ideas and images on this poster that my train of thought immediately afterwards was as follows: "Why is Kim Atienza on that poster?", "What does he want us to smell?" "Does he want us to smell like him?", "Does he want us to smell his friends?", "Does he want us to smell him like a friend?", "Why are the colors Italian?", "Is Kim Italian?", "Is it because Nancy Castiglione is Italian?", "I am so confused.."

And I guess Kim got confused too. Because only three days after the photo above was taken..

His image was immediately slashed off. Hmmm. I wonder what's the story behind this? Weird. Weird. Weird. But if you think that is weird - this is even weirder (see photo below). According to a billboard festooned above the Magallanes overpass in Makati, apparently Kris Aquino wants us to smell like her too. What an ultimately frightening situation. What on god's earth would you attract? Apparently only yuletide chihuahuas and other small dogs who can travel in cars. Because I had the privilege of smelling it last week while I was at the mall. Kris Aquino smells like a stale gingerbread cookie found underneath a car seat. Simply gross.

OH MY. OH MY. OH MY.

As I said before: Philippines, beware the cusp of Capricorn into Aquarius. I don't know why - but for some odd cosmic reason, this country always seems stormy during the first quarter of every year. But yet, I never EVER would have expected this. And in any other situation, I would have let the rest of the blogosphere analyze this tragic situation ad nauseum on their own, but I really couldn't ignore it this time. The only reason being that I live literally five minutes away by foot from the area where the stampede occured. Luckily, since I saw the crowds already swell from a small group on Tuesday afternoon to ridiculous proportions by Thursday night; I decided to spend Friday night at the Living Room in Malate just so I could avoid the traffic out of the neighborhood. Then, by Saturday morning, I recieved that fateful text and once again, the Philippines had become the poster child for countries where the wretched poverty of both pocket and the soul can claim lives to the tune of a million pesos, a motorized pedicab, or chance to watch some half-naked brown skinned soft porn star sing. Shame. Shame. Shame.

One. Shame to ABS CBN for exploiting the public through a no brainer show that easily appeals to the lowest denominator of a desperate people. Why give away cash and cheap polluting motorcycle cabs instead of scholarships? And why the sexy dancers while doing it? And worst of all, after the tragedy, why in heavens name did you have advertisements air between segments of "Alay Sa Kapamilya"? If "Alay.." was supposed to be your apology and appeal to viewers for forgiveness, airing ads only revealed your true intent: To earn revenue and to increase ratings. Sickening. Just sickening. Two. Shame to Willie Revillame and all his showbiz ilk for not only their crass ways, but also from earning their living and increasing their public profile through the promotion of a mendicancy mentality and a beggar culture. Three. Shame to the Pasig Local Government for letting ABS CBN get away their half assed organization and non-existent security contingency. Five. Shame to all the members in the crowd who let their greed and lack of sensitivity allow elderly women and children to die, not just in the name of money - but for EASY money at that. I'm sure these are the same people who were INSISTING that the show go on despite the tragedy. Poverty is NO excuse for such shockingly inhuman behaviour. And lastly, shame to all of us who know better for letting this macabre situation fester within our society by not speaking up and by not doing anything to alleviate poverty on a personal level. Really, how much do the most offended of you out there REALLY pay your maid? And in advance, shame to all of us once again for forgetting that this thing ever happened within the next couple months. Can anyone here give me the exact date of the Payatas Landslide? I am truly ashamed of myself and the society I come from today. I really wish that ABS CBN would STOP saying on air that this event brought out the best in us because it really was the worst in us that let this happen in the first place.

Bottom line: Someone (or more) from the Pasig Local Government and from ABS CBN should go to jail for this crime of neglect and set an example for accountability. Unless of course, ABS CBN cuts some deal with the government in exchange for getting off easy and perhaps laying off the anti-administration rhetoric for a while. I know it's a cynical way of looking at things. But crazier deals have been struck before.

And for those of you out there who blame Gloria for all this, get f****** real. That's just stupid. Really.

Thank you CBS NEWS for the link and the photo.

SAY A LITTLE PRAYER...

Not only because the utter destruction of our capital in the Liberation of Manila in 1945 started exactly 61 years ago today but also because we lost yet another architectural masterpiece in this groaning city of endangered beauty. The modernist 1950's masterpiece that was once the Philippine Veterans Bank's former headquarters in Arroceros, Manila is finally gone. Destroyed silenty and right under the steady gaze of the Manila City Hall clocktower, it's clean space age lines and glamorous curves are no more. It's no secret that the structure was already condemned due to major structural damage caused by the 1991 earthquake but still, it's sad that there wasn't any feasible way that we as Manilenos could have saved these physical manifestations of our history. As Nick Joaquin said about the postwar Manileno towards his history. It's sad "that not only have we forgotten, but we have forgotten that we have forgotten."

I wonder if anybody out there has a photo of the original structure.

BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!

OH MY! OH MY! OH MY!
Something is happening over at the South Super Highway Extension and it's warming the black corridors of my tiny heart. Just last week, on my way Quirino Boulevard from Buendia, I took a gander at the railroad to my right and noticed that something was off. Very off. And soon I realized that the reason why things seemed so unnerving was because I could actually SEE the railroads on my right. Something that I was never able to do before. The landscape, which once looked like this:

Now looked like this:
For as long as I can remember in the 33 years of my short life, railroad squatters have defined the landscape of my mental picture of Manila. Barefoot pregnant women and toothless shirtless men lounging by their festering makeshift residences had become a sight as normal to me in this city as coconut trees. To tell you the truth, I considered shanties such a definitive aspect of our civic identity that I never EVER thought that I would see these railside versions of Philippine vernacular architecture disappear within my lifetime. But lo and behold, Looky! They are gone.

Only the smashed bits and pieces remain as the skyline of Makati is now given permission to loom in the distance. And please, don't start thinking that I am some heartless twit who delights in seeing poor people dislocated from their homes. Not at all. I truly believe that it's even MORE heartless to let these people stay there and believe that their wretched way of life is permissible in ANY society. It may be harsh to see them suffer for now, but in the long run, I do hope that their sacrifice to create a national rail system will lead to a better way of life for themselves and the greater majority (I also hope that they are given alternative housing in exchange for their move). Nevertheless, It's good to see that steps to stop pandering to the poor are finally being taken and attempts to reclaim public domain are finally being made. And call me a pollyanna, but I do have a teeny weeny glimmer of hope in my heart that the sight of squatters MIGHT decline considerably one day in Manila. Because down the street from where all this destruction was located, the Metro Manila Development Authority was heroically trying to teach Manila's heaving classes the finer points of maintaining civilized surroundings by keeping the plants alive on center islands and giving their neighborhoods a fresh lick of paint and new paving - just like this:

Say whatever you want about the "questionable" mandate of Gloria Mac Arroyo or the pink urinals of Bayani Fernando, it cannot be denied that such a dramatic physical change in my urban sightscape is happening under their watch. I wonder if any alternative poser to the leadership of the country or the MMDA can offer anything better for now. And I also wonder how long this will last.

The top three shots above were taken in the East Side of South Super Hiway Ext. between Magallanes and Quirino Ave. The lower two shots were taken at the notoriously squatter infested "Nazareth" zone at the Northwest corner of San Andres street (so called because the area was the one of the first depressed areas to be walled off from the sight of tourists by Imelda back in the 1970's. Leaving only arched entrances reminiscent of the gates of Nazareth for access.) February 2006.

CARLOS RECOMMENDS!

BEAT THE SWEET!
For all South Beach Diet freaks, unhappy fat people, sugar Nazis, and folks with diabetes in their family tree like myself, there is hope for us in this simple carb infested city known as Manila. Right on the southbound side of the aforementioned South Super Highway Extension, between Buendia and the Magallanes flyover, I found place we can all run to whenenever we feel the need for sugary speed, if you know what I mean. Former no-nos such as chocolate cake, jelly donuts, muffins, and cookies can all now be ours now the appearance of Sugar Not!on the scene. Owned and managed by the husband and wife team of Wolfgang Lambsdorff and Anne Beltran, this little deli-slash-coffeeshop-slash-bakery offers up ONLY fresh, low-fat, low-sugar, and sugar-free recipes for those seeking a healthier alternative to the fatty sweetness that most of the capital has to offer.
SUGAR NOT!
Labaire Bldg. 5462 South Super Highway corner Malvar, Bangkal, Makati Tel. 8893427
It's right around the corner from Fat Michael's.
I suggest visiting right before or after my Evangelista Que Linda! tour.