JPII:Telling our World of His Love

As I write this, Rome is preparing for the beatification of Pope John Paul II.There two instances in my life where I have seen the Pope. My first encounter with JPII was in January 1995 when the World Youth Day was held at the University of Santo Tomas where I was still in my second year of college. I don't see WYD95 as a big deal then. So, I didn't sign up for the activities. I was influenced by my college buds not to sign up, because of the whole week of no classes. As the days pass by and WYD95 is fast approaching, I regret that I did not register. Instead I was with my brother Joey the day before the Pope came at the Santissimo Rosario Parish of UST. I was praying so hard that we could get tickets for the Pope's visit. Lo and behold, miraculously a nun was outside the church giving out tickets, and when it is our turn, it is down to the last two. I never knew who the nun is. I just remembered that I was so overwhelmed when I got my tickets. When JPII arrived in UST we are positioned at the center of the UST's football field. I did not even imagine that the pope mobile would pass by at the center juxtaposing the crowd in the center. And with the JPII's wave and smile at us, I wept. I swear. He has this charm that when he is around you would very much like to repent and feel sorrowful for your sins. When he left Manila, I was crying, while in front of the TV.

I never imagined that I would meet JPII in person. When I went with President Arroyo as a protocol officer in Rome, I was a few feet away from JPII. With that I was more than starstruck. I was shivering from inside. Inside my hotel room, I can't sleep and can't grasp the feeling seeing him up close. He just gave his benidiction. I just wish I could hug him or even kiss his hand but my job did not permit me. Towards the end of our trip in Rome I received a limited edition Papal coin from him of the Great Jubillee.

Before I left for New York, I became a devotee of the Divine Mercy. (See http://jerick28.blogspot.com/2006/10/miracle-of-hope.html ) Knowing that JPII is a staunch promoter of the Divine Mercy, I believe that JPII helped intercede to my prayers that is why I am still alive today. I very much like the little Poland exhibit in the Divine Mercy Shrine in Marilao, Bulacan. If I am in the Philippines I might be there with other devotees making a vigil at the replica of JPII's home.

Today, Divine Mercy Sunday coincidences with Pope John Paul II. Jesus told Sister Faustina that all of God's mercy will poured to everyone who consecrates their prayers to His most Merciful Heart, I know he knows my prayer. I know Blessed John Paul II is praying for us while he tells the world of God's love on his beatification.

Viva il Papa Beato Johannes Paulus II!

My Midwest Trip: Fulfillment of a Dream, Mission Accomplished

My trip to Chicago and Indiana was very important to me. It represents the fulfillment of a promise that I told myself years ago even before I "died".

My Ninang, who is really my aunt, Florida dela Torre, sends me toys from that city when I was young. Holding that ATARI console in hands, I wonder how Chicago looks like and how it is living there. Every time I see an airplane, I always wave my hand and shouts "Ninang! Ninang! Or Tita Paning! Tita Paning!" and I would continue playing after that. I promise myself with my cousin Chris that someday we will conquer Chicago and watch a Bulls game. The first time I saw my Ninang was when I graduated in elementary. She left the Philippines when I was 4 years old. In spite of the distance, I regard her as my second mom. We have long talks over the phone and we often exchange correspondence. The last time we were in the Philippines was when she celebrated her surprise 60th birthday. A year after that I left for NY.

When I came here in the US, she is so excited to buy me a ticket for the holy week break in 2009. She almost did but decided to postpone my trip because I still yet to finish my house hunting. That Easter Sunday. I succumbed to a heart attack. When I told Ninang I am coming his year she can't help but reminisce what happ

ened two years ago. This year we have to finish the unfinished business.

I arrived at O'Hare with Ninang having a bunch of pink flowers in her ha

nds. I literally grabbed them from he

r without even asking if they are mine. I hugg

ed her and said "Finally!". I also met my Ninong Manny (my second time)

and got to bond with him at the Navy Pier. I also met my Ninong's family from Ecuador. I really had a fun time at the Midwest where Tita

Paning of South Chicago, Indiana hosted us for our four day holiday and even let us stay in a hotel room. my cousins Mia, Paul, Jonas and Joan were so hospitable that I miss them and their kids.

I have sent my thank you cards to them last Monday. Indeed my visit was a fulfillment of a dream.

The Amazing Mr. Perez

I was in the New York Presbyterian hospital for my blood work before my travel to Chicago last Holy Wednesday, when I saw a familiar face. It was the amazing Mr. Perez.

I only know him by his last name because we were called that way in the hospital. He's been my "neighbor" when I was confined for a long time at the NYPH. We never talk because he cannot speak English and we just bump into each other at he hospital corridors during rehab times. We also got our hearts almost at the same time. I got to talk to his family once and got to compare our developments during check ups and all. He tried to communicate but to no avail because of the language barrier.

But this particular time he was alone while in line alone, no interpreters to speak with. Although i understand a little Spanish it o hard to speak it. He started with "como estas?" i said "muy bien con nuevo corazon" , then just like an armalite he spoke the language of Cervantes con todo rapido. I was lost for words. I began mumbling, "Donde esta su hija?", he replied that she's abroad, referring to his wife, but I was referring to her daughter. Amazingly, we run through our conversation swiftly with silence in between when we are lost for words. I said I am back para muy trabajo, he said "no muchos fuerzas",i said no, "solamente por diez libras" (if he knew what I meant). I said I was going to Chicago para cuatro diaz para semana santa, he said he is going to Santo Domingo para siete meses and he is so happy that the doctor permitted him.

When my electronic gadget vibrated, which means that it's my turn for blood work. He hugged me tight and said in English "take care". I said, "you too and I'm glad you will be back in Santo Domingo". After the blood work, i wept, a lot.

I realized, we are to souls who met at the time of adversity, and yet we met again to tell each other of our unfurnished business. His dream of going back to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic pushed him to fight on and continue life. My ardent childhood dream of seeing Chicago was delayed because just before my Ninang got me a ticket 2 years ago from JFK-ORD I succumbed to a heart attack. I believe everyone has an unfinished business that needs to be done as we go through our new lives. And Mr. Perez and I graduated with flying colors.

I'm doing this blog on the plane back to the east coast while thinking what Mr. Perez is doing now. He must be sipping pineapple cocktails or playing golf in the sun and sand of Santo Domingo.

Miguel Syjuco is no Stieg Larsson

After a very long time, I have already finished "Ilustrado" by Miguel Syjuco, one of NY Times' notable book of the year and winner of the Carlos Palanca and Man Asian Literary Prizes. I saw his book last year at the Barnes and Noble 5th Avenue window and I never imagined that it's written by a Filipino. Then came the book reading / discussion event at the Philippine Consulate and bought the book and let him sign it. While they are discussing the book, I got a gist of what is all about and commented that Syjuco is the Philippines' Stieg Larsson.Syjuco even wrote it in my copy.

But upon reading Syjuco's book, I realized I'm so wrong. Though both their books tackle the ills of their respective countries' society ( Philippines and Sweden)and both touched both countries' history (though Syjuco's is so extensive and totally fictional) the differences lie in it's story telling. Stieg Larsson uses a style that even a typical New Yorker would understand and enjoy while on his way to work on a subway. Ilustrado is intricately woven and even sometimes confusing because of the frequent change of topic in the narrative.

Both used stories about deaths in the main characters. But Syjuco played on the idea of a fictional Philippine history sparked by public opinion and sensationalism of the media.

Both works should be read. I only wrote this to retract my statement on Ilustrado being compared to Stieg Larsson's "Millenium" series. Tomorrow, I'll start reading the third book "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" to finish off the "Millenium". I am so behind my reading. Blame it on twitter, pod casts and television.

Sister Act: Gospel Meets 70's Rock

It was drizzling and cold but that has not stopped me from going to Broadway last night. I usually go to TKTS (that ticket office below the ruby stairs in Time Square)for last minute discounted tickets whenever I am stressed out during the week. I go there after work without any particular show on mind. Last time, I saw the preview of Priscilla Queen of the Desert at a fraction of a cost and I never regretted watching the show. Now that I am back on blogging, I want to start the wave of my blog reviews through Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy.

Inspired by the Sister Act movie, the show was top-billed by Patina Miller who plays Deloris Van Cartier aka Sis. Mary Clarence, a Philadelphia showgirl who witnessed a crime committed by her goon boyfriend Curtis Jackson (played by Kingsley Leggs). She was given refuge by the Sisters of the Queen of Angels headed by a Mother Superior played by Victoria Clark. The music has been cleverly woven into a mix of all genres ranging from 70's disco Gospel, Gregorian chant, 80's love song, Bee Gees, Hip hop, Rap, Soul, R and B (you name it!). Unbelievable choreography was created to suit the music and glittery wardrobe worn by the cast. I was not expecting the outstanding production design from the wardrobe up to the set. I was expecting nuns in boring black and white habits but the show broke all boundaries by putting glitter in all the scenes. The altar with a giant statue of the Virgin Mary was propped with stained glass art, typical of Catholic churches, changing colors imitating the lights of a 70's disco. The statue itself of the Virgin Mary glittered and revolved in the end, just like a disco ball which narrow-minded critics may decry sacrilege! A surprise ending of course was the appearance of the pope(his back to the audience) emerging in the conductor's position. I was even confused if the guy who played pope was really the orchestra conductor dressed as the pope.

I was tweeting and checking out reviews and other social media in between breaks of the show and even followed @SisterActBway. It was so sweet of Ceasar Samayoa, (the actor who played Pablo, the funny Latino goon, on the heels of Deloris out to lynch her) to thank me for being in the audience last night. I congratulated him and the cast for a job well done.

Sister Act teaches us the values of friendship (being with your friends on whatever weather), charity (helping someone in need), and acceptance (respect of each other whatever the person's orientation). It also reminds us that singing is the highest form of praise. So sing your heart out for God to hear you. I became also interested with the Isaiah 55:12 (spoken by one of the nuns while Deloris went out of the convent) :

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap [their] hands."

Sister Act is not even open yet. I only saw a preview. I wonder if the pope will attend its premiere at the Broadway Theater on April 20, Holy Wednesday, for its opening.

Defying Gravity

It has been my dream, when I was sick to have pics of me caught defying gravity, that is being caught by the camera on air while jumping on major landmarks in New York. When Francis Arvy Olarte , my cousin, visited me here I seized the chance. And like all my dreams it came true. But he only shot photos in Time Square and Liberty State Park maybe because I was too tired to jump on the last leg of his trip.

On another note, I just want to blog this to convey that I am a simple guy with simple dreams and I can't fathom that God gave me these blessings that come my way.

Chase your dreams, y'all and defy gravity. Just fly high above the sky.

The Unfinished Blog that was Never Published

I am so back! And I am now a different person. Different city, different friends, different social networking sites (I was laughing at the friendster link on this page when I revisited this blog. I went back to blogging because of the inspiration given by my blogger friends (please see fave blogs link. It was so hard for me to recount the past 2 years, but that is the only way to revive this blog.

But what really happened on from February 2009 till March 2011? Time quickly passed by. 25 March 2011, I left the Philippines for my assignment in New York and that same year, the dawn of Easter Sunday, I succumbed to a heart attack. Alone in the concrete jungle I slept for three weeks. I woke up with my dad and cousin looking after me at the ICU of the New York Presbyterian Hospital, with tubes around my body.

July 27, 2009:Joey (my brother) comforted me because I am so nervous as I await the heart transplant procedure. It's just the two of us that time. He's the only wall I could lean on.

When I woke up after the heart transplant I desperately want to complete this blog with my shaky right hand on my hospital bed and here it goes:

"So there I was boarding my own Titanic seems liked a grueling trip to NYC. With a hurried pre departure orientation seminar and physical exam. Carpathia finally arrived in the foot of Liberty with a sick Jerick. It’s a struggle going to the office everyday, though its just a block away. Hypothermia almost killed me because of hypothyrodism. Soon my hotel allowance began to expire and I have to go own my own. But before that I explored the whole stretch of the Time Square from the 32nd to the 50th which is quite a surprise. My swollen feet brought me to Commack NY, to strangers that became part of my family. JR and Ivy are more than friends to me. They adopted me as family and I will not forget them forever that I owe them this, my second life…. Forever. In a brink of light I miss Abby and Danny which considered me as their own blood just like their parents. My regular routine was boarding the train at 8:06 at King’s park and my last stop is either Babylon or a transit to Huntington for King’s park. One night I just talked to my real estate agent when Ivy almost dragged me to the hospital. I’m very pale then and my foot as huge as a gourd. I could barely move and they brought me to Southside Hospital at Deer Park. I was moved to the ICU which surprise me the most."

And it ends there. I tried to continue it but I guess the rest was history.

I want to end this blog by sharing this message by my cousin Chris at my multiply account (please excuse the message's rawness)

The Journey

It’s been a long journey that happened so fast. When I first came to New York and visited you at the hospital, you are asleep and we don’t if you hear us or not. We don’t know if you’re going to wake up or not. The first time I saw you awake and moving I was really shock and I can’t hardly believe it. Through prayers every night it happened. Till it came that Joey is coming from the Pnas. Nung ako ay paalis ng Pilipinas ang sabi ko kina Joey at sa mga Mommy na 3 weeks lang ako. Sabi ko sa kanila, “sa loob ng 3 weeks marami ng pedeng mangyari”. Si Joey nun namomoblema pa rin sa visa nya. Akala namin hindi na magawan ng paraan na makapunta sya dito. Sa unang week ko dito nagising ka, by second week nakakagalaw kana, nakakuha ng visa si Joey, nakakaupo ka na, medyo nakakain na at medyo nakapagsasalita na. Sabi ko sayo nun tuloy ang laban at “Nothing Will go wrong”. Ngayong ginagawa ko itong sulat na ito, inooperahan ka. I still believe nothing will go wrong. Marami ka na pinagdaan at hindi lang sa ganito matatapos ang pinaghirapan at pinagdasalan natin. It’s quite an amazing adventure to me to be here in New York. I’ve learned a lot and most of all nakita ko kung ano talaga ang nangyari at pinagdaanan mo. Sa Saturday pauwi na ako. Gusto ko pag nagkausap ulit tayo maayos ka na magsalita, nakapaglalakad na at maaring pumapasok ka na. Lagi ka lang magdadasal. Hwag mo masyado planuhin lahat, araw araw maraming pede mangyari. At minsan may mas magandang nangyayari pag hindi mo inaasahan. Ingat kayo lagi.

Chris

"Win"
Dark is the night
I can weather the storm
Never say die
I've been down this road before
I'll never quit
I'll never lay down, mm
See I promised myself that I'd never let me down

I'll never give up
Never give in
Never let a ray of doubt slip in
And if I fall I'll never fail
I'll just get up and try again
Never lose hope
Never lose faith
There's much too much at stake
Upon myself I must depend
I'm not looking for place or show

I'm gonna win
No stopping now
There's still a ways to go, oh
Someway, somehow
Whatever it takes, I know
I'll never quit, no no
I'll never go down, mm, mm
I'll make sure they remember my name
A hundred years from now

When it's all said and done
My once in a lifetime will be back again
Now is the time
To take a stand
Here is my chance
That's why I'll... Mmm, I'm gonna win"

Thank God for all the blessings! Thank God for another life! With Him on my side I need not fear anymore.

The Jerick on the 4th Quarter of 2008

I miss the short blogs. And I’ll try to make this one as short as possible. I’m also keen to do the bullet form today so here’s what happened to me towards the last quarter of 2008:

October: It seems that having a nightlife is now really impossible and my doctor recommended that I should not live alone. So, I abandoned my good old pad in Pasay and started to go home to Bulacan everyday. I also headed the Ceremonial Team of the Global Forum on Migration and Development held in Manila last October. It came out very successful though grueling for my condition. My teammates are very supportive and I thank all of them.

November: It seems that I’m pulling a punching bag whenever I walk even just five steps. It is physically impossible for me to carry anything. At the International Bazaar Foundation, I spent the day seated while the others are busy shopping. When I came home we decided to go to the doctor right away. I was confined for a week and approximately 4 gallons of water was extracted from my body (thanks to furosemide). I never imagined I was so bloated till got the numbers and measurements of liters and liters of water coming out of my system. I was 250 pounds (which is evident in my photos) because of water retention. When I was sent home, I got this brand new laptop. I got wired through residencia wifi that kept me from boredom. The miracle of God, expertise of Dr. Panlilio and the protein diet of PHC dietician Elaine Bañares (who I never got to thank) worked wonders for me. I started to feel like a normal person again without the excess baggage. I am now strictly limited to drinking 1.8 liters a day.

December: I had a new trainee that would soon take charge of my office desk, her name is Jazmine. The Residencia Friday Group (RFG) had a Christmas Party last Dec. 16 sans my drinking (oh well). I never get to shop for the holidays because the late bonuses (hehe). So, I shopped during the clearance sales instead. The RFG Girls almost cleared Robinson’s Star Mills and SM Pampanga on the 26^th. Then came Michelle’s birthday celebration that same day which overlapped during the first few hours of my birthday. Almost the whole of my birthday was spent at the airport for my friend Jane’s departure for Tokyo then Joey, Cris (my brother Joey’s boo) and I went to the Divine Mercy Shrine for the 6 pm mass.. I was at the airport the next day to send off Consul General Manalo to Frankfurt. The whole of the 29^th was spent sleeping and watching indie pinoy films while the 30^th was for shopping for fruits. The eve of the New Year was rainy and the smog is at its worst at about 1 am.

I am now here in Baguio with the Evangelista Clan on a New Year’s night, very cold and lonely. New Year, new beginning, new life, New….

Something will happen. Watch out for it soon.

I guess I haven’t succeeded in posting a short and bullet form blog.

What is Singleness Stress?

I’ve been blubbering to everyone especially my cousins a self-coined term called “Singleness Stress”. That kind of stress attacks anyone especially if you’ve been single for the past two years. It starts with self pity and would eat up your whole day which makes it very stressful. Most of my female colleagues are experiencing it especially if they’re single parents or even when they have a boyfriend but not obviously felt (he he). It would come while you are alone, in any situation, glued to the tube or just strolling at the mall. You would need to constantly talk to someone to relieve you of the stress. It is not different from any other kind of stress except that you get tired and weary because you are alone. Here are some signs:

1. When you cry in a non-mushy film such as “When Love Begins” or “Iron Man”;

2. When you do not cry at a book that everyone’s been crying about;

3. When you get irritated at the sight of lovers holding hands or messing around;

4. When you frequent the spa or you get massages at least 3-4 times a week;

5. When you don’t believe that true love could not be found in the Big Brother House;

6. When you overly pondering the fact that all your exes are all happily married or committed to someone;

7. When you abhor it when our exes keep on sending you sms telling that they miss you;

8. When you hate your friends getting married and worst they put you in reserved seats at the wedding reception with kids on it or in a ten seater table with a blank seat obviously for your supposed-to-be significant someone;

9. When you just couldn’t stand it when you have to update a long lost friend asking about you ex and repeating the heartbreak story over and over again

10. When you deny the fact there is someone better that would come into your life besides your last ex.

Hey. It doesn’t mean that if your experiencing this stress would mean that you’ll have lonely nights. It may even be the opposite. Most people who experiences “Singleness Stress” have a bountiful sex life. If you’ve been attacked by the “SS” and your sex life is zero, then you got a bigger problem.

The Night When Everyone Got a Text Message

Last night, eevryone close to me got this text message

"Everytime I go to the doctor, it seems that I'm always reminded that my time is running out. And I dread every moment of it. Ive got too much diuretics in my system that I don't know if the results would turn out to be fine. I try to be happy and do the things that I could afford to do evryday but the constant fear always engulfs me every time this moment comes. I'm texting this not because of drama, worry or panic for for your support and prayers"

The same message also goes out to you readers of my blog. I may look strong and invincible but deep inside when I'm alone I need someone to vent all my feelings out.

Good news is: the results turned out to be just fine. :)

And speaking of seizing every moment that I feel fine, the two and a half hour spa session after the doctor's consultation didn't hurt. Hayyy, ang sarap dito sa pupuntahan ko :)

Teri Hatcher Insults Filipino Doctors/ Medicine Schools in Desperate Housewives

In the Premiere of Desperate Housewives(Season 3) Teri Hatcher made a remark about Filipinos - doctors/nurses. She was talking to her doctor and then she said "Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Coz I would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines."First of all I'm a huge fan of the series and no one could ever ban me from watching it, it's absolutely hilarious and full of racial slurs. Gabrielle Solis' maid who is Chinese was always insulted in the series because of her ethnic origin. The Applewhites, the black (or should I say colored? hehe) family, in the Wisteria Lane neighborhood was often suspected of doing misdeeds just because they are "different" as the series may suggest. I think we should not mind Teri Hatcher's remarks and should laugh out loud. American shows does that all the time. We should be intelligent enough and should learn from our mistakes from the "Filipino" biscuits controversy and Claire Danes' remarks. We should bury the hatchet of false Filipino pride and make use of or True Filipino Pride into productive use by improving the state of our economy.The Filipino doctors, who are graduates of Filipino schools, and Philippine med schools should prove to the world that they're good and the best in the world, as one friend commented. As long as there are no flags burned, which is done by half of the world to the American flag, I think the Filipino has a place in the world arena

They Asked me to Sing (and Dance, too!): The Bagaberde Episode

There we were, last September 29, braving Typhoon Hannah on it's alert warning signal no. 1. It's been weeks of planning until Au arrived from Dubai last Friday, with no definite itineraries of our nightout.The Residencia cousins went out of Bulacan to paint the town red which started with a sumptous dinner at Gerry's Grill, Mall of Asia as the Saturday round of fireworks lit up the sky that seem to welcome us to our reunion.As usual, the gimmick night won't be complete without the endless photo sessions ranging from elevator shots to parking lot shots. We also went to the Sofitel Philippine Plaza where Mr. Park, our friend from Korea, stayed. The gang can't help but wonder at the longest buffet in Metro Manila at Spiral. We are still undecided on where we will go on that fateful night. Endless deliberations on either the group would split or we'll go together. We finally decided to got to Pier One Roxas but it seems like it's reeeking with people and the ambience is totally bland and dull. We shifted to the nearby Bagaberde instead which featured the bands Dress Down Friday and the Hyperbeat. Au negotiated with the Bagaberde management for a discount since we're 17 persons all in all at the 250 peso entrance rate. It turned to be a smart decision. So there we were, gulping pitchers of Cuba Libre and Screwdriver while others were into beer. When the Hyperbeat band played, I was so shocked when a girl member of the band just pulled me to the stage and asked me to dance with them. The semi-erotic (yuck) dance number left me gasping for breath since it's highly-energized and because of the cigarette smoke that fills the air. On their third or fourth number, Hyperbeat asked me to join them again. This time the girls asked me if I know how to sing, I answered with a hand signal, that reminded me of how the French signals "a little" or "un peu". The girl in the black top seem to misundertood what I said that it nearly reavealed my true sexual identity (haha). The male member of the band asked me if I know "Just Once" by James Ingram. And my unprecedented performance began. The once formal tone of Bagaberde was turned into a comic ambience of ZIRKOH! The gang just roared into cheers when I hit the high notes that I am not hearing my voice anymore. After my number, the group acknowledged the presence of Ms. Dinna Bonnevie in the crowd that drove me nuts. Knowing that Ms. D watched me sing made me melt and sent shivers down to my spine! During Dress Down Friday's second set they also asked me to join them and this time it's a snafu (Systems Normal All Fucked Up!). I don't know the lyrics of another James Ingram song. A very handsome member of the group in the person of "Archie" was there to help me out but we just can't pull it off.

Dress Down Friday's repertoire is mostly R and B mixed with pop and house music tunes. Archie nicely belted out popular songs such as my favorite Freestyle's "Half Crazy" and Get Far's "Shining Star". They even tried Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girl" that made us get off our seats and groove to the music. Hyperbeat's tunes are more 80's with a mix of popular tunes such as "Umbrella". Hyperbeat charmed their audience by their comedy antics that even Ms. D danced with them onstage.

Whew! That was a night. It all ended up at 4 am. It'll be part of Residencia's history. Hope we could do this more often if only everyone's here with us and not abroad. Thank you very much, Au. For this, Residencia's gimmick would never be the same again.

Mes Aliments Preférés: 100 of My Favorite Gastronomic Treats

I was so inspired by Ari Bancale’s blog on his favorite food, omgirl45’s passion for food and Melvyn Isidro’s new look of Cheesecake Melliza that I’ve decided to do my very own food blog. Contrary to my previous post, I have not included a French dish because I have never eaten an authentic French dish myself (sad truth, I ate at a pizzeria, at a McDonald’s joint, and ate Secretariat and hotel food in Paris!). One of the perks of a protocol officer is to sample local hotels’ specialties as well as dishes from around the world. I have included my town’s (Sta. Maria, Bulacan) specialties and some of the home-cooked meals I’ve devoured. Those in bold are must-try’s. (MOA means the Mall of Asia). So in random order, let’s dig in and start the fiesta:

1. Lava cake at Plato Platina (MOA and Blue Wave Macapagal): scorching hot fudge brownie with freezing cold vanilla ice cream on top, simply romantic

2. Paella of our Socials Director Mr. Raymond Toledo

3. Buttered fan clams of Dencio’s

4. Spicy seafood jambalaya of Gumbo’s (MOA and The Block)

5. Everything as in everything at Hussein’s (Serendra, Bonifacio High Street): I never liked Arabic food until Hussein’s.

6. Sushi and maki at Nambantei’s (Greenbelt 3)

7. Hainanese chicken at the Heritage Hotel

8. Ilustrado Restaurant’s bagnet: just visit your doctor afterwards hehe

9. Aling Nene’s barbeque (Makati): fave pulutan

10. Reyes barbeque (Timog Avenue, MOA): WINNER!

11. Yellow Cab anchovies pizza

12. Rai-rai Ken’s sushi on a bed of “lato” seaweed (only at Rai-rai Ken SM City Cebu)

13. Tapsilog Queen at Tapa King

14. Rainbow salad at the Rainbow Connection (Malate): a dieter’s treat

15. Tom yang soup at Dusit Thani (Glorietta)

16. Noodles at Li Li Restaurant (Hyatt Hotel and Casino)

17. Sweet and our pork with kangkong with bagoong at Chowking

18. The Shangri-la Makati breakfast: feast like a king

19. Ensaymada and coffee at The Manila Diamond Hotel lobby!

20. Country breakfast at Pancake House

21. Bibingka at Bibingkahan sa Dos (Sta. Rosa, Marilao Bulacan)

22. Green mangoes with bagoong at the Mall of Asia

23. Chicken tocino super meal at Jollibee

24. The good ol’ BigMac at McDonald’s

25. Jollibee Chickenjoy: I just had one today

26. Bud-bud meals and Nightclubbero meal at Bakahan at Manukan (Roxas Boulevard corner Buendia)

27. Oysters at Marina (Timog Ave and PICC Complex)

28. Korean beef stew rice at Chiggy’s (Remedios and MOA): heavenlymeeh’s treat

29. Mojo potatoes at Shakey’s

30. Hamburger at Manila Hotel

31. Beef misono at Tokyo Tokyo

32. “Sipa” at Wok-In (Adriatico Malate and Makati Park Square 2 )

33. Jonas pares (Sampaloc, Manila)

34. Salads at Antonio’s (Tagaytay): posh and sosi

35. Tawilis breakfast at Taal Vista Hotel (Tagaytay)

36. Steak at Tagaytay Highlands: you’ll be askin for more

37. Bangus fiesta platter at Bangus Restaurant (MOA)

38. Sandwich wrap at Piadina (Ayala malls)

39. Popcorn and lemonade at Musclebeach (Ayala malls)

40. Shabu-shabu at a local restaurant in Sabae, Fukui prefecture in Japan

41. Caesar salad with seaweed at Albert restaurant in Tokyo

42. McDonald’s burger with wasabi mayo in Japan

43. Malate street shawarma ni Manang (Nakpil St.)

44. Spicy Norwegian salmon maki at Teriyaki Boy

45. Suman with Tsokolate “Eh” breakfast at Café Adriatico (Malate): sumptuous delight but so expensive

46. Salzburger knuckle, a dessert, at the Mandarin Oriental (Makati): the weirdest dessert I’ve tasted

47. Chocolate cake ay Circle’s Shangri-la Makati

48. Vietnamese spring rolls of the Vietnamese Embassy: catch it at the International Bazaar Foundation at the PICC Forum on November 25.

49. Soft roll bread of the Asian Development Bank Canteen (Ortigas)

50. Grillades at Sutokil (Mactan, Cebu): PARADISE!

51. Churittos and the Manila’s longest buffet at Spirals (Sofitel Philippine Plaza, PICC Complex)

52. Paella at Casa Armas (Malate and Greenbelt 3)

53. Whopper at Burger King: kailangan pa bang imemorize yan?

54. Longganisa from Vigan, Lucban and Cebu: you can find them all at Hot Café (Roxas Boulevard fronting the US Embassy)

55. Malaysian laksa and nasi “mani”: hehe

56. Potato salad at Almon Marina (Park Square 2 Makati and MOA)

57. Julie’s bibingka and puto bumbong (Sta. Maria, Bulacan): limited engagement only

58. Bon’s, Jennie’s, Daboy’s pork chicharon (Sta. Maria Bulacan): guilty pleasures just watch out for your cholesterol count

59. Baguette of Delifrance: I don’t know if this is French!

60. Congee, tofu and lumpiang toge at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy Canteen (Marilao, Bulacan): especially on a rainy day

61. Tita Virginia’s (mom of Arvy and Venice Olarte) kare-kare: forget your diet!

62. Russian embassy’s caviar in Fita biscuits: very expensive

63. Samurai crepe of the Mandarin Hotel: always a treat at a Singaporean Embassy reception

64. Goldilock’s fresh lumpia

65. UST Hospital’s strawberry jelly: I want lots of it during breakfast

66. UST’s parking lot hamburger: now extinct

67. Aling Oying’s lumpiang shanghai, tocino and nilagang baka (Sta Maria, Bulacan): my weekend getaway

68. Kuya Rolly’s (my collegue) Bicol Express: a lunch treat!

69. Pretzel’s at Auntie Anne’s

70. Beef and tuna turnovers at Brownie’s

71. Cheesecake Melliza’s carrot cake and cheese cakes (Glorietta 4): simply heaven

72. Cinnabon cinnamon bread

73. Smokey’s taco dog (The Philippine Heart Center)

74. Rockefeller oysters at Bubba Gump (Greenbelt 3)

75. Curry, curry and curry at Prince of Jaipur (MOA, The Fort)

76. More curry, more curry and more curry at Bollywood (Greenbelt 3)

77. Mixed tempura of Haiku (Greenbelt 3)

78. Fajitas of Soul Food (then Greenbelt 3)

79. Whatever we ate at Burgoo’s (MOA)

80. Eng Bee Tin and Echague hopia

81. Buttered/a la pobre shrimps at Taste Asia

82. Lobster bisque of Manila Hotel

83. Chocolate desserts at Max Brener (Greenbelt 3)

84. Java chip frapuccino and Belgian waffles at Starbuck’s

85. Café mocha and croissants at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

86. Brewed coffee and choco honey dipped donuts at Dunkin Donuts

87. Coney dog and rootbeer at A & W restaurants: are these still around?

88. Crispy kangkong of Dencio’s (Harbor Square): hope you remember this Ari J

89. Pork sinigang at Mang Inasal (Harbor Square): comfort food, I ate this during my break-up

90. Bizu’s canapés with cottage cheese: Malacanang treat

91. Iranian pistachios: Christmas treat

92. Australian fish and chips

93. Krispy Kreme donuts; sige na nga!

94. Mozart chocolates from Austria: with pistachios/walnut at the center

95. Hawaiian macadamian nut chocolates

96. Makati Shang-rila’s moon cake: limited engagement only

97. Manhattan’s $1 and $2 dollar street hotdog

98. Kimchi at Kaya Restaurant

99. Inang Nene’s carabao adobo: an All Saint’s Day treat, I miss this!

100. Eurobake’s inipit and ensaymada (Malolos, Bulacan)

Photo credits: Melvyn Isidro of Cheesecake Melliza, Glorietta 4