A Tale of Two Papers

In a school supplies store somewhere in Angeles City, I was scouting for butcher paper which I wanted to use as lining for the bottom of my drawers. Failing to find one by myself, my sister and I decided to consult the sales clerk who assisted us in the direction of the requested item.

Along a line of shelves of receipts and pads he went as we followed, and after a few paces, he confidently pointed a sheaf of papers with these words printed at the top:

After a few seconds of stifling our laughter, we explained to the sales clerk that we were looking for something else which is spelled as B-U-T-C-H-E-R. Not knowing the Tagalog version of the paper, we thought the item we were looking for may have a different term in their store so we described it to him.

And, just when we thought matters could not get any worse (or funnier) than it is, he referred us to their security guard.

WTF!

I wanted to laugh out loud.

We thought he'd refer us to another sales clerk or the manager, instead he directed us to the security guard who was, on a positive note, very helpful and tried his best to picture what kind of paper we were looking for. The clerk just gave us the impression that their security guard knows the products in the store better than anyone else.

In the end, we left the store empty-handed. And my plan to dress up my drawers just got butchered.

Quote: Arctic Monkeys

"Assuming that all things are equal, who wants to be men of the people when there's people like you?" -From Teddy Picker by Arctic Monkeys

Quote: Lisa Belkin

It's a workers paradox that the years we most need a real vacation are the years we feel least free to take them." --Lisa Belkin, New York Times Life's Work columnist

A Look Back at Older Blogs: Pesto Pasta P*ta!

As I was about to cancel my Myspace account, I browsed through some of my old photos and blogs which I was about to let go when I stumbled upon this blog/ review of a restaurant we dined in a few years back. I think it would be worth re-posting here. Brings back memories... and a pesto-like taste in my mouth.

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Saturday, February 10, 2007
Pesto Pasta P*ta
Category: Food and Restaurants

Sorry about the last word in the title, but that's exactly what came to mind when I tasted Pizza Volante's Pesto Pasta. I'm the adventurous type even when it comes to food, so I thought pesto pasta sounded harmless enough.  But the moment I saw Rona's face as she wolfed down a forkful of the pasta, I began to have doubts. Hell, the moment the waitress brought something topped with green sauce, I already thought something was wrong.

Being a baked ziti addict, my taste buds are limited to red and white sauce, so green is a bit new. I guess green isn't really appetizing when we're talking about food.  Don't get me wrong, I like vegetables, but pesto pasta tastes like grass. Maybe in Italy pesto pasta's taste is bearable, but not in Pizza Volante. Their pizza doesn't even taste like what pizza should taste like.

Of all restaurants in Baguio, the one place we picked to eat lunch just for the sake of deviating from the usual fast food was the worst.  I don't know what Jom was thinking suggesting that we try it out. And we even ordered servings for four people (and there's only three of us.) If we knew right away how it would taste, we would have asked Jom to wipe the sauce off the second serving and perhaps request for hot sauce as alternative.  That might have been bearable. I think plain pasta without that green sauce would have tasted better.

Despite my hunger, I was only able to force myself to eat two forkfuls. Rona didn't bother to taste it again and started complaining right away (being the hungriest of the three of us.)  Even the iced tea tasted differently (or was it because of the aftertaste of the herbs?)  Jom managed to almost finish the first plate but only did so because, according to him, he didn't want to offend the cook. As if the cook would care. We didn't even finish the pizza because it wasn't fatty enough to wash off the herbs from our tongues.

We didn't want to leave all that untouched food, and since we were in a hurry, we paid the bill and asked the humorless waitress to pack the leftovers for take-out. And because we weren't satisfied, we even forgot the doggie bag. The waitress just ran after us with our take-out.  Right there and then we didn't want to remember the experience.

We were so hungry and pissed off when we left. To make matters worse, we had to make do with the light snacks (sandwich and juice) that we luckily kept (probably anticipating what's going to happen) on the way down to flat lands (a five-hour ride if traffic isn't so bad.)

And what's more disappointing is that we spent so much for that thing they call food. We could have just dined at Jollibee (for a change) and only spent a fraction of our bill at Pizza Volante and probably got more satisfaction. We swore not to eat at that place again or even taste pesto pasta in other restaurants.

As to the leftover, Jom offered it to one of our office mates who was happy enough to accept as he hasn't had his lunch yet. He even commented that it looked delicious. I bet Jom was thinking "Oh yeah it is..."  The next day, we got curious and asked how the food tasted. All he could say was "Nanu ya ita?! (Translation: What was that?!) He didn't finish the pesto pasta but he managed to eat the pizza.

So much for food trips.

Postscript: The author is a fan of Italian food and loves watching cooking shows hosted by Italian chefs.

Quote: Khalil Gibran

"For what is to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered? Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance." -Excerpt from DEATH by Khalil Gibran

Absolutely

Apart from death, I just found out that in life, two other things are absolute: the Law of Gravity and Murphy's Law.

Anawangin: The Tent City

01-02 May 2010. I did not sleep after arriving from Aurora because I found out that we were supposed to leave for our Division Teambuilding at 2:00 am. I only got roughly 4 hours to prepare (unpack and pack again) for Anawangin.

This trip almost did not materialize because of some fears about drowning and floating slippers which my officemates read from some blog warning people not to go to Anawangin, plus the low pressure area threatening to spoil our boat ride to the island. Thank God we were spared of that, and I still have my pair of tsinelas intact. But I don’t know if the lack of rain was a good thing or a bad thing because I never thought it would be as hot as summer in a tropical country in Anawangin. “Awan-Angin”-- Ilocano words coined to literally mean no wind (Awan Ti Hangin). And I never expected Anawangin, which I always thought as an island isolated and bereft of facilities, would be as crowded as Subic beaches on a regular summer day.

I’ve never been a fan of crowded beaches so Anawangin’s beauty was somehow eclipsed by the colorful tents beckoning in the beach front and the loads of city boys and girls looking for Starbucks and something else to do because of the lack of network signals and electricity.

So thank goodness there was something else to do other than sulk in the heat and stare at the crowd of half-naked men and bikini-clad women who seem to like walking in their garb rather than swimming in them. We walked on the crisscrossing trails, or paths of righteousness and wickedness as we like to call it (ang daang baluktot at matuwid, sabi nga ni Noynoy), which can be found in the forest of pine trees just after the sandbar that divides the sea and the river… or look for firewood while making sure we were still in the trail. Anawangin is actually a beautiful and unique place beset with pine trees and off-white sand, which, according to some, was the result of Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption. Pine trees and beaches don’t seem to go hand-in-hand, but that’s what you get with Anawangin. The lack of facilities is also not for the faint-hearted and maarte.

What made my day, though, was the short hike in the mountain just before sunset. I never thought I would be able to hike barefoot just to get a glimpse of a beautiful sunset from atop a mountain. (Buti na lang kasama ko si Barry at Jan as bodyguards.) The view was very calming indeed, and far from the madding crowd. I wish I can go back when there are only 5 tents perched on the beach front and no tents and hammocks on the forest of pine trees. Hiking to Anawangin is also a must-try.

Anawangin Sunset

Because I'm a sucker for sunsets, I hiked barefoot to get these shots.

... and because I have sweaty feet that it won't do to wear slippers while climbing steep paths, so I opted to go barefoot rather than slip to my untimely death.

 

 

The Aurora Experience: San Luis

30 April 2010 (Day 3). Our last day in Aurora was not to be spent on traveling back to the lowlands alone. We made sure to make the most out of it, so we welcomed Ma’am Ting Martinez’ (San Luis LGU Treasurer) invitation to take us to the Cunayan Falls.

The Cunayan Falls is just one of the waterfalls in the town of San Luis. Going there takes almost an hour of traversing rough, narrow roads through vehicle and a little bit of walking. The road going to the falls is privately-owned so there is a minimal entrance fee. The sound of the waterfalls and the clear, cool waters, were a welcome respite for city-folks like us. It was a refreshing treat just before our not-so-worry-free travel back to Pampanga. Thanks to Ma’am Ting (who promised to tour us again if we go back after the elections) for accommodating us despite her busy schedule.

We thought we won’t be able to go back home just in time for our teambuilding the next day. The last trip for the bus was still at 3:00 pm and we didn’t want to take chances in the non-air-conditioned buses because of their reputation for driving like there is no tomorrow. It’s a good thing the van completed its passenger requirement after more than 2 hours of waiting, so we took off at 1:00 pm and arrived in Cabanatuan less than 4 hours later. And we had to endure another 3 hours of commute (1 hour for waiting) back to Pampanga.

We got home safe and sound, and that's what's more important.

The Aurora Experience: Casiguran

29 April 2010 (Day 2). Four hours from Baler is a town called Casiguran. Before the concrete roads and bridges were constructed, travel time used to take days, and during rainy season, you might not even get a chance to go to Casiguran at all. The reason for our sojourn to this place is because the municipality of Casiguran was nominated for an award in line with the Streamlining Project In the Issuance of Mayor’s Permit, and we were to validate data submitted to us by the Provincial Validating Team.

We left Baler early in the morning hoping to get to Casiguran before lunch time and wishing to get a glimpse of the hidden wonders of this very isolated place. Before this trip, I searched the web for some natural attractions and chanced upon a virgin beach located in Sitio Casapsapan which I hoped to visit. After our official business with the LGU of Casiguran, our wish was granted and our very helpful partners from the Provincial Government of Aurora (Sir Val and Sir George) agreed to take us to Casapsapan Beach for a photo-op. The trip was really worth it. If we had enough time, I could’ve donned my swimwear and frolicked in the beach, but alas, the real world awaits, and the road back to Baler is long and rough, and we can’t afford to delay the trip since there is a part in Dinalungan that is hard to traverse when there is not enough daylight to guide you (think falling off a cliff.)

A big thanks to Sir Val, Sir George (our very skillful driver), and of course Sir Jennings of the Provincial Government of Aurora for arranging the vehicle (a newly-bought Toyota Innova which looked like it competed in a 4x4 challenge after our trip to Casiguran.) We didn’t mean to be the first-time users, it so happened that the original vehicle assigned to us was still in the shop. At least the vehicle was subjected to a really meticulous test drive and there is a still a 7-day warranty in case something happens to it. A million thanks also to Ate Emily of DTI-Aurora for accompanying us to the LGUs of San Luis and Casiguran and for the over-all coordination, and to Tita Cora of the PGA Guesthouse who treated us like her children during our stay in Baler. I take pride for being the first from the regional office (according to Ate Ems) to go to Casiguran. I hope I can go back, this time for leisure.

The Aurora Experience: Baler

28 April 2010 (Day 1). Going to Aurora has always been a dreaded assignment for most of us DTI-3 associates (save for my officemate Jan who was so excited to go but was not permitted to join us) because: 1) our office vehicles are not allowed to go further than the outskirts of Nueva Ecija (the province before Aurora) for fear of not returning in one piece; 2) due to reason no. 1, associates are forced to ride the bus from Cabanatuan City which takes four hours to arrive in Baler (capital town of Aurora), and if you’re lucky enough, catch the last trip (which is usually before lunch time) and get a good seat, which is rare, because on some unfortunate days you’ll either get a seat at the back of the bus which sort of feels like being stuffed in a blender, or get stuck in the bus’ aisle with a monoblock chair with nothing to support your back while being bordered by loads of boxes threatening to fall down on your head when the road starts to get rough; and 3) when it rains, you might actually get stuck in Aurora or on the road while waiting for the heavy equipment to clear the roads buried by mudslides.

Luckily, this is no longer the case, as most of the roads leading to Baler are now concretized (but getting good bus seats is still a matter of good timing). On my nth time (I’ve lost count) going to Baler on official business, I told myself that this time, I’ll make the most out of it. So I did, and with the help of my officemate Toti who coaxed me to brave the rough waters of the beach in Baler, I tried my best not to be swallowed by the waves, which was actually a thrill. And for the first time since I went to Baler, I was able to take a dip in the surfer-friendly waters. Now, I wish I could surf. But then I have to practice swimming first.

But of course, before the leisure, we did our job and went to San Luis LGU to do what we were supposed to do. Sorry, but the official photos will not be posted here.

All Effed Up

I was watching the news earlier and some interesting bit caught my attention. A survey was conducted by the Department of Health among government employees working in 21 government agencies in Metro Manila. Based on that study, DOH concluded that 1 out of 3 government employees have mental health problems.

WTF!!!!

Now you know why the government's pretty fucked up.