2 WFH Sisters and 1 Dog Sharing Our Travels in Bicol and Manila

Wonderin' what kind of coffee is this. Perfect for my eleven p.m to eight a.m shift!

It is  not easy  to work  night shift. Been doing that for six years!  I drink  one  or two cups almost  everyday in my life that just recently I slowed down and prefered teas instead but I always find myself slurping a coffee!  It is like saying , what-is-life-without-coffee to  what-is-Earth-without-the-Sun drama. 


Photo taken from his link

Barbara's Restaurant Buffet Dinner with Cultural Presentation at Intramuros

Wanna  feel what it is like to eat in a fine dining vintage restaurant & watch  the country's cultural dances?   Come  to  Barbara's Restaurant!    As described in their website: “Step into a place reminiscent of old world elegance.  Located along the historical General Luna street in Intramuros, the restaurant evokes the charm and beauty of a bygone era. Go up the intricately-carved staircase and you will be greeted by magnificent silver-gilted mirrors. Walk into the main hall and experience the luxury of fine dining. With high ceilings and crystal chandeliers”


About the menus, I leave it to food critics slash bloggers fingertips but all I can say it is a superb fusion of Spanish and Filipino cuisine. More than fifteen dace shows were show while eating the buffet, complete with colorful costumes and screaming dancers! At the end of the show anyone from the audience can join  and dance the Tinikling with them!   To visit their and website know more of their different packages according  to one's  budget and dining preference: Buffet, Plated & Packed Meals, you may click here

Contact Numbers: 

Plaza San Luis Complex: 527-3893 or 527-4086
Orchidarium: 522-9507
Sitio Victoria, Diliman: 932-8534



Photos credit from Eva Zamora 

What’s wrong with being number two?

Anybody ever read the book Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albomha in 1997 that topped the New York Times Non-Fiction Bestsellers of 2000?

In a game  when everyone cheers “We are number one! We are number one!” to the basketball team,  Morrie the main character rises up and yells, “What’s wrong with being number two?”


Yeah, what’s wrong with being number two? Tell me.  

Christmas Ek ek!




Was spending some quiet time (actually looking for a free wifi) at the 37h flr w/c is 13 floors up from where I stay. Noticed so many airiplanes passing by almost every minute. Made me wonder how many people really went home  to celebrate Christmas with their family. But in reality I think there are as much as many people who stayed from where they are compared to  those who wernoable  tsneak out not because they dont  wanna  go home but they are not in the position  to.



Jose Rizal's Padre Damaso: To Whom In Real Life He Got the "Bad" Image From

Why in heavens and earths, Jose Rizal choose his villain the "oh-so-great" Padre Damaso as a Franciscan friar?  Did in any point in his lifetime he met a Franciscan friar whom he had bitter memories at all?In Tomas Gomez' III article "The mystery of ‘Padre Damaso:’ An infinitesimal footnote to Philippine cultural trivia"  by Tomas Gomez III" shares about his family background how he can in a way put some light about a Franciscan friar and the Franciscan order.

The Franciscan order is in fact  "renowned for alms-giving, love and care of the poor, and for having established the first hospitals in the Philippines." he added.


Meeting the real Damaso

Tracing back the history, Rizal in 1873 visited Polo, Bulacan and he was 12 years old at that time to see the parish priest of the town whom he described as a “soothsayer,” being consulted on robberies and thefts. All information points to a certain Padre José Huerce, OFM. He was only 26 years old fresh from the seminary in Spain. Calbayog oral history  tells about an amazon-like Waray-Waray fought alongside Padre Huerce against  Moro raiders and she e was Isabel Berdejo. The author continues "She gifted Padre Huerce the honor of fatherhood with three mestizo boys—Antonio, Simon and Juan." Whew! What?

The author is actually the friar's a great-grandson. To read the whole story you may click here

Photo credit from Xtian Devinart

I Am Imeldific!


Flat shoes, doll shoes,  ballerina shoes... I can feel the Imeldific in me sans those killer heels of course! Reminds me of  the Marikina Shoe Museum where you'll see the 1,500+ pairs of shoes of former  First Lady Imelda Marcos


To read more about it you may click here 

History channel’s ”Hidden Cities” will feature The Philippines on Jan. 4, 2012

Anthony Morse, History Channel host  visited the Philippines for  two weeks last Augustto feature the country in one of the  episodes of “Hidden Cities” tv program. Bayani San Diego Jr. of Philippine Daily Inquirer wrote,  “He visited Intramuros and Malacañang Palace in Manila; the World War II island-fortress in Corregidor; the Iwahig prison in Palawan; and the mountain tribal villages in Kalinga.“

He also met  former First Lady Imelda Marcos but  said he didn’t get to check out the legendary shoe collection. On his next visit, he hopes to meet Pres Aquino and Manny Pacquiao. “Those would be dream interviews,” he said.

 To read the whole article  you may click here 

The Philippine Star's Forgotten Philippine treasures in History's Hidden Cities article posted  November 22  said  “Filipinos have much to look forward to from the series, as it includes an hour-long special on the Philippines. Venturing to places that may not even be familiar to locals, the episode offers a fascinating glimpse of the lifestyle, culture and history of the country, from an enriching visit to the Presidential Palace to meet a former First Lady to a revealing jaunt around historic sites that reflect the Philippines’ traditions and roots.“

                                                                To read the whole article  you may click here 




The map of wherAnthony Morse visited the Philippines taken from  History website
To  check the website you may click here 

The Philippine episode of “Hidden Cities” will be aired on the History channel on Jan. 4, 2012. History is available on SKYCable channel 25, Cablelink channel 44, Dream channel 27 and Destiny channel 56

   

I Need a Break!



Is dreaming of walking in the beach wearing a sundress and watching the sunset barefoot… away from my laptop, smartphone and workstation Just the sad orange glares from the sun, the naughty wind blowing my hair and the chilly fine sand under my feet to comfort me.

FREE FILIPINIANA SUNSETS Folk Dance Show at the CCP


Filipiniana Sunsets is a folk dance series at the CCP’s North Promenade from 6PM to 7PM  showcasing the colorful pageantry of local folk songs and dances set against the world famous Manila sunset by different community-based and school-based folk dance groups  that started since October.

Sindaw Philippines Performing Arts Guild on December 7
UP Filipiniana Folk Dance Troupe on December 14 and December 21

For more information, please call CCP Dance Division at tel. no. 832-1125 local 1602.

Haec est Sibylla Cumana: A Book by Rizal


“A compulsive traveler, he frequented parlors, cafes, bewitching pretty ladies, quarreling with rivals like M.H. del Pilar and Antonio Luna, indulging in hugely wide interests, comic tales, butterfly hunting, sunken vessels, even home decor for the family house in Calamba. Jose Rizal continues to surprise us.” says Carmen Guerrero Nakpil in her article she posted in Manila Bulletin Haec est Sibylla Cumana.

Haec est Sibylla Cumana is a book about a parlor game he invented using a character from the ancient Graeco-Roman culture of occult practices, the Sibylla Cumana, seeress and fortune-teller.

Carmen described  it as a Spin-the-Top-and-Learn-Your- Future game, using a wooden top and a list of numbered questions and answers on popular, worldly matters like love, business and relationships. Packed in an old recycled envelop with a New York City address of a machine shop and a family tree sketch,  an octagonal wooden top, questions and answers in Spanish and two hand-drawn portraits of the Sibylla. He later entrusted the materials for playing Sibylla to his sister, Narcisa who visited him in Dapitan. It is only this year, 2011, the year of the National Celebration of the 150th Rizal Birth Anniversary, that the heirs of Paciano Rizal decided to reveal this family heirloom to the nation. [Photo courtesy of Manila Bulletin]

To read the whole story you may click here 


FREE Villancico concert at San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Dec 6 at7:30 pm


    • The historic San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila will be the venue for one the most special Christmas presentations of the year. This is "Villancicos ng Paskong Pilipino," a concert featuring Spanish and Filipino "villancicos", December 6 at 7:30 p.m.

      The "villancico" is an old music form from Spain and Portugal that has come to be associated with Christmas. "Villancicos ng Paskong Pilipino" hopes to create awareness about the Filipino villancico heritage and to bring back memories of Christmas celebrations in the Spanish era.

      Performing the villancicos will be the Tiples de Santo Domingo and the Santo Domingo Male Chorale known as the oldest boys' choir in the Philippines conducted by Eugene de los Santos and the Novo Concertante Manila with Arwin Tan as conductor.






Doble Kara: Rizal In Art and Monuments


What is the significance of  The Rizal Monument in the Luneta today?  Let us look back the story behind the monument from its origin in Switzerland to Manila, the bloody history of Luneta or  Rizal Park and listen how  Rizal is re-presented in art and history. Noted historian Ambeth R. Ocampo will give a “ Doble Kara: Rizal In Art and Monuments” 


This will the fourth and last lecture this year by  Dr. Ocampo  on  Dec 3 at the Ayala Museum lobby. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tickets are P350 for adults and P200 for students, senior citizens, teachers and Ayala Museum members. You may call 757-7117 to 21 local 24/25/35 or email education@ayalamuseum.org.