Wednesday, January 30

Ghosts in the Big House?

I was looking at the pictures from the X-mas season when I noticed they had ghost spots! As circled bu the yellow. This was the Xmas picture.
Perhaps the ghosts of the long dead ancestors came out to party with us!

Tuesday, January 29

Dark Curse by Feehan


I was looking at Feehan's site when I saw she has a storyline for Dark Curse already. I'm a fan of her Dark Series but more especially the De La Cruz Brothers. Dark Curse stars Nicholas De La Cruz, the uptight elder brother of Rafael in Dark Secret.

There are actually 5 members of the De La Cruz family, they are the 5 daunting brothers: Nicholas, the eldest and the leader. Manolito, the Sensual and buff now half-werewolf (Dark Possession), Nicholas, the middle child, Rafael (I call him spoiled) the haciendero-type joke from Dark Secret and the youngest and charming of the 5 Riordan who is the Star of Dark Hunger.


From the Site:

DARK CURSE-- September 2008

Lara Calladine is haunted by childhood memories of being held prisoner in an ice cave and kept sane by the whispered stories told to her by her imprisoned aunts. They instilled mage and Carpathian magic deep within her and then helped her escape. She has spent years searching for the cave in hopes of finding the answers to the riddle of her past as well as finding her aunts who may have given their lives saving her.

Nicolas De La Cruz has returned to the Carpathian Mountains--his homeland--on orders from his eldest brother, Zacarias, to bring news of a conspiracy to the prince of their people. He is weary of his long existence and plans to end it away from his brothers where they will be unable to stop him once he has fulfilled his duty.

Lara and Nicolas paths collide in an explosive adventure that rocks the Carpathian world.

Friday, January 25

Sagay


A nice quiet place to eat...


Sagay Restaurant in Casa Leticia. They now serve Mexican stuff. I had the pleasure of sampling some food.
Taste good. Yummy Mexican food. These over here are the Beef Quesadillas.

Wednesday, January 23

Food Places and More


Davao is a home to a variety of restaurants and food chains. Here are some Sulit places I've been to na good food and affordable.

Chickies and Patties
Chickies has been around since I can remember which is more than 20 years na siguro. They are known for their chicken and other short orders. I love it here. I remember eating here is a treat. They were the best fast food chain in Davao until Jolibee and later McDo came into the scene. They have my fave gravy, macaroni salad and yummy arachibuteric Leche Flan. Yum yum! Make sure to get two pieces of Chicken!!!

Pritong Manok
Pritong Manok is known for Duh! Fried Chicken. Translate Diba!
They are found in most all mall food courts and even near markets. They sell chicken per piece. They now have diversified their products to include Tender Juicy Hotdogs with rice. Try ordering three pieces of chicken smothered in gravy! Yum. They sell their chicken depending on the part you want. The cheapest is the neck which is about 18 pesos. A big breast is 47 a piece.

Boyd's
Italian? Try a bowl of pasta for about 85 pesos. It includes a long (definitely long!) slice of garlic French bread. They bake the bread themselves! Good food, cheap too. Don't worry about the ambiance. Looks can be deceiving. The inside is actually cozy.

Picobello
It's on top of JS Gaisano. Nice place if you love Italian. They have a kilm (exposed brick oven) where everyone can see and smell the yummy pizzas baking. The prices are cheap and you can avail of their offer of buy one take one during 2pm to 5pm. Excellent food!

Harana
No, nobody's serenading you there but the food feels like a serenade of the senses. Harana is practically older than me. It started as a backyard barbecue place. Then they rented the place at Torres St. and built a playground for children to play while waiting for the food. Now, the playground and good bbq are the trademark of Harana.

Kuya Ed's
Nobody can beat a buffet like Kuya Ed's. For 2 years, they still boat their 99 peso-buffet. You may choose from a variety of Filipino dishes. Occasionally, they bring out siomai and tempuras. Guaranteed busog!

Cecil's
Cecil's mainly sells cake. But they are the yummiest cakes! Need cakes fast? They are better and cheaper than Goldilocks! Doesn't taste commercialized either. They have kiosks in malls where they sell cakes per slice. They also sell short orders. A hefty slice of chocolate cake is about 47 pesos. A cream puff or éclair is 18 pesos each. Dessert anyone?

Merco
Before Goldilocks even set her lacy foot in Davao, Merco was there. They are known for their birthday cakes and sandwhiches you can eat in the cafe with ice cream topped on them. No kid! They don't mind what you eat! As long as you're having a blast! A big 8-10 slice black forest cake costs about 300plus pesos. 500 in Goldilocks and Red Ribbon and they taste commercialized. Merco has retained their quality for more than three decades.

So, when "libot-ing" Davao, don't be afraid to try out the food. Try any place! Food is good in Davao, that is a guarantee!

Sunday, January 20

Masquerade

Masquerade! Paper faces on parade! Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you!
Mom! You look 20 years younger! It's all in the smile!

Event: Nanay's 85th Bday, Le Grande Masquerade
Date: January 18, 2008
Venue: The Summit, Royal Mandaya Hotal

Saturday, January 19

Heirarchy of Drivers


We have a family driver/slash/dad's corporate driver. He was once mom's buss boy elevated to cook and now elevated to driver.


When we go somewhere, he would hang out in the driver's lounge. example in Rockwell or some parties. I would notice that there is a hierarchy of drivers. I would classify it into three. I shall call them the Barongs, the Polos and the T's.
The Barongs are the hi-class drivers. They are usually corporate drivers or hi-paying drivers. They drive businessmen and politicians and their family. They get over-time pay on top of their usual salary.
They usually wear a uniform or the working barong. These guys are proud to wear them. They know bits of English and are not afraid to use them.
The next is the Polo's because their usual attire are department store bought polo shirts. They are family drivers usually. Their bracket take home is about Php9,000 to Php6,000. They may or may not have over-time pay.
The "lowest" in the class are the T's because they wear T-shirts only. Sometimes, the T-shirts are the company give-aways. They have a small salary and they work as delivery drivers and are sometimes used as family drivers. These guys stick together.

Funny, our driver, he worked for us in the British School for 4 years. So now, he has all the confidence. Some of is words have British accents. He does not ask "Ha?" when not hearing something. He sys "Pardon me?"
One time I went to drive through in McDo and I was on the passenger's seat. I gave my order but the cashier in McDo can't hear my drink so she asked again. "Water. MineralWater. Orlan, paki sabi mineral water."
So he says "mineral wwoh-tah"
I nearly burst out laughing!
He can pronounce Shcublig, Stroganoff, cottage pie and bangers and mash... and he can cook them too.

Wednesday, January 16

Eden

Eden Tour 2008 with Aki Ria, Achi Bel and Ahia jun.
The forests in Eden were man-made. They have lots of herbariums and flower gardens, including this Prayer Garden.
Flowers in the wishing well.

Eden seems like a well kept place. The forest is teeming with life. The flowers are diversified and the guides all know about them.
It's a good place to tour and bring the family. There are good activities to be enjoyed by anyone out in the wild!
Just don't forget your "Off" lotion.

Tuesday, January 15

Malagos



In Malagos! I wasn't able to go to the Phil. Eagle Center last year so we came this year, courtesy of Ahia Jun and Achi BelBel. One of the caretakers was feeding the Eagles and he was kind enough to bring out his fave White Crested Eagle for pictorials. Very powerful wings. It was so strong and wide!


Save the Eagles!!!

Sunday, January 13

Talecraft Davao Contest

Gaisano Mall of Davao, Spazio
Jan. 12, 2007

Friday, January 11

Satisfying Your Belly at Belly's Grill

Your Belly will be Full at Belly's Grill.

Located at the corner of Mabini St. and Quirino, Davao City, this unassuming little restaurant is actually home to good food. In the mood for grill and other Filipino Specialties?

Specialties: Hito (Catfish), Ostrich meat, BBQ pork and Chix, kinilaw, tuna belly and more! The taste of the dishes are varied but you know grill when you taste it.

Ambiance: The location is very accessible. There is ample parking. Inside, the lighting is good and the aircon is cool. It's not too fine dining but it certainly not carinderia.

Critique: Belly's is actually a bit of mixed market and confused owners. Service-wise, it is good. They are very accommodating. All in all, food is good!


Cool Lunch. It was my first time to taste ostrich and hito. Ostrich steak tastes and feels like beef. There is a slightly different aftertaste but it's likeable. Hito was good. Not malansa at all. Tastes really fresh and cooked right. Very crispy. Not too oily, just right. I like the taste.

Food Trip Experience Rank: * * * *


Here's some more opinions on the food trip. With pictures too.
http://www.mydavaocity.com/bellys-grill/

Spidey Unmarried???

Comic fans fume as Marvel erases Spidey-MJ marriage
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-01-09-spider-man-marriage_N.htm?se=yahoorefer

21 years of marriage down the drain so Peter could save Aunt May? C'mon! Can't they find something better to do for our friendly neighborhood web-swinger?

Clips from the Article:

That's why the comic world is in an uproar over Marvel Comics' decision to undo the marriage of Peter Parker and red-haired bombshell Mary Jane Watson, reversing two decades of storytelling.
In Amazing Spider-Man #545 last week, Peter and Mary Jane make a tearful deal with the devil-like character Mephisto: In exchange for saving Aunt May's life, Mephisto erases all traces of the Peter-Mary Jane marriage from memory.
In the issue out this week, subtitled Brand New Day, Peter Parker returns to his roots — young, nerdy and single. Aunt May is alive and well and Mary Jane is again just part of the cast. The marriage never happened.
"People are very upset. They erased a lot of stuff that had been set in stone," says John Newman, manager of Ultimate Comics in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Wednesday as customers came in to buy the opening chapter of Brand New Day. To help emphasize the new start, Amazing Spider-Man will go thrice-monthly.

"We knew it would be a very controversial thing to do," says Joe Quesada, Marvel's editor in chief, who believed so much in the project that he drew the crucial issues himself. "Looking into the future, this is really the right thing to do for the long-term health of the character."
Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1962, was a hit, connecting with young readers because he was a geeky teenager, shy with girls and uncertain of how to use his powers. But in 1987, Peter and Mary Jane, by then a fashion model, got married. Marvel had instant regrets.
"I remember editors and editors in chief lamenting that a married Spider-Man was not where we want to be," Quesada says. "A married Peter Parker makes for a less interesting soap opera than a single Peter Parker going about his nerdy kind of life."
Writers tried everything: The couple separated for a while. She miscarried. And in a much-criticized story line, Marvel tried to convince readers that Peter Parker had not gotten married, but his clone.
That didn't stick, either. Then Quesada took over and insisted the marriage just couldn't continue. "Nobody wants to read about a married Spider-Man," says Craig Shutt, a columnist for Comics Buyers Guide. "But in the short run, it's a terrible idea. It disrespects the readers by saying everything they read is wrong."
At DC Comics, Superman is married to Lois Lane, disrupting that title's long-standing tensions. DC declined to comment for this story.
Quesada is steadfast that for Spider-Man, the move is the right one:
"Ultimately we have to do this to keep this character fresh for this generation and generations to come."

What? I bet this Quesada dude doesn't have a good marriage! He's just bitter or he want people to react! What do they mean people don't want to read about a married hero? We do! He's a good husband!
Bad Publicity is good publicity! Right? That's what they are trying to do!
Puh-leeez! Fresh for the New Generation? Can't commit? Divorced? Messy Life? It sound like a tele-novela drama!
Spidey was supposed to be the hero who would set a good example to the youth. Nerdy and shy but he does the right thing. He works as a photographer and tries his best in college. People could relate to the character. Now, what do they want to relate to? Spidey was supposed to be different. He was commited!

Monday, January 7

Davao so far...

Here I am, in Sunny Davao. It is warm and simpering but it never fails to rain. Great for the garden, which is where I am! I am making masks for Nanay's 85th Bday! Here's a preview. They are a little shy in facing the camera!
Talikod!

Proud Mount Apo from the sea. Glowing in the sunset with its crown of clouds.

Friday, January 4

Davao and Food


If you think Davao is just a province, think again!

It actually has sophisticated taste, for the ultimate food experience!

Check these two restos out! They are hot and I'm not talking about the spices!

If you're looking for a taste of Asia without leaving the country, try these out. Tsuru is a taste of authentic Japanese cuisine. Hanoi, named after the city of Hanoi, boasts the best of Vietnamese food. They are both healthy and an experience for the senses.

Both restaurants have branches at J. Camus street (near Apo View, Beside Casa Leticia) and also at Damosa Gateway.


http://casaleticia.com/

Food Trip Experience: * * * *

Indian Dining in Davao

Oh, wow! An Indian Restaurant in Davao! Why not? After all, Davao is known for food trips!
I got invited to a food trip last week and was able to sample Indian cuisines in Taj Minar. Mr. Zafar was kind enough to entertain us and explain each dish his restaurant served us.
I must say, it is authentic! I can tell. My mom is a chef and she cooks Indian every week. You can see the Cinnamon sticks and the cardamon spice in the meal. The curry was good and dessert was quite delightful. That is, if you have the taste for it.
Judging the whole menu, it is worth eating a quiet lunch in.
It is a must, a culinary experience even for the inexperienced!

Here is the website to the place.
http://www.tajminar.com/
Taj Minar is found in Damosa Gateway, Davao City


Food Trip Experience Rank: * * *

For more reviews and pictures on Taj Minar click on Kuya Bloggie's blog:
http://www.davaodeli.com/2008/01/taj-minar-indian-restaurant/#more-60
Here's my sis' review:
http://iceglade.blogspot.com/2007/12/christmas-season-2007-taj-minar.html

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