Archie proposes!

apparently the cover says it all!!!!!!!!! What drove Archie to the brink of insanity? Throughout my years of reading their digest, I always thought Archie and Betty, despite the Betty and Veronica constantly "sharing" Archie on dates. I actually remember one cover which literally depicts a tug-of-war between Betty and Veronica (the one and the other I always say..haha) with Archie at the middle of it all, frantic and confused. Poor Betty...she was always the saint....:(

I am dead-set on buying that issue no matter what it takes!!!! It'll be on sale on Sept 1, 2009, which means I have enough time to save for an online purchase. The issue sells for $2.50, which roughly converts to 120 Php, which is relatively reasonable.

the Lucena caper

Cheesy love notes. Bisaya. Schemadoo. Seminars and workshops. Pahiyas festival. Annoying bus rides.

Lucena.

The province in the Southern part of Luzon played host to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines' 69th National Press Convention. It was the first time after 10 years that AdZU made its presence felt, and apparently, we were sorely missed. nyaha. The excursion consisted of formal workshops to enhance journalistic skills interlaced with light moments of babble and cheesy love note reading in between.

I said it before and i'll say it again, the people made the whole experience worthwhile. It's sad that I couldn't say the same for the accommodations. Looking back, the issues with space and privacy are pretty normal with conventions like these. But I seriously wish I had a decent bath during my stay but no, i didn't.

I would probably be posting some of my outputs of my workshops, but not tonight.


L - R: Mars, Liezel (the one who fetched us from Gateway, and our first manila friend), Leigh (VP for mindanao), me, Adrian

I met a lot of good people there. I have to admit that the Zamboanga trio stuck with each other and I was glad we did since I got to know Mars better (she's one year ahead and before the trip, we didn't really know each other)


our loft. hahaha


really really tasty Sausage and olives pasta @ Buddies resto, located at the heart of Lucena city


Adrian's backed mac which we helped devour


Mars and her hat. there are a lot of stalls devoted to hats


what a creative way to play with swears and expletives.hahaha

I brought home a few souvenirs from the trip, like Anti-Gloria buttons, and lots and lots and lots of newspapers from the different publications around the country (for us to share with the Beacon of course), and a shirt.

It was actually the first time I went to a convention where there was virtually no drama/stress. I used to debate so most of the time when I leave Zamboanga, there's always the aspect of a competition and the pressure to do well. The atmosphere there was very laid-back, and I just breathed in whatever the speakers had to say, and they actually had A LOT to say about the country. Was it radical? No. But the content of the discussions was enough to spur at least an ounce of patriotic interest in me.

There was actually a lot going on here in zamboanga while we were gone (heehee). But I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

Tom Yum is the root of all evil

what's fucking wrong with me?

a few minutes ago, I practically evicted a whole family (my uncle, aunt and two cousins) from my room because baby cousin almost spilled my Tom Yum. Then I grudgingly gave/handed it to uncle which already sent waves of terror through the room. Fat younger cousin then took it and slurped away. Then uncle, sensing the simmering tension in the atmosphere, took the baby and went out with wife...but not before I saw the mess fat younger cousin made on my table. Then I started verbalizing my chagrin with my voice raised and practically strangled the roll of tissue and yanked of a long piece. Then I muttered some stuff and one thing led to the other...I found myself a few steps behind uncle and as he went out of the doorway, I slammed it and locked it, yelling some stuff about privacy and peace.

All because of Tom Yum?!!

This kinda proves two things: My conscience which kicked me in the ass a few seconds after is very much intact...and a theory that not enough sleep makes me cranky. And I really some sleep right now. I feel so bad!!!!

try ATOA

at this rate, I will be on my way to obesity by summer's end, but who cares!!!!

my friends and I decided on "food trips" every (or every other)day for the remainder of the summer (?). So on a whim we decided to try the fare at ATOA restaurant for today. I'm not going to bore you with an lengthy review but all I can say is the service is great, and although the variety in their viands is pretty good (since it should be a A Taste Of Asia afterall), my favorite would have to be their Japanese.



Ok, I have to confess that I have never tried any other resto's version of California Maki except their's, so I can't really compare. But with all things considered, tasting their take on maki would make me a fan of all California Makis.



Another thing that my friends recommended was their Ebi tempura. So at first glance, the shrimp doesn't really look thing, and biting into it wouldn't change your mind. But nevertheless it tasted really good with the sauce, and around 3 pieces would fill your tummy in no time.

So I also ordered their tonaktsu (breaded pork). No picture this time. 0_0. This dish isn't out of the ordinary, but it is still pretty tasty. The only downside is that they don't serve it as a meal (with rice).

So the verdict? I'm pretty sure I'll come back sooner rather than later, this time with my mom and dad I wouldn't lift a dime this time. My share amounted to 250Php for Pete's sake!

tomorrow we dine at Speedy's. haha. read my review if you're interested. So the goal tomorrow is to try the pizza again and see if it will finally change my mind and win me over. No more supreme 1 for me!

a taste of Speedy

I've heard about Speedy Pizza before, but I never tried it because I resigned to the fact that it's just another one of the "canteen variants" out there. But since my classmates couldn't stop raving over Speedy after trying it recently, I decided to try it for myself and see what the hype is all about.

So yesterday when my mom and I were in town, I brought her along with me and we went to the place located among the strip of stores near Southway (i dunno the name of the street though). First impressions of the place: again, very quaint, with chairs and tables and flies. At least it was air conditioned. I could now see why some of my friends would prefer ordering the pizza for take-out. The place doesn't really look clean and comfy. Come 3pm, the store's peak hours, the place looks cramped. I also inwardly cringed was when a fly landed on the tip of the ketchup tube.

They could at least revamp the layout of the menu or at least streamline it, with pictures and better arrangement of the choices. But enough about that! So we ordered the Supreme 1 (cheese, bell peppers, chicken, etc). Was I right in saying that it's just another canteen variant? At first bite, yeah. both of us exchanged looks at read: "Uh, ok..". And we just smiled.


But after a few bites, I can somehow understand where my friends were coming from when they told me they liked it.

True enough, it was prepared with no frills. The chewy crust and the cheese actually saved the day. I have no idea how the chicken pieces were prepared but it felt that it was too dry. The onions and the bell pepper were crisp and crunchy, giving the dish the texture it needed. The sauce was sweet/savory, though I wish they could make it more authentic by using fresh tomatoes next time. I'm not sure if the taste is distinct (thus, canteen variety), but the simple, Masa appeal gave it the charm it needed. Let's just say that the pizza is a breath of fresh air from the expensive choices Greenwich offers. They could take a few pointers from the authentic Italian pizza joints who still keep everything simple but really mouthwatering. They should keep the image they have, but a few modifications in their menu choices (ditch the beef loaf!!!!!) wouldn't hurt. It was a plus that the pizza didn't look greasy at all, so the guilt doesn't really sink in. All in all, the pizza was good/decent and we managed to finish 4 slices each, so that must say something.

a shawarma summer

I never really considered myself as someone who goes out and explores stuff, but just recently, thanks to my friends, I discovered a few of Zamboanga's good to great foodie joints. Both have their own stories to tell and it took this all this time to find out that they are established businesses here. Despite the almost too quaint setup, these two food stopovers actually have a loyal cult following. Obviously both of them aren't mainstream hangouts, and I actually wouldn't have it any other way.


first off, the Early bird bakeshop (beside Yubengco Mall, brgy. Putik ) which is ironically, not known for their pastries but for the shawarma. After an intense badminton game at the Summit Center in Tetuan, Camille suggested we eat at her favorite shawarma place which isn't too far from where we were. When we got there, the place was almost full. The location is just right to accomodate around 30 people. Nothing fancy, only tables, chairs and flies.

There are some who don't like shawarma because of the smell (which is weird since I really don't find it offending) and the reputation of it being messy to eat. But this kind of shawarma, which comes in a LOT of variants from beef to egg, double to deluxe (?), actually won me over primarily because the people who made this had customer satisfaction in mind. It is served (along with the usual paper wrapper), with plastic which catches the contents which spill over, which makes eating it almost mess-free.

Their grilled beef shawarma (also in double beef) would have to be the runaway favorite. The shawarma bread (Is it Pita? comment if you know) is warm and chewy. The first bite would reveal fried potatoes (I wouldn't really call it french fries) together with the savory beef and other veggies, erratically mixed but good all the way.

I remember eating shawarma with cabbage and I was glad that it was nowhere to be seen (and tasted). The onions and tomatoes are fresh and crisp. I really don't like to eat tomatoes raw, but with all the other stuff mixed into the shawarma, I didn't mind. The snack is served with two sauces: white (garlic) and hot sauce. Both go well with the savory shawarma and the best way to enjoy the whole thing is alternate squeezes of garlic and hot sauce with every other bite.

But I have to agree with Camille (who enjoys the stuff so much) that the quality of the preparation varies, with some shawarmas being hits and some being misses. But all of this is very subjective and only one with a discriminate taste for a good serving of Early Bird's shawarma would really know the difference. For the rest of us, the first bite alone is enough to make us Early Bird converts. And yeah, everyone in the group became a fan.

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this is getting to be a long post, so i'll reserve the next food joint for tomorrow.