Graduating From an Era

It's the end of an era. 

When I was younger, school seemed like a never-ending series of graduation and admission. Pre-school, kinder/prep, grade school, high school.... It was one school year after another. And now, I'm at the end of that line. After my short-lived summer, it's not going to be another school year that I go back to. It'll be the real world, a different beginning in store for me. I am about to enter the rat race, without the excuse of my naivete or student age to allow me to coast on by. You know how everyone's always kinder to students? With less expectations and more allowances for mistakes? No more of being spoiled like that, haha! 

I officially graduate this March, 2011 and leave my alma mater of four years, Ateneo De Manila University. It's been my home for the past few years, an institution that I can proudly say I am part of. I can only feel nostalgic about all my Ateneo experiences and tricks that I can now bestow on my younger brother who is entering the same. 

But as I move on and say farewell, I can't help but make a list of the things I'll miss - not just about Ateneo, but the life of a student in general.  

1)      Free cuts   

There are days you just don't feel like going to class. And still you do, forcing yourself to trudge slowly to the classroom and upon arrival, finding out you were being given a beatific gift - a free cut!  

2)      Suspended classes

A guilty pleasure. It's not that I want destruction to rain on our city - that's not the fun in it at all. I just want an excuse not to go to class. The feeling of waking up blearily, wanting desperately to go back to sleep, checking your cellphone and finding a bunch of messages saying "No classes today!"  

3)      Laugh-out-loud funny class moments

Inside jokes in the classroom, a teacher with a great sense of humor, roars of laughter at something unexpected that leaves your stomach hurting.

4)      Seeing your friends

Self-explanatory. You don't need permission to go to school like you do to places on weekends.

5)      Summer, sem-break and Christmas breaks

 Mid-way, I start getting bored anyway and lose things to do. But the anticipation and the countdown that leads to it, and the first few days where doing nothing still feels like bliss.

6)      UAAP basketball games

There's nothing like watching a game live, hearing the drum beats and the cheers drown out your voice, watching with bated breath as the last few seconds decide who wins the game - and screaming your heart out when you find it's your school. And the feeling of pure pride as the whole Araneta Coliseum (blue side) raises their arms and sings the school song, especially getting louder as everyone shouts the part "Win, or lose, it's the school, we choose!"

7)      Cutting class to watch a movie, eat out, or go to the game

You know what? I won't remember the days I spent dutifully in class, forcing myself to stay awake but looking at the time longingly every few minutes. I'll remember those days I threw care to the wind, said to my friends, "Tara, cut na!" and coasted on to do something fun, like catch a movie, eat out or watch a UAAP basketball game.

8)      Exceptional lectures

Sometimes, you're not expecting to learn something - but you get caught up in a lecture that was particularly mind-blowing. I.e. Theology class with Ray Aguas.

9)      Hanging back, chilling out in the caf, SOM Mall, or where else

Self-explanatory.

  

10)       Katipunan food trips

Many well-spent calories at the local KFC, McDonald's, Shakey's, etc. 

11)       The feeling of having printed the papers you’ve worked on or submitting a major project

The subject of hours of toil and sleepless nights.

   

12)       Getting an allowance for not doing anything.

Self explanatory.  

13)       Manang's Liempo and Lechon Kawali, with a special patis/soy sauce/vinegar concoction

Likewise. 

14)       The kind Xerox ladies who always have a smile and a greeting ready for you

As a corollary: being done with mountain high piles of Xeroxed readings and notes. I have years' worth of scratch papers ahead of me. I may turn 30 and still be using the other side of a wretched Accounting worksheet. 

   

15)       Automatically checking for your ID every time you see a security guard

It's not just me. Most Ateneans suffer from a post-traumatic stress disorder of the ID sort - sometimes I'm in a shopping mall and the mere sight of a guard automatically has me checking for my non-existent ID lace.

16)       Enlistment woes

Everything about the process is nerve-wracking - finding out your random number (holy *?!#% last batch), waiting online for enlistment time (get ready to sign in a minute or two earlier than PC time), having fast fingers (and a fast connection) to click on the few remaining slots of a much coveted class (meaning: easy A teacher) and coasting along with a few tricks, like submitting enlistment even when you're not done and praying the site won't crash so you won't repeat all the steps over again. Many have not emerged in one happy piece from this stressful process. I'm often one of them.        

17)       The kindness and community in being "a man for others," exemplified in things like the Ondoy Volunteer Operation

18)       Ateneo jokes

Oh come on, who doesn't have their own repertoire of school pride jokes? It is said, after all, that it is in the process of other-ification that we reinforce our own identity. (At least, we’re honest) Haha.

These are just some of the great memories I've had. But I've had my time. As I leave Ateneo, I give the role of making memories to the incoming and current students, and wish them true-blue luck. Besides, I always tell myself, there's no need to be sad, because life's like that - as you leave things you've loved, and enter into the unknown, it remains that every moment has the capacity to be a great memory - if you let it. 

D'Talipapa, Boracay: Best Seafood Experience Ever

One of the best and most memorable meals of my life was in this no-frills, unassuming paluto service place beside a wet market in Station 2, Boracay. The wet market is called D'Talipapa, famous to Boracay tourists who have experienced it. The market is a small, makeshift tiled area filled with a number of vendors showing off their wares and fresh catches of the day (often still alive and kicking) in large, water-filled basins.


Don't expect three-star services or accommodations. In fact, as soon as we arrived, shuttled by our hotel service, my mother looked uneasily at the place, slightly taken aback by the sari-sari store ambiance and street-side quality which she had not been expecting. This is not a fine dining place, although later on, we would find out its food is actually better and fresher than many hotel-grade places we've tried. My older brother promised us that the place was good, telling us his best meal in his past Boracay trips were always held at this place, with a cuppa of beer and basking in that tropical summer glow. Troopers that we were, we forged on.  


I followed my dad and brother around, happily taking pictures as they peered at the wet market's offerings and started negotiations. Haggling is a must. They take one look at you, size you up as a tourist, and jack prices up high. It's better to have an idea of how much the seafood market value really is as a guide to haggling, although you can also just automatically start haggling at like 40% less. Soon enough, they'll give you a fair price.


My dad bought scallops, lapu-lapu fish, crabs, lobsters and a lesser-known seafood named diwal or angel wing clams. We turned these over to the paluto place, called Plato D'Boracay, a few steps away, and settled for lunch. 


A feast for kings, that is. Now, I'm not very fond of seafood. I like it as much as the next person, but eating seafood fresh from the market, fresh from the waters, was an experience that elevated my appreciation of how good seafood could really be if it was cooked and caught right. There's a quality to it that's earthier, more succulent than ones that have been aged a day or two or lost some of its freshness in transportation. I could imagine that they tasted like the seas, that we were practically beach-front and so close to the waters unlike a hotel restaurant where you are enclosed by decorated yet concrete walls. 


We raved about the food for days and days. Even up to day, during one of our famous food reminiscing episodes, this meal always comes up. 


You can consult with Plato D' Boracay how you want it cooked. Their ingredients are probably very simple; surprising yet familiar flavors that somehow complement and highlight the natural flavors of the seafood. I tasted a ketchuppy garlicky component in the crabs, which was a surprisingly tasty outcome, unique from the usual experience of buttered or chili crab. I particularly loved the diwal, which was soft, tender, flavorful and delicious. The closest description I can appropriate would probably be of mussels, but um, 100x times better. And oh my, the scallops! Cheesy, garlicky, sumptuous. 


It was a delight to see as all the dishes were coming out, looking very impressive in their cooked splendor as we oohed and ahhed. Then there was a deep, significant silence as we all dug in and filled our bellies to our heart's content, basking in the feeling of a really good, really unforgettable meal. I still dream about it to this very day. Lol. 


Pictures of the market and our fantastic meal. 

 

 

  

 

      
       

Cibo, A Classic

Cibo, for me, is a dining staple. I used to eat at their branch in Glorietta with Mom - the one with the cold stainless steel tables and chairs and high bar chairs on the side. I always enjoy eating at Cibo for my comfort food - telefono pasta, spinach dip and occasionally, the grape shake or the mint iced tea. For Mom, it's always been the dish she calls salpicao - much to the confusion of the waiter. We like to simplify the names of the dishes by associating it with words we're familiar with. But in reality, here are their official menu names, with our matching homemade descriptions: 

Penne al Telefono P 315 (Telefono Pasta) 

(Stewed tomato, mozzarella, white cheese, basil, cream)

- Every time I go to Cibo, my usual crossroad is whether to order the genovese pesto pasta or the cheesy telefono pasta. Telefono wins at least 51% of the time - only because of my deep and devoted love for anything cheesy. Love their bread also - I try to save my bread chunks as I always get bitin towards the end, when I still have pasta and no more bread.  

Tagliata Di Manzo Aglio Rosmarino P 415 (Beef strips)  

(Beef tenderloin, roast, sliced, foccacia) 

- My mom loves this dish. It's simple but appealing, the beef sliced thinly and drizzled with flavor and herbs. Garlicky rice can be requested, which is so good with it.   

Today, we are with my younger brother who is always fun to eat with - his enthusiasm and appetite have no bounds. Together, we decide to try a couple new things. Although we were both sorely tempted to order something deceivingly ordinary but still appealing (their potato chips with dip), we decided to stick to more filling dishes.  

 

Fontina Tartufata Asparagi (Cheesy Truffle Dip) P 265 (?) 

(Fontina, bel paese, asparagus mushroom-truffle paste, truffle oil)  

- This is a winner. Eat it fast though, while the cheese is still soft and gooey courtesy of the hot plate. Love the subtle flavor of truffle which is such a distinct taste by itself. It usually comes with what they call Sardinian flat bread, but my brother and I prefer our dips with the crostinis. Much more filling and with an added crunch.   

Minestrone Alla Genovese P 173 (Hearty Veggie Broth)

(Vegetable broth, seasonal garden vegetables, leafy greens, basil pesto)

- My brother's words: hearty. And so it is. I am partial to creamy soups though, so I am biased. 

Caviale Salmone P 365 (Pizza)

(Mozzarella, lumpfish caviar, smoked salmon, cream cheese, chives)

- This one was just okay. I find that the pizza dough is a bit too hard, especially as it cooled. It was like trying to bite off something tough.  

For some reason, I like taking pictures of the table napkin or place mat to remember where I've eaten. Here's the signature orange napkin of Cibo. Cheers! :)   

 

Awestruck by Taylor Swift: Meet & Greet

Had an amazing Taylor Swift experience last night. Currently stuck on my mind: Speak Now by Taylor Swift. It has such a catchy hook! 


We had an enchanted opportunity to meet and greet Taylor Swift yesterday (yes, my attempt at a pun). She looked so pretty and au naturel in a pastel pink polka dot mini dress. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures as they had an official photographer who would be tasked with picture-taking, nor was autograph-taking allowed as we received pre-signed autographed pictures in lieu of this. We also met her in groups of 10, probably to save time as there were quite a number of other people in line. My reaction upon shaking her hand? AWESTRUCK. 


Taylor Swift is every bit as nice and sweet as she seems. She made sure she was able to even just say hi to every person in our group which I found to be a sweet, personalized gesture. To me, she said, "you're so pretty!" It took a long time to register, I was so flabbergasted because obviously, I am just this humble human being beside THE Taylor Swift, Popstar Extraordinaire. Finally, I found time to respond (almost incredulously), "YOU'RE so pretty!" She even went and kissed the little girls on the forehead, finding them every bit as adorable as they really were. 


I love stars who are very kind to their fans. I think all it takes is this thought: Once in their lives, they were ordinary people too, who would've cherished the opportunity for someone so famous to pay attention to them. To a starstruck fan, they can give a meaningful gift - a memory to cradle close to their heart for as long as they live. It's a pretty great opportunity to touch lives from all over.  


The concert started with a bang, with a song from her new album, "Sparks Fly." Taylor Swift came out shimmering in a gold sequined flapper dress, shimmying her way through the crowd with expert head-banging of her glorious mane of blond curls. There was this giant LCD screen in the back that had glittering 3D images, changing backdrops with every song and setting the mood beautifully. To the song, Enchanted, the backdrop befit its name - a picturesque fairy tale forest scene glittering into the night. To the song, Speak Now, it was replete with a cute choreographed wedding scene bridesmaid type of number. 


Taylor Swift also proved her versatility, playing three instruments - a sequined silver guitar, a laidback ukele (to which she interspersed chords from Hey Soul Sister by Train, I'm Yours by Jason Mraz and Apologize by One Republic with her own songs), and the piano for Dear John (John Mayer, you are one sorry jerk for breaking her heart! Haha!). At one point, one of her musicians played Enchanted purely on violin, which was beautiful. The crowd sang along, catching recognition of the tune, and the violinist smiled as we "got" it.   


Taylor also interacted with the crowd, telling us phrases like "Mahal ko kayo" and "KamustaS kayo?" At one point, she even went down the stage and circled the front set, shaking hands with the excited fans awaiting with arms outstretched. There was even a mini-scuffle near us as she threw her gloves to the crowd and two teens dove for it. Haha!  


She ended the 1 hour 25 minute show with a fake leave - the crowd shouted "We want more!" - and she came back out, singing "Love Story" and falling theatrically back-first away into the stage as the finale. Though it would have been nice if she'd sang her other songs like "Teardrops on my Guitar" and "Today was a Fairy Tale." Still, great, great concert. I've become a fan. I hope I get the opportunity to watch the other concerts lined up this year - Bruno Mars, rumored Lady Gaga, I'm watching you!     

One Wagyu Sunday

It's Sunday today, the ultimate cheat day for dieters. My family did not disappoint, eating like it was a feast for kings. The highlight of lunch today with extended family was pizza from Yellow Cab. Oh garlic and shrimp and 4 cheese pizza, simple (but fatty fast food) pleasures in life. They had it sliced in criss-cut bite-sized chunks, which is always an enjoyable and relatively guilt-free way of eating pizza. Eating in slices always limits me just to two to three pieces (and I want to try everything!)  


Mom went to the Chefs on Parade event yesterday and brought home some frozen goodies namely prime grade Wagyu Steak (P4,300/kilo or approximately 10 small-medium steaks) and Hamachi (P1,900 for 3 cuts). Quite pricey actually, so it was a good thing the food was delicious! My brother, M brought home crabs from Clawdaddy and there was also homemade kare-kare with bagoong. Eating, commence! 


The Wagyu steak was deliciously and sinfully marbled with steak fat and flavor. Soft, juicy and best taken with our favorite Japanese steak sauce (I'd tell you the name but I can't read Japanese. We just call it The Japanese Steak Sauce). The hamachi practically melted in my mouth, its texture was so smooth and velvety. Clawdaddy Szechuan-style crabs + crabs in olive and garlic had us cracking and snacking all its finger-licking-goodness. 

 
 
 

I am so full. But it's a good kind of full. 


   


  

A New Blog and Borough, The Podium

I've been meaning to re-create a blog for ages. My last one was at - and I'm almost embarrassed to say it - Xanga! (gasp) back in my early teens. But I had good fun and memories on that site. Here after that, I maintained a private file in my computer.  But now, here we are, at a new blogging home with new settings and functions to re-learn. Finally! This is my blog of life highlights - restaurants I've loved, memories I've created, even bargains I've scored. Today, what's on my mind is Borough at The Podium, whose tagline is Comfort Food 24/7.

I've been hearing and reading good things about Borough for quite a while ever since it opened last year. The pictures of the food looked amazing, the location was convenient, and the prices actually seemed quite reasonable which is a good plus! So when J asked where I wanted to eat last Friday, it was one of the natural choices that came out. And I'm glad, because it did not disappoint. J was also pleasantly surprised that the servings were big, or at least moderate enough in comparison to his voracious appetite. We ordered only three things, but we were quite full!


1) Grilled cheese with tomato soup P260 

YUM! I loved this. Being the cheese afficiado that I am, the moment I saw this being well-reviewed, I just knew I had to have it. Despite enjoying homemade grilled cheese sandwiches courtesy of a sandwich maker (paired with either fresh tomatoes or a dashing of garlic powder), nothing still beats mozzarella and all the other deli cheeses. In this case, the cheese was goey, a visual plus that adds anticipation to the first bite. The mixture of the four cheeses was also well-blended resulting in a flavorful taste that had just enough bite (just enough to have a very mild, subtle salty taste). The tomato soup was just okay. It kind of reminded me of grocery-bought tomato sauce, so there were no surprises there. 

2) BBQ Pulled Pork P220 


This one was a ginormous sandwich paired with some potato chips. It definitely came out bigger than we expected. It had a really different taste - surprisingly sour. Later on, we found out that it was because of the coleslaw mixed with the shreds of pork. Very filling, good value for money, but I think I'm more of the traditional beef sandwich girl (meaning I'm not a fan of the sour coleslaw flavor). 





3) Cheese Injected Portobello Pita Pocket P270
Must. Order. It looks diminutive and harmless, and deceivingly so. Because when you bite into the oozing rich flavor, you almost have to close your eyes to appreciate it. I can't differentiate where the mushroom begins and where the cheese ends, and I don't care to. I just savor it. All the things I love in one bite. 

All in all, it was a good dinner. The service was good (they refill your water glasses without asking, always a plus) and the ambiance was nice enough. All dark and wooden interiors making it look pretty classy. Would definitely share this with my younger brother, who equally enjoys eating his food with gusto and trying new hip restaurants. 


Cheers!