Here comes the rain again: Glenda out, Henry in

posted yesterday on Instagram

Typhoon "Glenda" (code name Rammasum) came and went. It was a 'fast' typhoon. As early as 3:00 am, I woke up with the sound of the winds howling, my wind chime going crazy and potted plants toppled down my balcony.

It was definitely a strong typhoon with sustained winds of 185 kph and gustiness of 230 kph. A report the day before said that "[It is] the strongest storm to threaten the country since Yolanda, a category-five super typhoon that wiped out nearly everything in its path when it crossed the central Philippines... On its current path, it will also be the first to score a direct hit on Manila in at least four years."

I posted a photo on instagram showing the aftermath of Glenda (clockwise from the top) Manila Bay, flooding infront of La Salle Greenhills in my hood, a tree crushed a parked toyota in Magallanes Village and the side of the newly-built Glorietta 5 peeled off.

avocado tree gone (photo via @RocaCruz)

Before noon, the winds started to die down as Glenda moved towards Zambales and eventually exited the country. Fortunately, not much rain was dumped in the city but the winds knocked down several trees, including century old trees even electricity pole lines. In fact, in our house, the trees in the backyard were knocked down including the giant avocado tree I planted ages ago. :-(

century-old tree in front of Kalayaan Hall in Malacañang Palace uprooted (photo via @willliardcheng)

a giant tree crushed a home in Quezon City

Right now, dark clouds are looming. There is a new weather disturbance brewing in the South Pacific and according to the US Joint Typhoon Watch Center, this may intensify into another tropical storm within the next 24 hours and will be called "Henry" (international code name "Matmo'). The system has maximum sustained winds of 130 kph and gusts of up to 160 kph.

Robert Speta of Western Pacific Weather warned that the model outlook "indicate a tropic storm possibly following the same track as Rammasun, with the same steering dynamics in place this would not be very far fetched."

Meantime, I'm going to charge my battery packs and keep praying that the storm steers up northward.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in Manila!!

in trippy 1970s outfit

The best way to watch the opening night of the trippiest musical staged in Manila is to come in - what else,  drag! So we watched "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" all made-up and garbed in 1970s psychedelic outfits with matching falsies and wig (Tessa came in her biggest, fluffiest afro wig).

The musical is definitely a must-watch! I must hand it to Resorts World for getting top-rate actors - three-time ALIW awardee Leo Valdez, comedian and impersonator Jon Santos and Red Concepcion  - including seasoned performers such as Bituin Escalante, Pinky Marquez, Timmy Canlas, Michael Williams, Menchu Lauchenco-Yulo, Lani Ligot to be part of the ensemble.

(from left) Leo Valdez as Mitzi (n yellow), Red Concepcion  as Felicia (green) and Jon Santos as Bernadette (purple)

with happy campers Pinky and Gai

The story is about the adventures and misadventures of three friends - two drag queens and a transsexual - as they travel into the heart of the Australian outback in a pink-painted bus they named "Priscilla." Note that the musical is very Australian. The scenes depicted their homophobic bogans (redneck in American slang), aborigines and even a castrating pinay who can work on her muhlabanda. 

Get ready to dance all night as the musical plays top 1970s disco hits - Alicia Bridge's I Love the Night Life, Abba's Dancing Queen, Peaches and Herb's Shake Your Groove Thing, The Weather Girls' Its Raining Men, Village People's Go West, Tina Turner's What's Love Got to Do With It?and many more and including hits of Australian singer Kylie The Locomotion, Can't Get You Out of My Head.

The local production is directed by Jaime del Mundo. The musical will run for three months until July 13, 2014.

Emong Borlongan 20 years retrospective exhibit

with Emong and Plet at the opening, his self portrait behind

What a show! Congratulations Emong on your first twenty years retrospective "In City and Country (1992-2012)" at  the Ayala Museum.

44 paintings, each has a story to tell. If you sit down with him, he'll tell you the story and inspiration behind each painting.  For instance, the 1992 'Birheng Walang Dambana'  (Virgin without an altar) is about his friend whose girlfriend ditched him for a rich guy. He found an apt title from Victor Wood's song of the same title.

The 1994 painting "Lumang Litrato" which has never been exhibited before, is about a newly widowed elderly man whom he met and shared with him that he misses his wife.

Birheng Walang Dambana, 1992

Lumang Littrato (1994)

Emong's tatay with his  eacher 

The title of the show "In City and Country"  best describes the source of inspiration of his works - basically, the people that surround him and the hustle and bustle of his milieu. I was able to witness his genius [and also Plet's] from 1998 to 2002 when they were still living in the City, in Nueve de Pebrero in Mandaluyong where he grew up; and from 2002 to now, in Zambales, in the farm of Plet's family.

He said in an interview about his art "The human figure continues to be the focus of my works. The sound and fury of Manila street scenes have been the fitting accompaniment to the figures that graced my works throughout the years."

Self portrati in ID Picture (1995)  

Driver's Lounge (2011)

San Miguel Fluvial Parade (2010)

Of his life in Zambales, he said "I paint in a studio in the middle of a mango farm surrounded by the sound of a sometimes wailing sea and the chirping of the birds. My immediate environment within the home and in the outskirts of the farm presents an engaging scenario of various characters that I have mingled with. Not to mention my exposure to all my brother-in-law's pupils...There are religious rituals that give pomp and circumstance to the practice of the faith. And of course, there is the sea, a character in itself, that is sometimes disconcerting when my wife worries about "imagined tsumanis in her head" but is a refreshing blue field of delight on hot summer days."

Time flies by so fast. I remember meeting Emong for the first time in 1996. I was watching the concert of the Bolipata brothers in Sta. Ana Park and Plet introduced him to me. I was actually wondering what she was doing in Manila. The last time I saw her, she was happily studying at The Arts Student League and helping out as a paralegal in New York. She said she waiting for her US working visa.

the painting that started it all, Gabay (1994)

The following year in April, Plet was still in town. She invited me to CASA San Miguel, the arts center her brother Coke built in their farm, to join the 2nd Pundaquit Earth Day Festival. Both she and Emong were commissioned by Coke to do a mural. Both were holed up in Zambales as artists-in-residence. Plet's mural was to grace the entrance foyer while Emong's 13 x 18 feet mural was the centerpiece of the Ramon Corpus Concert Hall.

I can't forget that weekend. That Friday evening before heading out to Zambales, Plet was in tears because the star of the festival had an emergency and backed out. That meant, CASA didn't have a folk-rock concert to cap the festival. We found out that Joey Ayala was having a concert in Ayala and rushed to him. Plet, usually shy, gathered her wits and all thick-skinned, walked up to Joey after his performance. He must have sympathized with Plet who was still in tears because the next day, he showed up with his band in CASA.

So, the festival was a success... and the rest is history as the saying goes. By the way, Plet did get her visa, nonetheless stayed on. Of their first meeting, Emong said -

Emong's "In City and Country" exhibit will be on view until April 6, 2014. Don't miss it!

N.B. here's a painting of one of our dinners in Nueve de Pebrero (not exhibited, owner: Arthur).

Pinky Amador performs Piaf classics at Sonya's Garden

Oh la la is all I can say about last Saturday night at Sonya's Garden where everything was transformed into Paris for the dinner concert of  BFF Pinky Amador aptly billed as "La Vie en Rose".

Clang Garcia who organized the event said she got inspired  after watching Pinky play the role of the legendary Edith Piaf onstage. She said that  "It was my first time to see Pinky perform during Piaf and I thought it will be nice to bring the romance of French songs to Sonya's Garden."

It was truly La Vie en Rose that night. The venue was bursting with the scent of flowers. And of course, the star of the evening - Pinky - was in her best form. She belted out all my favorite Piaf classics such as Padam, Padam (The sound of his, her Heartbeats), Mon Dieu (My God) , Mon Manege a Moi, (You're my Carousel), C'est a Hambourg (It's Hamburg), La Belle Histoire d'Amour and dueted  A quoi ca sert l'amour (What is Love) with Sandino Martin.

Pinky and Sandino sing A quoi ca sert l'amour

I must admit that when I met Sandino that morning, I thought he was too young to be the balladeer paired with Pinky for the concert. Well I had to eat crow that day because when I heard him rehearsing Autumn Leaves with a very deep voice, I had to ask who it was. He played the role of Theo Sarapo, the last husband of Piaf and thus, perfect for their duet.

After the concert, I actually encouraged him to do more singing stints. He said that currently [at 23 years old] he would like to focus more on acting and to finish his thesis for his Theater Arts degree in UP.

Kat and Clang in their French attire

Cocktails were served at 6pm and dinner which featured Sonya's signature dishes immediately followed at 7pm.

The first course was salad with freshly picked mixed greens from her greenhouse served with assorted add-ins such as nuts, egg whites, fresh fruits, vegetables and fresh fruits. The second course was pasta with different topping choices of fresh sun-dried tomatoes, ratatouille, mushroom, black olives and capers The third course was salmon belly and rosemary roast chicken. The last course was dessert of chocolate cake, banana and langka (jack fruit) turon and sweet camote.

Sonya supports local organic products 

The wine du jour was Vino de Coco, a coconut nectar wine brewed in Tacloban.  The wine uses the fresh sap from the flower of the coconut tree. According to Clang, "It is very rich in minerals and nutrients; even if you finish a bottle, you will not have a hang over the following day." We didn't finish bottle but we didn't experience any hangover the next day.

It was good that we stayed overnight. The next day I picked some fresh greens from the garden - lettuce, arugula, coriander and basil - and threw everything in the blender together with saba, mango, cucumber and ginger and made a green blend juice for breakfast. Then, we  pampered ourselves in the spa with Sonya's signature massage (a combination of tuina, shiatsu and swedish), facial massage using rice and hair spa using fresh aloe vera from the garden.

If you're free this Saturday, October 12. If you're free, do wear your berets and head out to Tagaytay and catch the final show!  For info, call (0917) 533-5140.

Clang Garcia with Sandino

Sonya's signature salad

spacious rooms at Sonya's Bed and Breakfast

full support from Pinky's classmates

with the mom and sisters of Sandino

The grand dame of  Sonay'a Garden signing her book 

Youtube swim sensation Shinji Takeuchi

Wow is all I can say after watching youtube swimming sensation Shinji Takeuchi's Total Immersion video. He swims effortlessly and it seems like his head barely comes out of the water to breathe. His video "The Most Graceful Freestyle" (2008) is now ranked number one worldwide among swimmers. He really makes swimming  look easy, just gliding in the water for 2:48. Right now it has been viewed 3.9 million times (note though that Psy's gangnam sytle is still #1 with 1.6 billion views).

















I was able to meet him up close and personal last weekend with effervescent Tessa P. who hosted the

Coach Shinji Takeuchi with TI Philippines' Ria 

closing ceremony of  'Smart, Speed and Open Water Skills Camp". Total Immersion Philippines' Ria Macay  invited coach Shinji of Total Swimming West in Japan to hold the open water skills clinic, a 3-day weekend class in Batangas.

The participants were mostly triathletes who would like to  learn how to swim the distance without getting tired and  master open water skills such as sighting, swimming straight and drafting to maintain speed. The highlight was his 'perpetual motion freestyle', four key stroke habits for tireless swimming. This is to swim with ease and flow to go the distance or a hundred untinerrupted strokes.

before the race with Coach Ria

Coach Shinji said "when you submerge your head, a vow wave is created and the level of the surface gets lower. I do not roll my head so much since the surface is 8-10 inches(20-25cm) lower than the original one."

The culminating activity was an open water race 500m for kids and for adults - a choice of 1km or 2km distance. Luckily, it was sunny and the water was calm and no stingers. I crazily joined the 1-km swim and managed to finish without cramping. Mind you, I haven't been training at all.  Tessa, on the other hand,  joined the 2-km distance and finished third! She could've finished first if she didn't stop before and after transitions to pose for her fans. LOL!

The cost of the 3-day swimming clinic  was pegged at  USD550 for international participants and USD450 for Philippine residents. The  private tutorial was pegged at  USD120 for 35-minutes. Coach Ria said that he'll be back this third quarter for a longer distance openwater clinic.

what a beautiful day, the venue

at the finish line

Tessa wins 3rd place at 40 mins, 1-min behind the 1st 

group shot

Attempted Manila Post Office walking tour

Philboy

Mercury must still be in retrograde because the walking tour that Lilo invited me to join around Old Manila didn't proceed as planed.

The walking tour is a monthly free tour organized by the Filipinas Stamp Collectors Club every 3rd Sunday of the month. According to our guide, club member Lawrence Chan, the walk is part of the Club's advocacy program to promote stamp collecting as well as generate appreciation for our country's heritage and history.

Lilo, Odel and I were there as early as 12 noon. The lobby was already set-up like a tiangge  with tables offering various vintage items such as Barbie Dolls, Coca Cola memorabilia, matchbox, baseball cards, marvel comics, magazines, vinyl records and several other collectibles. At the end of the lobby, the Selyong Pinoy Club was holding an auction. Stamps, coins,  bills, postcards, Pilipino classic comics, etc were being auctioned.

Guide showing us pictures of Old Manila

It seemed like all sorts of collectors  - philatelists, bibliophiles, numismatist, deltiologist, you name it - were going through the various lots. We had to nudge Odel out who was glued to the postcard section looking at  picture postcards of  Munich dating from the 1970s.

At 1pm, we went across the street to Liwasang Bonifacio plaza to meet the group. The plaza is named after national hero Andres Bonifacio and has become a regular rally site for action groups. Similar to Carlos Celdran, our guide pulled out a picture book containing photos of the Old Manila.  We then walked back to the Philippine Post Office, a neoclassical structure built in 1926 and designed by architect Juan de Guzman Arellano, the same architect of the Metropolitan Theater and Jones Bridge.

At the post office, we were asked to wait. The tour was supposed to take us around the building including the compound area and after, walk to the Metropolitan Theater (we were told to bring flashlights for this) and end in Chinatown's Binondo. Honestly, it was too hot to be walking outside and thus, it was a blessing in disguise that the guards changed that day and wouldn't allow us to go further than the lobby.

Lilo and I watching the auction (photo taken by Lilo)

While waiting we chitchatted with the other tour participants. I found out from one that Singapore's Fullerton Group backed out of the plan to convert the historic building into a 5-star luxury hotel. He added that the government may condemn the building soon because of its escalating maintenance cost.

I posted this possible occurrence on my facebook wall to which Boo Chanco commented: "According to [Tourism Secretary] Sec Mon J, they have to relocate the Post Office before they can plan what to do with the building and the Met [theater]. All will be part of the Intramurous development plan."

Well, I do hope so. The government should as much as possible preserve our heritage and this means saving this 87-year old building. Note that aside from the converted Singapore Post Office, they should look into Chicago as a model. Chicago's old Post Office is currently being developed into a retail complex that includes a 40-storey hotel and two residential towers.

Anyway, we got tired of waiting. At 2:30 pm, we decided to leave and headed out to SMX where it was for sure air conditioned! Luckily, we were able to visit the Manila Fame 2013 which was on its last day. It's a 3-day annual event, showcasing the country's best of the best furniture and furnishings, fashion and accessories.  I was surprised to see two French companies among the exhibitors - a porcelain tableware company and furniture-designer.

Alors, hopefully our next attempt to join the Phil Post walking tour will not be in vain.

Mandy's Posing Safari in Batanes

employees at the top of the hill

That's what we did all weekend - pose!  My officemates were more inclined to be the subject with the breathtaking view of Batanes as the background than the other way around. I'm now calling the trip last weekend - Mandy Navasero's Posing Safari.

It was the first time for the 30 employees [and family] plus the four guests [German couple Klaus and Silke,  Tess and Nenette from Pampanga]  to visit Batanes and also their first time to join Mandy's photo safari.

They absolutely had fun posing of course. Those who were not accustomed to walking or running, enjoyed trekking the hills, even dared enter the Japanese tunnel, attempted jumpology and some wanted to do a Dawn Zulueta "lift" in the scene of the movie Hihintayin ktia sa langit.

inside the japanese tunnel

Yiessa posing for Mandy outside the Japanese tunnel

trekking the hills

Mahatao lighthouse taken from the plane

Batanes, located at the northermost tip of the Philippines, is comprised of ten islands, three of which are inhabited. It is by far,  the purest destination that I've ever visited. The  distance from Manila (659 km) and being surrounded by rough seas - South China Sea and Philipine Sea- has pretty much isolated it from the rest of the country. The people called Ivatans are generally peace-loving and friendly having only a population of 16,000 distributed in six municipalities. There's hardly any pollution, no blaring karaoke noise and zero crime rate.

Mandy teaching 13-year old Joachim how to take jumpology shots in Marlboro Hills

Honesty Cafe, proof of zero-crime rate in Batanes

I've actually teased Mandy that it's her doing  for making Batanes popular. She was the first to bring a herd of  tourists every summer with her photo safaris. She coined most of the tourist spots like the 'Dawn Zuleta Hills' (original name is Lorrance), Marlboro Hills (Payuman), the Fountain of Youth, etc..  I was one of the first 21 students who joined her initial foray to Batanes on April 13, 2006. Back then, there were only three flights a week and there were no others tourists. The weather was so unpredictable that Batanes gained notoriety for its frequent flight cancellations.

Fundacion Pacita Abad

A lot has changed since my last visit  in 2008 which by the way included a trip to Itbayat. There are now more hotels with Fundacion Pacita's bed and breakfast being the most posh; our lunch in Marlboro Hills is no longer a picnic but inside a hut; and our lunch in Sabtang beach is also inside a hut.  Batanes though still continues to amaze me with its  picturesque terrain, charming stone cottages, lighthouses, white sand beach with giant boulders and golden sunsets. I still manage to come home taking more than a hundred photos! In fact, some people mistake my photos for Scottland, Ireland or even New Zealand except that when they take a closer look, they see carabaos grazing in the background.

Carla waves onboard the faluwa

A must visit is Sabtang Island,  declared by the Department of Tourism as one of the 12 Best Destinations in the country. Typical Ivatan homes line up the streets, people walk around wearing uvuds (traditional raincoats). To get there is a bit tricky because the sea is usually rough. It is a 30-min faluwa boat ride from Basco. The window to travel is from 5am to 8am from the Port of Ivana and out of Sabtang at least by 2pm.  We definitely experienced a roller coaster ride heading back to the island.

Coconut crab

And lastly, while in Batanes, don't forget to enjoy its culinary delights!!!  My favorite must-eats are coconut crabs (order a day in advance though), my favorite lumpiang dibang (flying fish),  dibang-silog for breakfast which is dried flying fish with sunny side up egg on rice, giant squid calamares, lobster (order a day in advance) and kamote!!

To join Mandy's Photo Safari, email Mandy at luzamandolina@yahoo.com or call (+63-2) 896-3208.

Jumpology shot

Sinulog: Viva Pit Senor!!

dancing on the streets with face painted

That's all I could here and see in Cebu during the Sinulog festival: Viva Pit Senor!

The cheer is short for Panangpit sa Senyor a plea to the Senor Santo Nino or the Holy Child Jesus whose feast Cebu observes during the third Sunday of January each year. As the story goes, the image of the Sto. Nino was presented as a gift to chieftain Rajah Humabon by Ferdinand Magellan when he first landed in the Philippines, in Cebu in 1521.

The festival is a nine day long event. We were lucky to get a flight to Cebu and witness the culminating event which is the Grand Float Parade, where we were part of the Casino Femme Alcohol float. Note that Casino won first place several times in the past. This year, it placed second.

Well, for those who want to join the fanfare - book your flight and hotel early and be prepared to be painted, doused and to dance all day long under the sun! It was sure hot during the day so wear - shorts, comfortable shoes, hat and like the Cebuanos, have fun!!!

Tessa, Marcie posing infront of the crowd's favorite float

 Jean, Pauline and Bombom onboard the Casino Femme Float

more revelers

foreigners enjoying the parade

wear comfortable shoes

crowd along the way