I'm Not Hungry.. Not Per Se...

Dammit. I am sooo making an appearance over at Salcedo Market soon for one of these babies.

It's been so long since I dropped by the area. Heck, it's been sooo long since I actually got up and about on a weekend morning. If it weren't for my semioccasional efforts to lifestyle-shift into the Sunday morning racing scene whenever I think I could muster enough strength for it, anyone would have easily taken me for a totally nocturnal little something-something. Of course such things skewed to the contrary I try to document without exception in this blog, if only to commemorate the days when I do get some weekend UV exposure and show that I could be a little less of the lazy ass that I usually am.

Plus, this is to serve as proof against the claim once made in fifth grade by our dear valedictorian that I was a bloodsucking Bram Stoker devotee. Spawn of Dracula, that little Lea Salonga wannabe said. Flippo. I mean, come on. I didn't even know about Bela Lugosi or the nosferatu until the following year. That was when Dad broke in the adult-level Grolier encyclopedia set and I learned of worlds outside the four corners of Zamboanga City. That was also the first time I came across the term "schizophrenia."

Shit, I'm rambling again. Gotta feed.

Oh, no—not these! Please, no!

Photos courtesy of TSOGB.

Salad Days: Going Green, Staying Mean

Finally. For the longest time, the idea of blogging about food has been fermenting at the back of my mind. Chronic wishy-washiness comes to the fore when I try weighing the pros and cons of the deal. My favorite excuse is that I would be undermining my own penny-pinching efforts, as I would be somewhat "forced" to eat out more often at places slightly better than your friendly, neighborhood Kenny Rogers (ain't much of a McDonald's junkie). Now not to diss the great Kenny R, coz he sure knows tasty comfort food-in-a-flash. (Even though his roast chicken gives off that GMO vibe, like you're biting into cloned meat or what-have-you, which is not actually all that comforting...) But some days when feel like you've had one roast chicken too many, you know you gotta have variety. And some days, you just gotta have quality variety.

By quality, I mean healthy. As in salads and greens. Olive oil-based entrees and roast white meat. Soy lattes and sugar-free desserts. Friends know how I can live on tuna au naturel for a whole straight week and not feel like I'm starting to grow fish scales. I get a kick out of eating things that I know won't lead me to a premature bypass. Even though I like digging into rich, hearty treats (lordy, I miss Cyma!), I get a little lightheaded from images of clogged arteries swirling in my head, the special effects punctuated with every bite. (Okay, well, maybe not EVERY bite.. usually just the first one.) Plus, I know I don't look like it, but I admit vanity plays a teeny role in my preferences. Gotta love this society that's being held up by pillars of double standards.

But really, I like what I like mostly because I like my body to function the way it's supposed to when it counts. I like sports. I like being able to move with as little baggage as possible. I like being able to go trekking for hours on end without stopping every 10 seconds or so for a breather, or slipping on jagged rocks and breaking a rib or two in the process. I like not looking like a wuss during training, especially at times when I feel like I'm being one.

So that's my story. Now what about this health food series thing? Well, the dealbreaker is, I have to motivate myself to eat healthy more consistently. Enough with the excuses, enough with the sissiness. Sure, grabbing healthy eats means dishing out more bread. But if you want something, you do what you gotta do to make it happen. If you gotta spend, you might as well spend wisely and with flair. Quality is the shiznit, whereas extravagance is for the uninspired.

And most of all, spend in finger-lickin' good taste. Coz really, if it's so good, who cares about anything?

Pomelo Shrimp Salad: Flamboyant and Delightful

From the Vietnamese kitchens of casual gastronomes comes the first in the series of nerdy good eats: my pseudo-all-time fave greeny treat.

All right, that's a lie and a half. Coz this candy-colored confection of a salad is as un-green as they come. The mussed-up array of reds and pinks is done with such aplomb that it almost looks like sin.

As much as I want to say that this is a health dish, the truth is that it's not. Coz nestled underneath all that shredded kani is really mostly water. Specifically, I believe the biological term would be cucumber. Now I don't usually like cucumber; I don't think they provide enough taste to make you forget how oddly damp to the tongue they feel inside your mouth. But in this dish, sliced thin and stiff, they work.

The dish has a smattering of nuts on it, a bed of shredded carrots sitting just beneath the kani, some onions for that snippy kick, and, as if to validate its salad-ness, some lettuce to balance out all that fusion of corals.

So far, I'm going on and on about color and placement, which might lead one to infer that I'm all about the looks. The truth of the matter is, the visuals matter as much as the taste. Well, okay, just almost. I'm not sure about the Vietnamese, but Asian cuisines such as the Japanese and the Korean are nuts about color, and they have a set of standard colors that determine the construction of a well-made dish. For such cultures, the visuals enhance the sense of anticipation of the meal and ultimately contribute to its appreciation. For the Koreans, it's more than a toast to epicurean living. Deriving from the principles of feng shui, they believe that the harmony of colors in the food they eat brings about good fortune and health. This might very well be true, as many foodies regard Korean cuisine as among the healthiest in the world.

So before I veer off further into the quasi-unrelated unknown, let me get back to the all-important factor that led me to write about this here flamboyant-looking salad: Do I like it? Well. There's nothing to dislike about this dish. Now you ask, so what is it then really? To break it down for you in three words: Sweet. Tart. Succulent. Of course, the last one is coz of the pomelo slices, not the paltry shrimp bits, which is actually my only complaint. But that minor injustice doesn't really matter, coz overall it's A-okay. The flavors meld together ever so prettily, like a tart-flavored cotton candy sky. For me, the secret lies really in the vinaigrette. I think it's what gets the job done. It's just so right. Plus, you never run of of it, seriously!

I'm telling you, this is a dessert masquerading as a main dish. (And I'm not talking about the inclusion of fruits in a supposedly simple meal.) Now you might think I'm mixing up my appetizers with my main courses. But you see, I don't believe in appetizers, which is why I keep referring to salads as main courses, what-have-you. Although, of course, salads can only go so far in the "gas-filling" department. More likely than not, your tank might feel a little like "gas empty" again in a couple of hours (if you're anything like me). So to help counteract that possible effect without having to cancel out the benefits of a painlessly healthy meal, might I suggest that you fill up with loads of water, or a pandan-flavored green tea drink, or a sugar-free iced tea from the nearby Wendy's. Whatever floats your boat, it's all good. Let me tell you, salad days like this have never been so refreshing. Enjoy!

Pomelo Shrimp Salad (Php174)
Pho Hoa Vietnamese Noodle House

Dessert Comes First on Mellow 94.7 FM

Ladies and gents, I am so tuning in on Wednesday night, April 2nd. The landline war is on.

Extra: The Contender Asia

I noticed that over the past few weeks, the spike in daily traffic to this site has been coming mostly from search engines. I'm guessing this is most likely due to the posts on The Contender Asia, the one and only show I religiously follow these days. It's wrapping up next month with the grand finale happening on April 12th in Singapore.

So to help answer what questions may come from inquiring minds, or just to offer a venue for public discourse and engagement, I hereby present the link to the best TCA fansite there is right now. Ta-dah!

Members of Contender Asia Fans gather on the virtual plane to discuss and analyze (and further trivialize, in some cases) the pressing issues and matters of the day. (About all things TCA, of course.) One can also pick up added insight on Muay Thai, the sport of focus in the show. The overall tone of the discourse is experiential, and sometimes it can even get a little emotional, particularly when colorful or dissenting views arise. Plus, a couple or so fighters from TCA do check in every now and then to spice up discussions with their first-hand accounts of the weekly fights and goings-on in the house. If you have kids and are concerned about psychological repercussions, let me assure you, it's a wholesome family affair. For devotees of the show, it's a nifty virtual hangout, especially after downing another heady episode of the ultimate nail-biter that is TCA.


Okay. So yeah, maybe I should have done this a long time ago, way before the quarterfinals were aired. Anyway, if you dig, good for you. If not, sorry, I can't provide an alternative forum coz that's the only one that I visit. If anyone out there has any suggestions, I'm like a duck sitting out in the open. I invite you to hit me with your best shot. *wrinkle nose plus nerdy giggle*

Peace!

Pinay In Action Run '08

I know, this is so last week.

Whatev, I'm still posting it. It is still March, after all, and all this is in celebration of International Women's Month.

Below are pics taken from the 2008 Pinay In Action Expo that was held in NBC Tent in Bonifacio Global City last Sunday. As an annual event that is spearheaded by Senator Pia Cayetano, this included a multi-distance all-women run and indoor exhibit showcasing bits and pieces that highlighted the sporty senator's advocacy for women empowerment in the country. (Plus, let me not forget, sassy environmentalism too!)

oh, happy day...

just a little shout out to our sponsors

assembly line

running in global city

inside the expo

it's like that, all right

Sorry, gotta run (figuratively now, that is). Details to follow in yet another week.

Happy Women's Month, y'all!

Pandora's Box of Old, Musty-Smelling Poems

I was finishing the last chapter of Daniel Keyes’ Flowers For Algernon when I came across the part detailing the protagonist’s out-of-body experience and his brush with the otherworldly. And suddenly, I remembered something that I had written long ago, buried under a mound of musty-smelling clothes that I had never worn since I brought them with me to Kalayaan dorm in 1999 (good golly! just saying this makes me feel so ooolllldddd....). Hurriedly I dug through the impressive heap until I found what I was looking for: my first diary since coming to Manila.

I make this pronouncement with distinction because my time in college and the thereafter is worlds apart from my life in Zamboanga. High school was an angst-ridden, ambivalent period for me, whereas college was a time for self-discovery, for rabid self-analysis. For trying to ask as many questions as one could in the hopes that somehow an answer would get drawn and ensnared in the black hole of uncertainty that kept self-amassing ad infinitum. As documented in my personal journal, it was also a time for writing poetry. And apparently, of things “(threatening) to consume me.”


This is probably the last poem I've written. Somehow I have lost all fire for writing poetry. Which is probably just as well, judging from the above.

Whenever, wherever, whatever. These days, it seems that's the best I can do in times when I feel the end is closing in on me. When poetic inspiration fails, there's always blogging. There's nothing like reverse voyeurism to validate personal experience as you attempt to purge your inner demons and let it all out for the whole world to behold.