Is it bad to go swimming during a thunderstorm?

Friday night in; I turned down a night of dancing for zucchini, tofu and tv; my body needs rest! After returning to the Ayala Museum today in Makati for a round 2 with those dioramas, I came home to relax and take a swim BUT it started monsooning;we're talking serious asian rain here people. At first it deterred me until I realized these Filipinos hate the rain! Jackpot! Pool to myself!

By the time I got around to jumping into the speedo it was dark, still no fear. Bring it on.I walk outside. The security guard was parked on the bottom floor of my building for cover under a gigantic umbrella. As I passed by with my goggles he looked at me like I was cr-azy. It was pouring. As I splashed towards the pool I found that there were a couple other brave souls in the water, young teenage boys who had too much redbull. I swam a few laps but I kept seeing flashes under water and lifting my head up trying to decided whether it was a camera or the sky. Keep swimming. More flashes. Lightening. I started looking around to see if the redbull boys were racing to get out of the pool. I feel like I've seen some scary jeff goldblum movie where when the lightening starts the people RUN out of the water. Is it dangerous to swim during thunderstorms???? Since I had to ask myself I decided to get out and just stand in the warm rain for a few minutes instead. Although it was cut short, there's no better feeling than swimming when it's raining.

Ayala; I am in love with this museum. But you already knew that from my earlier post on falling for Fernando Zobel de Ayala's photography. I spent some more time looking at his work today on the 2nd floor reading some of his letters. He wrote a lot of letters while he was traveling in Manila, Spain, Italy. Something that he wrote in one of them that stayed with me today was,

"The only thing to do is shrug your shoulders and start again"

He had gorgeous handwriting.

Post Zobel fest, I made it down to the Filipino dioramas (again) this time equipped with the freaking audio headset thank you very much! I took my time listening to the story behind the scene in front of me for all 60 dioramas. There was so much to take in. Trade with the Chinese, Catholicism vs Islam, Spanish occupation, Rizal, American occupation, Philippines independence.....I think I was on that floor for 2 hours until I finally checked my watch and realized I was almost out of time. I still only feel like I gained partial understanding of the struggles that led this country to there independence day. Which is on June 12th btw, soon! I wonder how they celebrate....

In other news I filmed for another local channel here this week!! On tuesday night the film crew from a lifestyle show called "Us Girls" came to the Fort studio. I did the interview this time (which for some reason when it came time to do, I got super nervous. Probs because there were 30 people surrounding me in 5 foot radius while I did an impromptu explanation of what barre3 is). Then Joie taught a class to the tv hosts and their entourage of good looking Filipino men. I stayed and took class, just for fun :) The show airs on Thursday at 9pm here. They may post the episode on their facebook page. If so I'll snag it. In the meantime here are some shots at the shoot;

 

Check out cameraman's hair-do, that's so Shimo 2002

 

Warm up

Push ups

 

barre stretch, joie assisting

 

Wrap! TV hosts to my right and left-Chesca and Iya. Joie is in black with short hair and cute smile

Living for the cit-tay; Birthday adventures in Asia

I know I know, so much ground to cover;

I am 24years old in Manila and Portland now! What a great thing to have 48 hours of birthday instead of just that plain old 24. The weekend was packed full so here we go.

Friday was my adventure day. Rally drove me north to see REAL manila. Everyone told me not to but I didn't listen. I started at Rizal Park where the monument of Jose Rizal-a Filipino national hero from the Spanish colonial era-stands. After squinting my eyes super hard to see it since it was blocked off with chains in a 20 feet circumference-I proceeded to find these alleged Chinese and Japanese gardens. But I soon found out Portland has truly spoiled me.

(Rizal statue, somewhere behind me)

I sweat-ed my way over (passed the dried up fountain) and paid the 5 peso entrance into the "Chinese" garden.....I soon realized this was Manila's version of our park blocks. A shady public place for homeless people to sleep or escape from the city. Amongst the sleeping Filipinos were a bunch of cats also trying to beat the heat and a bunch of garbage. Ok moving on. The "Japanese" garden; I had my hopes semi-punctured but was still thinking maybe it'd be better-psych!. After another entrance fee I paid to a smart mouthed 7 year old kid eating rice I did one loop in search of something, ANYTHING Japanese but nah. Dried up pond, nappers, some more trash and some rocks. On my way out he asked me what I thought, I told him there wasn't anything Japanese about. He laughed and agreed. What the fuck am I doing here again?

(Chinese Garden, boo)

Still dripping in sweat in the baking sun Rally managed to find me walking around Rizal park and said something about Ocean park in broken english; let's go. The Manila Ocean park is basically an aqauarium located on Manila Bay, I walked around dodging Japanese field trips as they took snapshots in front of the tanks. After seeing a bunch of nemos I found the open air floor overlooking the bay. The tour was already finished? What a bust, I thought. But then I turned around and saw this soaking pool area where a bunch of aquarium-goers were sitting there soaking their feet. Gross. I kept walking until I looked into the water; FISH? There's fish in there? At first sight I thought to myself there's no effing way I'm doing that...right? Or should I? The soaking pools were filled with these fish who nibble at your feet aka pedicure aka natural exfoliation. Therapy, they called it. Before I knew it I was buying admission to the "Doctor Fish" soaking pool. The homie told me 20 minutes for 200 pesos. The picture will never do this 20 minutes of my life justice; but all I can say is yes they tickle.

  (Dr.Fish experience)

Post fish and feet I went to 3 museums and 1 library. Political, Art you name it I paid to look at it. They were all pretty empty and disappointing. And I love museums, but these just stank. You could tell there was no money or support to keep them alive. No visitors, no need. By this time I was starving and through sweating for one day so I called it a day and went back to the crib. I mean, I had to rest my legs for some serious birthday dancing that night.

That night I met Rebecca and her homie from Vancouver, WA for a glass of wine at CAV. Ryan and I immediately spoke each others language; Powell's, IPA, Rain, Boundary Bay (he was wearing converse too). It felt good to talk to someone who know what home looked like. After a much needed Asian break with them I met up with Aileen for dinner at Balducci. Gnocchi and Bruschetta followed by Tiramisu. Thank you!

We went dancing at Encore, this time we had a table. Get em! As soon as we found it amongst the crowd the waiter was pouring us Patron shots. Really? Now that's a way to start off birthday dancing! In a club this loud it's hard to talk to anyone especially the people you came with so we all just got down to dancing until the line up started;

(Dancing partners in crime con Patron)

Guy1; Ali from Saudi Arabia. He was YELLING in my ear how to pronounce his name, he kept making fists and saying you know like the boxer? Ali?! He proceeded to do that creepy thing creepy guys do when they want you to dance with them where they start doing some move and motion for you to come while they repeat; "Eh? eh?" I have never shook my head so many times. Peace out Ali.

Guy(s)2/3; Filipino brothers sporting blazer-jackets. This guy was pulling the, "Hey, hey, I want to introduce to my brother". He kept asking me where I was from. I told him I lived here in Manila. He seemed confused; "No but seriously, where are you FROM?" No one would believe me.

Guy4; Vietnamese. Inaudible combination of dialect and Pitbull track didn't mix well. I kept nodding and dancing the other direction. He was per-sis-tant.
*I didn't realize during each of these run-ins Aileen was playing paparazzi on the couch next to me....(shaking fist) You know when you stay past last call at a club and the lights come on revealing everyone's (sweaty) true colors? It was that kind of night. My birthday heels had been killing me since track 1, it was time to get this drunk/skinny Filipino girl to some Jollibee and home safe. Did you I tell you about Jollibee? Filipino fast food; spaghetti, eggs and rice, chicken and gravy. I finally tried it at 4AM on my bday. It has potential to be dangerously addictive.

(Ali)

Saturday; After elevating my dancing feet, skyping with family and laying by the pool it was time for dinner with Rebecca and co. She led me to a hidden wonder of Makati (the business distrcit near where I live) called "Little Tokyo". Not all the cab drivers even know how to get there, good sign. It's a hidden string of Japanese restaurants and also my new favorite place. I finally got my hands on some sushi (with mango in it of course), edemame and tofu thank god!!!!!!!!!!! To wash it down-a cold San Miguel draft. Exhale. Happy Birthday. Rebecca is pretty fantastic; she's an Ohio native who graduated from Columbia and is working for an NGO here in Manila for 2 years. She's sweet and genuine and sarcastic. Like. She brought 2 male coworkers. PHD students, 1 passable, the other as awkward as you think. Post sushi we walked to Greenbelt for some frozen yogurt (topping; gummi bears) and watched Filipino UFC. Lots and lots of kicking.

(Little Tokyo)

Sunday; 6:30AM departure time. Aileen and I head to Batangas; a province close to the city with lots of beaches. The drive there was filled with bikers decked out in lance gear passing multiple caribou and shops to buy the famous Buko Pie. We met Aileen's friend Aimee and her family at a resort called Pico de Loro on the Hamilo Coast. This place was unlike anywhere I've ever been. I think I was in shock for the first 2 hours I was there. I mean, the lobby was open air? I immediately went wind surfing when I arrived (first time)-it was fun but it's kind of like the first time I went horseback riding; I wanted to trot right away skip the lesson. After an hour of my instructor yelling things like left and right (I had no clue if he meant the sail, my feet or the board) I thanked him and peaced out. I was trying to get some towel time but was ushered to the next activity; kayaking (jelly fish and sea urchins galore). After getting a rowing tan on my forearms it was lunchtime at the nearby country club resort.....(did I just say that?)

(Batangas heaven)

I was full to the brim after lunch; we went on a tour to see what else this place had to offer; multiple infinity pools, badminton courts, kareoke rooms, dance studio, billards and a bowling alley. To name a few. After teaching the aerobics instructor there a quick barre3 position I sang some Ace of Base and D'Angelo in the KTV room. After a packed afternoon we made it to Tagaytay for our dinner at Antonio's. The largest and most expensive meal of my life. The place was gorgeous; Mediterranean tile and completely open air. Bliss. Ok here's the order of what I ate with no exceptions;

Appetizers; Escargot (I had to watch the 9 year old I was eating across from to learn how the hell to use those clamps), marinated Potebello mushrooms, Ox tongue (never again)
1st course; Salad and Tomato soup, Gnocchi (best ever)
2nd course; Steak with onions (every bite tasted like the $90 is cost)
Dessert; Earl Grey chocolate cake!
*Followed by Green Tea and elbows on the table in surrender.....

(Antonio's, pre 8 course meal)

Cue back of hand wiping forehead...now.

Birthday weekend was definitely a success but it lacked some serious family time and La Serinita.

Are we up to date yet? Oh wait, tonight (after I taught 3 classes) we filmed for channel 23. I did the interview this time and Joie taught the class but I attended to lead as example for the TV hosts. It went well and should air next week! I'll write about that manana.

xoxo

Bday

Since my early morning on Tuesday I've been tryna take it slow and get through the rest of my classes so I can be fresh for, dare I say, BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!!!

Yes, on Saturday I turn 24, in Asia. Tomorrow Aileen is taking me out to dinner (I requested Italian) and then dancing. Yes, I have a birthday dress...and bought some birthday heels today from Charles and Keith. On the the actual day I can't think of anything else to do than; mani/pedi, massage, frozen yogurt and entourage on dvd (since I have to teach on Sunday morning) btu that's cool I'll get all my birthdays out on the dancefloor tomorrow night. Watch out!

Tomorrow I'm ditching this Fort business for REAL manila. I'm going north to see Rizal Park and a couple museums and the mother fucking bay (finally!) Rally is driving me which makes me happy because our broken english convos are picking up.

I finished season 2 of the OC (again) and just can't finish my tucker max book so I moved on to more sophisticated entertainment; Band of Brothers. I intend to finish it this time, without Looch :(

Here's the playlist I taught to this week;

"Someone great"-LCD soundsystem; warm up
"Get up"-Ciara; push ups
"Again"-John Legend; barre stretch
"Memories"-David Guetta/Kid Cudi; leg work
"OMG"-Usher; leg work *Not my cut but damn these beezies LOVE this song
"Love of my life"-Erykah Badu/Common; stretch
"Come around"-MIA; plank
"Me and you"-Cassie; seat work
"Feel it boy"-Beenie Man/Janet Jackson; seat work
"Love will be right here"-SWV; stretch
"Rude boy"-Rihanna; arms
"The rafters"-Moby; core
"Bittersweet symphony"-The verve; core
"Tell him"-Lauryn Hill; final stretch
"Winter birds"-Ray LaMontagne; final stretch
"2am"-Slighty Stoopid; exit

 Jam of the week; Sly and the Family Stone "You've got me smiling"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAo8cucRB9U

Unang Hirit; Channel 7 LIVE!

Barre3 Philippines was on the LIVE morning show today called "Unang Hirit" which means "First Response" in Tagolog. My call time was 4 A.M. SO, after teaching the evening classes in Alabang last night I got mmmmmm 3 hours of sleep before my alarm chirped at 3:30am. Alarm clocks always sound so much more annoying the earlier they go off :) I was mean mugging mine this morning that's for sure. The boths of them.

After putting my face on and guzzling down some 7-11 gourmet coffee, I was ready and willing and in spandex.

The camera-men spoke bashful amounts of english to me while smiling and avoiding eye contact. They gave us the run down on the segments we would film and continued to shuffle around the studio in their socks with their boom-mics. After filming our opening sequence the Channel 7 host Regine Tolentino showed up in her tiny little sports bra and see through leggings. You could tell when she walked into the room she's kind of a big deal.

 (Regine; I think she's like a Nicole Scherzinger of the Philippines)

Regine interviewed Joie on barre3 basics/benefits while I taught the class in the background shot. My hip flexors were killing me by the time we finished the 4th take of transverse abdominals.

Since the segments were immediately aired on the show I didn't get to catch any of them but I did get some pictures.....

Mango Margs, Miley and Ma$e

Yesterday was Friday; my day off. I woke up feeling detoxified from the previous night's infrared sauna/deep tissue massage. Pool time in the afternoon; there are these Brazilians-at least I think they're Brazilian-who lounge by the pool next to me everyday. Very very skinny good looking foreigners who splash each other all afternoon. Super bizarre. One of them kind of resembles Dr. Troy from Nip/Tuck which is my dream BUT his florescent speedo and trampstamp have persuaded me otherwise...

Last night Aileen (Tanya's aunt) and I had dinner/movie plans w/potential dancing. Her driver picked me up and took me to the Tan house (where Tanya and her family live, baller status). On the way there a Filipino radio station was bumping D'Angelo "Lady"-I started to feel at home in Asia finally.

Aileen took me out to dinner at (shockingly) Chili's. Yes, that Chili's. I had never been to one before last night. Aileen said she wanted to go there b/c she was in the mood for a salad? Whatevs they had bottomless margs and basketball was playing. After loading up on carbs and the best/first MANGO MARGARITA I have ever had in my life we hit the movie theater for coughmileycyrusmoviecough. Ok, yes I might have seen 'The Last Song' last night. It's exactly what you think it is; a really really shitty version of the notebook. It followed the same equation to a T; 2 attractive young kids, from different economical backgrounds, rain scene, beach scene, fight scene etc. The only difference was Miley's snaggle tooth and Ryan Gosling is way way better looking than whatshisface.

Post Miley we went to a nightclub called Encore, which is actually super close to my apt in the Fort. We were on "the list" and had a table. Jesus, I had no idea this trip would be so VIP-I don't own enough heels to support this lifestyle. Once we got stamped and searched-Aileen said we had a choice between their 2 dance-floors; Trance or Hiphop. Pshhhhh-Are you kidding me? Easiest decision of my life.

The DJ was a joke but he played some cuts; Mo Money Mo Problems, Pop Champagne, Rude Boy etc. It was a crazy mix of clubbers from the Philippines, Middle East and America. I found out there is no drinking age therefore no age minimum at nightclubs (easy Purcell)...So that is something to get used to. I denied all dance invites for the night and focused on my vodkaredbull and not slipping on spilled champagne. It had been months since I had gone out dancing (at the Goodfoot), Stella's tryna get her groove back; one dance floor at a time.

My birthday is a week from TODAY.

Today I'm stopping by the studio to meet the new instructors in training and tell them not to play any black eyed peas in class and then going shopping at Greenbelt for the afternoon..followed by a potentially fun evening out with a client from Ohio at the Ayala museum.

Doc Hayden, why are you blowing up my celly?

The Philippines has a new President; Noy Noy Aquino of the Liberal party. The election was on Monday; by everything I heard Noy Noy had this thing in locked since the beginning. He is the son of a former heroic female president Corazon Aquino. The only dirt I can find on this guy is that "Aquino is an enthusiast of shooting and billiards. He is also an audiophile and enjoys listening to mellow, bossa nova, and OPM (Original Pinoy Music)" OH and his girlfriend is 29 years old. 20 years his junior. Here's a quick video of Noy Noy http://www.france24.com/en/20100510-philippines-election-senator-benigno-aquino-presidency-noynoy-estrada-cory

Tanya and her whole family are flying to LA for her sister's graduation from USC on Thursday; they will be gone for 2 weeks. Yes, they are missing my 24th birthday. Tanya, Aileen, Pao and Gerald took me out for dinner last night after my back to backs at the Fort to a restaurant called Felix in Greenhills (right next to the Ayala Museum). I had the Pesto linguine (Ala Ton) and the Tuscany salad (mozzarella). But you know I tried everything else on the table.... Big moment in my life; I ATE MY VERY FIRST OYSTER LAST NIGHT. It was pretty good. I thought about Eleanor the whole time. I also sampled the raw spicy tuna which was drenched in wasabi and dried Mushroom chips. For dessert my favorite; frozen yogurt (with Kiwi and Mangos). On the way home Tanya's 18 yr old sister and I bonded in the back seat over reality TV and how much we love Keeping up with the Kardashians (but she really hates Khloe). Tanya and I placed bets on the upcoming Lakers/Suns series. I am literally lost at who to root for here.

Side note; looking through my Filipino Nokia cellphone the other day (which I was aware was previously used by Darcy when she was the foreign trainer here) I found a bunch of pictures of random people I didn't know....continue skimming....until I found some Filipino porn?!? What? No. Seriously. I did. 3 videos in fact. I didn't know what to do; Do I delete them so Tanya doesn't think their mine, do I leave them so that when she returns the phone to whoever it belongs to they have their videos back in their possession un-tampered with? WHAT A PICKLE. So I just brought it up at dinner. Aileen immediately had tons of questions, is he Filipino? Where is it filmed? When was it taken? She wanted to see it and before I knew it they were passing it around the dinner table in between bites of spicy tuna, trying to figure out who the perp was. Turns out, there was a huge celeb sex scandal between a Filipino actress and actor that got sent all over the internet in 2009 without ethertheir consent. Hayden Kho, he is famous for playing a plastic surgeon on some Filipino soap opera. Here's the Doc himself;



Other than THAT I am planning out my future excursions. Intramouros, Rizal Park, Batagus? I just want some beach.

Ayala Museum, Makati City

Today was a good day. I made it to the Ayala Museum! 425 pesos granted me admission to 4 floors of Filipino artwork and beyond. There are few things I enjoy more in life than Museums, Libraries and Airports. Seriously.

On the 4th floor was the 'Crossroads of Civilizations'; lots of traditional Filipino textiles, Chinese exports and an obscene amount of gold. "Gold of our Ancestors" showed over 1,000 pieces of gold that existed before the 16th century. Lots of earrings, bangles and diadems. The intricacy of the gold pieces was fascinating but I couldn't help but skim through the thousands of plates and bowls.

(Really really old bling)

I fell in love on the 3rd floor with a man named Fernando Zobel (formally he is known as Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo). Born in Manila in 1924 but his citizenship was Spanish and went to Harvard. His work is a collection of sketches, paintings but my obsession began with his photography. Zobel was known for his spontaneous generosity. He died in Rome 2 years before I was born. But he is my new best friend. Here is a link to some of his photos; http://www.fernandozobel.com/artist_photography.htm

(Untitled, Madrid-Fernando Zobel)

(Maiden by a Fruit Stand-Zobel 1952)

By the time I left the 3rd floor I was on such a museum high (can't describe this, hopefully you know this feeling). When I got the 2nd floor the mood shifted. The 2nd floor hosted a 60-piece set of dioramas chronicling Filipino history. The dioramas are so impressively moving, I was surprised how much this kind of medium could capture the essence of some of the most intense times the world has seen. As I made it to the 30th diorama shit was getting heavy. Executions, wars, KKK-the list goes on. I absolutely HAVE to come back and get those god forsaken headphones so I can listen to the stories behind the stillness.

(Diorama, execution up close)

Once I made it down to the ground floor I felt like I had run a marathon and rewarded myself with a little down time in the bamboo garden outside. a very very hot bamboo garden. My tour was over and I was thinking I should probs text Bong to tell him to bring the car around (what? really?) but instead I wandered around the garden a little bit more and found a random outdoor-air chapel. I cautiously walked towards it not knowing if anyone could enter/are chapels free? I am so not religious. I walked in and found one of the only quiet places amongst this raging city of 11million people. It was kind of amazing. I sat down and watch busy Filipinos come in, kneel, pray and leave. Some were staked out or fanning themselves on god's time but it was silent. I had not heard silence since Portland, it was almost beautiful. I stayed for a few minutes appreciating this out of context place of worship after staring at so many picture of violent battle.

(Inside Greenbelt Chapel much more crowded than today)

After laying low this afternoon I went out to dinner with a client who is from Manila but went to UW. Her name is China and she likes hip-hop. She invited me to dinner at Chelsea near the Fort studio with some friends of hers. They are fun and tried convincing me to come dance with them at some club called LAX but I don't dance on the first date in foreign countries. PLUS I don't have any heels to bump and grind in anyways so next time ladies, next time...

Rio Rio!!!

OMG forgot to tell you; when I left the studio tonight, guess who I saw outside NIKE?

RIO DE LA CRUZ! RIO DE LA CRUZ!

(See cover of Runner's magazine below aka, my (Filipino) baby's daddy!) Jessica you know what I'm talking about!

I didn't have the balls to say anything, I just stared and pretended to look lost :)

(This is Rio, I know I know)

Gas, break, dip

I feel like I am over overdue on shedding some light on the world of transportation in the Philippines. This place is nuts. There are few similarities to driving in America and driving here in Manila.

To name a few;
-There are no stop lights (ok, there are maybe 3 but no one obeys them)
-There are no stop signs
-There are no crosswalks ("you just have to run for it"-every time)
-There are no seat belts (in the backseat, pssh no big deal right?)
-There are no designated lanes
-There are no street names

I have 2 personal drivers here who take me to and from the Alabang studio; Bong and Rally. Neither of them speak very much English. Mainly we get by on the following 3 words; "Alabang?" "Apartment?" and "Traffic". Bong normally turns on some cuts for me though. There's a local radio station that plays all the club/dance hall hits which I can get down to in the backseat. Rally just smiles and honks a lot. They both have their strong points.

Rally took me to the local post office today which is no where near where I live to pick up my books that Powells shipped to me, finally. What can I say about the Taguig post office? First of all, it's on a street with no name that is filled with unemployed locals. If you're not selling mangos, rice or hand-made brooms your sitting on the street people watching (in the shade) attempting to avoid being run over by a jeepney/3-wheeler. There are no americans in a 15 mile radius. The post office is lined with half-asleep Filipino men who I am pretty sure work there but just don't have anything to do, so they bake in the heat and watch people go by. As soon as I walked up a man ushered me into the back room w/o saying anything where there were packages piled up to the ceiling (that wasn't finished, I could see through it). There was a desk and a chair and a calculator that he went on punching for a good solid 3 minutes until he announced I was to pay him 1,329 pesos to claim my books. Are you fucking kidding me? That's $30. I already paid $100 to buy/ship them to this miniature post-office. This is where the corrupt Filipino politics comes in. I don't speak the language, therefore I cannot argue, only roll my eyes and cough up all of my cash.

Yeah, I got my books but hot damn.

Side note; JEEPNEYS. I don't think there is anything I am more fascinated by here than Jeepneys. Leftover from WWII, the US military left/sold a bunch of jeeps that Filipinos transformed into public trans units that cart approx 15 passengers. Jeepneys are personally decorated (just like taxicabs) on the inside AND the outside. It is the owner's pride and joy. I have made it my official pastime here to Jeepney-watch instead of people-watch. I am fascinated by what the driver chooses to paint on the outside as it represents their beliefs (political and/or religious). Most common figure painted on Jeepneys in Manila is Guadalupe.

(Jeepneys, errywhere)

Apparently I taught a Filipino celeb last night at my class in the Fort. Gretchen Barretto. Tiny, botox and bling. Apparently she's dropped some albums and hosts a game show? Somehow I missed the bodyguards standing outside the studio...

(Gretchen Barretto, Filipino celeb)

Alright ya'll after teaching my 12th class tonight I am ready for a Red Horse and some Tucker Max. Oh, a client who went to UW invited me to a tattoo convention at the Mall of Asia tomorrow night....Do I go?

"Chanel Ma'aaaaam"

Manic Monday, for sure.

After taking Joie's (packed) 10:30 class at the Fort this morning I went with Tanya and Eileen on a lunch/shopping date at Greenbelt. All they told me is that it was indoors and cash only-other than that I had no idea where/what I was getting myself into.

First we ate Filipino at Casa Reyes. BOMB. I ordered the Chicken Adobo which came with (green) Mango and rice. But wherever we go I am politely forced to try everything on the table, I love this. So I also tried Java rice, Gsing Gsing (new personal fave; green beans cooked in Coconut milk with pork) and the legendary Daing na bangus (traditional Filipino fish that is served with garlic rice and a fried egg). Ok, so I stayed true to my "Not saying no to anything on this trip rule" but dude the Dain na bangus fish tasted like I was chewing a warm piece of the Ocean floor. Seriously I almost had tears in my eyes from the salt water I was pressing into my taste buds. Of course I had finished my bottled water already so I tried washing it down with more rice. Yikes. Check that off the list, it's never making a 2nd appearance.

(Daing na bangus)

Post ocean floor fish we went onto shopping. Basc. it was was rows and rows and rows of faux LV, Prada, Gucci, any other name brand you can think Marissa Cooper would flaunt for a couple thousand pesos (cheap). It was chaotic, boiling hot, overwhelming and rapidly all whizzing by me. Since my blonde hair makes me a walking target for consumerism here all I heard for the next hour was a combination of Filipino women cooing "Hi ma'am" "Chanel, ma'am" "Bags, ma'am" "You buy, ma'am". There was a lot of pressure to buy whatever you were looking at even if I slowed to down to 5mph. Woof. Before I knew it I was bargaining with some woman for an LV tote that I didn't even desperately want but still convinced myself I needed if I could get to P1000. No go, she stayed at 1, 600 so I walked. Also men kept whispering next to me "DVD, ma'am" and holding out lists of the new hits they had to sell. Tempting but I kept walking.

(Kind of wish I copped this now)

Ok, so I did buy some knock-off gold Chanel studs for way cheap and a hand-made fan to use the next time I'm tryna buy a Prada bag. Things I will be going back for; TORI BERCH tote/jellies, fresh water pearls, fake Nike dunks.

As the finale of the afternoon Eileen treated me to the most famous Filipino dessert Halo-Halo. It's a random assortment of shaved ice and milk, beans and fruits, and served cold in a tall glass. Without having known that it was like ice cream with pieces of jello/banana in it with an occasional kidney bean in the mix. Halo halo translated from Tagalog means Mix Mix, so once you do it's actually one of the BEST things I've ever tasted. The ice cream that was on top was called Ube (tarot root, it was purple). After fessing up about being really into it Eileen and Tanya insisted I buy some to take home with me. I agreed an walked about with a half gallon of Ube ice cream, literally. Whoops.

(Halo Halo, I'm Jessie, so very nice to meet you)

After this fun-filled afternoon I needed an mean power nap but had to teach back to back's in Alabang (where the AC is broken). So now ladies and gentlemen, it is time for a glass of wine and an episode of the OC. Thank you and goodnight.

Enomatic?

After not being able to watch the last Blazers game of the 2009-2010 season I threw a pity party at the pool (there's something about listening to your Mom cheer for the Blazers over Skype that makes you miss Portland too much) At the pool while desperately trying to finish my book, a Filipino creeper w/braces got in the grill, (Is this lounge chair taken? turned into How much did your Visa cost? and What's Pilates?) Ugh. Over you! Threw my Roy jersey back on and ended my pool party.

CAV/Ironman2; Tanya and her BF and sister picked me up for dinner at a place called Cav, it's a wine shop/restaurant which her father owns. After being introduced to approx 18 people (mainly family) we had a 3 course dinner which was far from casual. Argula salads, garlic shrimp (gapas?), yellow fin tuna, sole fish....ending with some amazing desserts I will do a terrible job of describing. One was this rich chocolate mousse cake paired with yogurt/fruit while the other was this apple pie that looked like the thinnest pizza I've ever seen paired with Cinnamon ice cream. Holy SHIT. To die for.

The entertainment of the meal was Tanya's little brother Shaun. He just turned 12 this week and is quite a character. He's in that stage where anything besides Mac n Cheese is gross but he'll try it and make a face, then go back to playing his PS2 at the table. He was cracking me up.

My favorite moment of the evening came when I was introduced to their Enomatic Wine Machine, is it just me or is this thing heavenly. A self-serve wine case that allows you to taste/select/pour your glass of wine and bring it to your table. I went against the pairing rules of white fish and got a red Merlot from Italy, duh! I liked it so much I spent 700pesos on a bottle of 2007 Chianti called Ruffino.

(Enomatic Wine Machine, I need one of these)

Post CAV we went to see Ironman2 at Rockwell theaters. On the drive there we passed through the Red Light District which must have been near Burgos St (after doing some reading). Little kids tapped on our windows trying to sell us flowers for the Flores festival which I think lasts through May. Drums, transvestites, barefoot kids;everyone was out celebrating. It was insane. How come the Philippines get to release box office hits a week before the US? Not sure, but apparently has to do w/some piracy concern. Works for me! RDJ was delicious.

Still waiting on my camera cord from America, once I get it I will post the picture I took with Ironman before the movie. It's pretty classic.