Brasserie CiÇou

I first learned about Brasserie CiÇou when I was searching for good French restaurants in Manila. I learned that this place won Best French Restaurant in the Manila's Best Kept Restaurant Secrets (MBKRS) Awards in 2012. I didn't get to try it out at the time. But when I recently decided to take my family out to a really fancy meal, I thought it would be as good a time as any to try Brasserie CiÇou.

We had a really late lunch at 1:30PM and when we got to the restaurant, we almost had the place all to ourselves. I can't really say what the service would be like if the place is packed but it was fantastic when we were there. The waiters were warm and friendly and very professional. The ambience is cozy and comfortable and the color scheme makes the dining area feel more spacious. There are a couple of cozy corners where diners can have a bit more privacy. As seems to be the popular thing now, a glass window provided guests with a view of the chefs at work in the kitchen.

Vividly colorful wall mural

We ordered quite a few things, including a Quiche Lorraine starter (quite possibly the best quiche I've ever had), a couple of entrees and some pasta and salad. The highlights of our meal, however, where the dishes I got for sharing. First was the US Grilled Certified Angus Rib-eye (P2,988). This 500-gram steak is served with Potato Dauphinoise and Herb Butter. This steak was absolutely superb and it was seasoned very well. The strong flavors of the beef matched perfectly with the richness of the Potato Dauphinoise which could probably have been a dish by itself since it was so good.

US Grilled Certified Angus Rib-eye (500 grams, good for 3-4 people)

We also ordered the Duck Three-ways: Pan-fried duck breast, Duck Leg Confit, and Duck Pie (P3,888). The Pan-fried duck breast was served kind of like Duck L'Orange as it was served with Orange Sauce. The duck pie was very good and the pie pastry was light and flaky and held the strong flavors of the duck quite well. However, my favorite of all three preparations was the Duck Leg Confit. That was just stunningly delicious! (Both the duck and the steak are good for about 3-4 people so while they are on the very expensive side, they are definitely worth it.)

Duck Three-ways: Pan-fried duck breast, Duck Leg Confit, and Duck Pie (good for 3-4 people)

A sign outside the restaurant says that Brasserie CiÇou is home of the original Manila's best dessert: their L'Original Kouign Amann de CiÇou (P330). (I learned for the first time that Kouign Amann is pronounced Queen Aman). Naturally, even if we were quite full from the fantastic meal we just had, we also needed to try it. This dessert, which comes with two pastries topped with their home-made salted caramel ice cream. was such a satisfying way to end our meal and I highly recommend it. One of my nephews also enjoyed the ice cream so much that I ordered a scoop of it for him.

L'Original Kouign Amann de CiÇou served with Salted Caramel Ice Cream

We also tried the Baba au Rhum (P250), a yeast cake soaked in syrup. It wasn't as good as the Kouign Aman but it was something we had never had before so it was still an enjoyable dessert experience for us.

Baba au Rhum

We learned from the wait staff that the name of the restaurant comes from the nickname of the owner, Chef Cyrille. We were told us that the chef was actually there earlier but he and his wife left to enjoy the weekend so it was too bad that we didn't catch them. As we got the bill, they handed us a few envelopes which contain surprises that we can get on our next visit (we were told not to open these envelopes). Pretty cool concept to encourage return visits! Given how enjoyable I found our dining experience to be, I am certain I will be back.

Brasserie CiÇou along Annapolis Street in Greenhills. 

If you are coming from Edsa, it is right before O.B. Montessori Greenhills.

Brasserie CiÇou
http://restaurantcicou.com/
57 Annapolis Street, Greenhills, San Juan, Philippines
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 12nn to 11pm
+63.2.661-9200 / +63.917.885-8841
cicou@restaurantcicou.com

Pinoy teams achieve success at HHI 2015

This post is a couple of months late but I still want to congratulate the Philippine crews that participated and achieved success at the recently concluded 2015 HHI World Hip Hop Dance Championships. Three teams took home medals in their respective divisions:

A Team - 3rd place, Mega Crew Division
A Team made it back to the podium with a bronze medal in the Mega Crew Division. While they were unable to defend the title they won last year, this top three finish is confirmation that they are a consistently world-class hip hop dance crew.


video uploaded in youtube by OfficialHHI

Romancon - 2nd place, Adult Division
Romancon, a dance group from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, took home the silver medal in the Adult Division. Looking at their facebook page, it seems that this group is very diverse when it comes to dance styles.


video uploaded in youtube by OfficialHHI

Legit Status - 2nd place, Varsity Division
Legit Status, a dance crew composed of students from different high schools and colleges across Metro Manila, also took home a silver medal in the Varsity Division. Read more about them in this interview.


video uploaded in youtube by OfficialHHI

Aside from these three award-winning crews, other Pinoy dance groups also made it to the finals in different divisions:

• Legit Status also participated in the Mega Crew Division (video).
• La Salle Dance Co. Street also made it to the finals of the Mega Crew Divison (video).
• Rockstars made it to the finals of the Adult Division (video).

Great job to all these crews. Thanks for bringing pride to the Philippines and raising our flag high!

My car got screwed

Last week, my friends noticed that one of my car's rear tires seemed a bit deflated. I thought it just needed some air but upon closer inspection, they noticed a screw stuck in the tire. Yikes!

This screw was lodged in the rear tire of my car.

I had air pumped into the tire to fully inflate it and it didn't seem like the pressure in my tire was dropping rapidly so I was still able to drive home, I decided to just worry about getting my car sorted out the next day. However, when I checked my tire the next morning, it didn't look like it lost any air. Wow! I guess the screw punctured my tire in a way that it also prevented air from leaking out. I actually managed to drive this entire week without having to have my tire fixed. Obviously, I didn't want to keep things as they were for much longer so I finally got to have my tire vulcanized early today. Feels a lot better driving now.

Subic again

Interesting how I hadn't been to Subic in years then in just a span of about a month, I get to go there twice. This time around, I went there for a team building/planning activity. Thankfully, we managed to find a place that had a kitchen and that could actually fit all twenty or so of us. And since the team didn't want to go to Pansol (which is normally the default venue for team events), this place we found in Subic proved to be a good alternative for us.

Our leads kicked off the event by breaking everyone up into three groups to play tangram puzzle games. To make things more interesting and entertaining, in each round, only one person could touch the puzzle in each round but everyone else could give instructions and suggestions on what to do. That made for some animated and loud game play. :) Afterwards, everyone went through the four temperaments personality test that provided interesting insight into our tendencies and dominant behaviors and how best to interact with others. After a very satisfying dinner, our event organizers kicked off some "Minute to win it" games. My big moment that night was when I competed in Puddle Jumper and dominated my competition as I completed it while my opponents were unable to get even one ping pong ball properly into the other cup. Cool!

While check-out was at 12 noon, we all decided to leave a bit earlier to give us time to go to shopping at Royal Duty Free. I ended up getting a whole lot of chocolates that aren't easily available in Manila - After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins, Milka (I got a couple of variants but the Noisette one was on sale at P41 each so I got a few of those), Cadbury Oreo and Cadbury Puddles. I also decided to get the Leclerc Célébration butter cookies with dark chocolate and the Creme de Pirouline chocolate hazelnut artisan rolled wafers. (That's a whole lot of sugar...) I also decided to get a lot of the special Alpo flavors for our dog since they were a lot cheaper in Royal than they are in Manila.

Oh and this trip also allowed me to try two restaurants I had never been to before. Before we checked into our Subic accommodations, we decided to have lunch in Coco Lime. It is currently ranked #3 among Subic restaurants on Tripadvisor and it definitely lived up to this hype. The food was really good - I especially enjoyed their sisig and  Chili Chicken Wings. What's more, the food was pretty inexpensive. We spent less than P2,000 for ten people (that's less than P200 each!) and we were all pretty full and thoroughly satisfied after our meal. I definitely recommend this restaurant.

On our way back home to Manila after our duty free shopping, we had lunch at Meat Plus Cafe. I decided to go for the Rib Eye (P435).

Before placing my order, one of my teammates told me he tried it before and thought it was just okay. That made me think twice but I decided I wanted to try it anyways since it wasn't too expensive for a steak and I was hoping my friend just had a not-so-good serving before. After trying it, I have to agree with the assessment that this steak was just okay. The next time I visit, I'd probably try the roast beef, the baby back ribs, or maybe a different steak cut.

New restaurants aside and shopping aside, it was a really great team building activity. Our dynamic as a group was already good to begin with but this event has strengthened  it even further. so much so that people have already started talking about doing more activities together. Cool. :)

The inspiring Mudjur Clemente and Gladys Dela Cruz

This is a good reminder that we shouldn't take things for granted. Two children - Mudjur Clemente and Gladys Dela Cruz - have recently been thrust into the social media spotlight because of the work that they do as street vendors to earn money to support their families and maybe allow them to go back to school. While many people just cruise through school and and sometimes even despise having to study, acting as if an education wasn't all that important, here we see two underprivileged children putting in an inspiring effort to learn even as they sell snacks on the streets.

Mudjur Clemente (left) and Gladys Dela Cruz (right). Photo courtesy of 

The Wonder Vendors: Mudjur Clemente and Gladys dela Cruz Facebook page

I first learned about Mudjur Clemente, a 13-year-old kid who sells snacks to law students in Mendiola when an article on Manila Bulletin went viral. To help get law students to buy from him, he volunteers to recite the Preamble of the Philippine Constitution. (Check out this video of Mudjur reciting it.) He has also memorized the National Territory, the Declaration of State Policies, and the Civil Code Article of 1920, among others and he's working on memorizing more. He has impressed a lot of people who have taken to social media to share his story. Mudjur hopes to one day become a lawyer himself but that dream has been put on hold because he stopped schooling last August to help support his family.

I then learned about Gladys Dela Cruz when I found this Facebook page that is trying to help both street children obtain an education. Gladys is a 9-year-old kid who has memorized the square root of perfect squares all the way up to 1000 (although as you will see in this video of Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho where she was featured, she also knows the square root of 1 million). Unfortunately, she had to stop school last year to sell snacks to help her grandmother. Her earnings aren't even enough to cover basic necessities so school is no longer an option. Despite this setback, Gladys still dreams of one day becoming a civil engineer.

The Wonder Vendors: Mudjur Clemente and Gladys dela Cruz Facebook page has shared this report: "Mudjur has spoken to Merlita Helms, CEO and President of the foundation One Heart For Hope. A coordinator from the group will soon get in touch with Mudjur to sponsor his studies and to help with the livelihood of his family. The hope is that Mudjur will focus on his education and forego the need to be a street vendor." That is great news!

Support is still being raised for Gladys and also her cousins Gerald and Justin Tamayo. Please visit The Wonder Vendors Facebook page to read more about them and learn how you can help. You can also read more about Gladys and Mudjur in Subselfie.com (click on this link).

Typhoon Lando: How you can help

Typhoon Lando (international name Koppu) made landfall in the Philippines last October 18 and it has since been declared by the NDRRMC as the biggest storm to hit the country so far this year. According to Manila Bulletin, as of October 26, a total of 64 people have been killed. Rappler reports that about a million people have been affected, with 25,000 families displaced from their homes and needing to take shelter in evacuation centers. According to the Inquirer, Lando has caused damages amounting to P9 billion. A bit of good news though, the United Nations praised the Philippine government for being prepared.

Hundreds of thousands of people impacted by typhoon Lando still need help. If you would like to provide assistance, Rappler provides an extensive list. Click here for the full list. Here's a shorter list:

Red Cross
You can donate in cash (through bank deposits) or in kind. You can also donate online (select Typhoon Lando (KOPPU) in the campaign field.

World Vision
Online donations will be used to provide hygiene kits and life saving materials for a whole family. While the site suggests donations of P1500, P3000, add P6000, donors may choose other amounts.

ABS-CBN Foundation
You can donate online through this link.

Kapuso Foundation
The Kapuso Foundation is collecting donations in kind that you can bring to the GMA Kapuso Warehouse in Tandang Sora, Q.C. They are also asking for volunteers who can help in the repacking efforts. Check out this link for more details.

Cello's Doughnuts

Right next to Gino's Brick oven Pizza was a Cello's Doughnuts and Dips shop. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say both places have the same owner because there was no door to separate them. As such, while I was waiting for my food at Gino's, I walked over to Cello's to get some donuts that I would bring home to my family.

I tried this place maybe once or twice a really, really long time ago but I barely recall what I had. I just know that I enjoyed my order. While I still prefer J.Co, Krispy Kreme, and Dunkin Donuts, Cello's is still a pretty good place to get donuts. It also carries a couple of flavors that you won't find in other donut chains such as Creme Brulee and Smores.

The donuts at Cello's are quite expensive at P45 each but, similar to Krispy Kreme and J.Co, you get a bit of a discount with bulk purchases since a box of 12 costs P460 and a box of 6 costs 250.

Gino's Brick Oven Pizza

I learned about Gino's Brick Oven Pizza a while back from a friend of mine who said that the food here is really good and that we should try it. I haven't been able to go there with my friends yet but when I was headed home last weekend, I thought it might be good for me to try this place. I believe Gino's has a few branches located in different cities across Metro Manila but the one I got to try that afternoon was the Katipunan branch. As it was late in the afternoon, there was no one there when I had my meal.

Since I was alone, it didn't make sense for me to order a pizza LOL so I decided to try the Stuffed Chicken Pasta (P320). This dish has stuffed chicken breast slices served with what seems to be a cream sauce or gravy and aglio olio pasta on the side. I gotta say, I found this dish to be awesome!

The chicken breast was tender and well-cooked, the stuffing was delicious and the rich cream sauce/gravy provided a good taste and textural contrast to the meat. As good as the actual stuffed chicken was, it was the aglio olio that drew my attention. It was cooked to the point of being on the verge of being crunchy but still al dente and the strong garlic and olive oil flavor made this relatively simple pasta dish burst with flavor. I finished this dish thinking when I could try this place next so I can order this dish again. :)

I did place an order for four pastas and two pizzas, all for take out and the food was all pretty good. I have plans to meet up with a couple of friends soon so maybe I can suggest to them that we try this place. I'm pretty sure they will all enjoy the food here.

When kids meet their football idols

Earlier today, I came across an article about why being a fan is a good thing. Given this, it's not surprising why so many of these kids are absolutely delighted and in some cases overcome with emotion when they get to meet their football idols. Check out this awesome video:

When Kids Meet Their Futbol Idols
If you're a football fan this might make you cry a little.For more great futbol viral videos --> FootbOlé
Posted by FootbOlé on Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Les Miserables coming to Manila in 2016

Another major musical will be making its way to Manila soon and I am really excited about it. Les Misérables, the legendary production of Cameron Mackintosh, will be staged at The Theatre at Solaire next year, from March 11 to April 3, 2016.


You can get a 10% discount on all tickets from Ticketworld if you use your Visa credit card to buy tickets until October 29. Not many seats are left, even on the weekdays, so if you are thinking about watching, make your mind up quickly and get purchase your tickets ASAP.


This is the fourth production of Mackintosh that will be staged in Manila, after Miss Saigon (back in the early 2000s), CATS, and Phantom of the Opera. I'm really happy that I have now gotten to see so many musicals staged in the Philippines and I am definitely looking forward to watching Les Mis next year.

Subic: Texas Joe's House of Ribs

As I often do, before hitting Subic, I went online to check what restaurants I was interested to try. Texas Joe's kept on coming up in lists of Subic restaurants that visitors should try (it's currently #1 in Tripadvisor as of this writing). I had also seen some of my colleagues enjoy a meal here recently so I wanted to try it. My friends and I had lunch here and it was a very good choice.

Texas Joe's is quite spacious and it also has al fresco dining outside which means that you can mostly get seated even on a busy day. The vibe is casual and comfortable.

I definitely wanted to try their ribs but as soon as I checked the menu, I saw a photo of their grilled shrimp and it was really tempting. I was thinking of ordering both of them but thankfully, there was a Ribs and Shrimp Combo (P599) on the menu. That made my decision quite easy. This combo meal had included ribs with 2 bones and one stick of grilled shrimp but don't be fooled. The photo below doesn't do justice to the portion size. More than the size though, this dish was really good.

Since we were all quite hungry when we got there, I also ordered the Onion Loaf (P149) for everyone to share. It kind of reminds me of the onion loaf you can get at Racks.

Given how big the portion sizes are, a lot of my friends decided to get slightly bigger orders or ribs and share instead of getting individual orders. Everyone was really pleased with both the quality and quantity of the food. The service was also very good, with the wait staff always responding quickly and providing service with a smile. Texas Joe's is definitely worth visiting when you want to have a good and satisfying meal in Subic.


Texas Joe's House of Ribs
Waterfront Rd. Corner McKinley. Subic Bay Freeport Zone
Olongapo City, Philippines
(047) 252 3189

Subic: Rachi Curry Corner

For dinner on Saturday night of our Subic trip, the plan was to try Sakura, which is currently rated #2 among Subic restaurants in Tripadvisor. However, while were driving along, we saw a sign on the road that said Rachi Curry Corner. My friends suddenly had a bit of a craving for curry so we decided at the last minute to change our plans and try this place instead.

When we were seated, there was a bit of trepidation about our restaurant choice since we weren't sure whether the food here would be good. However, once our orders arrived, we were all quite pleased. We got quite a few items for sharing, such as samosas, naan, and roti to complement our main dishes. My favorite dish that we got was the Chicken Curry:

The Chicken Tikka Masala was good but I preferred the simpler Chicken Curry.

We also got three plates of Biryani (these were pretty sizable but were all very hungry so we managed to eat everything. :))

The food here is pretty good, the portion sizes are quite large, and the dishes are not very expensive. (Unfortunately, I didn't keep the receipt but I believe everything we ordered was in the P300-400 range and practically everything was for sharing. Many good Indian restaurants in Metro Manila would have dishes that cost a lot more than that and the portions wouldn't be as big).

You can find Rachi Curry Corner along Sta. Rita Road in Subic, quite near the corner of Sta. Rita road and Rizal Highway.

Subic weekend

It's been ages since I visited Subic. Considering that the SCTEX makes it quite easy to get there now from Manila, I am surprised that I hadn't been there more often. So when my friends and I agreed to go out of town somewhere for the weekend, I decided we should take a trip to Subic.

I saw a voucher on the now-defunct Groupon Beeconomic for Forest View Leisure Residences and I thought it would be good to try this place. The apartments have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms which was pretty good for a group of 10. It also has a kitchen so visitors can cook their own food. We decided that since we weren't in Subic very often, we would just head out for our meals instead of cooking. The place wasn't 5-star by any means but it was pretty sufficient for our needs and there was enough space for all of us.

Apart from going duty free shopping and me wanting to try Texas Joe's House of Ribs (which we did; I'll write separately about this later), we didn't really have any other plans. The may point was just to head out of town somewhere and chill out. Apart from Texas Joe's, my friends and I also got to try  Rachi Curry Corner (I'll write about this separately as well).

I brought several card games with me and I also brought 7 Wonders which I thought we could play in the evening but once we brought out the drinks and chips, it felt like too much of a hassle to make space on the table to place these games. Instead, my friends and I enjoyed many hours of Heads Up! fun. We started out with the some of the less physically exhausting categories such as movies and music, but a lot of the biggest laughs came when we started playing charades. We were all sweating by the time we decided to call it a night but the game did leave us all quite exhausted so we all fell asleep quite easily. :)

On our way home, we went duty free shopping although I must say, I wasn't too happy with the selection in Pure Gold. Normally when I go duty free shopping, I purchase items that are significantly cheaper there (such as the 40-ounce bag of Reese's miniatures which cost about the same as a 19-ounce pack in Manila) or items that aren't readily or easily available. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of items there that met these criteria so I ended up buying just a few things (mostly chocolates). I do have plans to visit Subic again soon, and when I do, I'll most likely try a few other places instead.

Djokovic upends Nadal yet again

Rafael Nadal has not been having a good season, at least not by his high standards. So it's not surprising to me that he ended up on the losing end of the finals of the China Open in Beijing. His conqueror? World  #1 Novak Djokovic, who has been nearly untouchable this season.

On some level I am happy that Rafa made the final. He's been struggling massively this year, often losing early. So making it all the way to the championship match is a step in the right direction for him. However, losing to Novak isn't exactly what I wanted to happen. Their head to head match-up is now 23-22 with Rafa now ahead by only 1 match. I would love for Rafa to end his career ahead in the H2H match-ups against his toughest competitors but the way things are going, it looks like Djokovic will soon take the lead in his head to head against Nadal. In any case, this has to be a good sign for Rafa. I hope he can rack up as many wins as possible towards the close of the 2015 tennis season to maybe give him momentum for next year.

UP wins World Supremacy Battlegrounds Street Dance

Some positive news to pick up the spirits of UP fans after that heartbreaking cheerdance competition loss. UPeepz, a professional dance group from UP Diliman, won first place at the World Supremacy Battlegrounds Monster Crew Division. Check out their winning performance:


video uploaded in youtube by MASpresentsHD

Congratulations UPeepz!

UP Pep Squad: Utak at Puso

Of all UP's UAAP Cheerdance Competition losses over the years, this one stings the most. The amazing UP Pep Squad put together an incredibly exciting and moving routine with the theme "Utak at Puso" that had audiences raving. Sadly and surprisingly, they ended up only 2nd runner up. Despite the loss, I am still massively proud of the show they put together. Check out their amazing routine:


video uploaded in youtube by Philippine Collegian

(This video was taken courtside so it isn't the full view; if you want to see the full version that we got to see on TV, check out this video uploaded in youtube by ABS-CBN Sports and Action.)

From the beating heart formation at the start to a repeat of one of their awesome pyramids in past years where one woman lifted two other women with her interlocked arms in an incredible display of feminine strength, to the scintillating final sequence performed to an amazing guitar version of UP Naming Mahal that closed with a heart-shaped pyramid that brought the house down, this for me was one of UP's most memorable routines.

Great job UP Pep Squad for showing us what UtakXPuso really mean! #UAAPCDC2015 #UPUso Photo by Kenneth Gutlay pic.twitter.com/PRYsCXbzag

— Maroon Pride (@upmaroonpride) October 3, 2015

I watched the Cheerdance Competition with my friends from DLSU, FEU, and Mapua and a lot of them were saying they had goosebumps watching the showstopping climax, as did I. Apparently many other people who aren't from UP were just as moved:

Why am I crying PAKI EXPLAIN! DI AKO JAN NAGARAL!!! ❤️😭 Amazing, #UPPepSquad. AMAZING!!! #UPuso #UAAPCDC2015

— Tin Gamboa (@suzy899) October 3, 2015

To be honest, I wasn't expecting the UP Pep Squad to win, not because I didn't think they didn't deserve to win (they do!) but because they were the first to perform and I have almost never seen the first performer in a judging competition win. But for them to land in third place was just disheartening. I'm not a gymnast so I will just assume that the teams that the schools that beat UP did perform tumbling passes and tosses that had higher degrees of difficulty, resulting in their massive leads over UP (although unless an expert explains the scoring system to me, I don't think I will agree that the discrepancy should have been that big). I hope that UP learn from this and figure out a way to bump up their tossing and tumbling scores and strengthen their dancing and choreography in the future.

Regardless of this result, many will agree that the UP performance was the most memorable of the day. UP also continue their unprecedented and unparalleled streak of 20 consecutive top three finishes in the UAAP Cheerdance Competition. They will also be competing in the Cheerleading World Championships in Berlin next month so I with them all the best.

Congratulations on an amazing performance, UP Pep Squad, and good luck in Germany! #UPuso

Gilas places second

What an incredible run. Gilas Pilipinas won the silver medal at the 2015 FIBA Asian Championship.

#FIBAAsia2015 Silver medalist - PHILIPPINES #GilasPilipinas #LabanPilipinas #SalamatGilas pic.twitter.com/9koPAmOrs4

— Gilas Pilipinas (@SmartGilas) October 3, 2015

This is the second time in a row that the Philippines placed second in the FIBA Asian Championships (we lost to Iran in the final held in Manila back in 2013). This year, Gilas Pilipinas had a bit of a scare early on when they lost to Palestine in the preliminary rounds. Thankfully, the team beat Hong Kong and Kuwait in their group, allowing them to advance to the second round. From there, they gained massive momentum, beating Japan and India and upsetting Iran, handing them the top seed going into the quarterfinal round. Gilas then routed Lebanon in the quarterfinals and beat Japan for the second time in the tournament in the semifinals to secure a finals berth. A win would have meant a sure slot to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Unfortunately, they were unable to overcome a very strong China team along with the home court advantage they held.

Despite not making it all the way, Gilas Pilipinas showed that they have definitely become a very competitive team in Asia. In fact, Jayson Castro also made it to the mythical five (deservedly so).

Gilas Pilipinas’ Jayson Castro makes it to FIBA Asia Mythical Team anew http://t.co/2ZhyRQ7QXG pic.twitter.com/I0EMNBZxNK

— Sports5 (@Sports5PH) October 3, 2015

With more training and strong medium-to-long-term strategic planning, the Philippines may eventually take the FIBA Asian Championships crown. And who knows, we may have a chance to challenge the European powerhouses in the near future. I am hoping that we learn from our recent forays in the world stage and become even stronger.

Congratulation, Gilas Pilipinas! You have made the country proud.

Joint Administrative Order 2014-01

Here's an important thing for all Filipino drivers to take note of: make sure that you renew your driver's license on time and that you have it with you every time you are on the road. The penalty for driving without a license or with an expired driver's license is a fine of P3,000 as well as the revocation of driving privileges for a year.

I found out about this while I was on a taxi cab recently and the driver was listening to Isumbong mo kay Tulfo on the radio. A guy called in to raise a concern about the penalty he got for driving with an expired license. More than the money, it was the fact that he couldn't get a license for 1 year that hurt him quite badly, as it would any driver. Tulfo then called a government official to ask about this and the official confirmed that the penalty was in fact correct ever since Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 was put into effect in June 2014:

Top Gear Philippines provided a summary of the updated penalties for certain traffic violations. To all Filipino drivers out there, make sure you familiarize yourself with Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 and make sure you do not commit any of these violations as the penalties are quite stiff.

Scrabble tournament

Our annual company sportsfest kicked off last month and as a bit of a twist this year, three board games were included in the list of events. (Yes I know, these aren't sports, but our sportfest has evolved over the last few years and it no longer includes purely athletic events to make it more interesting and diverse and so that more people can participate.) These board games were chess, dama, and Scrabble. I wasn't really planning to join any of these events but when I checked our sign up sheet, I noticed that almost no one registered for Scrabble. I hadn't played this game since maybe the early 2000s so I wasn't too keen on signing up but I didn't want our department to be defaulted either so I decided to sign up anyway.

Thankfully, I did. The Scrabble tournament had three categories: Men, Women, and Open. And our team had only three players, including me. If I didn't sign up, we may have been defaulted in one category. If that happened, we would most likely have ended up in last place.

As it turned out, we didn't do much better than last place, finishing 6th out of 8 teams LOL. However, on a personal level, I am quite pleased that my scores were quite good. In the first round, I scored 157, landing in second place in my category. Unfortunately, the total score of our team fell short by 20 points and we ended up in the lower bracket, which meant we could only compete for 5th place. In the final round, I scored 172 which was a pretty decent score but it was only 3rd in my group, with my competitors scoring 195 and 176. There were only three of us - the fourth team didn't have someone to field in our category - but the unfortunate thing was that the player next to me opened the triple word score three times and the player after her (and before me) was able to play a word using the triple word score in each of those times. That allowed him to build a solid lead and often left my with very little options to score well. In the end, we beat the 7th place team by about 20 points and the 8th place team by around 50 points so I guess I did make some kind of positive contribution.

Heneral Luna

Heneral Luna had been on my to-watch list ever since I saw the billboard, mainly because it has that epic-movie vibe. As soon as its theatrical run started in early September, it started getting solid reviews. Even more than the marketing and advertising, positive word-of-mouth helped drive more and more people to the cinemas to see  it. When my nephews told me that their school required them to watch it, I decided to take them. And I have to say, it absolutely lived up to the hype.

photo from the en.wikipedia.org

The film tells the tale of Hen. Antonio Luna, regarded as one of the most brilliant and tactical Filipino generals who fought against the Americans during the Philippine-American War. I must admit I am ashamed that I didn't know this much historical detail about Antonio Luna. I didn't know that he was assassinated by his own countrymen (or maybe I knew this back in grade school but I have since forgotten). I also didn't realize that President Emilio Aguinaldo is believed to have been involved in Luna's assassination although there is no confirmed proof of this and Aguinaldo remained steadfast in his claims that he was not involved at all. Watching Heneral Luna has ignited a strong desire for me to study Philippine history again and visit the National Museum of the Philippines.

The movie opens with a statement that while it is based on history and on facts, several liberties were taken to be able to share a greater truth to the audience. Indeed, what makes this film very compelling is the fact that while the setting in the late 1800s, the issues and the scenarios presented are very current and relevant. It showcases how the progress of the country is impeded by Filipinos battling against each other, and often, the parties involved in these conflicts have vested interests and personal agendas that do not serve the betterment of the nation. This is actually not limited to the Philippines - practically every other nation in the world has its fair share of this - but somehow these conflicts hurt the growth and development of the Philippines a lot more.

This could be because of another "truth" that Heneral Luna presents: that most Filipinos are willing to make huge sacrifices for their families and other people close to them but not for the nation. In some cases, the selflessness does go beyond family ties but not beyond provincial or regional loyalties. This was showcased when General Tomás Mascardo declares that he will only follow orders from a fellow Kabitenyo. When people look out only for themselves or their immediate surroundings, the choices they make can easily become slanted towards their personal gain and impede the nation's growth. The fact that the Philippines is one of the most corrupt countries in the world could be a result of this. Hopefully, enough of the youth who see the film understood this and take it to heart when they leave the theaters.

While there are many other important lessons that this film tries to impart to its audiences, I will share just one more: every Filipino needs to take action to make the Philippines a better place to live in. When (fictional) journalist Joven Hernando gets caught in an ambush attack, he takes up arms and fights the Americans even if he has no military training. While we don't need to pick up a weapon and march into an actual war now, there are many things that every Filipino citizen can and should do to make a difference. Following traffic regulations (don't jaywalk, don't counterflow unless allowed, don't beat the red light, whether you are driving or just crossing the road on foot) is probably the easiest thing people can do that can make a difference.

What makes Heneral Luna a little (or even a lot?) different from many other local historical films is that it was written to cater to the younger generation, which I believe is its target audience. A lot of the dialogue feels a bit current so that millennials can relate to it a bit more. Because the theme is very heavy, a lot of humor was injected throughout the film, especially in the first half, which helps cut the tension, making the film easier to digest and keeping viewers entertained and interested. Many people have said that audiences in the theaters clapped loudly as credits rolled and the same was true when I watched it. I suggest that you go see it while you still can as it is definitely worth seeing.

My appreciation of Philippine history and culture has grown as I have gotten older so I am very pleased that a well-made film about one of the most heroic historical figures has gotten such incredible support from the public. I am very happy that Heneral Luna has now raked in more than PHP200 million at the box office and I hope it continues to earn even more.

Dahil ito sa inyong lahat. Naabot na po namin ang aming 200M breakeven mark! #HeneralLuna pic.twitter.com/fnGDEXe9Os

— Heneral Antonio Luna (@HeneralLuna) October 3, 2015

The difficulty of winning the elusive Grand Slam

The Grand Slam in tennis is achieved when a player wins all four major tournaments - Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open - all in the same year. This feat is so difficult that only five players in the entire history of the sport have achieved it: Don Budge in 1938, Maureen Connolly in 1953, Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969, Margaret Court in 1970 and Steffi Graf in 1988. Even other legends who are considered some of the best ever, such as Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Rafa Nadal, Martina Navratilova, and Chris Evert did not or have not achieved this elusive feat.

While Rod Laver was the only player to win a Grand Slam twice, Steffi Graf is so far the only one to do so at the time when the majors were played on different surfaces. Until the early 70s, Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and the US Open were all played on grass. Now, the Australian Open and the US Open are played on hard courts (Australia has Rebound Ace, US Open has DecoTurf) while Wimbledon is still played on grass and the French Open is played on red clay. Since 1988, no one has come close to achieving the elusive Grand Slam. That is, until this year.

photo from SIKids.com

For the first time in 27 years, Serena Williams won the first three Grand Slam events of the year and it looked like no one could stop her on her way to a fourth. At the US Open, she won the first five round to reach the semifinals, and by then the outcome seemed inevitable. Everyone was now waiting to see history be rewritten.

However, that semifinal between Serena and Roberta Vinci showed just why it is extraordinarily difficulty for even the best ever to achieve this feat. Throughout the year, you could sense Serena was feeling the pressure of doing what only 5 other people had before. Two matches away from the loftiest achievement in tennis, the pressure and her opponent finally got to her, with Vinci beating her 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

The interesting thing is that Serena has twice won 4-in-a-row: in 2014-2015 and back in 2002-2003. She coined this the Serena Slam, which is essentially a non-calendar Grand Slam that was also achieved by Steffi Graf (1993-1994) and Martina Navratilova (1983-1984). This proves that skill and domination over the competition can help you win four in a row but the pressure of a calendar Grand Slam, which grows exponentially the closer you get to the finish line, is something that few people are able to overcome. Martina Navratilova also got to the semifinal of the Australian Open in 1984 after winning the first three (the Australian Open was played in December back then) before losing to Helena Sukova, a player she was expected to beat. Serena's semifinal loss to Vinci is uncannily similar. While many people have argued that four-in-a-row is just as difficult to win as a calendar Grand Slam, this US Open result proves them wrong.

When asked what she felt after winning the US Open in 1988, Steffi said she felt relief. I guess seeing other players who are often touted the best-ever wobble at the final hurdle just shows the unimaginable pressure placed on them when trying to complete the Grand Slam. That Steffi also won the Olympic Gold in Seoul shortly after her Grand Slam - making her the only player to have won the "Golden Slam" - really does make Steffi's 1988 achievement unlike any other.

Steffi Graf wins the Olympic Gold in 1988 (photo courtesy of dailymail.co.uk)

I don't see anyone close to taking over the reins from Serena Williams at the pinnacle of women's tennis at this point, and with 2016 being an Olympic year, she will have a shot of equaling Steffi Graf's 1988 Golden Slam achievement. She certainly has the talent to do it. But if 2015 is any indication, it will not be easy.

My nephew's birthday

My nephew celebrated his birthday recently and we were thinking of a good place to have dinner. Since he had to get new athletic shoes for school, we figured a mall would be the best place to go. so that we could have dinner then shop for shoes. We ended up going to Shangri-La mall and having dinner at Duck & Buvette. Ever since I had dinner there with my mom and my nephew a few months ago, I had been wanting to take my entire family there so this birthday celebration was as good a time as any.

The traffic was a bit bad so it took a while for us to get to the mall. I had eaten in Duck & Buvette a couple of times before and I had always been seated immediately but that night, we were about 8th in the waiting list. We decided to do a few things in the mall first and after about half an hour, if we were still far from being seated, we would eat somewhere else. Thankfully, when we got back to the restaurant, we were already next in line and a table became immediately available so we all got seated. Cool!

As expected, everyone enjoyed the food here. While most of us ordered relatively conventional items such as Angus Briskets and Veal Shanks, my brother ordered a couple of interesting items: Braised Frog Legs and Mustard Rabbit. My nephew and my grandmother both got the Confit of Pork Belly and I think this really is one of the best pork belly dishes I've tasted. I've only gotten to taste a bit of this dish so the next time I dine here, I am ordering it so I can enjoy it more fully. We also ordered two Liege waffles. I got to try one of them - the tartine one - and it was really, really good! I also ordered a Cocoa Nibs and Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich, and while it was a bit expensive, it was really good. It's a bit of a shame I didn't take any photos of the food LOL but we were really hungry. Maybe the next time I eat here, I will take photos and dedicate a blog post to this restaurant.

It was around 8:30 PM when we were done with dinner and there was very little time left to get shoes. My family headed to Rustan's but the only pair of shoes that my nephew was interested didn't have an available size that would fit him. What I found a bit unfortunate was how early the shops start closing. We had about 10 minutes left before the mall would officially close but I guess their clocks were advanced. Nike and Planet Sports on the 2nd floor were already closed so we couldn't go in anymore. So unfortunately, my nephew's shoe shopping would have to wait. Nevertheless, it was still a great day spent with my family.

Singin' in the Rain in Manila

If you haven't seen Singing' in the Rain at the Theatre at Solaire yet, I strongly urge you to do so (especially now that tickets are all at 50%  off; read more about this below). I saw this musical stage adaptation of the 1952 film classic last night and I was thoroughly entertained!

The production is amazing, with beautiful sets and bright costumes that transport the audience back to the 1920s which is when the musical is set. The timing of the cast as they all move around the stage is so on point - you could tell how well-rehearsed and professional everyone was as they all hit their spots all the time. The cast in this Manila run is headlined by Grant Almirall as Don Lockwood, Bethany Dickson as Kathy Selden, and Steve van Wyk as Cosmo Brown and they are all exceptionally talented.  I do have to say that possibly my favorite was Taryn-Lee Hudson who plays Lina Lamont. She was an incredibly funny scene stealer and there were many sequences that had everyone in the audience laughing out loud.

What makes this musical unique is that it rains on stage! I don't know how the set up the stage but at the end of each act, there is a production number that involves a performance under the rain. It's amazing how the actors manage to sing and dance while being drenched by water. If I had a chance to watch it again (unfortunately I don't), I would probably get a ticket at the "splash zone" or the area close to the stage where people get wet. (Don't worry, everyone seated in this area is given a poncho.) Here's a performance that combines the ends of Acts 1 and 2.

video uploaded in youtube by Brit Brit

It was unfortunate that only about a third (or less) of the theater was filled when I watched last night. If you haven't yet, I encourage you to see it. All tickets are now at 50% off, meaning the cheapest tickets are P750 and the most expensive are P3000. When there are a lot of empty seats, people at the back are allowed to mmove to a closer seat (which is what happened when I watched). As I mentioned before, the acoustics in the Theatre at Solaire are fantastic so even if you sit far from the stage, you can hear everything quite well.There's a shuttle service from MOA (and a few other locations in Metro Manila) to Solaire for those who are taking public transportation. If you are bringing a car, there is more than ample parking space and the parking is free. Considering how great the performers are, how solid this production is and how this musical may be the only opportunity you have to see pouring rain on stage, P750 to P3000 is definitely very good value for your money. Singin' in the Rain still has four shows left in its Manila run - 8pm on Friday, 3pm and 8pm on Saturday, and 3pm on Sunday - so please head to Ticketworld to get your tickets now. You won't be disappointed.

Kid-themed birthday party

My friend Joyce turned a year older recently so we used this long weekend to meet up and celebrate together. To keep things interested, Mitch suggested that we have a kiddie party theme, where we would enjoy food that would normally be served during a children's birthday celebration. Everyone seemed to take to this idea so we ended up with legendary baked spaghetti prepared by Iona's mom, lumpiang shanghai prepared by Mitch, and fried chicken and mojos we ordered from Shakey's. I was supposed to bring a mocha (or mocha-inspired cake) but I wasn't able to get one so I instead brought a Red Velvet cake from Karen's Kitchen.

Since it was a kiddie party, we had to start mid-afternoon, which meant we started eating at around 4pm. Mitch's son even asked us why we were having dinner so early and we told him it was because it was a party. I brought my 7 Wonders tabletop game to the party and since Mitch told her kids that I would bring a game, everyone was eagerly anticipating getting to play it. I'm getting pretty good at explaining this game now (I mean, I did spend last long weekend teaching my friends how to play this so I should be good at this now). Once I started helping people figure out what they needed to do to earn as many points as possible, they all started getting the hang of it quite easily and the towards the end, everyone was starting to strategize even without my help. Mitch and Joyce actually wanted to play another round but the kids didn't want to anymore so we set it aside and then just ate again. :)

This is the first time in a long time that I actually got to hang out with my friends for most of the day without me being double-booked and having to rush to another activity. I'm really happy that I got to spend many quality hours with them today and hopefully, I get to hang out with them more (and maybe play more 7 Wonders).

Suits just got real

I just saw the midseason finale of Suits and wow, things have just gotten a whole lot more interesting. Which I guess shouldn't be a surprise given how the storyline has been progressing so far.

SPOILER ALERT: please stop reading if you don't want to know what happens in the midseason finale.

I actually lost a bit of interest in the more recent seasons of this show, mainly because I felt like the characters were devolving and behaving in ways that didn't seem in line with how they were portrayed early on. However, this season started tying things up more neatly and I started to understand people's motivations a lot more and their actions started making more sense. Also, the sword of Damocles hanging over Mike Ross' head - about him not really being a lawyer - felt like it was going to drop any time soon given how much more visible and influential he was becoming.

Everything came to a head in the last episode of Suits before it goes on its midseason break. It seemed everyone was in critical danger of losing something and in fact, a few of them did. That episode definitely left me hanging and I can't wait for the show to resume.

Way Back Wednesday: Paula Abdul choreographs Janet Jackson

I stumbled upon this video on youtube recently while looking for something else and it's really cool. Paula Abdul choreographed many of Janet Jackson's routines back in the 80s.


video uploaded in youtube by ILOVEJANET&MICHAELJACKSON ♡

Gotta say, you can tell how talented and professional those dancers by how easily and quickly they pick up the steps. :)

Board game weekend

The long weekend was a good excuse to gather my friends and play board games. I used to think that the complicated board games I have don't have wide appeal, due to their complicated nature. However, my recent trips to DyceNDyne and Ludo Cafe as well as my experiences playing Resistance made me realize that a lot of my friends have a good enough interest level in these complicated board games. I invited a couple of sets of friends for board game weekend - one set of friends on Friday and another on Saturday - and the result was hours and hours of fun and entertainment.

I decided to stick to just just two games. Ticket to Ride is always a good starting game because it's easy to explain. It's also ideal for 3-5 players so when a few people have arrived, game play can already start.

Ticket to Ride

Once people have gotten into the board game atmosphere, I bring out 7 Wonders. This is probably my favorite game (at least of the ones I've tried), not only because each round can be completed quite quickly (around 30 minutes) but also because up to seven players can play, which means it is ideal for big groups. The challenge with this game though is that it is very complicated to explain and both times I had to tell people we needed a trial run where I would help explain things to everyone as we played. Once we got through that very long and challenging first game, things started running more smoothly.

7 Wonders

I made sure that each set of friends played 7 Wonders multiple times so that people would sort of remember how to play it next time. (I mean, if we played this game only 1-3 times, it would be very easy for them to forget how to play it which means I would have to spend another hour or so explaining it to them.) I realized though that despite me playing this game so many times now, I have rarely won. I almost always end up in 2nd or 3rd place which I guess is a good thing. During the long weekend, I did end up winning once against each set of friends, but both times I only tied for first place (I was never a solo winner). I was almost always in the top 3 though, and often in the top 2. I guess my goal should be to win at this game more frequently. :)

Birthday at La Cocina De Tita Moning

La Cocina De Tita Moning is one of my family's favorite restaurants. The food is great and the ambience is luxurious yet informal and relaxed. The service is fantastic and the staff make you feel like you are part of their family. It is pretty expensive which is why we reserve this place for special occasions. My mom's birthday is of course a very special occasion so it was as good an excuse as any to take my family here to celebrate.

When we got there, one of their staff Malen told us that they were very relieved that we arrived because they forgot to ask for my contact number when I made the reservation. As such, they couldn't call me to confirm if we were pushing through. Nevertheless, they still went ahead and prepared the food for us. Cool! Since all of us had been here at least a couple of times, we told our guide Amver that we could skip the tour this time around. (Of course, while we were waiting for our food, we still looked around. :))

As expected, we all enjoyed our amazing meal and everyone was stuffed. And why wouldn't we? La Cocina De Tita Moning was awarded a certificate of excellence by tripadvisor in 2015.

I purchased three 10-ounce jars of Salsa Monja for my family (I would have gotten a bigger jar but they only had the 10-ounce jars when we were there) and I got a 7-ounce bottle of their Queso de Bola spread for my grandmother. I have now been to La Cocina De Tita Moning several times and each time has been a wonderful dining experience. I'm pretty sure I will visit this restaurant again in the future.

Restaurants I miss

As I was having enjoying a sticky bun from Cinnabon recently, I suddenly remembered Saint Cinnamon, a similar shop that I frequented many, many years ago. I don't think it's present in Manila anymore although a quick search online indicates that there is one in Glorietta 2, Megamall, and . I know there was a Saint Cinnamon in these places before but they all closed; I don't know if these online entries are outdated or if Saint Cinnamon has reopened so I think I will be checking out for myself some time soon as I do miss their cinnamon rolls.

Remembering Saint Cinnamon made me start thinking about all the other restaurants that aren't present in Manila anymore. Here's a quick list of some places I miss:

Sukho Thai
This was one of the first Thai restaurants in Manila. My family would sometimes go to Megamall just to have a meal here. This was where I first discovered and enjoyed Pad Thai, Chicken Pandan, and Bagoong Rice. The food was also relatively affordable and the portion sizes were good. There are a lot of Thai restaurants in Manila now but Sukho Thai still ranks as my favorite in terms of flavor and price range.

Full House
Back when I was in college, my friends and I would occasionally head to Full House along Katipunan to enjoy their Chicken Crepe. Obviously it was a bit more expensive than canteen food in school but compared to other restaurants, it was quite affordable, especially when you consider the quality of the food. I've had a lot of savory crepe dishes since, especially from Cafe Breton, but I haven't found a place that serves Chicken Crepe since.

Country Waffles
This was another family favorite. My family and I have always been fans of breakfast food and Country Waffles had a whole lot of dishes to offer. I always felt like a kid in a candy store when I would go here because there were so many options that appealed to me. We would usually visit the branch along Annapolis but there was another one in Glorietta. There are a lot of other similar restaurants scattered over Manila now so my cravings for breakfast food can easily be addressed but I do miss Country Waffles.

Dean St. Cafe
I visited that place a couple of times and I enjoyed what I had. I don't know if this place closed because it wasn't as lucrative or if the owners decided to close it for other reasons but this coffee place does predate Starbucks' presence in Manila. And back then, people still weren't that keen on spending a lot of money on expensive coffee.

Au Bon Pain
There was an Au Bon Pain near the place that I worked. I would sometimes get sandwiches there (not very frequently though) but what I did quite enjoy from this place was their Blueberry Danish.

Other restaurants that I miss: Adarna and Mr. Jones.