The Mandarin Oriental is known for its wonderful accommodations and even more wonderful cuisine. A couple of months ago, I got to witness the creation of this cuisine firsthand when I attended the hotel's Thai Kitchen 2009, an interactive cooking class with Chef Anchalee Luadkham of the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
We were a class of about fifteen people, all huddled around the makeshift kitchen set up in the middle of the Tivoli Grill. Chef Anchalee taught us three Thai dishes. An appetizer - Yam Nue Yang A-Ngun, spicy beef salad with grapes and mint dressing; a main course – Panang Goong, red prawn curry; and a dessert – Tub Tim Krob, chilled water chestnuts rubies in sweet coconut milk.
It was fun watching Chef Anchalee, who, at 26, is also a faculty member at the Mandarin culinary school (as well as being a sous chef in the hotel's Thai restaurant) in Chiang Mai, demonstrate her skill. She worked fast and with a smile, her Thai staff skillfully assisting her, without her having to tell them to do so.
What was more fun was learning some secrets of Thai cooking. “You have to get all ingredients ready before cook,” Chef Anchalee suggests.
One secret I learned was how to get really good curry. What Chef Anchalee did was heat (stirring constantly) a ladle-ful of coconut milk (gata) in a wok until it reduced and was mostly oil. It was this oil she used to fry the curry paste. The technique may be slow and time-consuming, but it made a big difference. The resulting curry was more flavorful and had more depth to it. It was also somehow more filling.
Another secret that I discovered (one that I had been wondering about ever since I was a child) was what the glutinous exterior of the Tub Tim Krob was prepared. I have always been fond of dessert, and it was wonderful to finally find out how to make it (I'm too lazy to surf for it – besides, having a Thai Chef prepare it in front of me is proof that the recipe is authentic).
“I think that Filipino and Thai cooking are similar, in that they can have a lot of ingredients, but take a short time to cook, like curry,” Chef Anchalee says.
When asked what her tip for cooking Thai well was, she answered, “My tip is smiling. Good mood is good taste.”
TUB TIM KROB
chilled water chestnuts rubies in sweet coconut milk
(serves one - why share?)
TAPIOCA WATER CHESTNUT
7 – 10 pcs water chestnut (fresh or canned)
2 tbsp red food color
3 tbsp tapoica flour (magic powder)
COCONUT SAUCE
½ cup coconut milk
3 tbsp sugar
1 pc pandan leaf
1 pinch salt
GARNISH
½ cup crushed ice
1. Heat coconut milk in a saucepan. Add sugar, salt and pandan leaves. Mix well and set aside.
2.Dice water chestnuts. Place in a bowl, add red food color and leave for 1-2 minutes. Drain excess food color.
3.Mix chestnuts with the tapoica flour. Make sure that chestnuts are evenly coated.
4.Shake off excess flour and drop water chestnuts in hot water until the flour coating solidifies into a red gel covering, then place in cold water.
5.Place water chestnuts in a serving bowl. Top with crushed ice and milk (remove pandan leaf first). Garnish with jackfruit and coconut meat if desired.
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Intsik Ako, 'Tangina Mo
Pardon my French. I don't usually swear but the amount of ignorance in this armpit-of-the-world nation can really get to me sometimes. It's amazing how prejudiced and ignorant people can be. I mean, you sort of expect this from people who have not had the benefit of education but when it's government officials making stupid, bigoted, racially hurtful statements on TV, well, you can't help but cuss.
This has to do with the ongoing ZTE scandal, whose alleged stories of bribery and corruption goes up to the first gentleman himself.
Back story: one of the guys in the deal, Jun Lozada, had been missing for a while. Rumor was that he had returned to the country after fleeing, but could not be located. He resurfaced after a while, saying that he had been abducted at the airport my four men who might have been military (he wasn't sure but they did have military haircuts). They were going to take him to Dasmarinas, Cavite (apparently a popular salvage victim dumping ground, according to my sister, who studied medicine there), except that at the last minute, his captors got a phone call telling them to turn back, as the media clamor for Lozada had reached fever pitch.
I don't watch the news, so I get all my information second hand (guiltyguilty). So I was enjoying a peaceful Sunday in church when I got this message from a Fil-Chi friend. It had been texted to him by Star columnist Ricky Lo.
It said: “When Jun Lozada said in is press conference, crying out of his sincerity that he's a “probinsyanong intsik” (provincial Chinese – intisik is a derogatory term for Filipino-Chinese) and at the Senate hearing that he is a son of poor Chinese migrants who wants this country to be a better country, SERGIO APOSTOL, a cabinet secretary of GMA, insulted him of being a crying lady & INTSIK that should be DEPORTED back to China. Hadn't APOSTOL knew that we the Filipino-Chinese contributed a lot for the growt of this country? I am proud to be a FILIPINO but I can't bear to be INSULTED of my CHINESE heritage because I am PROUD of it. I'd rather be called INTSIK than become the likes of APOSTOL, GONZALES, PUNO, ARROYO et al who runs this GOVT like a mafia. PANINDIGAN natin ang ating LAHI & be PROUD of it!”
I forwarded the text to an aunt, who is also a member of Kaisa, who said, “I agree! Tessy (Ang See) has responded to Apostol. Came out in the news last night (Ch 7). Karma-karma lang yan, pamangkin.” (loosely translated: He'll get his karma soon, my niece)
I answered: “Sana masagasaan siya ng trak na may ari na intsik.” (I hope he gets run over by a Filipino-Chinese owned truck)
She answered: 'Sana nga. Intsik din naman si FG kaya ipadeport din siya.”
I'm glad that I have at least one aunt who's up to date on the news, and who has a sense of humor, too.
Of course, one of mu friends said: “As for Apostol “instik” comment...well Lozada isn't even tsinoy...why did say that in the first place?”
To which I said, “You have to admit that it was a great way to shift the spotlight to Apostol.”
Hence, the rant.
Seriously, I don't understand why there is so much prejudice against the Chinese. Actually, I do. Before the Spanish came, there was extensive trade and diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines. There's an historical account of a Sultan who settled in China, and of Chinese men who settled with the aetas in Benguet, as well as archaeological evidence like pottery, etc. From historical accounts, it seemed that, to make a long story short, everything went well. And then the Spanish came.
The Spanish looked down on the Chinese, who believed in hard work and were willing to take on the lowest jobs to earn a living. They were barbers, snack vendors, store owners. The Spanish massacred them herded them into walled cities, regulated their way of life. In short, they looked down on them. And somehow, this way of thinking got passed on to the Filipinos, who still think like this up to this day. I' not saying all Filipinos are prejudiced against the Chinese, but I am saying that there are still a lot of people who are. For one, it's an easy thing to fall on. Intsik. Intsik beho. Sure, laugh at the guy in the wifebeater who lives above his hardware store who speaks Tagalog funny. It's easy. Sure, look down on the race that has traded with yours for centuries. It's easy to say that the Chinese have become rich off Filipino land and resources and thus should be hated. What most people forget is that these people became rich by WORKING HARD (a term a lot of people are allergic to) for it. Hello! People migrate because they are poor. Lucio Tan wasn't the son of a millionaire. He worked his way up to Taipan-hood. And let's not forget that he supports charities and has one himself, as do a lot of Fil-Chi businessmen.
Instead, most people have embraced the way of their conquerors, wanting to be like the people who sailed in, taking their crops and raping their women and sending their men to forced labor camps and promoting a culture where work is looked down on and the people who make the most money while doing the least amount of work are looked up to. I have nothing against the Spanish. Some of the coolest people are know are of Spanish descent. But I do have something against the Spanish who were alive in those 400 years we were under their rule. In fact, if I had a time machine, I would want to go back to when Magellan landed so that I could kick his country-raping ass. Uunahan ko si Lapu-Lapu, hehe.
This prejudice against the Chinese isn't just seen on TV and heard on the streets. Try registering a business in the DTI or SEC. One of the requirements is that if you have a foreign-sounding name, you have to show proof of your citizenship. What the f**k is that??! The Chinese were here even before the Spanish imposed their family names on the Filipinos, a**h*les. My grandfather was part of the guerrillas during the Japanese war. He helped save this stupid f***ing country and I have to show proof of my f***ing citizenship???!!! If I happen to forget my passport, will I be required to slit my wrist to prove that I have Filipino blood even if my last name says I don't? Besides, the Chinese have been in this country for so long I bet even the “purest” Filipino family tree has some Chinese blood running through its veins. We're that good, baby.
And what's with Chinese New Year not being a holiday? The Philippines too good to celebrate the start of the lunar year? If I recall, everyone, not just the Chinese, celebrated the last one. Not that we need another holiday. This country is so full of holidays that we might as well not work.
I guess part of the reason that the Chinese are still treated so badly is because they themselves condone it. The Chinese have always wanted to blend in. They don't like confrontations. They don't like to call attention to themselves. They don't like violence. All they want to do is earn a living. It seems that the only way to get respect in this country is to take things by force. The Spanish and Americans conquered the Philippines and are still being revered as gods here. The Muslim extremists stated bombing cities and generally making a fuss, so now Ramadan is a national holiday. So if the Chinese want to be taken seriously, they should band together and do something. I don't know, pull out all local investments or something. Threaten to feng shui the country so that it attracts bad luck instead of good. Maybe then they'll get the respect they deserve.
Like Ricky Lo says, I'd rather be called Intsik than be a stupid, ignorant, boorish, uncouth idiot who relies on stereotypes and cannot see the value of the people in front of him. So I'm saying this, and I'm saying it proudly: Intsik ako, 'tangina mo!
moar funny pictures
One day, Sergio f***ing Apostol, you or one of your loved ones is going to get run over by a ten-wheeler truck. And it's going to be owned by me.
This has to do with the ongoing ZTE scandal, whose alleged stories of bribery and corruption goes up to the first gentleman himself.
Back story: one of the guys in the deal, Jun Lozada, had been missing for a while. Rumor was that he had returned to the country after fleeing, but could not be located. He resurfaced after a while, saying that he had been abducted at the airport my four men who might have been military (he wasn't sure but they did have military haircuts). They were going to take him to Dasmarinas, Cavite (apparently a popular salvage victim dumping ground, according to my sister, who studied medicine there), except that at the last minute, his captors got a phone call telling them to turn back, as the media clamor for Lozada had reached fever pitch.
I don't watch the news, so I get all my information second hand (guiltyguilty). So I was enjoying a peaceful Sunday in church when I got this message from a Fil-Chi friend. It had been texted to him by Star columnist Ricky Lo.
It said: “When Jun Lozada said in is press conference, crying out of his sincerity that he's a “probinsyanong intsik” (provincial Chinese – intisik is a derogatory term for Filipino-Chinese) and at the Senate hearing that he is a son of poor Chinese migrants who wants this country to be a better country, SERGIO APOSTOL, a cabinet secretary of GMA, insulted him of being a crying lady & INTSIK that should be DEPORTED back to China. Hadn't APOSTOL knew that we the Filipino-Chinese contributed a lot for the growt of this country? I am proud to be a FILIPINO but I can't bear to be INSULTED of my CHINESE heritage because I am PROUD of it. I'd rather be called INTSIK than become the likes of APOSTOL, GONZALES, PUNO, ARROYO et al who runs this GOVT like a mafia. PANINDIGAN natin ang ating LAHI & be PROUD of it!”
I forwarded the text to an aunt, who is also a member of Kaisa, who said, “I agree! Tessy (Ang See) has responded to Apostol. Came out in the news last night (Ch 7). Karma-karma lang yan, pamangkin.” (loosely translated: He'll get his karma soon, my niece)
I answered: “Sana masagasaan siya ng trak na may ari na intsik.” (I hope he gets run over by a Filipino-Chinese owned truck)
She answered: 'Sana nga. Intsik din naman si FG kaya ipadeport din siya.”
I'm glad that I have at least one aunt who's up to date on the news, and who has a sense of humor, too.
Of course, one of mu friends said: “As for Apostol “instik” comment...well Lozada isn't even tsinoy...why did say that in the first place?”
To which I said, “You have to admit that it was a great way to shift the spotlight to Apostol.”
Hence, the rant.
Seriously, I don't understand why there is so much prejudice against the Chinese. Actually, I do. Before the Spanish came, there was extensive trade and diplomatic relations between China and the Philippines. There's an historical account of a Sultan who settled in China, and of Chinese men who settled with the aetas in Benguet, as well as archaeological evidence like pottery, etc. From historical accounts, it seemed that, to make a long story short, everything went well. And then the Spanish came.
The Spanish looked down on the Chinese, who believed in hard work and were willing to take on the lowest jobs to earn a living. They were barbers, snack vendors, store owners. The Spanish massacred them herded them into walled cities, regulated their way of life. In short, they looked down on them. And somehow, this way of thinking got passed on to the Filipinos, who still think like this up to this day. I' not saying all Filipinos are prejudiced against the Chinese, but I am saying that there are still a lot of people who are. For one, it's an easy thing to fall on. Intsik. Intsik beho. Sure, laugh at the guy in the wifebeater who lives above his hardware store who speaks Tagalog funny. It's easy. Sure, look down on the race that has traded with yours for centuries. It's easy to say that the Chinese have become rich off Filipino land and resources and thus should be hated. What most people forget is that these people became rich by WORKING HARD (a term a lot of people are allergic to) for it. Hello! People migrate because they are poor. Lucio Tan wasn't the son of a millionaire. He worked his way up to Taipan-hood. And let's not forget that he supports charities and has one himself, as do a lot of Fil-Chi businessmen.
Instead, most people have embraced the way of their conquerors, wanting to be like the people who sailed in, taking their crops and raping their women and sending their men to forced labor camps and promoting a culture where work is looked down on and the people who make the most money while doing the least amount of work are looked up to. I have nothing against the Spanish. Some of the coolest people are know are of Spanish descent. But I do have something against the Spanish who were alive in those 400 years we were under their rule. In fact, if I had a time machine, I would want to go back to when Magellan landed so that I could kick his country-raping ass. Uunahan ko si Lapu-Lapu, hehe.
This prejudice against the Chinese isn't just seen on TV and heard on the streets. Try registering a business in the DTI or SEC. One of the requirements is that if you have a foreign-sounding name, you have to show proof of your citizenship. What the f**k is that??! The Chinese were here even before the Spanish imposed their family names on the Filipinos, a**h*les. My grandfather was part of the guerrillas during the Japanese war. He helped save this stupid f***ing country and I have to show proof of my f***ing citizenship???!!! If I happen to forget my passport, will I be required to slit my wrist to prove that I have Filipino blood even if my last name says I don't? Besides, the Chinese have been in this country for so long I bet even the “purest” Filipino family tree has some Chinese blood running through its veins. We're that good, baby.
And what's with Chinese New Year not being a holiday? The Philippines too good to celebrate the start of the lunar year? If I recall, everyone, not just the Chinese, celebrated the last one. Not that we need another holiday. This country is so full of holidays that we might as well not work.
I guess part of the reason that the Chinese are still treated so badly is because they themselves condone it. The Chinese have always wanted to blend in. They don't like confrontations. They don't like to call attention to themselves. They don't like violence. All they want to do is earn a living. It seems that the only way to get respect in this country is to take things by force. The Spanish and Americans conquered the Philippines and are still being revered as gods here. The Muslim extremists stated bombing cities and generally making a fuss, so now Ramadan is a national holiday. So if the Chinese want to be taken seriously, they should band together and do something. I don't know, pull out all local investments or something. Threaten to feng shui the country so that it attracts bad luck instead of good. Maybe then they'll get the respect they deserve.
Like Ricky Lo says, I'd rather be called Intsik than be a stupid, ignorant, boorish, uncouth idiot who relies on stereotypes and cannot see the value of the people in front of him. So I'm saying this, and I'm saying it proudly: Intsik ako, 'tangina mo!
moar funny pictures
One day, Sergio f***ing Apostol, you or one of your loved ones is going to get run over by a ten-wheeler truck. And it's going to be owned by me.
Anatomy of a Filipino Children's Party, Take 2
Remember my earlier post about a typical Filipino children's party? I managed to go to another one, one that is also 'typical,' but is light years away than the first one I attended. The funny thing about this most recent one is that the adults had fun, too.
I was invited to attend the to-tseh (first birthday celebration) of my college friend's daughter. You know you're old when friends start inviting you to their babies' birthdays. I used to be invited to children's parties as a friend of the celebrant. Now, I get invited as a friend of the celebrant's parents. Ay-yah!
This was one of the best children's parties I have ever attended, and that includes the one's I've been to in my youth. The clubhouse it was held in was done up in a festive, Strawberry Shortcake luau theme, with the celebrant dressed in a tiny blue grass skirt to match. Her mother, my friend, was lovely, clad in asymmetrical Hawaiian-inspired dress that matched her daughter's. If you looked at her, you wouldn't think she had given birth. That seems to be the trend nowadays. All my friends who have babies are thinner than I am. Makes me think this baby thing might be worth trying, after all.
Aside from a separate buffet for children and adults, the party had a Starbucks station, where they served frappes, a Chef Tony's gourmet popcorn station, a nachos station, a chocolate fountain, a nachos station, and an ice cream station that mixed the frozen fruit of your choice with soft-served ice cream and serves the whole thing on a Champola wafer cone. I wouldn't mind having a party like that, and I'm thirty!
The kids had their own tables situated near a small stage decorated with styrofoam stand-ups of the Strawberry Shortcake gang in beach wear. When I got to the party, the kids were being entertained by an acrobat, who was busy piling boards and cups onto a small ball, where he later balanced himself and started to juggle. This was later followed by games, and then a magic act, where the magician made his assistant levitate. I have never seen this done in a children's party magic act. Sure, you can sort of figure out how it's done (it wasn't David Copperfield, after all), but to a child, it would have been... magic.
Threading the whole program together was this great host who had the ability to entertain the kids *and* the adults at the same time. He was really funny. He didn't talk down to the kids in that half-yelling, very condescending “O ano mga bata?” kind of way that used to drive me up the wall, even as a child. He talked to them as if they were people, using words that a lot of people didn't think kids would understand (but really, they do).
He knew how to NOT make a kid feel embarrassed, like when he asked the kids to come up on stage and showcase their talents, and this one little boy came up but refused to do anything. The host said, “I know what your talent is! Your talent is looking cute!” and he gave the boy a prize.
He also knew how to make kids feel good. To two tweens who wanted to sing but couldn't think of a song, he said, “You should sing songs from High School Musical because you're already in high school.”
And lastly, he had a sense of humor of someone who thinks on his feet and doesn't have to rely on a part script. To a child who needed coaxing on what to sing, he said, “(singing) Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again. (to the boy) Why don't we sing that cheerful song?”
Of course, the kids themselves were sources of unlimited amusement. Apparently, all parties now include a portion where guests get to tell everyone what they wish for the celebrant. One girl wished the one-year old birthday celebrant would get “a nice cellphone,” while the other wished the celebrant “a pony.” I almost fell out of my chair laughing because the girls were totally, totally sincere.
Another thing that all parties seem to have nowadays is an overly-loud psudeo-electronica, brain-melting soundtrack. Thankfully, the ones they played at this party was a bit more upscale, so I didn't have to sit through a barrage of the Papaya Song and other similarly dubious “hits.” Also, there were no cheesy mascots (I never understood how some kids think that those things are real) and certainly no children who wanted to grow up to dance half-naked on TV. This children's party seemed to erase all the pain and trauma I've accumulated over the years of attending lackluster, condescending parties, and I hope to attend more like it in the future.
I was invited to attend the to-tseh (first birthday celebration) of my college friend's daughter. You know you're old when friends start inviting you to their babies' birthdays. I used to be invited to children's parties as a friend of the celebrant. Now, I get invited as a friend of the celebrant's parents. Ay-yah!
This was one of the best children's parties I have ever attended, and that includes the one's I've been to in my youth. The clubhouse it was held in was done up in a festive, Strawberry Shortcake luau theme, with the celebrant dressed in a tiny blue grass skirt to match. Her mother, my friend, was lovely, clad in asymmetrical Hawaiian-inspired dress that matched her daughter's. If you looked at her, you wouldn't think she had given birth. That seems to be the trend nowadays. All my friends who have babies are thinner than I am. Makes me think this baby thing might be worth trying, after all.
Aside from a separate buffet for children and adults, the party had a Starbucks station, where they served frappes, a Chef Tony's gourmet popcorn station, a nachos station, a chocolate fountain, a nachos station, and an ice cream station that mixed the frozen fruit of your choice with soft-served ice cream and serves the whole thing on a Champola wafer cone. I wouldn't mind having a party like that, and I'm thirty!
The kids had their own tables situated near a small stage decorated with styrofoam stand-ups of the Strawberry Shortcake gang in beach wear. When I got to the party, the kids were being entertained by an acrobat, who was busy piling boards and cups onto a small ball, where he later balanced himself and started to juggle. This was later followed by games, and then a magic act, where the magician made his assistant levitate. I have never seen this done in a children's party magic act. Sure, you can sort of figure out how it's done (it wasn't David Copperfield, after all), but to a child, it would have been... magic.
Threading the whole program together was this great host who had the ability to entertain the kids *and* the adults at the same time. He was really funny. He didn't talk down to the kids in that half-yelling, very condescending “O ano mga bata?” kind of way that used to drive me up the wall, even as a child. He talked to them as if they were people, using words that a lot of people didn't think kids would understand (but really, they do).
He knew how to NOT make a kid feel embarrassed, like when he asked the kids to come up on stage and showcase their talents, and this one little boy came up but refused to do anything. The host said, “I know what your talent is! Your talent is looking cute!” and he gave the boy a prize.
He also knew how to make kids feel good. To two tweens who wanted to sing but couldn't think of a song, he said, “You should sing songs from High School Musical because you're already in high school.”
And lastly, he had a sense of humor of someone who thinks on his feet and doesn't have to rely on a part script. To a child who needed coaxing on what to sing, he said, “(singing) Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again. (to the boy) Why don't we sing that cheerful song?”
Of course, the kids themselves were sources of unlimited amusement. Apparently, all parties now include a portion where guests get to tell everyone what they wish for the celebrant. One girl wished the one-year old birthday celebrant would get “a nice cellphone,” while the other wished the celebrant “a pony.” I almost fell out of my chair laughing because the girls were totally, totally sincere.
Another thing that all parties seem to have nowadays is an overly-loud psudeo-electronica, brain-melting soundtrack. Thankfully, the ones they played at this party was a bit more upscale, so I didn't have to sit through a barrage of the Papaya Song and other similarly dubious “hits.” Also, there were no cheesy mascots (I never understood how some kids think that those things are real) and certainly no children who wanted to grow up to dance half-naked on TV. This children's party seemed to erase all the pain and trauma I've accumulated over the years of attending lackluster, condescending parties, and I hope to attend more like it in the future.
Friday, February 08, 2008
I Can Has Starstruck
Got to interview National Artist Eddie Romero for a magazine yesterday. I was so starstruck I was falling all over myself, stuttering and misplacing things. Thankfully, he was really nice and jolly about everything. He was fun to talk to and had humorous things to say.
Me:
It's rare that I make people watch movies with me. It's usually people asking me to watch movies with them. And of the few times I've asked (cajoled, threatened, prodded) people to watch a film with me, only two of those movies have been Filipino. One was Pare Ko, the Gwapings starrer that was supposed to be the Bagets of the 90's and Romero's Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?, which starred a very cute, very young, very innocent-looking Cristopher de Leon and Gloria Diaz, who portrayed the ultimate Filipino dream girl with her sensual yet unnerving mix of sexual eroticism paired with a face so angelic she could give Maria Clara a run for her money. Maui and Katya have nothing on her.
Thinking about it, Ganito is sort of like Forrest Gump, with provincial innocence replacing mental illness and self-discovery instead of death by AIDS. And Ganito came first. And as much as I love Tom Hanks (who is not bad looking), Christopher de Leon is much, much easier on the eyes. What I would have given to be a young lass when he still looked like that and I could call him fafa. I'd feel dirty calling him that now, and somehow, calling an elder crush tito is Just Wrong. Imagine this: Tito Sean. Tito Patrick. Tito Pierce. Eeeew.
Nowadays, Romero is known for his numerous B-movies that have influenced some of today's most popular filmmakers, one of which is Quentin Tarantino. This, I think, is a legacy just as important as his “serious” films, except that most of the Philippines think that genre has no place in history or culture.
So. Starstruck me. Amused him. I'm so overwhelmed I'm starting to speak lolcat. I can has interview! I can has picture! I can has memories! Whee!
Me:
It's rare that I make people watch movies with me. It's usually people asking me to watch movies with them. And of the few times I've asked (cajoled, threatened, prodded) people to watch a film with me, only two of those movies have been Filipino. One was Pare Ko, the Gwapings starrer that was supposed to be the Bagets of the 90's and Romero's Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?, which starred a very cute, very young, very innocent-looking Cristopher de Leon and Gloria Diaz, who portrayed the ultimate Filipino dream girl with her sensual yet unnerving mix of sexual eroticism paired with a face so angelic she could give Maria Clara a run for her money. Maui and Katya have nothing on her.
Thinking about it, Ganito is sort of like Forrest Gump, with provincial innocence replacing mental illness and self-discovery instead of death by AIDS. And Ganito came first. And as much as I love Tom Hanks (who is not bad looking), Christopher de Leon is much, much easier on the eyes. What I would have given to be a young lass when he still looked like that and I could call him fafa. I'd feel dirty calling him that now, and somehow, calling an elder crush tito is Just Wrong. Imagine this: Tito Sean. Tito Patrick. Tito Pierce. Eeeew.
Nowadays, Romero is known for his numerous B-movies that have influenced some of today's most popular filmmakers, one of which is Quentin Tarantino. This, I think, is a legacy just as important as his “serious” films, except that most of the Philippines think that genre has no place in history or culture.
So. Starstruck me. Amused him. I'm so overwhelmed I'm starting to speak lolcat. I can has interview! I can has picture! I can has memories! Whee!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Open Doors
Am supporting this organization called Open Doors, which seeks to bring the Word of God to countries where the Word of God is illegal. We’re talking North Korea, the Middle East, parts of Africa, etc., where being a Christian or spreading the faith could get you humiliated at the very least, or at worst, dead.
I have many reasons for supporting this organization:
1. I believe you should be free to choose. Your clothes, your hairstyle, your religion. Whatever. As long as you choose it for yourself.
2. I’ve always wanted to be part of a social force, I’m just too lazy to do so. I supported Greenpeace and PETA in high school when they weren’t in the Philippines yet but now that they’re here and there’s an actual threat of having to – gasp – volunteer, I think I’ll support another organization that needs the only thing that I can give – money.
3. A Christian organization that subverts the status quo? Count me in! I’m earning brownie points with God while breaking the law! That’s two birds with one stone! How cool is that? I just need to remember not to travel to any of these countries lest they’ve got my name on some wanted list. Or if I do, I’ll remember to pack a fake nose and mustache.
So, if you want to ease your Christian conscience and feed your rebellious side at the same time, you know which organization can help you do that.
Google their site and check them out (Yes, I'm too lazy to post it here)!
I have many reasons for supporting this organization:
1. I believe you should be free to choose. Your clothes, your hairstyle, your religion. Whatever. As long as you choose it for yourself.
2. I’ve always wanted to be part of a social force, I’m just too lazy to do so. I supported Greenpeace and PETA in high school when they weren’t in the Philippines yet but now that they’re here and there’s an actual threat of having to – gasp – volunteer, I think I’ll support another organization that needs the only thing that I can give – money.
3. A Christian organization that subverts the status quo? Count me in! I’m earning brownie points with God while breaking the law! That’s two birds with one stone! How cool is that? I just need to remember not to travel to any of these countries lest they’ve got my name on some wanted list. Or if I do, I’ll remember to pack a fake nose and mustache.
So, if you want to ease your Christian conscience and feed your rebellious side at the same time, you know which organization can help you do that.
Google their site and check them out (Yes, I'm too lazy to post it here)!
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