Archive for January, 2010
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
During the recent visit of my in-laws, we brought them to nearby Solenad at Nuvali to have lunch. We wanted them to see the place as there were new restaurants added since the last time they came for a visit. The kids also wanted them to see the hundreds of koi fish in the man-made lake at Nuvali. My in-laws are not as mobile as they used to be. I probably need to read more information on rheumatoid arthritis to find out what could help them as it has become increasingly difficult for them to walk far.
Crisostomo is one of the latest additions to Solenad, the commercial area of Nuvali along the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay road. We weren’t quite sure about it because I haven’t seen or heard of it before but since that was the nearest we could find and that was all that two hungry and grumpy old folks could bear, we went in to have lunch. Entering the restaurant reminded me of Maria Clara and old Manila. It dawned on me that the name Crisostomo was probably taken from Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere of which Crisostomo Ibarra was one of the lead characters. I looked around and surveyed the interiors. It was nicely furnished and I particularly loved the old electric fan that you only see in your great great grandparents’ house. Their menu offered Filipino-Spanish cuisine with a twist. I glanced at the station where they had a computer and I saw the name Florabel. I had seen the chef/owner of Florabel being interviewed once on TV so I assumed it was part of a chain of restaurants. A little while later, I think I actually saw the chef/owner of Florabel gesturing to her staff to make sure our orders were taken care of. THAT is a good sign.
We ordered the monggo soup and a salad with green mangoes in it. Then we ordered the mixed platter that had everything on it – barbeque, pork chop, vegetables, oysters, fish etc. It was quite nice and just the right portion for a party of 7. I don’t remember any particular dish that stood out but for me it was enough to satisfy the old folks so it was fine. The service was good and the staff was attentive to our needs. It was a nice little discovery borne out of necessity. There are more new restaurants popping up here in Nuvali. So for all you foodies out there, I’ll try to post our food escapades as they happen.
Ciao or better yet, Chow!
Tags: crisostomo restaurant, Culture, Food, Lifestyle, Nuvali, Pinoy culture, restaurant review, santa rosa, solenad, Tagaytay
Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, TRAVEL | 6 Comments »
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
Recently, we had my folks here. Its just quite sobering to see two people who you considered strong to be weak as they advance in years. My Dad, who is now 85 years old, suffers from Parkinson’s disease. My 76 year old Mom, is also not strong as she used to. Both now require some attention most of the time, though they try to maintain an active lifestyle. They can longer do the long walks they need to do or take the long trips which were common place in their younger years. It takes a lot of maintenance medicine to keep them healthy as opposed to just taking wrinkle serum. My prayer is that they don’t go suddenly and that they would be well prepared to face the Lord when the time come. I desire that they come to the full understanding of the finished work of Christ on the cross and that it is faith in Him that will assure their place in Heaven.
Tags: PERSONAL
Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, PERSONAL | No Comments »
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
Tes was out today for a photo shoot. She does the post production aspects of the team (i.e. editing and layouts). Since the activies started quite early, she had to stay overnight at a good friend’s house close to the shoot location. In her rush, she almost left her things last night. Just imagine if she left home without her clothes, dental care items, day cream, etc. Oh my…what a nightmare would it have been for her. She would have come home to me very grumpy. Good thing she remembered her things. The photo shoot went very well also.
Tags: PERSONAL, PHOTOGRAPHY
Posted in ART & DESIGN, DANCE, THEATRE, PHOTOGRAPHY | No Comments »
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
With my folks here for a few days things will be quite busy. It would, however, be a good time for the kids to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa. Today we went out to eat at the beautiful Nuvali development in Sta. Rosa. The Folks plan to have us all stay in an Apartelle for a few days. What a wonderful diversion from the daily grind! It would be like getting Branson tickets or going to Disneyland. I guess Mom and Dad get tired too. So its time for Grandma and Grandpa to step in and spoil the kids a bit?
Tags: PERSONAL
Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, PERSONAL | No Comments »
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
It was quite an amazing drive today as I was going to the Airport this morning. Even though it was a Friday, the SLEX seemed to be clear of traffic. Typically you would have bumper to bumper conditions when you reach the Alabang viaduct. In these conditions, you normally would have auto insurance quotes handy. In the past few days, however, traffic has really been good. It took me about an hour to reach NAIA terminal 3 from Sta. Rosa. Don’t really understand this fully but its really really good!
Tags: PERSONAL
Posted in PERSONAL, TRAVEL | No Comments »
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
As I was driving today, I couldn’t help but see all the splattered adds of candidates for the Philippine Presidential election this coming May. These folks come from diverse backgrounds. One is a former President who was ousted years ago because of massive corruption. Another is a brillant stooge of the current corrupt administration. There’s also the son of a former President who seems to be honest but doesn’t have the personality to drive people to action. You also have the Senator and former Mayor who cleaned up his town for many years, and has the eloquence of an Oklahoma attorney. Another Senator goes about promising good for the poor but is perceived to be unfair in his business. Finally, there’s the Preacher who is sincere but is perceived to be giving only “Motherhood” statements in his speeches. Who do we choose? I guess the Filipino people have pray and seek God seriously about this matter.
Tags: PERSONAL, Philippine politics
Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, PERSONAL | No Comments »
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
I was watching the finale of Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance today. It was an interesting show as it showcased favorite routines throughout the season. Even the judges danced. Its just amazing how the dancers would execute the leaps and lifts. Such moves would prove to be good testosterone boosters. My favorite routine would be “Imagine” danced by William and Katee. An excellent contemporary pas de deux with a difficult a la seconde promenade. Can’t wait until season 6.
Tags: ballet, PERSONAL, So You Think You Can Dance, SYTYCD
Posted in DANCE, THEATRE | No Comments »
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
Yesterday. I was trying to follow a dance being choreographed for ACTS Manila. It was a Singkil inspired Ballet Number. While it may not be that difficult for the kids learning the dance, I had some challenges as it required sitting on a folded knee. At times it was difficult to get up. This afternoon, I also had to do some rolls in the floor that were also taxing to my knees. Thank God, I don’t have arthritis or else I would be suffering from joint pain. Quite hard when you’re advancing in age and you still have to do this physical stuff.
Tags: ballet, PERSONAL
Posted in DANCE, THEATRE, HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, PERSONAL | No Comments »
Saturday, January 16th, 2010
This week I got back to teaching Ballet and taking classes. SO GOOD TO BE BACK!!! Another week in vacation and I would likely gain more poundage. I measured myself the other day and found I gained 6 lbs and 4% fat. After a week of participating in our Church’s annual prayer and fasting, I have 3 more lbs to go and 3% fat more. With Ballet classes, I should be able to build muscles faster thus accelerate getting back to my ideal physique. With exercise that target leg muscles and work stabilizers, muscle develop is optimize. The stretches also prevent these from bulking up. Its really about being fit and preventing heart disease.
Tags: ballet, Fitness
Posted in DANCE, THEATRE, EDUCATION | 3 Comments »
Saturday, January 16th, 2010
As I stated in my previous blog, I recently renewed my car registration. I was supposed to have this renewed last july but because of many factors, I only got the chance to start working on it last december. When I started working on it, I had the impression that I could just go to any LTO district office and complete the transaction. So I went to LTO tagaytay to do my renewal. I started this with an emission test which was quite uneventful. I then proceeded to the registration window. The lady there asked me for my insurance, so I showed her my comprehensive policy. I was surprised to find that I didn’t have Compulsory Third Party Liability in there. (Isn’t it supposed to be a Comprehensive?). So I told the lady that I just wanted to buy a policy they had available and waited. I was waiting for about and hour when I was told that the computer system could not retrieve my record and that they were trying again. This went on until I said I was just coming back the following day. The next day, there was still nothing. The day after that still nothing until I decided to get my papers and renew in an office in Metro Manila. I also paid for the insurance policy I got (Not the cheapest car insurance for it was double the price!). I didn’t have time to do it anymore before my trip to Davao so I let a friend ( who volunteered )do it for me. She did it in Las Pinas where she encountered similar results. I finally brought it to the District Office ,where the car was originally registered, in Quezon City. There they re-encoded the info of my registration into the database and only then was I able to register. Quite an ordeal. I wonder if this happens to everyone who renews their 3 year registration?
Tags: PERSONAL, Philippine Car Registration
Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, PERSONAL | No Comments »
