have gas, will travel

"Di ba kayo napapagod sa kakaalis!" an obviously exasperated Margie, a good friend of mine once interrupted me in mid-story about our trip from Morong, Rizal to Los Baños, Laguna.

Actually, nothing makes my husband and I happier than jumping into our trusted Chug-a-Bug on weekends and heading off to somewhere.Yes despite the hot summer heat and the fact that we don't have airconditioning. It's my husband's way of unwinding after a whole week of being stuck behind a desk. And I wasn't born with a nunal on my left foot for nothing.

Travel broadens the mind, I've always believed. It is also a good way to test your relationship. If you're still talking to each other after you've traveled together then you're made for life. That is until you find too late that your partner forgot to put your bag of underwear and toiletries in the car. (Solution? Share a toothbrush and borrow his or your son's briefs).

As someone who has travelled with family, friends, colleagues, husband and child, I think myself sufficiently endowed with enough wisdom to offer advice for those who want to set out on a holiday and survive to tell the tale (and show off the photos). Check them out ....

- Explore your surroundings and eat local food. Don't do like the Americans and look for the nearest Mc Donald's (or in our case, Jollibee). Ask around what the local specialty is and try it. If possible, head to the palengke and the most crowded pwesto to find out what all the fuss is about.

- Get off the beaten path. Why take the highway when you can take the side roads and enjoy the scenery. Sure there'll be the usual traffic, the exasperating tricyles zooming in and out, the jeepneys stopping at the most opportune moments but it's worth it to catch the local flavor.

- Don’t buy everything in sight. Staying in budget is the operative word. (Yeah, right)

- Lacking in budget? Don't let it stop you. Take day trips or look for a friend or family to stay with. Don't let the lack of a car stop you. Public transportation is a good and cheaper way to travel, too. Bring baon so you won't have to spend on every meal.

- Go to market. It's the best way to find the freshest food and discover the heart of a barrio or town.

- Go walking and interact with the locals. Not everybody can afford to go on tours so do the next best thing: check out the churches and old houses and explore them on your own. Talk to the locals to get 1. tips on the places to explore 2. get an overview of their town 3. suggestions about what to take home as pasalubong or where to eat. 4. Be courageous and get the history straight from the locals.

See it's not that hard to get the best out of travel..

of photos and wedding receptions...

Since Britain's Prince William and his long-time sweetheart, Kate Middleton did not invite me to their wedding, I'll reminisce instead on why I love attending wedding and baptismal receptions..


You know those pesky photographers in restaurants who sneak in during receptions?  They walk in,  start snapping away at the guests and then line up the photos outside and charge you an obscene amount to get a copy.  Well, most people don't like being put in a position of having to pay for something they didn't order.




I'm guilty of the opposite for a very vain reason. You see, I'm not at all photogenic. Most of my photos show me at my unflattering best (which doesn't mean I'm a beauty in real life but photos do seem to make me look my very worst) and the ones that present me in a different light, I treasure.


The thing is, whenever I feel a camera trained on me, I freeze. Oh I try to smile my very best or appear nonchalant but the effect? Like a cat being run over by a truck.


Recently, I've been extra delighted at the number of "nice" photos I've had. Three occasions produced rather nice results. The first one, during a wedding reception at the Jade Valley was cute. And even though my son nearly died laughing at the picture of my face inside a wine glass with fruits all over, I still bought it for P50. (Remember this was years ago and that was expensive at that time).


Next stop, the wedding of a cousin at the Aberdeen Court. I kept my eyes trained on the food while looking out for the photographer. "Wala yata," I mumbled to my husband as I attacked another chicken wing. Luckily for me, by the time the photographer happened by I had already emptied my plate. Then came the moment of truth -- another cute photo in a wine glass, without the fruits, this time. "Wag mo na kunin," my husband said, "pareho din yan nung isa." I nodded in agreement but paid the man anyway. Hey, I'm not one to let a good photo out of my sight.


Finally, a baptism at Max's in Makati.Again, a photographer trained his camera on the guests. Again, I tried to look my nonchalant best while struggling to smile. Lunch over, Ned and I prepared to leave with nary a camera-bug coming to show us our photos. Trying not to look too dejected, I went to the ladies room to freshen up. When I came out, I strained my neck looking out for the last time for the photographer. No such luck. When we got to the car, I couldn't help myself and told Ned, "Di tayo inalok ng photos natin 'no?"


Smiling, he handed over a brown envelope. Bingo! Another wine-glass smiling me. 

Si William at Kate ba may ganyan?

Bagoong at apple -- the perfect combination

BAGOONG  with apples.

People look at me kind of weird when I say that I love to dip apple in
bagoong.  A big yuck, followed by the sticking out of the tongue  is the
usual reaction I get.    I dare you to try it, it's simply  perfect! 
Delicious ika nga. 


 Actually, I wasn't the one who discovered the goodness of bagoong matched
with apples. Cobbie, an American friend who grew up here, urged my
sister and I to  try it after we discovered a bottle of bagoong at the
apartment of a Filipino couple we were staying in in Paris. He told us that
whenever he and his ate felt  homesick for the Philippines, they would
sneak out to eat apples with bagoong. Parang mangga at bagoong lang, he said.
 I was converted.

 Living abroad can really stretch your  tongue's imagination. Until
now, i prefer my kare-kare with Baguio beans (instead of sitaw) and
repolyo (to replace puso ng saging). I also learned to tolerate
sinigang  with the same two ingredients,  though I can't say I liked
that combination as much as I did my kare-kare. Over all, it was our way of adjusting to the environment we were in and enjoy homegrown fare at the same time. You learn
to live with it and learn to love it.


And the bagoong phase? Did I ever outgrow it? Naaah, I extended it to
eating bagoong (alamang or isda) with peaches, pineapples and bananas. 


How about you? What unholy combinations have you tried with your
favorite fruit?

bawal ang pork, bawal ang beef, bawal na ang lahat!

IT'S no picnic to go food shopping for our family. Just think of what I
have to consider when I buy the things that will grace our dining
table: hypertension, gout, rheumatism, goiter, allergic rhinitis,
heart murmur, low blood, cancer. Kind of hard to ponder, huh? But we
survive.

       Armed with my list of things to buy, I then double check it with the
lists from our doctors. Again, I say, no mean feat. But we survive.

       Meat. With hypertension running in both our families, I've eliminated all
processed foods (except for the occasional hotdogs for the babies in
our family, yes, that includes me). I also stick to lean ground pork,
pork cutlets sans fat and pork shoulder. Beef, I've struck off the
list eversince I felt a tightening in the chest (and in the belt)
everytime I ate it.

       Fish used to be easy to buy. I'd point to everything that met my
budget and that was that. Until, my dad gave me a list from his
doctor. Those who have gout should not eat salmon, sardines, mackarel.
To make it easier for me, he said,  fish that don't have scales -- no go.

       Now we come to everybody's favorite. Chicken and egg. For the
hypertensives, no skin, no wings, no yolks. For those with rhinitis,
no chicken, no eggs. You should have seen the baleful looks I got from
my son. If looks could kill.....

       Vegetables. Again the same rule applied. Buy anything and everything.
Until I got another list. No legumes, no asparagus, no mushrooms, no
cauliflowers, no spinach.  Well, at least my son rejoiced.

       Dairy Products and Oil. Our pediatrician said low-fat milk, and
that's what my son's been drinking eversince. As for cooking oil, I
bite my lip everytime I get a bottle from the shelves but if it's good
health you have in mind, then stick to olive oil and maybe sunflower
for frying (if you have to, that is).

       Finally, fruits. With all the experts hailing fruits as wonderful for
the health, I figured it was safe for me to buy plenty. Well, it
doesn't seem to work that way, either. Mangoes a no-no for those with
allergies. Strawberries and anything with seeds are not for those who
have gout. Buco flesh and avocado are not too good for those who love
them but have hypertension.

       Aaargh! Sometimes, I just want to follow my lola's advice. "Bahala
na!" she said and would eat pork taba. She lived up to 93 years and
she was hypertensive! But, still I trudge on to the grocery with my
list and hopefully, make the right decisions....


***********
Update: 
This was written before I discovered I also had hypertension. And my doctor's No. 1 advice -- nothing fried and only good cholesterol (fish and vegetables, preferably steamed). Eeewww! And now with my sister around, pork is virtually non-existent in the ref as she's anti-pig. Waaaah!

fashion critic

AS THE only girl in our family unit, I like to seek the opinion of my
two "boys" when looking for something new to buy or wear.
       My husband Ned's answer is always positive whenever I try on
something.  I never ever look bad. A dress or a pair of shoes is always
perfect for  me and anything I show to him is always met with exclamation
marks. "Bagay!" or "Ang ganda!" and the usual, "Wow, 'Nay, sexy!" he'll holler before letting
out an appreciative whistle.
       My son, Naki, on the other hand, is a little bit more believable. You see, he doesn't mince his words and really tells it as it is.
       Last weekend, we went to a tiannge  and I spotted a black and white
geometric long-sleeved dress that I loved on sight.
       As usual, I consulted my two critics.
       "Ganda!" said Ned, as expected.
       "It looks nice," said Naki.
       "Reaaally?" I asked Naki again as the sales lady oohed and aahed over
me wearing the dress.
        "Yeah," said my little boy, before adding, "except that it makes you
look big here...." pointing to  my tummy area.
       That was it. Off came the dress while a flustered saleslady asked
what my son had said. After repeating what Naki told me, she could
hardly stop herself from laughing and instead let out a small grin.
       "Pwede naman lagyan ng belt, ma'am," she countered.
       Salamat, I muttered, and thanked the heavens for my son who could be
counted upon to tell the truth, however much it hurts.
       Finally, after a couple more rounds and a little more shopping, we
headed for the car.
       "What did you buy?" Ned asked me.
       "A dress," I said proudly, holding up a beautiful floral pink shift
to show it to Ned and Naki.
       "Wow!" said, I guess you should know by now who.
       And my Number 1 critic? "Great," he responded as I beamed with delight.
       "You'll look like a big flower garden!"
       Next time, I think I'll go shopping alone......

Written december 3 , 2002



**********
Update: Shopping for clothes is best done alone, although when I need a little pick me up in the confidence department, I beg Ned to come along (may tiga-bitbit na, may tiga-bayad pa, hehe).   And as for the "fashion critic"? Let's not go into that, katatapos lang ng holy week.. :)

love + travel = forever?

THEY say that the best way to find out if you and your partner can stand the test of time is to travel together. That way, you find out about each other's idiosyncrasies and can test your patience to the max.


Now whatever differences my husband and I  may have (taste in music, hobbies, jobs, interests), we at least like to travel together (or at least stand each other to last the trip).


Much to our son's dismay, Ned and I can find any excuse under the sun to ride our trusted orange Chug-A-Bug or creamy Dolores (VW beetles) to attend a birthday party in Morong, Rizal, a reunion in Angeles or Guagua, Pampanga; a christening in Bataan and make a side trip to Subic, spend New Year's Eve in Los Banos, Easter in Sta. Rosa, a summer weekend in Tagaytay.


Just say the word and we're ready to pack -- clothes, books, magazines, tapes, firs-aid kit, junk food, juices and water.


"How long will you be away?" my dad has been known to ask me every time he spots our large heavy-duty blue sportsbag which can hold clothes for about a week.


"Overnight," I'll say without blinking, then add, "Buti na ang ready..." while my dad simply shakes his head in amusement. Buti na lang walang limit ang luggage sa kotse.


And while others are content with simply taking the expressway to get to their destinations fast, we prefer to take the loooong and winding road. That way, we are able to look at old houses and buildings, take the off-beaten track, check out if there's something to be discovered -- an antique shop, a small dining place, a bookstore, a museum mayhaps, a second-hand store, maybe even an old Beetle!)


Yup, travel is a sure way to test a relationship, and summer is the best time to do it. That is, if you don't kill each other first. Or your son does. 

Lolo Inggo

My lolo died one April, a few days short of my grandparents" 50th wedding anniversary. It was so sudden it took us all by surprise. Though many years have passed, the pain of losing him still hurts...

I dreamt of my Lolo Inggo last night. In my dream, he was his robust old self and just rarin' to see his latest apo (supposedly my newborn daughter). I woke up very happy because that's the only way I get to see him now -- in my dreams.


Inggo was my first grandparent to pass away and it hit me really bad. He was the one closest to me in proximity (we were next-door neighbors) but he was the one farthest from me emotionally. A little on the strict side, he was not very showy in his affections. Still, I knew he loved me in his gruff kind of way.


When he died, I couldn't get over the fact that he was no longer there, that my lolo just ceased to exist. That he wouldn't be there waiting for me at the kanto or by his window when I came home late at night. That I would no longer hear the kalampag of the sandok as he fried rice for my Lola Maria. That he would no longer exchange giggles or tease her unmercifully. And belatedly, I realized I also never told him how much he meant to me.


Until that day, I just assumed that my grandparents would be there forever. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening. When I anaylze things now, however, it seemed that my grandparents waited for major events -- graduation, wedding, the birthdays of their apo sa tuhod-- in my life and shared them with me before they left me. It was as if they were creating positive memories and I reveled in them and made sure they realized how I treasured their love and presence.


But no matter how fond the memories are, there will always be regrets -- that you cannot hold or touch or hug them ever again.


So while we go out and contemplate how Christ died for us, remember also our dear departed ones and don't forget the ones who are still alive and a part of your lives. Spare them a hug, shower them with kisses. Better still, tell them you love them a lot. Good memories start this way...