A little side-trip to Singapore: Makansutra Hawkers in SM Megamall

My partner and I decided to eat out after meeting with an online seller, and as luck would have it, we ended up at Makansutra Hawkers, a Singapore-style food market / food park on the second floor of SM Megamall, technically above National Bookstore in Building A.

My partner and I had seen the place before, and we knew that we should try the food there some other time. Now, after looking at some watches at Building B, and some toys at Toy Kingdom at the basement, we decided it was time to try out Makansutra Hawkers (Philippines)

We had a limited budget, so we settled on two dishes: Laksa, and Pork with Salted Egg (in essence , pork strips - liempo cuts, I think - cooked in a mixture of salted egg and what seems to be butter and a few other ingredients).

It's a good thing that we asked if the pork dish was for sharing - we can confirm that you may need a group of three for one order (P380). In fact, with the Laksa, I feel I should have called my mother up and asked her to join us.

Now, on to the food:

I'm not a laksa person, but my partner loves is, and says that the laksa was above average, and worth the price at P250. For me, I liked the fact that it had a god balance between the spiciness and the coconut milk. At first, I thought that it had been adapted to Philippine tastes, as it wasn't so spicy, but the partner assured me that there were options for more spicy preparations, but that he decided to stick with the basics. Even if the bowl of laksa already had noodles, I still wanted to drizzle the soup over rice (which I did!).

As for the pork with salted egg, all I can say is that the salted egg sauce preparation was practically a meal in itself aside from the pork - if anything, I actually wished that the pork had less fat, as the combination of pork fat and the sauce was pretty rich in flavor - enough for me to wave the white flag, and ask my partner to help me finish off some remaining pieces. The dish comes with a side of pickled vegetables - atsara. Believe me, you'll need it to counter the powerful the punch-counterpunch of salted egg, pork, and butter. I know that some of my friends will tell me better places to find salted egg preparations, but for now, this is an affordable and, for me, good enough dish that I would tell people to go with me so I can eat more of it (haha!).

Add P50 of rice, and we were able to get stuffed for about P680 or so.

In all, I can honestly say that I liked the laksa dish - though I wish my partner had ordered a spicier one - and that the pork with salted egg should not be missed. But please, do not try to finish off one order by yourself; if anything, the richness - creaminess - of the dish makes it hard to do.

Also, kudos for Makansutra Hawkers' service, and I have yet to try the coffee pork dish offered in another stall. Also, some of the drink and dessert preparations look like I'll be back to try more.

I bought the Pork with Salted Egg dish at the Hong Kong Street Old Chun Kee; sadly, my partner forgot the name of the stall where he got the laksa.

For more information:
http://www.makansutra.com/

From Radio Republic: Empty Boots at the Gate

Archiving articles from my Radio Republic column, Drinking Coffee as the World Goes By:

"But this, the issue of gatekeepers, is something people should think about. When we say gatekeepers, we’re talking about people or entities whom we trust to be the ones to tell us what good music is. Be it Casey Kasem, Francis Reyes, or any other DJ or music figure that we consider has a finger on the pulse of whatever music scene they’re in, they are gatekeepers. They steer us to what’s new, what’s happening, and what is, presumably, the Next Big Thing."

Read more at https://www.radiorepublic.ph/empty-boots-at-the-gate/

From Radio Republic: Trying to do Something Right

From my column in Radio Republic, Drinking Coffee as the World Goes By:

"I say all that because the danger of the internet, of having all this information readily available, is that we sometimes take for granted that most of this information is true. The fact is, this overabundance of information should make us even more suspicious. Even if research makes a person feel lazy, when it comes to inserting ideas into our heads, we should really be more careful."

Read more at https://www.radiorepublic.ph/trying-to-do-something-right/

What Lies Beneath

Observing the social media reaction-fest over what appear to be extra-judicial killings of suspected drug users and pushers here in the Philippines has, arguably, brought out the best and the worst in many people.

On one side, some people are simply reacting by saying that the ends do justify the means. On the other hand, you also have many people screaming bloody murder, particularly since due process isn’t being observed.

Behind all this, I feel, is a basic misunderstanding of the problem. It’s not about drugs. It’s about why people need drugs in the first place.

Needs and wants, supply and demand

Admittedly, I’m not a fan of bringing the issue down to poverty, for the reason that poverty is also seen as a convenient excuse for committing crimes. However, that’s just one side of the coin. It’s also true that poverty can drive one to desperate measures – such as crime.

And that interminable daily grind, that constant battle for survival, it serves as an open door to drug use. With little or no “good things” in life, it isn't surprising many of the poor decide to use illegal drugs, if only to escape their dreary life.

It does not excuse, however, their eventual giving in to the addiction, the eventual descent into crime and violence that many of them go through to feed their habit.

And as for the rich who are hooked on drugs, it’s even more complicated, and less of a sympathetic issue; after all, it is much harder to understand despair and ennui when the person suffering it is, essentially, well-off.

Whatever the case may be, the point is: something is wrong, and it isn’t just about illegal drugs or the people who are part of the criminal ecosystem for it.

It’s about addressing poverty, job opportunities, and fostering a culture where illegal drug use can be seen as a symptom of larger issues. It’s about seeing drug users not as victims, but as people who need to be rehabilitated, rather than jailed or killed (of course, this assumes that they have not done any crime that is beyond redemption).

The challenge, the real outrage is not only that extrajudicial killings are happening, but that we have to fix the very roots of our society. And even if it sounds impossible to do, we have to try. Otherwise, the divide between “bleeding hearts” and “pragmatists” will grow ever wider, and the chasm in between will be filled with dead bodies.

Before anyone asks: I am myself overwhelmed with the enormity of the idea of where to begin. But we have to stop arguing on the level of the drug trade. We must start doing something about the human condition that allows such a thing to exist.





 


Photo originally from this image

Cog - Clandestine

My band, Cog, has just come out with a new single for the new year, "Clandestine." We hope you all will enjoy the lyric video we've created just for it.

The Old Guy's 7 Things to Remember When Pursuing a Hobby or Career in Music

After reading an article by my friend Joey Santos (7 Music Myths New Bands Should Avoid), I figured that somehow, I do have some thoughts on music – coming from being a 41-year-old “hobby” musician. Here goes:

1. Every time you question why you are making music, ask yourself this: Is it because you want to make a living from it, or is it because you love it? If you want to make music seriously, music that you love and you want to make a living from it, then you should start planning everything out. After all, a serious music career is about the same thing as setting up your own company.

2. Making the music that you like is not the same, mostly, as making music that other will like to hear from you. There are no hard and fast answers to this conundrum, because the line in the sand that you must draw between being true to yourself, and accepting that you want people listening to you and buying into your music (literally, as in they will pay you) will be up to you. Sorry, there are no easy answers for this one.

3. Building a fan base is just about as difficult a process as making music you want. That's because you have to choose, in a way, what sort of fans you want to have. There's a delicate balance in between “being true to yourself” and “I will be attractive to a larger fanbase than my friends.” And yes, it takes time and effort, on the same level or near to making the music that got you into all this in the first place. If you want to remain reclusive and just known for your music, then you have to accept that you won't have that big a fanbase, or you better be sure you are a songwriting genius.

4. The question of becoming part of a musical movement, be it based on the music itself, on a generational surge, or a visual look, will always be one of how long you're willing to ride the proverbial wave. In this sense, you have to be as savvy as Madonna at her peak: being able to ride successive trends while retaining a basic identity. Conversely, you can also choose to be independent of any trend – but you have to make sure your individuality is such that your practically an icon waiting to be enshrined.

5. Forget the physical proof of music – in other words, say goodbye to CDs. In fact, the idea of a long-playing album is also suspect. What is important now is to have a regular presence in the online world, be it with a personal blog they can follow, singles that are released regtularly, or with a merchandising plan that keeps people aware of you. These days, you are selling you, aside from your music. People want to buy into you and your music.

6. Gigging is not everything. And the same holds true for writing songs in the studio, as it is for merchandising efforts as well. In other words, balance everything. Yes, this can be very difficult if you have band members to worry about. Again... time management is the key.

7. Do make sure that you have a strategy for using as many social media platforms and communication sites. E-mail lists are important, since you can use them across multiple platforms and mass-emailing services. The same goes for making sure that you maximize your content in two ways: for a general feed, and with some tweaks to maximize for the specific social media platform you will use.


Finally, and this is the #8: HAVE FUN. If you are not having fun, then what the hell are you doing spending so much time on all this in the first place???


*Photograph by Garon Honasan of Cog.

Monster Traffic Jams: The Horror

Traffic has become a part of life in the metro, with people resigned to hours on the road, be it as drivers or as passengers. However, aside from the headaches, annoyance, and general bad mood that heavy traffic generates in people, what are the real costs of heavy traffic? What do citywide traffic jams really do to us?

Go to the Philippine Online Chronicles for the full article



Photo: “London traffic lights – t2i” by @Doug88888 c/o Flickr.com

Article - The politics of beauty, Philippine edition

The politics of beauty, Philippine edition

It’s been observed that Filipinos don’t see their own kind as beautiful,  in the sense of putting down people who have the perfect Malay aesthetic. Instead, what we seem to see as beautiful are, well, people who either have a pleasing mix of Caucasian and Malay ancestry, or those who are truly Caucasian in the way they look.

And even if we ourselves don’t look Caucasian, beauty products being sold can “help” us be more “white”: skin whiteners, skin cleaning solutions that make us look less oily (to the point of stripping essential oils from our skin), and hair dye for hair color that is more in the genetic lineage of Caucasians.

So what’s this all about? Why do we have, for want of a better term, an ideal for beauty that isn’t Filipino at all?

Read more at the Philippine Online Chronicle

Article: Pinoy Folk Catholicism - The Black Nazarene

Pinoy Folk Catholicism - The Black Nazarene

My housemate, unexpectedly, once asked me: would you like to go and see the procession of the Black Nazarene? It was an awkward question to answer at best, since I had no particular liking to be in crowds, and I wasn’t a religious person either. But now that the procession has come around again, and given how the Philippines has been in some sort of calamity bull’s eye the past year, perhaps the procession of the Black Nazarene, for all of its chaos and strangeness to outsiders looking in, is necessary for the Filipino psyche.

****

However, there is a dark side to this celebration of survival, and it is in the concept of trading for the protection of the Black Nazarene. It is a psychological quid pro quo with God. All will be forgiven and all will be healed with the sacrifice and suffering that the procession sometimes brings.

How many times have we heard of people who sacrifice so much for the procession, and yet spend the rest of the year as if nothing has happened? How many people start worshipping the statue’s “special properties” without thinking of the entity it represents?

This, too, is very Filipino, the idea that you can bargain with God. Some people point to the mistaken notion of indulgences that were given out by the Catholic Church in the past, while others point to a deeper tradition of communicating with ancient deities. Whatever the case may be, the modern-day application has been one where a person could technically “equal” the scales for their sins by sacrifice and devotion.

Read more at the Philippine Online Chronicle

*Original photo by Constantine Agustin, as per Wikipedia.

Children of Darkness

The taxi I rode in had a broken front door lock. I was seated in the back, ready to retire to my apartment for the day.

Near the Pioneer/Guadalupe area, a street kid opens the front door. His partner was ready at the other door, holding what I clearly saw to be an icepick.

I told the driver not to get out. I managed to close the front passenger door from my end. Luckily, Driver's door was locked, same with the passenger left rear door. I had locked my door also.

The icepick-carrying boy shot me a look that clearly communicated his hatred of anyone who had more than he did, his hatred for being given the sort of life he had. He snarled like an animal and ran into the oncoming traffic, to disappear into the night.

There can be no mercy for such a lost soul.

If you think I'm being mean, think of it this way: No matter how hard life gets, there is always a choice. and that look the child gave me was not of one who had no choice - it was of one who embraced the darkness freely.

And it isn't just happening there. I have a friend who was almost seriously injured by a knife stabbing last week...in the Katipunan area, as he was going home. The ones who ambushed him were the street children there, the very same ones who hang around the McDonald's and all the nice restaurants. They turned on people who would have helped them had they asked for it, people who would never have asked for anything back.

We can blame it on the erosion of social values, on the dismal economy or even on the inherent flaws of the capitalist system. But all that pales in comparison to that look the boy gave me.

It was feral. It wasn't just about survival, but also about revenge, vengeance, whatever you would call it. To hurt back for being hurt, but with such a pleasure to it that there is no room left for sympathy.

Now, I am home. Normally, since I live in a gated apartment community, all of us who live here open our doors to let the night air come in. Tonight, my door is locked. It's not because I am scared, but because the truth is, there are more animals out there in the streets now, and it pays to be cautious.


I used to believe in the seduction of darkness, of the innocent being trapped into a life of evil. Now I know: for some there is no trap, only the loving comfort of finally leaving the hardships of being human, and becoming well and truly evil.

Cog. One Decade.

One Decade. One Night. Details coming soon.

Free Fridays - The White Collar Education Trap

I'm a writer and editor by trade. And I mostly work on Internet-based projects. I guess you could say that I'm a "white-collar" worker. When I was working in SM as a Marketing Officer, you could say that I was white-collar, officially.

But is being white-collar - that is, "professional" level in education, skill, experience and abilities - good for everyone? I seriously don't think so.

It's a weakness of Philippine society, that parents want their children to have an education aimed at snagging a white-collar job. The fact is, in order for the Philippines to move forward, we have to realize that the educational system we have should be two-tiered: one for creating administrative officers, and one for skilled laborers - and we're talking here "able to use modern technology."

Meditations
The idea came to me as I was thinking of how I wished that my alma mater's grade school and high school had excellent "shop" classes. I now think of how useful proper basic carpentry, electrical, electronic and metal working skills would have been to me. I'm still one of the "handymen" in my circle of friends, but I wonder how it could have been if I experienced good shop teachers. For all we know, maybe my real skill wasn't in writing and editing, but in craftsman-level work in those areas (or is that artisan-level?).

In any case, it brought up a point in my mind. This sort of skill is what the country needs, in order to modernize the industrial sector. We need truly skilled workers. But no, Filipino families make it a point so say that that sort of work is just about as bad as actually being an unskilled labourer on the factory floor.

Feudal?
Perhaps part of it still is linked to our feudal background, which equates a good education with a rise in social rank. But this sort of thinking is coming under fire these days, thanks to the fact that many educational institutions in the country - the worst being the public schools - have become little more than epic failures in providing children with what their parents are hoping is an education for a better life as they see it.

There, too, is the primitive view of the blue-collar job - there is no separation between the skilled and unskilled.

The Philippines, it seems, still operates on the idea of Masters and Servants.

School Business
There's also the matter of schools themselves. Rather than providing a good education, many schools are simply providing for the wants (not the needs) of the students - more specifically, the student's parents. Although you can't blame them for wanting better "futures" for their children, but at the same time, they should be aware that when you have a limited job pool, only the top schools would get their people in, in general.

Add to that the fact that many schools in the Philippines are coming out with sub-par students, and you have a recipe for a disaster.

Self-defeating cycle
As one generation fails, so do they transfer their aspirations to the next. There's nothing wrong with them wanting their children to have better lives, but the frustrations are there, and this will practically force their ambitions on their children. That never bodes well. Children will go to college courses they hate, in schools that have dubious success rates for their graduates, leading to another generation of people who failed at what they studied for, settling for lower jobs...and starting it all up again.

Breaking tradition
I seriously think that the Filipino has to look deep into their cultural attitudes about education. Heck, even I don't know where to start, as the solution would probably take three generations and a serious, concerted and prolonged effort to change how we as a country train ourselves, our workforce and our children for a proper future.

In the end, perhaps I see it as a trap because I can see all these people who are suffering from our imbalanced and increasingly inefficient and ineffective educational system.

Search Amazon.com for philippine education 

I'm back, and Cog bits

Hi all! I've just decided to come back, and I guess I'm sticking more to this place than LJ at this point.

1) My band's releasing our album by next year, February at the latest. Yes, we know it's been a long time, but life happened along the way. We'll make it a point to come up with new stuff faster in the future.

2) As for Philippine politics - it's time to stop looking like a fool, Gloria.

That's all for now, am just making some stuff link up here....

Hey all! my band, Cog, is currently selling a very nice, non-metal looking T-shirt. I currently have the following sizes: S, M, L and XXL. We've priced them all at P300. Just contact me if you want to get one, and let's figure out how this can be done.

Thanks!

While you're here, I'd also like to announce that many of the bands in the Tower of Doom roster now have their songs available in iTunes. Support the bands!

Dingdong Dantes Memories

In memory of Dingdong Dantes becoming one of the ten sexiest men in the world, I put this up again:



Yes folk, It is Dingdong Dantes and his four glowing balls. I dare you to say that aloud with a serious face.

And to top it off, Piolo Pascual, seen at the billboard below, seems to be taking a peek. I swear, this must have been intentional.

And apparently, the billboard is by Hanford, an underwear company. I am agog. Only in the Philippines!