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About heavenliner

a twisted little soul... people see me to be so delicious they sometimes want to eat me...

Liliw: Immortal Tsinelas & Sinantol Pasta

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Second time is as fascinating as the first.  This is what I felt when I got the opportunity to walk the narrow streets of Liliw Laguna for the second time.  The place is a paradise for shoes and tsinelas (slippers) lovers.  Too bad my subsequent visit to Liliw was just a stopover and there was only limited time to go gaga over footwear.  The diversity and assortment of footgear available in Liliw can rival the traditional shoe-making capital Marikina.

With only short time allotted, I was able to cover a number of stores with a thought framework “if the shoe fits, buy it!”  I bought myself two pairs of leather-made immortal tsinelas at only 190 pesos each.  I consider it immortal because it takes like a lifetime before these Liliw-made footgear-s would tear off.

An ideal Filipino province, Liliw is clean, organized, peaceful and tourist-friendly.  Aside from the amazing footwear, there is another bonanza I struck in this place.  It is a Tagalog delicacy that I believe can only be found in the Philippines.  It’s called Sinantol.  It is a dish out from the velvety skinned tropical fruit santol in which the pulp is grated and squeezed off its juice cooked with coconut milk, red chili pepper and bagoong alamang (salty shrimp paste).

Sinantol is commonly eaten with other Pinoy viands and hot steamed rice.  However, since I hardly store rice grains in my house, I instead mixed the Sinantol with cooked spaghetti pasta.  It was awesome!  My taste buds wanted to grow its own taste buds so as to relish the heavenly flavor in my palate.  Thanks to the absence of any rice grain in my house because I was able to put together one amazing gourmet sensation! Yum yum!!

Sarap tikman at tapakan…

Venus Raj Should Reign The Universe

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Aptly named Venus is the “pending” beauty title holder (not the planet) who should reign the universe.  In the midst of all the brouhaha about Venus Raj’s stripping of her Bb. Pilipinas-Universe title and in the process of reclaiming it back, the exotic-skinned lady should no doubt represent the country in this year’s Ms. Universe pageant.  It seems that mythology, onomastics, numerology, fairy tale galore and principles of modern marketing enterprise seem to conspire why she should win the most coveted beauty title in the planet, herewith are some glaring reasons:

  • On Onomastics and Mythology:  Appropriately named Venus.  This lady with swan-like neck was named after a major goddess of the Roman mythology that is principally associated with love and beauty.  Her surname Raj is an Indian word meaning dominion, power and reign.  Thus, her name simply defines “Reigning Love & Beauty” which suits the description of a Ms. Universe.
  • On Numerology:  This lady with long tresses was born in July 7, 1988.  If her birth date would be written in dd/mm/yy format it would look like 07/07/88.  Her birthday represents the numbers 7 and 8.  Seven is considered a mystic and sacred number.  It is a mystic number that is why there is 7 deadly sins, 7 wonders of the world, 7 last words, 7 kings of Rome, seventh heaven (that is beyond power and description) and 7-year itch.  Eight is considered the most powerful number.  In Chines feng shui, the number 8 expresses the totality of the universe.  It is the number of balance and of cosmic order according to the Egyptians.  Eight means multiplicity in Japan.  It is the lucky number associated to prosperity
  • On Fairy Tale Galore:  The life and success story of this 5 feet 9 inches tall lady can be paralleled to the lives and experiences encountered by the lead characters of well-known fairy tales.  Venus’s life is a classic Cinderella story.  According to Wikipedia, Venus was born out of wedlock and grew-up at a scanty town  in the province of Camarines Sur.  Her mother, a farmer and dressmaker was the sole person who brought her up as a child.  They lived in a nipa hut with no electricity in the middle of a sprawling rice field.  Strutting on rice paddies’ dikes was her early training for walking on fashion runways.  Thus, she is a living story of a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances which suddenly change to remarkable fortune.  People may wonder who is the evil witch and wicked step-sisters in Venus’ life.  It is so evident that these characters are in the person of Stella Araneta and the Binibining Pilipinas Charities officers respectively!
  • On Modern Marketing Enterprise:  If Venus will be crowned, all forms of media all over the planet would have a screamer headline “Venus (not the planet) Reigns The Universe”.  Media all over the world would feature a beauty queen with humble beginnings ala Cinderella story who fought hard in redeeming her right to represent a country went home with the title of Ms. Universe.  News agencies would definitely have a bash on this newsworthy story and can then follow-up it up with other feature stories on how the stars aligned and conspired with mythology, numerology and onomastics on Venus’ fate and destiny.  That would definitely be an interesting and positive newspaper read.  With such colorful story of Venus, Mr. Donald Trump and his Ms. Universe Organization will have the opportunity to rekindle interest from corporate sponsorships and advertisers in his future pageants.  For sure, they will gather heaps of money out from this.

Pwes, ipadala man ng Pinas o hindi, manalo man o matalo, dinedeklara kong si Venus Raj ang Ms. Universe sa planetang Venus.

Dreaming of Super Power Philippines

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After finishing my morning ritual of hand-grinding my Sumatra coffee beans and savouring the aroma that filled my Indonesian-inspired kitchen, I left my mansion in the posh village located in Pasay.  I was driven in my white Sarao limousine by a British-national driver sent to me by the British labour agency.

While inside the car, I checked my e-mail sent to me by my Norwegian secretary.  When I opened my Kyowa-labelled computer, it indicated that I will have a late lunch meeting with the economic power brokers who run the world’s economy.  These guys are from Bangladesh, Somalia and Afghanistan – earth’s most powerful economies after the Philippines.

But my meeting with these men will be before I have personally interviewed the line-up of immigrants from poverty-stricken US and Canada applying as housekeepers and gardeners in my mansion.  Mother Nengkoy wanted me to personally screen these people from these 3rd world countries because her previous laundry-ladies from extremely poor Ireland and Switzerland were such lazy fools.

After my short but influential meetings with the power brokers, I would have to have a tea-break with my friends from Haiti and Mongolia – the planet’s next superpowers (of course after the Philippines).  My secretary told me that my tea-break will be at 7-star Sogo Hotel in the high-end with lush-greenery of  Baseco Compound.  I promised to let my Haitian and Mongolian friends to taste Tsaang Gubat, the most expensive tea in the solar system.

While I am driven to my high-tech newly renovated office located in the commercial district of Sitio Magdalena in Tondo, Manila, I received a phone call from a good and incalculably wealthy friend who is inviting me to have a long weekend vacation in Ethiopia.  She expressed that Ethiopia now has the grandest museum.  I agreed to go to affluent and well-heeled Ethiopia this weekend but I disagree that it has the grandest museum because the Philippines have the largest and most technologically advanced museum.  Philippines’ National Museum now located in Sapang Palay Bulacan owns and houses pieces that were previously seen in Vatican Museum, New York Metropolitan, Hermitage in Russia and Muse Du Lourve in France.  Thanks to Ka Totoy Talastas the museum’s chief curator who encouraged the Philippine government to acquire and purchase all these pieces from those impoverished and penniless countries that previously owns it.

When the car reached Sitio Magdalena and when I was about to alight the limousine in front of my 168-storey building… I woke up from this tremendous dream.

Ayun! Nagising ako.  Oras na para mamalansta! Hahaha!

“The Little Prince”

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Two hours is what it takes to completely prepare me to go to my office.  Two hours is what it takes for me to finish my weekly grocery and window shopping weekly.  Two hours is what it takes for me to finish my usual internet surfing.  Two hours is what it takes for me to accomplish my exercise regimen whenever I feel like going to the gym.  There’s a lot of things that can be done in two hours.

It took me two hours to finish reading the book entitled “The Little Prince” a French novel written by Antoine De Saint-Exupery translated in English by Katherine Woods.  In this precious two hours, I was able to grasp a lot of interesting wisdom out from the story told about the Little Prince.

The book may seem to look like it is intended for kids but after digesting every deep meanings presented by the author, for me, it is simply too complicated for younger kids to fully understand its true messages.  The book should not be taken into its superficial account for a reader to fully appreciate it.  It challenges the reader to make his or her own personal understanding of the different characters and what they represent in a reader’s life.  The book is so great because it can actually stimulate a reader’s deeper perspective about life.  It is so impressive because it gives the reader to free-willingly identify and subjectively correlate the events, symbolisms and characters in the story towards that of the reader’s own life encounters.

I definitely feel that this remarkable book will only get better and more interesting as I grow older.  Hence, I hope to read this manuscript again at least five years from now and wonder what correlations would pop-out from my mind when I encounter again those simple yet meaningful events and characters in the story.  I also hope that I could finish the book again in just two precious hours…

Ang sabi sa libro, “wat is esensyal is inbisibol to da ay”.  Ang taray!  

Black Saturday with B&S

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After doing my regular weekly grocery, the marathon showing of Brothers & Sisters Season 3 featured in Channel 23 gave me a reason to stay indoor the whole day of Black Saturday.

Spending Black Saturday is supposed to be quiet  and serene as usually observed by my family.  It is a tradition that we always observe.  Thanks to Lola Teray (Nengkoy’s mom) who when was still alive would caution and admonish us not to be noisy and require us to talk at a very low sound starting at 3:00 PM of Good Friday until the whole day of Black Saturday because “patay ang Dyos” (the Lord is dead).  She would only allow us to laugh and speak loudly when Easter comes.

But watching the marathon run of Brothers & Sisters Season 3 made me a delinquent iniquitous “apo” (grandson) of Lola Teray.  The show made me laugh hard and loud because of the antics that Nora Walker and her crazy children would do in the awesome tv series.  I have been a huge fan of the series because the witty and graceful grown-up story-telling is simply alluring. 

The story and the characters are faced with issues that resonates with real people and there is something in it for everyone that you can easily relate to.  It is light-hearted!  What I love most are the enjoyable mishaps of the characters that remind me of my own family… sort of.  Arguments can be high-minded or insanely petty that will surely make a viewer burst into laughter.

Kung buhay si Lola Teray, nabatukan na ko ng bonggang bongga!

Earth Hour Conyo

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On March 27, I’m gonna make sali and support the Earth Hour.  It’s my third beses na to participate.  I’m gonna patay my ilaw and make tigil my aircon and TV.  During the one ora from 8:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M., I’m just gonna tayo at my veranda and check on the dark paligid of the metropolis.  Since it’s gonna be so init, I will just paypay na lang to prevent my delicious body from any pawis and enjoy the dark view as if like parang merong something out there.

I’m so asar to those who will not join.  They’re so like nakakainis!  I wanna make kulam them already.  Why ba they won’t sali on the first place?  It’s like parang short moment lang naman!  Then when it’s on the balita already, they’ll gonna be so ingget and make sisi other people for not telling them about the event.  They’re so labo talaga.

Earth Hour is so galing because 120 countries of the planet I believe are gonna make sali.  It’s parang having unity among nations talaga!  An hour of making hintay will make tipid na nga a lot of kuryente for the future generation to use and make laban the fight against climate change.

Ambot sa emo, yu know…

Condom Ads and the Pinoy Bishops

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The conservative Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is calling on the immediate banning of condom ads in the country.  CBCP said that “condom advertisements should be banned from television, radio, movies, newspapers, magazines and public places, as they desensitize the youth’s delicate conscience and weaken their moral fibers as future parents”.

I am a Catholic but I am also free.  I am free to express that I totally disagree with these pronouncements. 

Some sectors say that this call is tantamount to censorship that go against the freedom of speech.  I don’t care about censorship but what is sad about this dictum is that the core of our country’s religious institution do not have enough confidence, trust and faith towards the tenacity of today’s youth.  Therefore, if CBCP sees that today’s youth to be morally weak, frail and delibitated then they should allow these condom ads and its usage for it in some way save the youth from indisposition and pre-mature life’s complications – like early and unexpected parenthood.

For me, these puffed up bishops should go out of their high-and-mighty cathedrals, basilicas and churches so as to be aware on what truly is going on in the  country (if not the world).  Besides, Catholic bishops need not worry about these condom commercials because Pinoys are poor and actually do not have enough money to buy one.

Anyway, before these condom ads would disappear in the face of Pinoy media, let me add in this post a cool yet subtle condom commercial posted on YouTube three years ago…

Kelan kaya magkakaron ng condom na “coconut sprinkled” ang flavor?

Have You Ever Noticed…

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When cutting your fingernails, which fingernail grows the fastest?

When cleaning your nose, which hole has more nose hairs?

When scrubbing your armpits, which side is darker?

When raking your ear-hole, which has more wax?

When farting, which is more noxious, the silent and subdued type or the loud and roaring one?

 Hwag madiri… Kahit si Pope at Vilma Santos umuutot…

Fried Patupat

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Neil Hubert, a friend’s friend is on his way to Pangasinan for a short vacation.  With a thick face that I usually possess, I requested my friend to tell Neil Hubert to bring me “Patupat” when he goes back to Manila.

 I grew up eating patupat because my father is a native of Mapandan, Pangasinan.  This Manila-rare-find delicacy, which has yet to be as popular as that of Piaya of Iloilo and Otap of Cebu, is made from sticky rice and wrapped by an intricate weaving of coconut leaves.  I know that the authentic patupat is cooked in boiling and sticky sugarcane juice placed in talyasi (big iron cooking pot) and not just from boiling water with brown sugar.  I know this because I personally witnessed cigarette-puffing Aunt Nena cooking this native delicacy in her backyard during one of my childhood summer vacations in Mapandan.

 I remember during my childhood when my relatives from Pangasinan would bring tons of this brown sticky treat in our house in Pasay.  It’s so plenty that we could not finish it in one seating.  Nengkoy would usually put the rest inside the ref.  However, when it is chilled the quality and endowment of the patupat is not as good. 

 But out of Nengkoy’s culinary ingenuity, she would fry those chilled left-over patupat and would actually improve it in all its full gourmet glory!  Like an apocalyptic conception the cold, days-old and left-over patupat when fried is delightfully crispy on the outside yet heavenly soft and chewy on the inside.    

 Anak ng patupat! Tulo laway na ko!