I love hand me downs

One of the privileges I enjoy as the youngest of the Mercado grand kids and as one of the eldest in the Tengco-Bautista clans is that I get first picking from tons of good stuff from my older cousins and youngest titos and titas.

Like this Formula 1 bed that my Tito Xabi Tengco gave me recently!

The red bed was already too small for Tito Xabi and was thus given to me. Just in time, I must add, for I was already getting too big for the bed Cousin Pepi lent me. :)


But what do we do with Pepi's bed? With Tita Dana's permission, I helped Mommy sell the bed in the village bazaar last week.

And with me as a very convincing salesman, we sold the bed within the first hour.

Thanks again, Cousin Pepi for lending me your bed. And next time you're here for vacation and want to sleep over, you and I can share the red bed my Tito Xabi gave me.

Morato Ra(n)tings: Amici Overhauled

Patty and I got a chance to try out the new outlet of Amici on Tomas Morato early this month.

Formerly called Amici di Don Bosco, the Italian eatery was recently acquired by the Moran family, founders and until recently owners of Red Ribbon Bakeshop which they in turn had sold to food conglomerate Jollibee Food Corporation.

I was an occasional diner in the original Amici when I was still based in Makati in the mid 90s. It was not a cozy place. It looked and felt more like a school cafeteria. In fact it probably started out as just that since it was located in the Don Bosco Makati compound and was run by Salesians who probably doubled up as teachers or school administrators.

But the food was great! The pizza, the pasta, the pannini ... yummy!

Legend has it that it was an Italian Salesian who started the restaurant. And that he insisted on using fresh ingredients, importing most of them from Italy.

And then of course, there was the gelati. The "ice cream from heaven," as many fondly referred to it. Ice cream that even a diabetic like me would label as to "die for."


And so when I heard that the new Amici had opened a branch on Tomas Morato, off I went to reconnect with and old friend. Yes, I was apprehensive. Would the food be as good? Would the ice cream be as creamy? Would the charm of a hole in a wall Italian eatery be replaced by the artificial air and trappings of a fast food joint?

Thankfully, one small bite off a slice of Quatro Formaggio pizza quickly allayed my fears.

And the gelati! A spoonful of sinful espresso ice cream was all I needed to be assured that an old friend was back. In my neighborhood. And hopefully to stay.

Truly Pino

Finally got the chance to visit Pino in Maginhawa Street. After months of prodding from Monica, Patty and I had dinner in the resto bar run by Martin and his friends last night.

And to think it was Patty who suggested it. Imagine that! She who's sense of culinary adventure is to put mustard on her french fries, she who swears she could have sinigang and kare kare all year round. (Must be because she's four months pregnant. Hormones make you do irrational things, or so they say.)

And so before she could have the chance to change and her mind, we dropped off Gabi in bestfriend Beeto's house and raced off to Pino. Of course, I was already thinking of a Plan B. There was always Ken Afford on Katipunan where we could run to just in case Patty chickened out. But hey, I would have my Pino meal first!

The first challenge came when we were shown the menu.

I could see the panic in Patty's face. She read and read the short menu and muttered, "I think I will have the cheese sticks."

I already knew what I wanted, the Chicken Confit that Monica always talked about. I wasn't going to budge. I wanted my leg of fowl in duck fat. And I wanted it now.

I gently explained to Patty that the Lemongrass Chicken was nothing more than Chicken Inasal, remembering that we once frequented Joel Torre's Manukan when she was pregnant with Gabi.

She agreed. Thankfully.

And except for having the rice changed to plain instead of java, she didn't ask for her meal to be modified in any other way. Usually she'd want all sauces on the side and all greens -- peas, onions, lettuce -- removed. (I too have an aversion for things green. But not in food.)

And she wasn't disappointed. And neither was I.

Great food, great presentation. One small step for me, a giant leap for Patty.

Thanks, Mons, for making us kulit.

Speechless

For once, Papa was speechless!

Today was my Moving Up Day in Little Sandbox. And I received an award!

The teachers voted me the Little Chatter Award for being able to "express my mind freely" and "converse with others fluently."

In other words, because they can't keep me quiet, they decided to give me an award of excellence for being madaldal.

And I choose to chat not with my classmates, many of whom are still in the googoo, gaga stage, but with my teachers. I like telling them stories of where I went on the weekend, the games I played, the places I visited, the people I met.

Sure, I still have to work on my pronunciation and I still mix up my past perfect and past progressive tenses but by and large, I think I am understood by most.

Papa was so surprised by my award. I am sure he was proud of me. But I guess he was more caught off guard by the accolade.

Papa doesn't realize that it's all his fault. He and Mommy have always insisted on talking to me like an adult. Even when I was still in a crib and not yet crawling.

Every morning, while having breakfast and before Mommy wakes up, Papa and I spend the time talking about anything and everything. Today Papa asked me what I wanted to do during the summer. Of course he had to explain to me what summer was and what it meant. That there was no regular school because the teachers needed to rest. But that if I wanted, I could continue to go to school for special classes or join football clinics or swimming lessons.

I enjoy these chats I have with Papa. Not only do I get the chance to learn new words and expressions but I also get a chance to be with my Papa before he sets off for another long day of work.

But why were you speechless, Papa? This we have to talk about.

Sa Totoo Tayo: A Petition for Freedom of Access to Information Law

Team RP statement:

"Secrecy breeds irregularity, fraud, and crime. It allows chicanery, graft, and corruption... A democracy based on ignorance, on misinformation, on conjectures, on suspicion is doomed to fail. The more enlightenment the people have, the more guarantee there is for their success in their collective enterprises, and in the fulfillment of their social aspirations and purposes." -- Justice Gregorio Perfecto

From the de Venecia-Lozada expose, the Hello Garci scandal, and the Spratlys mind-boggler to the North and South Rail questions, events of the recent past clearly highlight how very little we know about the workings of our government, how much difficulty is involved in getting truth to come out and how, albeit fundamental in any republican and democratic state that the government is accountable to the public, we Filipinos are in reality denied direct access to our government institutions and our public servants. As a country that prides itself with democracy, it strikes us with a disquieting reality that we Filipinos have no real access to information to empower us to properly and actively participate in governance.

We in TEAM RP believe that in order for there to be a responsible citizenry that can actively and meaningfully craft the future of the country, there is a need to give teeth to the policy of full public disclosure and the right of the people to be informed as contained in the fundamental law of the land. Moreover, we are aware that if people, especially those who have been bypassed by development, are unaware of laws and procedures for availing themselves of their entitlements or of mechanisms they can use to remedy their plight, then they will always remain poor.

Let us call on our lawmakers to make top priority the passage of a Philippine Access to Information Law which, subject to reasonable and clearly outlined conditions, ensures unfettered access of the people to information of public concern, including government transactions involving public interest.

We urge our lawmakers, let us not delay this any further.

Trying out posting entries on multiply using my mobile. Connection is kinda slow but and the screen interface quite small but hey, it's still easier than having to stop the car, connecting the weRoam kit to my laptop and accessing the site. Oh well, we'll see...