Japan shopping… Japan Home Center, that is!

My kids must be happy to go back to school this year. My bento obsession has led me to buy all sorts of lunch boxes imaginable. There are strictly no bento lunch sets for sale yet in our shores - unless you buy abroad or shop online - but I think you just have to use existing containers in all sizes to assemble your bento kit.

My bento lunch box addiction led me to retrace my footsteps to Japan Home Center in a major mall. This is a place which prides itself of its Made in Japan knick-knacks, and almost everything is P88 or less - like those 100 Yen stores in Tokyo.

I immediately liked what i saw….

JHC lunch box showcase

JHC lunch boxes

Cuteness!!!

Lady monk

I even saw a lady monk, and she is seen here posing beside the Burberry-style umbrellas.

Service at Japan Home Center Robinson’s Manila is very good, and at least they didn’t freak out at the sight of a certain digital camera taking shots of the merchandise in the place.

Japanese household items are very utilitarian to say the least, there’s one for every purpose and Japan Home Center is just filled with goodies you’d be curious about. There’s earthenware, cleaning tools, hooks, trays, kitchen utensils and even a portable pasta strainer. The items change every now and then, so my advice is to scoop up already what suits your fancy. Just don’t stuff your house with so much clutter!

Fastfood bento

I found one toddler tray with a cartoon cover so cute that I immediately put it to good use. I call this my fastfood bento … pizza, spaghetti and hotdogs. P

PAGCOR’s show of ‘Wanders’

(Photos courtesy of PAGCOR’s Corporate Communications Department)

If you’re looking for an entertainment extravaganza that you will truly be proud to show to your kababayans from the provinces, balikbayans and tourists, then bring them over to Wanders which is now on an extended run at the PAGCOR Grand Theater in Paranaque City.

As a PAGCORian, I can’t help but be proud that there is a show like this in our midst, the Philippine version of the world-famous performing troupe Cirque du Soleil. Wanders was conceptualized by PAGCOR Chairman Efraim Genuino to bring world-class entertainment to Filipinos. It utilizes topnotch Filipino musicians, entertainers and talents, with the help of agile acrobats from China and a host of dancers from Russia. It is one and a half hours of non-stop entertainment all the way!

Wanders is for young and old alike. My kids enjoyed every bit of it as it transforms them to a magical world of make-believe. One of my favorites is this trio of young contortionists who are barely in their teens. Man, can they bend! Reminds me to load up on my calcium D

Contortionists2

My son had fun watching all the maneuvers of the male acrobats from China. They come from the province of Henan which is where most of China’s treasured acrobats come from. You can just imagine the gravity-defying stunts that await everyone in the Beijing Olympics.

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WANDERs

Another favorite is this portion by a couple who perform their acrobatics in mid-air using ropes suspended from the ceiling. They are sweethearts in real life too!

The rest of Wanders…. and more!

WANDERs

WANDERs

Tickets are priced at P3000, P2500, P2000, P1500 & P1200. Bulk discounts for schools and other organizations. For inquiries, buzz this blogger D

My Sony Ericsson K800i dies on me….

My SE K800i

I was ready to sing hallelujah’s to my Sony Ericsson K800i when its much-vaunted Cybershot camera died on me a few weeks ago.

Died. Kaput. Gone. These days when I press on the camera button, all that displays is a vast space of nothingness. Whatta pity since this Sony Ericsson K800i model is supposed to be my favorite cameraphone of all time. It’s been my trusted companion from Quiapo to Baguio to Batanes. It has taken snapshots of everything that’s caught my fancy, from a newly-steamed dimsum to sunsets to my kids laughing in glee at the sight of ice cream. What’s a blogger got to do without a camera to take photos of stolen moments? I have a DSLR and two other digital cameras but a camera built into a phone is just irresistible, don’t you agree?

The folks at the Robinsons Manila telecoms shops said a software upgrade can probably cure my phone of its dysfunction. So far I’ve resisted this since I still have to save some precious contacts and messages. An upgrade, after all, will erase all data on my phone, except those that are saved to my SIM. A visit to the Sony Ericsson service center, on the other hand, enlightened me of the fact that a software upgrade does not guarantee the camera will work back to perfection; some phone parts may have to be replaced.

I am doing without a cameraphone for now, although I don’t know what will happen to my dormant activities like moblogging. Sony Ericsson phones look sturdy, but I guess in my case, they were not made to be sturdy. For the last time, I am giving this brand another chance, unless you have another brand in mind. I might just go ahead and buy an K850i. Dang! I can’t seem to resist Cybershot phones. P

‘Mga Kwento ng Batang Kaning Lamig:’ Batjay, the second time around

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SPOT THE YELLOW BOOK . Batjay (seated) with his blogger-friends Apol, Wats0n, Tito Rolly and Fisherpau. Not in photo is yours truly D

The king of the blog humorists, Nicanor David a.k.a Batjay launched his second blook recently.For the occasion, he went straight from the airport to Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street, wearing his Spiderman shirt. There’s a long line of people clutching the yellow copies of “Mga Kwento ng Batang Kaning Lamig” and he obliges with personalized dedications, with matching cartoon drawings pa.

We asked him if he flew all the way from California for the launching, and he says not really. He foremostly wanted to see his beloved mother. Growing up, Batjay was a “batang kaning lamig” and the book’s title is driven by memories of him hanging out with his friends, highlighted by eating sessions where they would eat cold rice served by his mother, amid big steaming hot bowls of sinigang.

Anyway, Batjay’s book is so handy and funny that I don’t have it anymore. Somebody snitched it!! Here’s the full text of my article as it appeared on Manila Bulletin yesterday:

THE SECOND COMING OF BATJAY

Book authors are crossing over to the blogosphere and having their own websites, in an apparent bid to widen their reach. After all, everybody who matters is online these days. On the other hand, there are a handful of bloggers who are crossing over to the media and the publishing world, in an effort to also widen their reach and influence. No harm there, ’tis a free country.

Bloggers who’ve managed to publish their own books are few and far in between. It takes somebody like humorist Nicanor David Jr., more popularly known as Batjay, to gain acceptance from his blogging peers and people from all walks of life who aren’t necessarily connected to the internet. This is the reason why just a year after he launched his maiden book that was adapted from his blog, another publishing house was ready to take Batjay in its wings.The result is ” Mga Kwento ng Batang Kaning Lamig” launched by Fox Literary House Inc. last April 14. Fox is one of those raring, upstart publishers willing to give young writers a break and accommodate non-conventional genres. At the time we interviewed the California-based Batjay, he was the lone blogger (read: new media publisher) sharing the limelight with a few twenty-something authors who wrote a collection of erotic fiction and some chick lit.

“Mga Kwento ng Batang Kaning Lamig” was sold out in no time. Having bought myself a copy of the slim, 92-page volume of anecdotes and imaginary conversations, it’s easy to see why. Batjay’s story is about the Philippines’ OFW diaspora, told in a funny way.There are many of us who can relate, as either we have worked abroad or know of a parent, sister, uncle, neighbor and classmate who does. It’s true that the Philippine economy will simply sink without its overseas workers’ remittances, but the real story is the distinctive OFW “culture” that has developed as a result. Yes, OFW’s , when gathered together, have a mouthful of observations to make of their respective adoptive countries. Or, as Batjay attests, they simply laugh their homesickness blues away, as this example from his book (or blook) shows

AKO : I will fucks you a copy of my proposal
AMERIKANO: It’s fax. “Faaaaax!”
AKO: Sorry. I will faaax you a copy of my proposal. Three shits total.
AMERIKANO : It’s sheets. “Sheeeets!”
AKO : Packing sheet
AMERIKANO: Huh?

It is really hard to translate Batjay’s Tagalog jokes because as he himself admits, Filipino humor can’t be carried over as effectively to another language. This is after all what makes us unique as a people, the very thing that unites us.

He minces no words and offers no apologies for his irreverent humor, which is no-holds-barred and is direct to the point.

“My style is one you can never use or discuss in a formal conversation. This is a kind of language that you will just hear on the streets - malutong at bastos pero down to earth at makatotohanan, walang pretense,” the blogger-turned-author says.No worries, because Batjay’s book just happens to be required reading in a creative writing class at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.Award-winning writer Jun Cruz Reyes calls it “creative non-fiction.”

After all, where else can you find witty titles like ” It’s not how you pick your nose, it’s where you put the booger that counts,” or, ” The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.” Batjay engages readers by his musings about living and working in the US, and writing an imaginary advice column called “Dear Unkyel Batjay” where the author fires off sane (and insane) advice. The words, even though funny, turn out to be wise and philosophical on second thought.

Okay, we don’t wanna spoil the show. At only one hundred twenty pesos, Batjay’s book should be one of the wisest, most economical purchases you’re going to make this year. Read it and weep…from laughing.

When rice prices are high, eat kamote…

My Sweetheart recently sent me an online delivery of kamote, in memory of that yummy kamote cue we tasted in Batanes. Come to think of it, the focus is now on considering other alternatives for our daily staple, rice, whose prices are rising by the day. If you do the marketing for your household, you will really feel the pinch since P34 is now the lowest price per kilo, whereas before that will buy you the high grade, premium variety already.

The benefits of eating kamote (sweet potato) cannot be underestimated. I do know of friends who go on a diet and just eat kamote. It is enough to fill them for the day. The root crop is a good source of dietary fiber, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and complex carbohydrates.

Kamote is good and tasty even when simply boiled.

Boiled kamote

More recently, I had it as an ingredient for my papaya lumpia which combines shredded papaya, sweet potato and tokwa or tofu. It’s a yummy alternative to the usual bean sprouts and lumpia vegetable we have.

Papaya lumpia

Otherwise, Filipinos are quite content to make desserts of their sweet potatoes. We find kamote in our halo-halo, and this easy candied yam recipe I once tried.

Candied Yams 2

Kamote with caramelized sugar = kamote cue. A classic Pinoy street food!

camote cue