Suzhou Dimsum

They say that good things come in small packages as this obscure Chinese restaurant we dined in last Sunday. It was away from the chaotic mall nor along the busy highway. Hidden from the streets of Shaw Blvd and away from Greenhills, San Juan, you'll find Suzhou Dimsum.

Arlo recommended the place so we tried it though we really have to drive around the area. It's just a small restaurant among the residential area. It was not too busy though it is a Sunday afternoon, just after lunch time.

We had Xiao Long Pao, dimsum with broth inside. The soup tastes similar to a milder sukang Ilocano. For appetizer, we had tofu with century egg and pork floss. The delicate bean curd was seasoned with salty pork floss without overpowering it. Sauteed broccoli with garlic was another dish we tried out. We also had the fish fillet with tofu cubes cooked like agadeshi tofu.

I read in Spot.ph that it is nominated in their annual foodie awards. Try out their selection of Chinese dishes and judge for yourself.

Eating Healthy at Wheatberry

Getting a good breakfast is very important for your health. We visited this place that serves breakfast all day. It's called Wheatberry Bakery and Cafe. It has a wide selection of freshly baked breads and pastries. They serve breakfast all day, too!

We went there as early as 9am and they already have customers dining. Arlo and I tried there breakfast platter which has 2 pancakes, sausage, egg, and hash browns. We also tried out the bacon and beans which was featured in The Sweet Life on QTV 11.

I especially liked the bacon and beans which is basically pork and beans. I like how I can taste the flavor of fresh tomatoes as the base of the soup. The beans have the right texture, not too soggy.

Arnold, the restaurant's chef, invited us for dinner. He asks us to try out their entree. For starters, we had chili con carne served with buttered baguette, nachos and pita bread. It was served with a cheese sauce that made it really special. The appetizer just had the right amount of heat and it blends well with the cheese sauce.

When you visit Wheatberry, you have got to try their calamari en tinta negra. The challenge with preparing squid is how to manage its texture from being rubbery. Its sauce was very savory with the help of garlic. You won't help it but ask for another cup of rice. Korean beef stew is served with kimchi. They used beef tendons instead of ribs.

Arnold wanted us to try his new dish called Poached fish with mushrooms. He used cream dory for this entree which serves as a canvass for the palate. To add flavor and aroma, it was blanched by olive and sesame oil. Mushrooms adds relish to it.

Wheatberry serves healthy food and their service is fast. Groups can dine together and they even offer a conference rooms for meetings. After dinner, you can check out their cakes and pastries and order freshly brewed coffee, too.

Re-discovering Desire

I remember borrowing the book, A Street Car Named Desire, from CJ when I was in high school. It was not because it was a literary classic written by Tennessee Williams but because of the cover, the young Marlon Brando. I didn’t know he can look that gorgeous because I know him as the fat guy from the Island of Dr. Moreau. Ok, I’m mortified to admit that it was only the cover that made the major impression during my adolescence.

To redeem myself, I was thrilled to see it once I learned that it will be mounted on stage this year. Though still interested in Marlon Brando’s role, I want to find out more why Blanche Dubois depended on the kindness of strangers. And of course, what the hell is a street car named Desire?

Three’s a company

Blanche Dubois, an English teacher from Laurel, came down to New Orleans to visit her sister Stella. She tells her about losing their ancestral property, Belle Reve. Stanley Kowalski, Stella’s husband, was surprised with the visit of his fussy sister-in-law. Learning about the family’s misfortune, he starts to distrust Blanche.

Stella was caught in between her sister and husband’s daily bickering. She tries her best to take care of her sister while being a good wife. Stanley’s suspicion leads him to investigate about Blanche. He learns how Blanche was despised by the people of Laurel, the town where she practices teaching. He told Stella about the lies told to them by Blanche. He also discloses this to Harold Mitchell, his friend who proposed to Blanche, to save him from embarrassment.

Blanche finally broke down after Stanley coerced her to confess the truth. She was sent to a mental asylum by her sister.

Women of substance

Tanghalang Pilipino mounts “A Street Car named Desire” for it’s 23 rd season. Floy Quintos directs both English and Filipino production. The English production which premiered on October 9, 2009; the Filipino version “Flores para los Muertos” will open next weekend.

Ana Abad Santos plays the capricious Blanche Dubois complete with old Hollywood glamour and southern accent. Mailes Kanapi essayed the role of the devoted wife and sister, Stella Kowalski. Marlon Brando’s role was taken by Reuben Uy.

The audience was brought into the Kowalski’s household and observe how stressful the environment was for Stella, Stanley and Blanche. Ana gives out a very powerful performance as a woman who’s trying to hide something from her sister. Her nuances shows that she’s scared that Stella would find out what really happened, why they lost Belle Reve.

Citing the Napoleonic code, Stanley was very much intrigued with his wife’s family’s misfortune. Reuben was very effective in taunting Blanche to reveal her secrets. He portrayed the role with so much machismo. You really could see him as a blue collar worker, sweating and smelling the part.

Stella (Mailes Kanapi) defends her sister against her husband who is skeptical about her person while trying to be a faithful wife. Her role is very important to keep the peace in the Kowalski household. For me, it is actually Stella who stands as a woman of substance because she remains to be dutiful to her relationships.

The relationship between Stella and Blanche was actually very strong. Stella could have been easily swayed by the suspicion of Stanley against her sister. Despite being blamed for leaving her the gargantuan task of governing their family’s estate, Stella showed understanding of her sisters pain.

As the story progress, I am doubting if Stanley really loved Stella. He was so curious to find out on how Belle Reve was lost from mortgage. Is he really concerned about the family’s welfare or he just wants to get a share from the sales of the property?

These were the questions left to me after watching the show. It’s not a bad thing that there questions left hanging in my mind after seeing the play. In life, we don’t really get to answer the questions right away. There are things that you get to figure out later on in life. You look back and you re-discover things as you experience more.

At least now, I have a deeper understanding of Desire. And I can say it’s beyond Marlon Brando’s photo.

What's in your vanity kit?

Here's what you'll find in my vanity kit:

Moisturizer
Hand and Nail cream
Body mist
Baby powder
Body splash
Shave
After shave lotion
Alcohol
Facial Mask with zinc
Toothpaste
Toothbrush

What can I find on your kit? Tell me about it.

Life is a Trap

The Cultural Center of the Philippines opened the fifth year of Virgin Labfest. This event sponsored by the Writers’ Bloc and the Japan Foundation gives opportunity to stage new plays. Fifteen new materials will be performed at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute from June 23 to July 5, 2009.

There are five sets that consist of three plays each. Last Saturday, I was able to see “Life is a Trap” which were all about in search of escapes. Truths stirred by humor can make one sit through three amusing plays in a Saturday night. First in the three plays was Paigan. It brings us to the US-Filipino War when the US Government sent African-American troops to fight against the guerrillas. David Fagen defected from the US Government and fought side-by-side with the Filipinos. Liza Magtoto, the writer, presents the dilemma to the audience to identify who your enemy is. Filipinos are still in a war against poverty and money will be our way out of it.

Hate Restaurant is a work by an Australian, David Finnegan. Toby, a chef who works in a local diner, came to work to find her employer Lucille unfit to work for the day. She needs to cook for 70 guests for a breakfast conference. She juggled between minding the demanding guests and her crazy waiters. Light yet tragic, something like Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell in theater.

Nick Pichay’s Isang Araw sa Karnabal closes the night with a political drama set today. The play gives us a chance to eavesdrop to a lover’s date in the perya. Despite the festive mood of the carnival, they just cannot escape their grief over the loss of loved ones. Gripping from their painful past, they cannot see beyond building a family in society filled with injustice and political harassment.

IMAX boasts of its images and Dolby surround sound. Theater gives you better because the actors show you tears and feel their anguish as they throw their lines. Audiences elicit their immediate response from the performance on stage. This set of plays apparently used real knives as props. Personally, I was scared that there might be an accident waiting to happen that night with bolos and chopping knife were used in the set. Audience can make a successful performance. But sometimes, it can spoil it too. Last Saturday, my laughter was pre-empted by the audience. The punch line was not yet delivered but they already were laughing. I don’t know if they were the performers or any of the writers’ guests. Other than that, I enjoyed the plays and I’m looking forward to watch the others.

Life is an obstacle course but there’s a way to go through it. Never be afraid to solve its puzzle. You may commit mistakes but you can always correct it. Don’t take life’s problem too seriously and leave some space for laughter. Before you know it, you’ve unraveled something marvelous and you can write about it on the next Virgin Labfest.

Day at the Museum

When I was single, I had this fantasy of meeting my mate in a museum. Among the galleries of paintings by the masters, my eyes and heart will be stolen by someone who shares appreciation for art and history. Well, it never happened that way. It is all for another blog entry.

Last Sunday, we headed to National Museum in the Old Senate Building in Manila. I was so excited to see if there are any new exhibits since the last time I visited it. Our museum is open to the public from Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm. It was around 1pm when we got there so we took our time.

Cameras are not allowed so we weren't able to take pictures. The first hall houses is a tribute to Felix Resureccion Hidalgo and Juan Luna. Spolarium demands attention and reverence as it stands there. Juan Luna's masterpiece deserve winning the grand prize in Spain during that time. You have to see how he was able to give every minute detail despite the shadows casts over the gladiators who died in the coliseum.

Portraits and landscapes are lined up on the side which shows the other works of the two masters. Versatility was showed as each materials uses different mediums like pencil, charcoal, and oil.

Modern art are given space and soon they will give honor to our country. Tao-tao is an art installation that depicts a folklore in Mindanao. It is very philosophical and moving as it tells you our ancestors view of the afterlife.

My jaw dropped when I saw the centerpiece in the natural history section of the museum. There was this enormous sperm whale fossil floating in the middle of the room. It was amazing!

It was already four in the afternoon so we didn't get the chance to go to the Finance Building where the other exhibits were. Well, there's always another weekend.

Hunger pangs are beginning to bother Arlo and me so I decided to visit Ongpin. Travel time featured a food trip in Binondo so we went there to eat. We enjoyed the noodles, siopao and siomai at Masuki. We just savored the freshly cooked noodles and their large siopao filled with meat and salted duck egg. Their siomai is P23 each but it is not the little siomai served in chowking.

Binondo church was our next stop and we took some pictures inside before the mass. A plaza was dedicated to San Lorenzo Ruiz and serves as the rotonda for the public transportation. There were many Chinese-Filipino in that area, I wonder why?

Our next stop was Mall of Asia. We watched Night at the Museum 2 in IMAX. It was funny and entertaining. Arlo enjoyed it very much because I can hear him laugh while I doze off several times during the movie. Night at the museum is not that bad but I didn't get a nap so I was a sleepy that early evening.


We capped the night with a coffee in Bohemian Nation's Coffee (Bona Coffee) along San Miguel at the Bay behind MOA. I thought Ate Guy will be there and serving coffee from the boiling water she scalded Phillip Salvador in the movie with the title "Bona."

Clear Pores make you hot!

If you have oily skin, you have to make sure that you clean your face or you'll get break outs. Oily skin is not only for adolescents but there are people who have uber active sebaceous glands. Having oily skin won't make you rich because the government won't have any use for face oils. So here are some products that could solve these greasy issue.

Garnier Pure self heating mask really lives up to its name. It is warm when you apply it to your face. It is refreshing and has a very light fragrance that relaxes you as well.

These package can be used in two weeks since it promises to purify your pores in 7 days. One dose can cover your whole face. It would really upset me if one dose won't be enough to cover my beautiful face.

I have to see results or I'll give other masks a try.