My very first meme...

I got tagged by my friend Toe in Cambodia with my very first meme. This is a nice way for my newfound friends in the blogosphere to get to know me better. Anyway, so here goes…

SIX WEIRD THINGS/HABITS ABOUT MYSELF:

1. Whenever I walk on the streets/pavements/sidewalks, I try to avoid stepping on the lines. This is pretty normal behavior for kids, but kinda weird when you see a thirtysomething still doing it.

2. I love to dip bananas either in bagoong (alamang) or in adobo sauce. The sweetness of the bananas combined with the saltiness of either the bagoong or adobo sauce is just to die for.

3. I have an obsession about my hair. I was born with very wavy hair. As a kid, I would would put all kinds of pins on it to make it presentable. When I was in college, I discovered the magic of the salon and I started having my hair chemically straightened. Then, I started having “relaxing” treatments during the time I was in law school. I was so obsessed with having the “straight hair” look that I would spend an hour and a half blow drying my hair straight even though I hadn’t finished reading all the assigned cases. Hahaha…I was really obsessed with my hair. Nowadays, I still have my yearly “rebonding” or “relaxing” treatments. But I’m not as obsessed now as I was before. What brought on this attitude change? Simple. I got married. Now, my hubby is stuck with me no matter how wavy my hair becomes, especially with this rainy season in Manila which just exacerbates the curls.

4. I am not an insomniac but I go to sleep at around 2 to 3 in the morning. I do not have a perfectly good explanation for this kind of behavior. We do not have kids yet and as much as possible I do not bring home my work. It’s just that life is short and I want to read as many books as I can and watch as many interesting television shows and movies as I can. Of course I can only do this at night when we get home from work. Unfortunately, my husband is a light sleeper. He really gets annoyed because he is already in deep sleep and probably in dreamland already at this time and he would wake up because I could not go to sleep without hugging or embracing him.

5. I have trouble learning new/additional languages. I don’t know what chemicals are in my brain which makes me an idiot when it comes to learning another language. I can only speak Filipino and English. That’s it. I grew up studying in a Chinese school and my father is Chinese but I can only speak a grand total of 4 sentences (more or less) in Chinese Mandarin. I really have trouble understanding Chinese even when I was surrounded with a whole class of Chinese-speaking students. When I started working, I had the bright idea of learning another language…Spanish this time. So I enrolled in Instituto Cervantes which was then located in Leon Guinto St. in Manila. I took Saturday classes for more than 2 years. In fact I think I reached Level 9. But aside from the occasional Spanish words which just happens to be the same in the Filipino language, my know-how in Spanish is the same as that of someone who just reached Level 1. Pathetic! All those years of studying Chinese and Spanish down the drain.

6. I have an adopted half-brother in China which I probably will neither see and nor hear from again. Most of my friends don’t know this about me. My father and his wife (not my mom, by the way) decided to adopt a boy (actually, when he was adopted, he was probably around 23 years old already, so I could hardly categorize him as a boy) because they do not have a son. We all know how important it is in the Chinese culture to have a son who will carry on the family name and take care of the family business. Anyway, I got to see him a grand total of 2 times, first when we visited him in China and the second time was when he visited us in the Philippines. We never heard from him since my father passed away almost five years ago. And since you all know my trouble with speaking Chinese and my adopted brother doesn’t speak a single word of English, I do not foresee any possibility of us establishing contact in the future because of the language barrier. Besides, none of us knows his address in China. Hmmm…but all hope is not lost. Remember The Joy Luck Club?

Ok. That’s it. I decided not to tag anyone since I do not have a lot of friends yet in the blogosphere.

Thank God it's Friday!

I just want to shout to the world “THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY!” No more drafting of letters to client, no more conferences to attend, no more reports to make…time to enjoy!

If you notice the title of my blog – “OF LAW AND BADMINTON” – it announces in itself that this blog is supposed to be about the law and about badminton. However, you will notice that so far I have only written about badminton, the weather in Manila, recipes and even make-up. No posts about the law…yet. I attribute this to the fact that since I am a practicing lawyer by day, I am too exhausted about my job to talk about it during my “blog” time. Grabe … .nakakasawa na.

This preoccupation to talk about everything else besides work would manifest itself whenever my hubby picks me up from work. Our talks in the car would begin by him asking how my day went. I would usually answer by telling him that everything went OK. Then I would excitedly ask him how his day went. He is, by the way, a badminton coach and former national champion here in the Philippines. I would want him to tell me EVERYTHING about his day. How his day went is definitely more exciting than my day at the office.

Anyway, weekend’s here! No work for two (2) days. Yehey! I am so excited. Hope you get to enjoy your weekend too!

My recipe for comfort on a rainy day in Manila...

What can I tell you….it’s been raining like hell in Metro Manila for the past three days. For a short while this afternoon, I finally saw some dry patches of land. So, my hubby and I (by the way, we both stayed home today since I was not feeling well and hubby decided to take care of me…sweet noh) went to the supermarket for a while to get some groceries. On our way out, hubby bought 2 shawarmas for our merienda.

When we got home, hubby and I excitedly opened our shawarmas with the gusto of an eagle attacking its prey. To our dismay, the shawarma looked like this...

Grabe…super konti ng sahog. Anyway, what can you expect for 45 pesos or approximately US$0.90. Despite the small serving, hubby definitely enjoyed his shawarma, so I let him have the rest of mine since I was on a diet.

After eating the shawarma, hubby went back to sleep. Sarap kasing matulog pag busog, di ba? So with nothing left to do, I decided to cook pasta for our dinner. I went with linguine in white sauce since there were lots of all-purpose cream left in the cupboard. I left out the eggs which are usually included in my standard version since I had to be health conscious. Here is a picture of the finished product.

Ingredients: minced onion, olive oil, bacon (prosciuttos are hard to come by in this part of the world), all-purpose cream, chicken broth and parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Tag Category: Recipe

Tayo na sa Antipolo

We went to Antipolo Church yesterday to attend mass and to pray for the safe trip of my nephew and brother-in-law to Vietnam where my nephew will participate in the 6th World Junior Taekwondo Championships. It has been a yearly ritual for our family to go to Antipolo Church during my birthday (May 1, or the nearest weekend possible depending on our schedule) and whenever a member of the family has to go on a long trip. This is due to the fact that the patron saint of Antipolo Church is the “Nuestra Señora dela Paz y Buenviaje” or “Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.”

According to various historians, the Virgin Mary of Antipolo was brought to the Philippines on March 25, 1526 by Don Juan Niño de Tabora (who became the Governor-General) from Mexico. On this trip, Governor Tabora brought along the brown image of our Blessed Virgin Mother. The Brown Virgin would eventually accompany Spanish traders during the 16th and 17th century, and it was believed that the Brown Virgin protected the traders from the ravages of storms and pirates, hence its name “La Virgen dela Paz y Buenviaje.”

Unfortunately, it was raining yesterday so here is the most decent pic I could take of the church from the outside.

Another pic of the inside of the church from where I was sitting.

The Virgin of Antipolo sits atop a glass case high above the altar. After hearing mass, churchgoers would flock to the back of the church where they would line up to go to the second floor and have the opportunity to touch the miraculous dress of the Virgin Mary and pray. A museum can also be found on the same floor.

After the mass, we went straight to the building beside the church housing the stalls of the vendors where Antipolo’s famous suman and kasoy (cashew) are being sold. Aside from suman and kasoy they also sell various goodies enough to satisfy the cravings of anyone who has a sweet tooth.

My sister wondered how many fruits it took to produce this many cashews. Must have been lots and lots of fruits.

My Recipe for Bolognese

For the first time in many weeks, I found myself without anything to do on a Saturday. No badminton tournaments to watch my hubby play or to assist him in officiating. So, I decided to cook Bolognese. This is my first time to cook this dish although in the past, I’ve tried to cook lasagna which also consists of ground beef and tomato sauce.

Fortunately, my Bolognese was a hit among my nephew and nieces. Here is a picture of this dish, followed by my recipe which I’ve revised since some ingredients are not readily available in Philippine supermarkets.

2 tsps. olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small whole onion, minced
I lb. ground beef
I small can tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
500 g. tomato sauce (can add more, depending on your taste)
1 small can of champignon mushroom, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
½ tsp. oregano
½ tsp. basil
1/3 cup of all-purpose cream (to lighten the color)
1 lb. pasta (either penne or spaghetti)

Heat the oil in a large wok, add the garlic and onion and cook until the garlic is lightly browned and the onion becomes transparent. Add the ground beef and cook for about 20 minutes or until the beef turns brown. You can add the broth if the beef dries up. Then add the tomato paste and the tomato sauce. Add the seasonings. Add the cream at the end in order to lighten the color. Serve sauce over hot pasta. Enjoy!

Tag Category: Recipe

Make-up Junkie

I have a confession to make. I am a make-up junkie. There…I said it.

I have lots and lots of make-up I can’t use, most of which just end up in the trash. Whenever I have some money left and I’m feeling depressed, I immediately go to make-up counters (SM, Rustan’s, even Mercury and Watson’s will do) in order to lift my mood. I eventually end up buying stuff I won’t really need anyway. Honestly, how much make-up does a girl really need?

My main obsession is lipsticks. There are days when I want to feel vampy and I put on the red lipstick (“Red” by Bobbi Brown); when I want to go natural I use a pinkish brown shade (“Spirit” by MAC or “Crystal Rose” by Estee Lauder); and when I want to look natural but with a little bit of color, I put on a rose shade (“Soft Rose” by Bobbi Brown). I gave away most of my lipsticks (sniff…sniff…) because others can still put it to good use before they turn rancid, and still, around 20 tubes are left inside my “Caboodle” box. I plan on keeping all of them. I even had a bet with a close friend of mine that I will not buy lipstick this year. I was able to keep my end of the bargain…until June, that is. I also love blushes…I have the cream, gel and the powder kind. But the blush which always gets the most compliment is the powder blush by Bobbi Brown with a rosy shade.

One of my dreams is to own a cosmetic company someday. Boy…that would be the day! I almost forgot about that dream of mine until Eric, a close friend of mine, reminded me about it during one of our dinner get-togethers. He said I should never let go of that dream. The people we meet along the way, the experiences we encounter…they all help us toward making our dreams a realization. In the meantime, until that day comes when I have saved enough capital to put up a cosmetic company, I should never quit my day job.

A seller in disguise

I decided to eat at McDonald’s (near Makati Cinema Square) during lunch today as I was craving for a crrrrunchy fried chicken. I went there a bit early so as not to catch the lunch crowd and proceeded to place my order. Once I got my order, I chose an inconspicuous place and started eating.

As I was halfway through enjoying the fried chicken (to the tune of Pa-pa-ra-Pacquiao…), a man, who by the way looked like a customer, placed a small birthday card on my table without any explanation and probably expected me to read the contents of the card. Instinct, as well as years of living in the metropolis, tells me never to trust any stranger, however well-meaning they may be. So, I continued eating the rest of the chicken, ignoring the card. By this time, I thought the man had already left my side and was probably distributing these cards to the rest of the customers. I was surprised when the man suddenly put a bag of native delicacies on my table, probably waiting for me to pay for his wares. I waved him away. I was annoyed by the fact that he was not upfront about his intentions and made it look he was giving me a birthday card. Does he take me for a fool? This kind of modus operandi bugs me no end. Hay nako….only in the Philippines.

The Fury that is Mayon Volcano

Mayon Volcano situated in Legazpi City, Albay started spewing flaming lava and rocks from its mouth last Friday, raising risks of a major eruption and putting thousands of villagers on high alert for evacuation. According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mayor Noel Rosal said that even wild animals, such as boars and snakes, had begun descending from Mayon and that springs on the lower slopes of the mountain were drying up, all of which were "a bad sign."

Phivolcs has also reported that the tremors in the area are increasing and becoming more violent, which shows that the volcano is ready to explode anytime soon. Unfortunately, I saw on the television this morning that there were still some people near the area who were unwilling to evacuate to makeshift evacuation centers. According to them, they will just starve in the evacuation centers and they prefer to tend to their farms since they feel that the volcano will not yet erupt, “predicting” that it will take weeks before it will do so.

For more information, you can visit the website of Philippine Daily Inquirer at http://inq7.net.

2006 MBC Celebrity Badminton Tournament

The MBC (Manila Broadcasting Company) Celebrity Badminton Tournament was held last Saturday, 15 July 2006, at the Smashville Badminton Court in Pasig City. The event was, of course, sponsored by MBC/DZRH, with Nadia Montenegro as the Events Organizer and Jojo Mance as the Tournament Director. While there were a few mishaps and temper tantrums on the side, the event was a resounding success. The antics of john “Sweet” Lapuz (with his high-pitched screams when he would commit an error, and he would always grab the microphone from the commentator to make funny comments) proved to be a welcome respite from the high-intensity badminton games.

Here are some of the pictures from the tournament:




the MBC Celebrity Badminton Tournament poster





















the celebrities during opening ceremonies...




Anthony Suntay with Jojo...










the champions of the Class A Division...
Emilio Garcia and Jestoni Alarcon










the powerful duo of Glydel Mercado and Karla Estrada











buti nakahabol pa si Janno Gibbs....










tournament director Jojo while relaxing and sharing light moments with Ian Veneracion and Jong Cuenco (the flutist, whom we discovered is a distant relative of Jojo)...








Aaron Villena with Robin Da Roza

Tag Category: Badminton+tournament

WE ARE THE WORLD

Remember this song from the eighties??? I remember when, as an impressionable young kid, I would stay glued to the T.V. during lunch time watching MTV on Ch. 2, hoping that they would feature this song (it was summer when the song was released, so I had the opportunity to watch T.V. throughout the day). Fortunately, this song stayed on the charts for weeks on end, so I was a happy kid.

After surfing the web for more info on this song and its history, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this song celebrated its 20th year anniversary last year. (Grabe...20 years na pala...ang tanda ko na...) This single, released on 8 March 1985, became the quickest selling record in music industry history. Harry Belafonte, the one who initiated the idea after watching a news report on the famine in Africa during the Christmas of ’84, remembers fondly how the single came to life. It was actually inspired by the success of the British supergroup Band Aid and their 1984 fundraising single “Do They Know It's Christmas?”. The performers gathered at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, on 28 January 1985. Ken Kragen, Belafonte’s manager, selected the night of the American Music Awards to ensure as many artists as possible could attend.

If Belafonte was the conscience of the project, legendary producer Quincy Jones was the maestro. Twenty years later, he still has the lucky sweater he wore to corral all that talent and remembers the warning he gave them: "Check your egos at the door."

What many people don’t know is that the song was written by two pop icons: Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. (Michael is such a big icon in pop history. I hope he turns his creativity and talent to worthwhile pursuits like this.) Lead vocals were rotated among 21 of the performers, including Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. (more info on this site.)

Here are some excerpts from the song. It hope it touches your heart the same way it has, time and again, touched mine. (For the complete lyrics, please visit this site.)

We Are The World
( USA for Africa )

There comes a time when we heed a certain call

When the world must come together as one

There are people dying Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life

The greatest gift of all

We can't go on pretending day by day

That someone, somehow will soon make a change

We're all a part of God's great big family

And the truth - you know love is all we need

We are the world, we are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let's start giving

There's a choice we're making

We're saving our own lives

It's true we'll make a better day just you and me

This awful weather...

I hate this awful weather we are experiencing in Metro Manila right now. It’s supposedly just monsoon weather and not the typhoon which hit other parts of Northern Luzon today. The typhoon’s name is “Florita.” (Hmmm…I thought PAG-ASA had already resorted to giving masculine names to typhoons? Why the female name now?) In Metro Manila, the DepEd (Department of Education) suspended classes this morning in grade school and high school levels (albeit belatedly, while the students were already in school and probably had a hard time getting home) and government offices sent workers home early. I also heard from the radio this morning that Metro Manila will be experiencing this kind of weather until Friday. (grrr...)

At about 4:30 this afternoon, I looked out the window and was surprised to see dark and gloomy weather. It looked as if nighttime had fallen already. So, feeling depressed (gloomy weather makes me depressed…I’m not sure but there’s some scientific explanation for it), I decided to browse the internet for news about the weather we’re currently experiencing.

I was stunned to see this picture here.

This is a result of the landslide which hit Baguio last night. In fact, a 4-year old boy was pinned down and is considered dead by the authorities although they have yet to recover his body. Tsk tsk... I realized that I have no reason to complain while I’m sitting here in my room safe and sound while several lives were lost due to the typhoon. I better count my blessings.

More pics from the JVC 2006 Badminton Tournament FINALS

Here are more pics from the JVC Finals...
















Tag Category: Badminton+tournament

JVC 2006 Badminton Tournament - FINALS

The Elite, Elite Masters, Veterans and Veterans Masters Categories of the JVC 2006 Badminton Tournament finally came to a close yesterday, 8 July 2006. Congratulations to my hubby and his partner for winning 2nd place in the Veterans Masters Mixed Doubles category. It was quite an achievement for them considering that my hubby's partner started playing badminton and was even his student sometime in 2002. And inspite of that, they were able to beat some seasoned veterans pairs. Kudos to Jojo Mance and Jojo Hipolito!

Here are some pics during the finals and awarding ceremonies.

Tag category: Badminton+tournament

JVC 2006 Badminton Tournament (Semi-finals)

These are pictures taken during the JVC 2006 Badminton Tournament last 5 July 2006 at the Glorietta Activity Center, Makati City. The featured events are Veterans Masters Mixed Doubles, Men's Doubles and Ladies' Doubles semi-finals and Men's Singles quarterfinals. The finals for the Veteran's Masters and Elite Masters will be held on Saturday, 8 July 2006. (Good luck Honey!)























Tag Category: Badminton+tournament

JVC 2006 Badminton Tournament (Quarterfinals)

Here are some pics from the JVC Badminton Tournament Quarterfinals held last 4 July 2006 at the Glorietta Activity Center, Makati City.

Tag category: Badminton+tournament

MBC CELEBRITY BADMINTON TOURNAMENT (Part 1)

A celebrity tournament being organized by the Manila Broadcasting Company will be held on 15 July 2006. Leveling of the celebrities joining the tournament is currently undergoing. Here are some pics from the leveling held last 1 July 2006.























Tag Category: Badminton+tournament