Wisdom in Four Words

Wise advice need not be long, complicated, and draggy. Sometimes, the best things come in small sizes, and wisdom in four words stand testament to that. Here are my favorites.

30 Ways to be Pro-Environment

 We only have this planet. Forever. Let's take care of it!

The Street Food Guide

They're cheap, they're accessible, and they're in every street corner.

No, 'they' do not happen to be illegal entertainment. 'They' are Filipino street food, the ubiquitous feature on virtually every street in Manila. They are inherently popular due to being cheap and quick snacks - in quantities, even meals! - and one may be lucky enough to find a place that serves really delicious servings. However, with the reputation of Filipino street food as 'dirty' and 'unhygienic', let this be your ultimate guide to a tasty and SAFE experience. Remember, street food is definitely more fun in the Philippines!

Calamares or fried squid.

Safety and Cleanliness

These are the most important things to look out for when scouting for street food (and to avoid the many diseases transmittable through raw food). 

• The brush (and sauce) used for uncooked food are in a separate container.
• The raw food on display are covered from the elements and insects.
• The sticks are clean; no soot marks indicating reuse.
• Bonus points if paper food containers/plates are given out (so that customers don't dip the cooked food into the common sauce containers).

Avoid the place if:

• Flies are on the raw food.
• After cooking the food, the vendor places them on top of the raw food again before packing them.
• The common sauces look murky or discolored.
• The oil being used is dark and murky.
• Charcoal is placed on the grill by melting the plastic bag (with the charcoal inside) through. This is downright poisonous.
• The sweet sauce is exactly the same one used as brush on grilled street food.
• The knife used to cut and slice raw food is the same one used to stoke the charcoal.
• The vendor is smoking while preparing the food (ash droppings).
• Customers touch raw and cooked food items with their hands (to check if it's still hot - a disgusting practice considering what we touch on a daily basis). 

Yes, that's blood or 'betamax'.

Food Quality

Most grilled street food are pretreated with an orange- or reddish marinade to give the food a 'fresher' look. While this hides many of the raw items' flaws, you can usually spot bad food if:

• The visible meat missed by the orange-colored marinade is grayish or grayish-yellow.
• The seafood items smell a little funny.
• The breading on some items are uneven or overly crusty (from experience, these taste bad).

The general rule of thumb is, if the food stall looks like it was crafted from scrap material twenty minutes ago, that's probably how they prepared their food as well. If the stall has a proper cart with cooking utensils, covered food display containers, or even a building, chances are that the food there is much better (and slightly more expensive). If the food items are prepared right in front of you, it will take a little more time to cook, but again, chances are the food is much better.

Food Types

There are a lot. So I will break them down into categories, depending on how they are prepared and/or the usual time of day that they are popularly consumed.

• GRILLED: Pork barbecue (pork meat), chicken and pork isaw (intestines), adidas (chicken feet), betamax (coagulated pork blood), pig ears, pig skin, butsi (chicken throat), ulo (chicken heads), chicken barbecue (chicken meat), hotdogs, corn.
• FRIED: Chicken and pork isaw, turon (bananas in flour wrapper), lumpia (fried spring rolls), kwek kwek (quail eggs in orange breading), assorted balls (fish, chicken, squid), kikiam (processed fish bites), siomai (Chinese dumplings), kamote (cassava in brown sugar), banana-cue (bananas in brown sugar), calamares (squid), baga (cow lungs), laman ng baka (orange-dyed cow innards), tokwa (tofu bites), mani (peanuts), butsi.
• STEAMED/BOILED: Siopao (Chinese dim sum buns with pork meat inside - sometimes rumored to be cat meat), siomai, peanuts with shells, corn, the infamous Filipino balut (egg with a developed duck/chicken embryo inside) and penoy (regular egg, but tastes gamey).

Good Eats

I've been in Manila for almost five years now, and I've gone around quite a bit to know some good (and bad) street food places or ihawan in Filipino. Here are some that deserve some mention:

• Mercato at Bonifacio Global City offers a wide-selection of over-sized street food at a reasonable price. The items are also guaranteed to be much cleaner and safer than anywhere else. Budget per person is roughly PHP 200.00.
• Barbecue ihawan near R. Papa LRT 1 station. The pork barbecue here is amazing and very cheap too. Food gets sold out here by 6pm-7pm, so a late afternoon visit is best. Budget per person is roughly PHP 50.00.
• Ihawan at Agata Street, corner of Zobel Roxas Street, Osmena Highway. Slightly more pricey than the regular street food, but the servings are quite good. Budget per person is roughly PHP 50.00.
• Grilled corn in the back-alleys of Divisoria Shopping Center, Manila. PHP 20.00 each if I remember correctly.
• Tinuhog ni Benny in an alley across De La Salle University serves excellent pork and chicken barbecue at cheap prices, and the place actually has tables and chairs to dine in. Budget per person is roughly PHP 60.00.
• Noel's Barbecue in another street behind De La Salle University (near Quirino LRT 1 Station) is one of the most affordable places to have street food along Taft Avenue. The food served are well-prepared too. Expect the place to be full all day. Budget per person is roughly PHP 50.00.

Quail eggs, or kwek-kwek (also known as pugo).

I purposely omitted exact location addresses because I believe that part of what makes street food so good is the experience of hunting for a good street food place :) Ask around, explore! Of course, be mindful of your safety always.

Please feel free to share your favorite street food havens by giving a nod below! 

Let's share the love of food together.

Calamares image from tumblr, retrieved on February 9, 2012.
Betamax image from venzsecretworld, retrieved on February 10, 2012.
Quail eggs image from Coffee on the Side, retrieved on February 10, 2012.

7 Dangers of Human Virtue

I think the picture says it all.

Gandhi knows his lists.

The 10 People to Show Appreciation to this Valentine's

It's that time of the year again. The 'love month'. With Valentine's Day fast approaching, let's also take the time to show our love and appreciation to people who mean more to us than we think. So pick up your phone, send a text - or even call, just to say and remind them that they're very much appreciated. Plus points if a small but significant gift is included!

• Parents
• Grandparents (or a quick prayer if they've passed on)
• Favorite uncle/aunt
• A single cousin (as in, unattached)
• Favorite teacher
• The best friend
• A sibling (especially the unattached one)
• An inspirational mentor/role model
• Parents of a friend who always take care of us
• A friend you've lost contact with

It's not always just about two people sharing a fancy dinner in a candle-lit restaurant, or going on a romantic getaway together. Sometimes, 'love' is also about giving a simple 'thank you' to someone - anyone - who may have changed our lives, even a tiny bit, for the better.

P.S. For the next 2 weeks, a person will either:

a) plan a date

b) find a date

c) hate this date

How about just forgetting the date, and treasure our loved ones for the three hundred and sixty-six days this year, and not just the one day in February :)

40 Little Ways to Share

I am inspired by zenhabits.net with its list of 34 Little Ways to Share with the World, and I've created my own, Philippine-friendly list. It's a little more, because Filipinos are - I believe - a very friendly and warm people, capable of compassionate acts and greener actions, given the chance. In no particular order:

1. Greet the security guard back.
2. Smile at the teller/cashier/barista.
3. Donate unused clothes and/or canned goods to a local charity*
4. Press an elevator button for someone who can't reach it.
5. Give up your MRT/LRT seat to someone.
6. Say 'thank you' to someone.
7. Teach a kid a coin trick.
8. Give used books to a school library.
9. Dispose of trash properly.
10. Deposit coins and change to Bantay Bata collection cans.
11. Join a fun run for a charitable/environmental cause.
12. Skip the car a couple of times a week.
13. Give free rides (if you have a car) once in a while.
14. Bake/get some cookies/pastries and share them with a neighbor.
15. Volunteer at a fund-raiser/charitable organization.
16. Tip the pedicab driver.
17. Tip the waiter/server.
18. Hold a potluck.
19. Pay for someone's jeep ride.
20. Put in a good word for someone.
21. Give a friend a call - just to say hi.
22. Fix something for free.
23. Share an inspiring quote on Twitter or Facebook.
24. Write an instructional blog post on something you're good at.
25. Snacks for the office mates.
26. Babysit.
27. Ask the boss how's he doing.
28. Re-post funny pictures and/or videos.
29. Spot for a gym newbie.
30. Buy fresh and buy local.
31. Walk and take the stairs whenever possible.
32. Pick up trash before the janitor does.
33. Rack someone else' weight plates.
34. Baon lunch to share.
35. Sign up for paperless billing.
36. Blog and/or tweet great, money-saving deals.
37. Help a friend move.
38. Be someone's kuya (big brother) or ate (big sister).
39. Learn a new skill and teach it to friends.
40. Allow someone to go first when lining up.

*De La Salle University (South Gate) is a depository for donations to Typhoon Sendong victims. Local 7/11 branches accept cash donations as well. 

Good luck, and always remember that sharing follows the Golden Rule.

"Treat others how you would like to be treated."

Jay~

7 Days To Christmas

It's exactly a week before Christmas!

I wasn't always a fan of Christmastime; I went through a phase when it was just 'another holiday celebration'. Of course, I am older and while the fantastical aspect of the season is long past me, I am rediscovering the magic that this celebration creates. At least for me.

For the next seven days then, I challenge you to join me in a journey of self-realization, thankfulness, and love. Here is a list of seven things I will do for the next seven days, perhaps to live during this once-a-year season the way we were meant to. Also, buy yourself something nice; it will come in handy on December 24.

December 18

Forgive, Forget: Food

There will always be that person (or even persons!) we've just really wanted to push towards in-coming traffic. Perhaps they have committed an offense that angered or insulted us, and it could be something petty or it could be something crazy big. The point is, identify that person and in the spirit of Christmas, forgive and forget by giving s/he a nice small item of food. I will personally get cupcakes. And of course, you don't have to explain what it's for ;)

December 19

Unseen Utility

We never notice the people that make our lives so much easier. The janitors at our workplaces, schools, and buildings; the guards that watch over us; the house help who prepare our clothes and food. Take this day and give them something thoughtful, like a Christmas card with a hand-written note in it, or something sweet to munch on during work. From experience, I have found that something so simple and plain like a card goes a LONG way to cementing relationships. My cards list this year was over 40 people!

December 20

Poor and Prejudiced

I'm personally not a fan of passive charity, such as giving money to beggars and street children. I've always believed that this is one of the reasons we cannot bring them out of poverty. Having said that, treats in life are rare but oft appreciated. Find that street kid you see all the time on your commute to work or school, and give him/her a nice slice of Christmas cake or sweet treat. Don't be stingy; that might possibly be a first-time (or at least very rare) experience, and you want the kid to enjoy his/her Christmas present from you :)

December 21

Friends Forever - Part 1

You know your acquaintances; the ones you 'know' but you don't really 'know'. Pick one from your hundreds and thousands of Facebook friends, send a private message (or chat, or tweet, or a text message - heck, even call) and just say "Merry Christmas!" Yes, s/he might be surprised, but I have never met a person who disliked a surprise Christmas greeting. Bonus challenge: Do this to ten (10) friends.

December 22

Friends Forever - Part 2

Every one has that special group of friends where one can just run to and talk anything. These are the people who would die for you, and they know you would do the same. They deserve at the very least a phone call (props for an actual Christmas card) from you wishing them "Merry Christmas!" These are friends for keeps, and forgetting to greet them spells you as a merry douchepacket. Massive hell-no for those ready-made-and-ready-to-send email Christmas greeting. You're cheap if you do that.

December 23

Familiar Family

Not all of us are close to our family members; heck, I cannot say with a straight face that I'm very close with some of my relatives. However, this is one time in the year when we can greet them at least, and when possible, actually visit them even just to say hi. A card is the very minimum in this one. If they appreciate it, all's well and good. If they don't, that's not a problem on your side at all. Blood is something we cannot and will never be able to change. 

December 24

I Love Me

It's Christmas eve! This is when we have dinner with our family, or join special people when family isn't available. Today though, I would like you to open a present you gave yourself (as per the instructions at the beginning of this post). Now thank yourself for being strong when you could have been weak, for being faithful when you could have lied, for being the best you could when no one would care anyway, and for giving your all even when you have pushed so hard already. For over three hundred days, you could have given up at any point and yet here you are. Celebrate life. Celebrate YOU.

December 25

Big Belief

I'm a big critic of labeling faiths. I don't really care if you call yourself a Catholic, a Muslim, a Buddhist, or a god (hopefully not a god though; you're not Tom Cruise). Whatever creed you follow, whichever prophet you listen to, take today and give thanks and acknowledge the greater power that must be out there. Especially for those times when you know you shouldn't have been able to, but you overcame. There are those times when things just go the way you want them to, and no credit to you. Yes, those days. Appreciate.

Merry Christmas! I wish you the best of luck in your next seven days!

Jay~

To-Don't List After a Break Up

1. Blog it.
You are a dude. You broke up. You tell your closest mates, not the whole continent. Maybe you're just looking for sympathy.

2. Put a sad name on your MSN.
Ditto above. You sympathy seeker, you.

3. Bad mouth your ex.
Memories were made. Some good, so think of the good. You wouldn't want her to do the same to you right? Right.

4. "I never loved you anyway."
You jerk.

5.Take all the fault yourself.
You're tough, we know. It wasn't ALL your fault, so take it easy.

6. Put all the blame on her.
Dude, suck it up. It's partly your fault too.

7. Forget being courteous.
Example: You broke up with her a day before her birthday. You didn't greet her. Not even a week later? It's either you have a replacement already or you're a jerk.

8. Send her mushy notes/letters to her parents.
You psycho.

9. Hit her.
She could (and probably will) call the police. The law's on her side, buddy. Violence never solves anything.

10. Hold knives, guns, or small pets while feeling low.
Come on. No reason to hurt anyone. Least of all your sister's hamster. Go for a run; it's a much better way to cool off.

Jay~