Craving for Pancit Luglog

Kapampangans are known to be such good cooks, though I think people overgeneralised since most kapampangans I know don’t really cook. (haha) Maybe it’s the generation gap (since their parents would possibly be the “best” cook there is) I really do not know.

Nevertheless, the reputation must have sprung from actual evidence. One of these would be Susie’s Cuisine. Established by Alicia Ayson, Susie’s has stood out to be one of Pampanga’s must go to places to eat. For almost 40 years, Susie’s has retained its taste and quality.

Currently being run by Alicia’s children, most specially by Jesusa Ayson yabut, Susie’s now has 7 branches (all in Pampanga), but has never opened for franchise (to outsiders) thus retaining the secret and quality all through out the years.

Visiting Pampanga wouldn’t be complete without at least trying out dishes from Susie’s. If you are from Manila and are a fan of Razon’s pancit luglog, you should try the original from Susie’s. I did, and my standards for the luglog have sky rocketed all of a sudden. Its thin white pasta poured with a generous sauce topped with A LOT of their local chicharon, egg and vegetables of sorts, would keep me coming back for a second serving. And I haven’t even pinched calamansi over it, and I’m a calamansi person.

Another must try at Susie’s is their tibuk tibuk, or maja Blanca for most of us Manileňos. Tibuk tibuk is different from the usual maja Blanca that I’ve tasted. It is softer than the regular maja Blanca and is creamier in taste. Its milky soft creamy texture would always put me in a kiddie frenzy with matching kilig on the side. I didn’t like it at first since It looked more like pudding and I’m really used to the hard gelatine like maja Blanca, but tibuk tibuk separated itself from maja’s stereotype.

Other must try’s are their empanada’s, leche flan made from carabao’s milk, all of their kakanin, viands like their dinuguan which is best paired up with their special puto and a whole lot more. Also try out their Sansrival for comparison to the commercial ones, but be sure to ask for the one that was not placed in the ref too long, if not, it would be chewy rather than almost crunchy.

Prices are very cheap considering the high quality of their dishes. A Bilao of any of their specialties (tibuk tibuk, luglog etc) would be priced at 350 to 400 pesos. Single serving of their kakanin would usually be at 20 pesos.

Visit one of their branches at 36 Hilda St. Nepo Mart I, Sto. Rosario, Angeles City (near Robinson’s Nepo).

I’m giving this resto four thumbs up for their luglog and tibuk tibuk (two from my hands and two from my feet).

Happy eating!!!!!

thanks to http://wyattbelmonte.blogspot.com/2007/09/pampanga-food-trip.html for the tibuk tibuk pic.

There must be something wrong

Maybe it’s the weather… yeah, I’m blaming it on the bad weather.

Talo ko pa nag andropause. I’ve been having these unpredictable mood swings lately, though mostly gearing towards unreasonable sadness. These I guess are my (now usual) bouts of depression that comes every now and then (back and forth, tumbling, cartwheel, summersault) just like our balikbayan typhoons.

But there’s something weird about these emo-ness that is clearly affecting my daily life. Or maybe I’m attracting too many negative vibes (din a ako magsasasama sa mga emo gods) lately that these series of unfortunate events have happened lately.

Just this afternoon, I spent almost 15 minutes looking for my car keys, only to realise I’ve left it snugly inserted in the trunk’s keyhole. Take note, nahalughog ko lahat ng sulok ng bahay, lahat ng pwedeng mapagpatungan.

The other night, I was an image of a crazy bastard jumping up and down in front of our gate. After all these years, I forgot what our gate’s lock combination is. And even if my poor recall for numbers has failed me numerous times, my photo memory on how each button is either left up or pressed down, has never… not until that nerve wrecking day. Imagine, I couldn’t get in my own house just because I forgot my lock’s combination. Thirty minutes. I was already close to tears. Pathetic.

Then on my way to the Bureau of Quarantine I noticed that I’m hearing the clink of small pebbles loudly below my car. Then to Makati, suddenly I heard a loud thud below. It seemed that I ran over some piece of road garbage, realising after a few meters away that that road garbage is my Mud Guard dropping below me. Thus like some stupid MTV, I ran under the rain just to retrieve my (not a lost love, but a mere grease laden) mud guard.

And just a few minutes from writing this random post, I just had to shed a tear or two letting out all these melancholy, trying to shoo them away. What’s more frustrating is that I can’t pinpoint exactly what’s bothering me.

Thus, because of all these circus events, I’ve strongly made a decision to really agree on a friend’s invite to go up north on a road trip. Good luck nalang sa puyat.

Hay, cheer up man, cheer up. Pag di ka tumino, madedelay nanaman mga reports mo, me meeting ka pa next week. (ayan kinakausap ko na sarili ko).

On the other side of the bill… the medicine price reduction (re) act

I am for the quick and inexpensive procurement of medicine for our people. To borrow from the late Sen. Ted Kennedy who just died the other day, I believe that “health” (and access to its improvement, healing) should be a RIGHT and not a PRIVILEGE. I envy other countries that have made this possible already.

My previous boss and college dean was part of those who supported such an endeavour for our kababayan. I was part of a research by the DOH assessing “Drug Security in the Philippines” which described the process which our people would have to go through before procurement of their most valued medications.

But there’s something WEIRD about these recently implemented drug price reductions.

I can’t help but feel that it was drafted poorly, almost as if it was hurried to achieve a different PURPOSE.

Don’t get me wrong, I laud those who drafted the said bill (specially the Cheaper Medicine Act), but pardon me for suspiciously trying to dissect the implementation of its partnered directive paving way to the Medicine Price Regulation.

To those who know more of this than me, please DO SHED SOME LIGHT. Educate me please. But for now, allow me to release some of my childish cynicisms, if proven wrong, I apologize in advance. But please do hear me out.

"There will be 72 drugs that will be subjected to 50 percent voluntary price reduction starting August 15 given the fast voluntary compliance of drug companies to the government appeal that they reduce their product prices," said Duque.

Let me raise some points:

50% ???????? – Seriously? I really am curious on how this figure came out, was this calculated by intellectual scientific mathematic untainted methods?
I understand that this is for those drugs that is not covered anymore by patent, those with generic counterparts, but is this a little bit too high?

From the pharmaceutical companies and the HONEST businessmen’s point of view, 50% is too much of an overkill. Let us say, 10% of our retail prices were increased due to taxes, 5-10% for overhead fees (employees’ payout), another 10% for infrastructure, travel, and other logistic costs. This doesn’t even include import taxes. From the manufacturers (10% tax), to the distributors (10% tax), to the retail stores (another 10% tax), if such mark down will be implemented, who do you think will cover for a 50% downprice? I bet it will be the workers, the clerks, the drivers, etc.

15% is acceptable. 20% would be almost maximum. But 50%?

Voluntary – yeah right! Possibly for our local drug companies that didn’t have anything to do with the research and development of such drugs, this would not be much of a problem. Their compliance on this will prompt all others to lower the price. It is not “voluntary” it is just the mere effect of competition. You’d loose buyers if your price is still ridiculously higher than the counterpart.

August 15 implementation – Isn’t this a bit too hurried?

I just came from a provincial hospital this morning doing my usual monitoring activities when I got wind that a big chunk of the specialists’ purchased drugs are being lobbied to be returned to the distributor before the 15 September deadline for small scale businesses. Why do you think this is being done? If you buy a 30 pesos worth of drug, and by 15 August/ September, you’d have to sell it at 15 pesos, where do you think the other 15 pesos will go? People, help me out here. Please! I just soooo hate math!

Drug companies – even with the changing of BFAD’s name to FDA (just like US FDA), do you think we are equipped to actually pinpoint those drug companies that sell substandard drug products? How many testing centers do you think we have? One from BFAD, others maybe from schools. At this point let me praise Sen. Pia Cayetano for authoring a bill that would strengthen PH FDA (BFAD) by increasing the number of testing centers all over the Philippines. But when do you think this will be approved and implemented? Again, timing people!

I wouldn’t be sounding like a whining little brat (that I already am), if I see that this regulation is being implemented with some “help” parameters.

Why not take away a percentage of government tax? This way you would really decrease the prices by so much. Do not place the burden of lowering the prices on the businessmen, small and big. Are you afraid you’d loose your own budget?

Why not give the businesses time to sell out those bought at their original price before implementing the big price markdown? Why not give them ample time? Parang FIFO, first in first out for drugs first bought to those that will be affected by the price decrease.

Possible Long term effects

Currently, a lot of pharmaceutical companies have been cutting down on their expenses. And with the recent events, it is probable that some of them might close operations in the Philippines.

I was in Cebu the other day and was surprised that another sales representative (med-rep) of a certain company is bidding his doctors good bye. I was told that this time, they were 78-80 of them. And that’s just the second batch. The first I think were 30 (an increasing trend?), and the next batch will be this December. And I’m only talking about one company.

Another has seized issuing cars to their med-reps and have to cut down on working hours and have been strict on overtimes to cut down costs.

I’m thinking that with this kind of trend, there will be international pharmaceutical companies that will close down operations here and will just leave drug retail to distributors such as Zuellig. Why would they need sales representative with that kind of competition with the generics? They could just have these sold within market and distributed amongst hospitals without the aid of these sales and marketing arm.

My company for one have closed (imagine how many employees are that) last January of this year owing to their change in “business model.” Which basically means that since most of their drugs lost patent already and can be manufactured by the generic companies (and are already household names), they wouldn’t need the sales and marketing arm much and would have to wait for the new drugs in their pipeline to get registered and marketed to have the need to make another sales and marketing arm in this country.

With this kind of trend, sure, our own local companies will have thrived wonderfully, but on whose expense? We will have lost a lot of jobs for many and you really couldn’t expect all these local companies to take in all those who have been laid off. Plus, a number of these local companies still have yet to prove quality to their products. Hello? We are after all the piracy country of Asia if not the world! Even medications are being pirated nowadays.

The trend right now for international companies, if you have noticed is to get a nutritional arm such as wyett or meadjohnsons to somehow support their operations since the nutritionals are still not affected by all these activities.

Why?

Why the urgency, I ask myself. Sure, all these will be favourable to us consumers. But can we stop for a while and look at the greater picture? How can we be able to protect our people from losing jobs?

Is it because of the upcoming elections? Knowing that by doing so, ones’ popularity would have increased? Can’t we hold all these off till we have a more concrete plan AFTER elections?

This is one opinion I have to which I wish I could be wrong and would want more clarifications. Such directive just seems so beautiful that most of our people would’ve been blinded by it. But I urge you, isn’t all these too good to be true?

Why the hurry? I ask, why?

Ang Palaboy na Bochok at ang mas Palaboy na ako

Buti pa si bochok masaya, di na sya nalulugmok sa kwarto ko at nakakagala na ulit sya. Samantalang ako, since sa bahay nagtatrabaho, nabuburaot na sa ingay ng mga aso ko. Walang ibang mukha na nakikita kundi ang mukha ni Bono, kung mukha talaga ang matatawag mo sa “face” ng aso.

Pero un nga, me bago na naman akong ibabangga. Pero napansin ko lang, ung dating umaabot ako ng 120 sa EDSA ay nagging 40 – 60 nalang. Nangalhati ang aking bilis, natrauma ata. At nung nagpunta ako sa Batangas, hanggang 80 lang ata ang aking bilis sa SLEX, na 90 lang nung walang sasakyan sa may Star Toll way.

Pero un nga, tinatamad kasi din ako magsulat, medyo toxic din, at ngayon ay nasa Cebu nanaman tapos didiretso sa Davao sa Huebes, balikan lang din pa Maynila. Pagod lang at hindi din makapamasyal dahil me mga kelangan pang gawin sa bahay.

So yun, pasensya na kung medyo walang kwenta mga posts ko ngayon. Pagkatapos nalang ng Styembre ako magsusulat hehe.

Salamat nga pala sa mga sumama sakin sa pagpunta sa Batangas, sana eh makaulit ako. Ang weird lang kasi ang pinunta natin sa batangas ay SM din. Haha. Pero sana nagenjoy din nmn kayo.

Hiatus muna ako (nakikiuso lang).

Anyway... KNOCK KNOCK????

WHO'S THERE?

TOILET!

TOILET WHO?

Toilet: The newest vampire movie according to Many Paquiao.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Adik lang. (no offense po sa mga Manny P. fans, fan din ako... so wag OA magreact)

10 Signs that I’ve Pee’ed on you

Animals mark their territories with their own scent.

Dogs pee (urinate) on a certain area and would most likely pee on the same area again. Some rub their bodies to have their own scent marked on you.

I, on the other hand, would do things symbolizing that I’ve marked you as a friend for life.

Here are the 10 signs:

1. When I comfortably announce, “Uutot ako!!!” (I’m going to fart!!). And enjoy how you’d scurry for your dear ‘ol life. Haha!

2. When you’ve seen me pick my nose for at least 3 times already. It means I’m totally comfortable already with you I really don’t care a damn anymore.

3. When I start to cuddle and make pa sweet pleas, like “bili moko ng kwek kwek.” Hahaha! Jologs, kwek kwek tlga! (quail eggs wrapped in orange colored flour).

4. When you see me sniff practically everything. I won’t elaborate. Bwahahaha!

5. When you’ve seen me dress up (or down) in front of you and possibly see my dangling jewels in all of its shining glory. Spas are usually the culprit.

6. When you find my fork travel to your own plate, I know, that’s outright rudeness to the ultimate table etiquette, but hey, what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine, food included. LOL

7. When you see me jump up and down whenever we meet. Just as how a dog wags its tail while his owner is approaching, I simply jump (weirdo!).

8. When I tell you that I am at your disposal, anytime, anywhere. If you are in trouble, so long as it’s an emergency, all you have to do is “ring the emergency bell”, I’d be able to hear it even from afar. I don’t care if I am in the middle of a good sex or if I’m in the middle of a good sleep (note hierarchy, sleep>sex).

9. When you’re happy, you find me smiling; and when you’re crying, you find me crying with you. It’s as if your emotions become mine, your enemies become my enemies, your friends become my friends. Those important to you become important to me too. That I guess is the phenomenon of being invisibly linked.

10. When finally, you hear me say “love you!” Words that I rarely really say, whether romantic, filial or familial. It is when a friend becomes a brother, and I then assume the role of a quiet guardian. And once I say it, though you’ll probably will never hear me say it again, those words will always be etched on stone with your name.

*wala lang, nagpapacute lang… lol

What's your seduction style?

My best friend got me to take this quiz online. Haha. wala lang. My best friend got "the escape artist": honest and insightful self daw. LOL

Kris

I hated Kris.

To me she was the epitome of everything “maarte.” She possibly reinvented the classic kolehiyala “coño” to the more sophisticated modern day caffeine OD’ed “coño” and had been the standard bearer of being the classy spoiled brat of her very opposite mother. Always the black sheep, assumed to be in need of the spotlight.

How judgemental of me.

Today, I saw her as just “Kris.” No insulting adjectives but simply any other “Kris” or “Mary” or “Ann” who has lost a very loving mother. Sure she talked with the same taglish accent that never failed to make me cringe, acted with that flick of her hand as if she’s ready to shun a poor dirty man away, and with that classy exterior for which she was branded as “plastic.”

But I realise that she was just being her. And as I listened to her full recount of their family’s struggle while the former president Cory Aquino was battling an illness, I couldn’t stop the tears as I felt the pain that she went through and the peace knowing that her mother is no longer suffering.

I grieve, not for the loss of a former president, for she has already served well during her term. Not for the loss of a political icon, for she will always be in every kid’s textbooks. But for the loss of someone else’s mother who has always been there in every premier night, who has not missed a chance to say “congratulations, I’m so proud of you,” who has been the beacon of light in her child’s marital trouble, who has been the spiritual channel and good example to all of her children.

She was THE Cory Aquino, but at the end of the day, she was still the simple mother who had not replaced a dear old watch that was the first extravagant gift that Kris was able to buy. It was a cheesy gesture, but if I were the child who gave the most precious unreplaceable watch, I too would cry out of being humbly proud.

She was the loyal defender, saying “grabe naman sila!” while quickly snapping her head to the side clearly signifying “kakampi moko kahit ano pang sabihin nila.”

I envy Kris not for her fame, nor her wealth, but for the ultimate treasure of having Cory as the undaunted mother amidst all the controversies that her daughter brought in the family.

Indeed she has lived a full life. Once she was a daughter, a student, a wife, a mother, a president, a housewife, a friend, an activist, a fighter… and yet after all these have been accomplished, she strips off her yellow clothes, her apron, her glasses and return as one admirable simple woman.

To Kris, yes, I believe as any child believes that the mother will always be proud of what her child has become and will always be there as a source of strength and inspiration.

To Cory, indeed, you deserve all the praises the Filipino people have given. And indeed you deserve all the love that your family has imparted. God bless.



I’m posting this clip which is part 3 of 9 of her recount of those days before her mother’s death. Also this part includes comment against her being OA, debated in this youtube post. This is when I realised how quickly we label people out of our own misplaced ideals.

Invisible

I’m taking it slow
As I’m drifting away
Before I’m letting go
And utter things I’d like to say

People are slowly forgetting
And things are becoming easy

And bset is starting to settle in
With friends whom I’ve trusted dearly
Slowly noticing things not seen
That I’m moving away clearly

No more good byes, just a smile
No more good byes, just a hug from a mile

Soon… soon…

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On a lighter note, I would like to thank a good friend for tagging me along at Marie Digby's meet and greet. Though my phone went dead (such an unlucky bastard!) just in time when I wanted to shoot some video.
woot woot!

But I'm just sooooooo in love with her. She's just soooo HOT.