Down the Rabbit Hole

It was time for another opportunity to challenge our brains with a life-sized puzzle. Ate Mary, Ate Bing, Joys, and Krishna were with me... and we chose to take on Sinister Sensorium at Mystery Manila . In this puzzle, we were stripped off of one sense each. We had to choose among the following: hearing, sight, and speech. This concept reminded me of the three wise monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. Anyway, the game master seated us by missing sensory capacity and then chained us to our seats. The blind (Ate Mary and Joys) had to figure out how to communicate with the dumb (Krishna), who then had to use hand gestures to tell me and Ate Bing what was going on (we're deaf). It was a challenge, requiring a lot  of teamwork and nonverbal communication techniques. But at the end of the one-hour challenge, we were able to get out and solve the mystery! We didn't reach the leader boards but we did gain bragging rights for this. A good afternoon, indeed. I...

My cousin, Kuya Eldie, tied the knot (finally!) with Richelle in a simple afternoon ceremony at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Las Piñas. Most of the clan was there to formally welcome Richelle into the family. There were a few snags along the way, thanks to the horrible traffic jam along the Las Piñas-Zapote Road but that didn't stop the family from having fun. And surprise! Rochie, you're candle sponsor! I didn't know so I wasn't prepared with matches or with a lighter. Thank goodness, Kuya Eldie had a torch in his pocket! Easy peasy... not!  I thought my job was done after igniting the wick. But no... I ended up running back and forth between my seat and the candle because the fire kept being blown off by the wind from the electric fan focused to the candle. The wedding reception was at the nearby clubhouse. I could easily drop by the car and switch into flip-flops after being in heels for hours. When I finally got to the venue, I noticed that the ...

I've been to the Ayala Museum 's diorama exhibit several times already and I learn something new each time. In my last two visits though, my eyes were led to possible "Easter eggs" in the dioramas. Perhaps the craftsmen from Paete, Laguna injected their sense of humour into the tableaus.  In the diorama below, for instance, the scene was all about the trade between the Chinese merchants and the Filipino rulers. The Chinese were trading ceramics and other goods from the mainland for turtle shells, buffalo horns, etc. This trade between the Chinese and the Filipinos explain the strong business relationships that exist even today; and how the Philippines became rich in archeological sites (with all those pottery shards). And this was in pre-Hispanic Philippines. However, what I found funny with this diorama was the man at the back, seemingly carrying things that were either sold to or sold by this man. Why? Because while the rest of the male characters were e...

After class , my classmates and I carpooled to go to Greenbelt , Makati to eat lunch. At the intersection of Buendia and Nicanor Garcia, we were greeted by the confusing message of the traffic lights : both red and green lights were lit up! What was I supposed to do, go or stop? I thought I was the only one who was baffled... until a motorbike stopped in front of my car (I had stopped while wondering what to do). The driver kept looking at me as if asking if it's okay to go or not. I could only shrug. It's a wonder that people haven't crashed their cars onto each other because of these mixed signals. I remember seeing a scene in The Italian Job in which vehicular accidents happened because the traffic lights of vehicles crossing the intersection were hacked to go green at the same time. At least, I can say that the drivers I shared the road with that day were still defensive drivers. No collisions!

I am, more often than not, wary when I see a lot of photogenic food photos on Instagram with tags of the restaurants where these food items are served because I feel that the dishes might be mostly overrated. I'm even more wary of restaurant reviews that talk more about the location rather than the food; something about all-ambiance-no-bite kinda thing.  As I was walking around Solenad 3 in Nuvali, Sta Rosa, I came across a really rustic-looking restaurant called The Farm Organics . What made me stop and eat there wasn't the ambiance though. The restaurant's manager saw me perusing the menu and was very friendly (without being pushy) as he ushered me straight to an empty table. A welcome change, compared to the greeters of the other restaurants: the staff who loiter outside the restaurant with menus on hand, who shout at passersby, trying to attract their attention. 1 week to go before Christmas! If you find yourself shopping in the Solenad 3, Nuvali Sta Rosa L...