Laguna Very Gingerly

Okay I'm a hypocrite. Ranting about the new malls in town...yet seeing two movies since their Cinema opened a month ago, and enjoying the fact that they are new and nearby.

At the second movie today,  something happened to me.  I felt what seemed like a tiny bug crawling on my leg.  What happened was, it reminded me of where I was.  Happy to be in a cozy new cinema with only about 15 other people in the audience, five minutes away from home.  Then wham! my chest suddenly went heavy remembering what stood there BEFORE the mall was built.

Just five years ago these were fields of cogon...where we watched shrikes perched on thin branches.  Further into Nuvali, fields where in March kites were flown.  Actually, there were kites being flown yesterday, and I'm not sure if it was an event open to the public, but it was certainly not in the same scale as the kite-flying events of five years ago.

There were many children in the malls' play areas, the parking lots immediately filled by dusk.  So many people. Just mid-week there were press releases by the POPCOM (Population Commission) about...overcrowding in Metro Manila and the move toward Calabarzon.  Here we are.

I still find it a bit ironic...to have to have fitness gyms and equipment in a place where people (used to, some still do) enjoyed walking, running and biking outdoors.  I remember thinking about a correlation between the existence of malls, and obesity---because a lot of the people I first met here were fit and enjoyed the outdoors versus in the more urban areas where, really...fat people were in the indoor malls.

I know...I'm not making that much sense again, with disconnected statements.  I am just ranting again, and calling myself...a hypocrite about this.

Things are just not the same anymore. And you know what? Everybody is coughing, right? Suddenly, kids whose asthma allergies have not occurred since two years ago, are suddenly sick again.  And I have a theory.

CONSTRUCTION DUST.

Well, I will end with this shot, not a particularly great shot...taken at a cafe on the ridge.  Where I stared, very cold due to cold winds even at 11 a.m. The Taal lake was visible but not in this photo. A waiter came and said "Ma'am, nakakamangha diba", referring to the view... I asked if he probably was not from the area...and he said he was from there,  from Cavite.  It was nice that this waiter, with artista looks, admired the view as much as most of the customers...and paused to stare himself.  Then he said..."Ganito yan ma'am...'pag heartbroken ka, sigaw ka lang dyan..."

Well, I guess I AM heartbroken...torn...appreciate the paved paradise, do I?  I seem to have no choice.

PAF rescue chopper

0800H  today, at the Nuvali field. For Solenad's Emergency Drill.

     The Philippine Air Force (PAF) helicopter passed low over our home at around 7 and upon hearing it, my child asked "..airplane?".   Which reminds me how different her childhood is from mine.  At least where identifying aircraft is concerned.  

    You see, I grew up and spent around a quarter of a century, the growing up years of my life, living in military bases...the air force ones in particular.  A huge asthma trigger for me was the smell of airplane fuel,  I knew the dawn was coming when the commercial airlines' engines would warm up, or being tested, at the hangar nearby. And with my father having been a pilot, I did hope to learn to fly too.

   And here, in Sta. Rosa, save for the occasional private helicopters heading South usually over Tagaytay, and the airlines soaring very high above, my child does not hear aircraft.

   Which is probably a good thing, as the noise and air pollution must have done a number on my brain.

  

    Still...this sight is something I do miss. I could not help but take photos.  Ayala Mall Solenad cinema is in the background, on the right.  The white structure on the left is the new S&R.

Ayala Mall Solenad

I hate to be such a whiner about their having "paved paradise" again.  I will rant about the shrinking habitat again...(really, where are the birds now)...
and I know it is hypocritical of me because, well, I do patronize the shops.

What to do. It is a long weekend, and so if you got here, it's probably because you ran a search. Well, here it is. I know, if I sound unexcited, it's because I am.  The kid is excited...a big mall, like in the city, she says. It is now a city, she says.  Sure, lots of open spaces, as promised.  But really, the birds are going, going...gone.

My glum mood is aggravated by the killing of the Philippine eagle Pamana the other day.  It was an awful surprise to learn that 90% of Philippine eagles released end up shot.  

So anyway...still there are those wing-like roofs that were destroyed by that windy typhoon last year. Roofs where rain will simply flood toward a central locked in area of the roof, and damage gutters, pipes.  As a foreign neighbor once sighed about much of the weather-inappropriate architecture and engineering here..."...and this is a monsoon country.."

TAKEN ON AUGUST 1ST

These were taken on August 15, when it seems the entire neighborhood plus those from Carmona, up to Alabang, came to dine.

So, everything will be here. There is something I notice---the "gentrification" of the city. I don't know why I chose that word..it just seems so apt.  You see, in the first few posts I wrote about how in 2009 shop girls around here would address customers as "Ate" and vise versa.  They were always very nice and accommodating.  Well, I have noticed that since around 2012, the "type" of "sales associates" has changed. Now they seem more like the Makati retailers...  now more of them welcome you in English. More of them seem like college graduates, more of them undergo special training specific to their brands.

Now, in Krispy Kreme, I am "Miss". It can get annoying how many times the "miss" is repeated. But I can ignore it.

Sadly,many customers are not "gentrified", to be frank.  These days, the mall parking lot is littered with rubbish. People seem to be tossing their paper cups, tetra paks, soiled baby diapers, food wrappers, right outside their parked cars.  

Outside the All Home store when it was brand new, I glared at two young men who threw their cigarette butts down a drain on the street.  I had earlier looked down into the drain to see trash in it.  These two guys then parked their car, got off, and tossed their butts down.

Is Sta. Rosa getting dirty quickly? It used to be so clean here.

Another scourge is the increasing number of abusive drivers.  Especially within Nuvali.  But I'm too tired to say more now.

There Goes The Sky...

   Bitterly saying goodbye to my wide expanse of sky, with all the buildings being constructed.  Electric poles and wires are ugly enough. Shall this, the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay road, become the next Alabang-Zapote road?  ...and I mean that in a negative way. 

That shop..the big guys, with cheap China furniture. Killer of quaint little village shops that sell local craft. 

   To be fair, I shall try to take photos of the opposite side to these, the new cinema building at the Solenad, Nuvali, and express sadness as well.

So it is another shopping mall.  This will no longer be a place that will interest balikbayans from the US.

    So much for open air shopping.  Anyway, the shops are nothing special. Just more of the same from Metro Manila.  The famed "outlets" in Paseo de Santa Rosa are no longer a draw, either.  New ones have opened, some have closed.


    As for restaurants...still a bit tricky out here, to gauge what will make it and what won't. Sadly, not many special places to eat as inside BF Homes Paranaque's holes-in-the-wall joints and new interiors.  Still the same old fast food joints raking it in.

   

M for Mt. Makiling, the view from here. That view will soon be covered, for sure.
That M (or the bee), in anytown, Philippines...anytown, Asia. No place is sacred.

   Apologies for sounding like Eeyore. Too depressing. That I am.  All because I am losing sky.

October

  
     I guess I've sighed about this before...someday we will be able to post scent. For now I will have to skillfully describe it.  It's too difficult to do.

     Let me just say since October started, the air out here and especially in the hills of Puting Kahoy, Silang, has been pleasantly cool and breezy. Christmas-y if you will.  And now, outside there is again that woody (woodsy?) fragrance.  A young friend from Silang pointed out how dusk comes earlier...at around 5 p.m.  A few nights ago I saw the first star, bright above, and in the same evening stepped out and breathed this woody air.  It is thanks to the many trees around, I guess.  We had munia baby birds in September, and they've since flown the coop.  What is left is just some light rain since last night from Typhoon Santi. Not much in this part of Luzon. As usual it is Aurora, Quezon that is hit hard.  That eastern portion of the country is beautiful, raw, nature and I would love to visit.  However I would only visit it and Albay province in the summer, I guess. I am no intrepid surfer.

      So anyway, in this Southwestern portion we are not feeling the storm. We have this, freshly-bathed foliage.  This poinsettia has grown to four times its size since being transplanted in our garden back in April. I purchased it last Christmas from the amicable cancer-survivor Ms. Gloria at Solenad 2, Nuvali. She was there weekends, selling a large variety of potted herbs and dispensing friendly advice about diet and lifestyle. 
It was from her I bought pots of Ashitaba (Gynura Procumbens, actually) to give as gifts.  I came away with more, though. Inspiration.

   Last weekend I ran through that weekend market and she wasn't there. What was there was a lot of kakanin, fruit juice like buko, and rows and rows of grilling going on. The barbeque smelled so good, but somehow, I've not been craving for beef or pork meat in any form.  That's what there was plenty of there.  I even saw intestines on skewers (aren't those called isaw?). Those looked interesting, a Filipino delicacy.  I recall my nose not being too attracted to the ihaw scents enough to actually buy last year; and Ms. Gloria, a vegetarian, saying they didn't affect her at all.  Don't get me wrong I'm not saying I'm turned off by the smoky tent...there is corn as well, and I'm glad Filipino food is featured in there.  We need places that still showcase and sell Filipino culture especially here in the middle of the global/mostly American franchises. Otherwise, travelers would just be going "anywhere", wouldn't we. 

     Ah! Speaking of where this is going, I've gone everywhere and nowhere again. Time to just enjoy this air, and watch as the poinsettia leaves turn red.

Mer-Nel's of Los Banos Laguna

     Outside the Rizal home, in the structure meant for more exhibits, stand huge posters of the SM series "My City My Home" featuring a descendant of Dr. Rizal, Ms. Barbara Gonzales, and another of a Calamba artist.  The man raved about the scrumptious chocolate cakes of Mer-Nel.  There was a photo of the heart-shaped chocolate cake with what looks like boiled icing? marshmallow?  Perhaps it was because we ended our tour of the shrine at exactly noon, but for other reasons I was curious about this cake.  For one, it seemed to be a town favorite.  I love chocolate and chocolate cake (an understatement, really) so when I hear about ''the best'' then I have to try it.  The attraction too, is that it's homegrown (from Los Banos, but this is their first branch out in SM Calamba).  Bacolod has Caleya's, and for macarons Felicia's. I've already posted about missing Metro Manila's Polly's, Gourmet's Palate, Becky's Kitchen, et al. (newsflash, Purple Oven is coming very soon to Nuvali!).  Since we were already in Calamba, Mer-Nel's was a must-try.

    A quick inquiry with the shrine officer and we were on our way to SM Calamba.  I was hoping it would be a bakeshop just around the city center, to add to its charm. But I suppose having it in SM is actually more convenient. A bit of a turn-off were directions to the cake shop though..."sa 2nd floor katabi ng CR". For the non-Pinoy, CR is "Comfort Room" or the restroom.  And accurate directions are, this cake shop is "next to the restroom". Having been to SM Calamba once before, I knew exactly where the CR's were. They were on the side facing Mt. Makiling.  Right by the window with the nice view of the mountain.  I wasn't fazed though, as the nice lady raved about their cakes---masarap ang cakes nila punta kayo! So we went, thinking maybe the man who mentioned the cake in the advert wasn't paid to rave about it after all (or didn't own the shop). My apologies to you sir, this was just a thought.

    I love their shop! It's small, it IS next to the CR, and it's just a small nook, with one chiller. In the chiller, a small variety of cakes. It includes pandan, ube and other variations on the classic chocolate.  Pressed for time I was quick, choosing their signature heart-shaped chocolate cake.

   And when there is a queue, isn't it a bit more enticing (the first time at least)?  Doesn't it mean, pag pinipilahan, there's a reason?  Love their operation. A simple walk through, order, write your 'message'', maybe sit on one of two stools, and listen for your name. Watch your box being ribboned and you're out.

  Now for the cake itself.  Well, at first, I thought, nothing special...they are actually huge caterers after all, and this tastes like your usual cake found on the regular caterer's buffet.  A chiffon with boiled icing.  BUT, after a few bites...the cake grew on me. I enjoyed it...and realized it reminded me of ...childhood in Manila! It was tasty after all.  I'm not a fan of the cake itself, but in combination with the chocolate frosting, it was yummy and addictive.  I would buy this again and maybe try their other cakes.  Prices are good, too. This medium heart was Php 195, a smaller one Php 125.    
  

"ate"

     Something really struck me about the shopping style in Paseo de Sta. Rosa, and moreso in SM Sta. Rosa in our first year.  Customers called the sales girls "ate! ate!" and not "miss" as I did all my life.  What was interesting was, I would study the customer calling "ate" and see that she, the customer was actually a middle-aged woman, and the sales girl inevitably not over 30.  If it happened to be a salesman, of course then the customer would say "kuya". Ate Tagalog for "older sister" and kuya for older brother. 

     I remember thinking, I must have missed a "Pinoy Big Brother" paradigm shift beginning from bedrest till birth and throughout my child's infancy.  Is this the norm in Metro Manila now too?  Then again, I do use the Ilonggo "manong" and "manang" frequently when addressing strangers like, the maintenance people, if I don't know them yet, or vendors on the street.  I use it only when they look older than me, though. I also never use "sister" or "sis".

    The most amusing thing about this "ate, kuya" phenomenon is that it was used to address my toddler...who was visibly the only child with me.  We walked into ACE Hardware, which usually has the sales associates lined up along the aisles, like in SM, greeting repeatedly.  So we walked in, and "hi, ate!"..."ate, anong gusto mo..." "ate ate ate!" . My kid was bewildered. I wondered if she thought she had a little sibling hidden somewhere.

    Seriously, it was quite an unusual thing for me, hearing strangers call the toddler customer "ate".  And I really feel like it is a new thing, or confined to the province.  I would appreciate you telling me when this started, and if it has been happening all over the country.  It's not a life-changing thing, it's just interesting.

    Then again, with the opening of more foreign brands shops in Paseo 4, 5 and Solenad 2, I noticed that calling the sales people "ate", and sales people calling US "ate" isn't the norm.  I do note, that the customer service training of these popular retail chains is even better than before. They do serve well.  And here in Sta. Rosa, the sales people are so friendly, many of them have struck up conversations with me.  It's probably due to my lugging the toddler around, but I find that the neighborhood really is friendly.  And for some reason, many of the service crews, waiters, and sales people are residents of Cabuyao, Laguna next door. That ought to be the subject of another post.

I heart Earth?

    A friend in another village found 6 copies of this brochure in her mailbox. I received mine electronically a week earlier. 6 pieces of glossy color paper. She says she received around 4-5 brochures for the Xavier school before.
    So much for loving the earth.


 

     Would love to attend something, but my schedule does not permit. Anyway, weekend traffic on the highway to Nuvali is a deterrent, and the crowd on the Solenad is getting too uncomfortable for me. Traffic jam is probably still not as bad as Metro Manila's, but it's enough for us residents to stay away.  Road improvements and corresponding advisories have begun, to Ayala land's credit.

John Bamboo in Nuvali Solenad

    This is not a blog about restaurants nor food, so I am not prepared with photos of John Bamboo's offerings. I am just prepared to say, it is good, it exists.  An Indonesian friend let me know this when this was newly-opened, and it had her seal of approval.  Enak! (Delicious in Bahasa Indonesia) Masarap nga, even if it was just the "Martabak telor" we had for merienda. Authentic. I forgot to take a photo of it, the presentation was more hotel-like than street-food like.  

    We met the chef, imported from Jakarta. A very friendly guy, he said he was employed at the Hotel Intercontinental Jakarta for seven years before coming here (no wonder the martabak was pretty). As we knew Indonesian dishes from a past life in Jakarta, he talked to us about how John Bamboo was originally supposed to be just a sate house.  The owners, he claimed, didn't know about the 300+ Indonesian students at the Adventist University of the Philippines!  I found that hard to believe.  The Red Crab, which owns this, is a major company, which I'm sure, planned this carefully with research. Within the first two weeks of opening, they were also raided by expats--Singaporean, Indonesian, and Europeans who were previously living in the region.  With many Filipinos also having experienced the region's cuisine, missing it, and purchasing property in  the area, the timing is good.  The chef had to change the menu, which now includes favorites as bakso (soup that can be had in the streets of Jakarta in warungs or streetside cafes).  He has also done special requests such as a huge, party-sized "nasi kuning" (yellow rice formed into a cone) for an expat's surprise party.

    I am sorry I don't get the name John Bamboo, and seeing Rambo up there in the mural. I like the red furniture, but really, the place could have had bare walls and it wouldn't have mattered--the food was good.  They also have drinks such as Markisa 7-Up, and passionfruit syrup mixed with 7-up that is an Indonesian thing.  We had their "STMJ--susu telor madu jahe" or milk, egg, honey and ginger.  It was warm but so energizing.  They have "es cendol" I don't remember seeing any apulkat shake in their menu though. Apulkat is avocado, and this drink usually has lines of chocolate syrup dripping into the avocado green. It's something I miss. 

   The prices are very reasonable in this place. Really. Good value for money.  It is owned by the Red Crab group. Ah basta, try it already.  I'm so happy it's there. There is nowhere else in that Solenad I'd rather eat so far.

Hot in Nuvali

Summer has finally come.  Here are what I think are the most photographed koi in the world.  After two years of living here we finally took the taxi boat (Php 30 per head; min. 6 persons Php180) for the short ride 'round the lagoon.  A family flew a cute kite lakeside. 

I'm not into crowds, so I try to avoid this place on weekend afternoons throughout the year.  They've moved the 'tiangge' to the parking lot, so the space in front of the restaurants is clear.  You can stop by to/from your Tagaytay trip for refreshments, or to use the clean restrooms.  And to say hello to the koi, of course.  

Solenad 2 Nuvali

 Just received email from Nuvali Evoliving...Solenad 2 along the highway will open in May, with Robinson's Supermarket and True Value.  It doesn't really look halfway done at the moment...but what do I know about construction.  All I know is, the open space out there is fast getting filled up, traffic is heavier, with cement mixers coming and going.

There's a beautiful new field (fields) for soccer and baseball...but we can't just go and play. It is private, after all.