Thinking green (and white!) this coming weekend

I was just trying to get my schedule organized this week and realized that there are two things that I'm looking forward to this weekend. I thought I'd share them with you so that you can also take part in them.

First off, this Saturday -- March 27 is Earth Hour. It's a global event which aims to increase awareness and encourage responsibility for our environment and future. Whichever country you're in, turn off the lights between 8:30 and 9:30 pm to show your support. You can even go the extra mile and turn off all your appliances too and other electrical gadgets at home. Based on their website, they said that 1 billion people from 88 countries participated in this last year. Of that, there were 10 million Filipinos who participated from all over the world! That's the most out of any other nationality! This year, they're aiming for 15 million Filipinos to take part. Hopefully we can reach this number or possibly, even surpass it! ;-) For more information, check out their website HERE. The website outlines the many other different ways that you can help.

The following day - Sunday the 28th, is another "Green" event over at Pasong Tamo, Makati. It's called the Whitespace Green Market. They hold this event every last Sunday of the month. I haven't been to it but my husband's client had raved about it. I also came across a website found HERE that detailed the various products and food items that you can find there. I LOVE discovering new things! And from Heart 2 Heart Online's website, I can tell that there's a lot to try! There's the paraben-free soaps and cosmetic products, healthy pastries and sweets, organic vegetables, rustic jewellery, environmentally-friendly bags, and clothes that are made of silk and pineapple fibers! There's a whole lot more to find there. I could see from the picture that Delimondo has a stall there. We've just been recently introduced to Delimondo's products. We tried the ranch and corned beef first and we were not at all disappointed. It's verrry yummy! Oh there's just so much more! Check out Market Manila's post on the event HERE too. He said that you can get a buffet lunch for as low as 200 pesos! Amazing! Check it out and we'll see you there! ;-)

Michael Jackson Music Going Jazzy??!??

Stop to imagine this for a second. A singer from Amsterdam, Netherlands. It's a female artist singing some of Michael Jackson's hits. It sounds jazzy. And it's accompanied by acoustic guitar this time. Not a pop band with full-out orchestration. So what do you get from all these?
A pretty cool album, actually! ;-) Jojo and I are just LOVING this artist named Trijntje Oosterhuis! Don't even try pronouncing it. I've given up on that a long time ago. And I still can't spell her name from memory. ;-)

Trijntje has come out with an album that is a tribute to Michael Jackson. It's called "Never Can Say Goodbye." It has 14 beautiful tracks from the upbeat "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" to MJ's touching ballads like "Gone Too Soon" and "One Day in Your Life." It even has my most favorite MJ song: "Human Nature"! When you hear her sing, I think you'll agree with me when I say that she has one of the most beautiful and expressive voices around. Her voice is so whole, full and just haunting. This is all accompanied by a sole acoustic guitar which acts as the perfect background to such a powerful voice. Before downloading, have a listen to her here first:



Are you now a fan? ;-) You can download Trijntje's "Never Can Say Goodbye" album HERE. You can also download her other albums HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. ;-) That's six albums in total that you can download as my gift to you. ;-) Enjoy!

Touring the National Museum with John Silva

It's just of late that I've actually become determined to resurrect this blog. So I'm backed up with a number of entries that I've been meaning to post. Here's one of them -- the National Museum Tour that we went to from more than a month ago. That was in February 13, to be exact. Here goes:

Having lived here in the Philippines for six years now, it's embarrassing to admit that I haven't been to the National Museum until just recently. In fact, if my husband hadn't suprised me with this tour, I'm not entirely sure how long it would take before I'd think of going there. The National Museum just haven't gotten enough exposure and I wasn't even sure of their hours of operation, or for that matter, how to find out about them and get more information.

My husband just happened to come across a blog that talked about a tour that was offered there and decided to try it because of the awesome reviews. He booked us by getting in touch with John Silva himself at 0926 729 9029. You can also email him at jsilva79@mac.com. The tour was on a Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm. You get to tour two buildings. It's collectively called the National Museum. But to be specific, they're the Museum of the Filipino People and National Gallery of Art. The 800 pesos that you pay for the tour includes the entrance fee to the two buildings. So really, after the tour, you can choose to stay and see the other galleries and collections that were not covered in the tour. There's really a lot to see in both buildings. And as John Silva said, there are a million artifacts which would probably take a whole week to peruse. From my estimate, I think the tour only covered about 30% or 40% of the whole collection?

Nonetheless, 30% of the collection is still a LOT. We started with the Salvacion Lim (SLIM) Fashion exhibit and it was just absolutely impressive! Salvacion Lim was a brilliant couturier who was able to fuse Philippine fashion sensibilities and style along with the French, American, Malay, and even African influences! I found myself gasping in delight after seeing the wedding gowns that she made as well as these French-looking designs that could complement any female form or shape. How I wish she was still alive today so I could marvel at more of her creations.

I don't want to give it all away so I'll keep my descriptions brief. In fact, I'll talk about some of the highlights instead. Apart from the SLIM exhibit, I really liked the San Diego galleon and how neatly everything was displayed. A lot of thought was put into it from the lighting to the way everything was arranged and grouped together. We also got to see the most expensive porcelain plate here in the Philippines. John Silva said that it would have cost thousands of dollars to pay for its insurance alone. He said it won't be on display for very long because of this very reason. Hopefully you'll still be able to see it though.

Another thing that was memorable to me was the exhibit called "War and Dissent." It documented the time between 1898 and 1915 during the American colonization of the Philippines. It's impossible not to have that strong sense of national pride after seeing this exhibit. There's the story about this courageous Filipina who wrote books and lobbied in the United States for our freedom. It caught the attention of many famous American authors and personalities who tried to help us too. And at the time, did you know that we're the only American colony which resisted and fought for our freedom? There's also that interesting bit about these African-American soldiers who came here to fight against us but ended up switching and joining the Filipinos to fight against the Americans instead??!?? John Silva has a lot of these interesting tidbits to share and anecdotes too -- some funny, some enlightening, and ALL very amusing! ;-)

Oh there's also that eerie exhibit which included statues and sculptures of deities and burial jars too. John Silva had a funny funny thing to share about that. My husband -- Jojo and I couldn't stop laughing! ;-)

Throughout, there are thousands of paintings to marvel at too. There are paintings by High School students in tribute to Cory Aquino. There are also paintings from many many years ago which depicted the struggles of the Filipino people as victims of imperialism. Then there are paintings too by our national artists. The highlight of this, of course, is the Spoliarium. There are other paintings by Juan Luna, Felix Hidalgo, Jose Rizal, Amorsolo, Bencab, and MANY others. Did you know that one of our national artists murdered his wife and mother-in-law? Oh my. John Silva had a lot of these trivia to share. It's very interesting to know the story behind some of the paintings. John Silva made it all very interesting. He's very knowledgeable and during the tour, there wasn't a dull moment with him.

Whatever your interest is -- whether it be plain history, archaeology, nauticals, architecture, art, etc., there is something for you to enjoy here at the National Museum. Having John Silva as a guide makes it all the more interesting though. It's very obvious that he's passionate about what he does. He's a true advocate of history and art appreciation -- not just for those who can afford it, but for everyone! As the senior consultant of the museum, he has deemed the entrance free for everyone on Sundays. He said that he's very particular about the upkeep and cleanliness of the museum not for anything else but for the very reason that he wants the streetchildren who come in to see a different way of life. He reasons that when they see and understand beauty and aesthetics, maybe they'll fight against what they have been exposed to while living in shanties. They'll know that things can be better and maybe begin to dream and aim for more. John Silva is truly admirable. I hope that you can come and join him in one of his tours so you'll see for yourself what I'm talking about.

The National Museum is very close to Binondo. While you're at it, why not make it a true day of culture and exploration? ;-) See culture in a museum and in the sights, smells, and action in the streets of Binondo? ;-) After the museum, Jojo and I headed for Binondo to have our lunch there. We ate at Ramon Lee Panciteria. Not a bad Chinese restaurant or should I say "institution"?!?? ;-) We rode a calesa and bought hopia and mochi balls at Eng Bee Tin store and Poland Bakery. We felt like tourists and it was a whole lot of fun! ;-)

For more information about the National Museum tour, visit John Silva's blog at http://johnsilva.blogspot.com/

Jason Castro Fever!

I'm loving Jason Castro so much that my husband is almost jealous. ;-) I took notice of him in the early rounds of American Idol a couple of seasons ago. I remember that he didn't get much exposure (or any at all) during the auditions. But with his talent and charm, he was able to get to the Top 4 before he was eliminated. David Cook became the winner that season. But truthfully, I think that Jason Castro deserved to be a finalist over David Archuleta or at least, he shouldn't have been eliminated before Syesha Mercado.

Not only do I love Jason Castro's voice, but I also love his style and the carefree, happy, and playful vibe of his songs. When he does go serious -- such as in "Hallelujah" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," it's very heartfelt and genuine.



The good news is that Jason Castro has five new songs out! These songs include "Let's Just Fall in Love Again," "Love Uncompromised," "You Can Always Come Home," "If I Were You," and "Sweet Medicine." I like them all but my favorite would have to be "Let's Just Fall in Love Again." Check out the music video here:



If you're wanting to put the tracks in your iPod, the even better news is that you won't have to go out and buy the CD or pay iTunes. I've got the link HERE where you can download all 6 songs for free!

And the best news of all? Did you know that Jason Castro is here in Manila as we speak??!?? He's been here since the 17th. So far, he's had performances at Trinoma Mall, Glorietta 5, and today at Ayala Center Cebu. If you're in Manila, our last chance to see him would be at Market, Market tomorrow at 6 pm!


I'll definitely be there. Even if I have to drag my husband to go see him too! ;-)

Mom's Manyaman Homemade Goodies

On my way home, I found this food stall on the second floor of Market, Market. It's near Goldilocks and right beside the escalator. I've seen it before and yesterday (although it was a Friday during Lenten season!), I finally gave in. Bad Nina. I couldn't resist the buttery-looking ensaimadas and cheese rolls! I just bought one of each though. They have these ensaimadas in a pan (about 12 small pieces) which you can get plain or topped with caramel-type sauce. I didn't want to get indulgent so I only went for the individual packs -- one cheese roll (30 pesos) and one plain ensaimada (32 pesos). The caramel-topped ensaimada wasn't sold in individual packs.

So what's the verdict? It tastes as good as it looks! Just the way I imagined it would taste! The bread is verrrrry soft and buttery. In fact, it's the bread that's the star here, not the cheese. I can eat it with just the bread alone. Having the cheese, butter, and sugar on top is just an added bonus! ;-) Mom's Manyaman's ensaimada and cheese roll did remind me of Mary Grace's. But the taste is more straightforward. It tastes simpler -- just like how your Mom or grandma would've made it. ;-) It is aptly named!

Aside from Market, Market, I think you can also find a Mom's Manyaman stall at the Greenhills Theatre Mall. Or if you're ordering in bulk, you can contact them at 726-4679 or 09175776507. It says on the sticker that their main location is at 33 Mariposa St., Cubao, Quezon City.