Rough Groove

Janet’s sons and a tremor in Makati

Well, nothing much to do last night. I was supposed to watch a movie, “Nasaan Si Francis” but when I looked outside, it was just raining hard. Not this time. I went back to my room and prepared the photos that Janet, my cousin, wanted. I was supposed to print this days ago but my #59 gray ink for my photoprinter HP 7960 just got consumed and it was really hard to find available stock unless I order. Below are photos of Paolo and Patrick that I’ll be emailing to her and is part of a series of 7 photos.

On the other hand, while I was just lying around on my bed last night, I felt the bed moving. A few more seconds and it was still shaking. The door of my closet was also swaying and creaking and I was just really afraid that here comes another earthquake. I got up, put on my slippers and got my camera.

Hmmm, I just realized, even in time of grave circumstances, its my camera that’s quite dear to me. Heck, I spent a large sum for this and this is my equipment of choice and I can’t just let it be left behind!

BBQ night and Patrick’s baptism

Other than the overcast and wet weekend here in Cebu, I was just home most of the time with family and my cousins. Its always good to be home doing nothing but eat, sleep, go online, etc.

Friday night, I sponsored a barbecue get together which we usually do from time to time. Whereas before we buy the meat and marinate early, readily marinated pork belly from the grocery is quite convenient. My cousins were complete and catching up with old times spent at the terrace where we did the barbecue. We also had barbecued chicken thighs, sakto Coke (a cute version of the popular softdrink, just 200ml and retails for just a mere P5 –> around 5 cents) and 2 1/5 gallons of ice cream.

My cousin Janet, a nurse in Great Britain came home with her family for the baptism. Instead of the Friday schedule, it was reset the next day due to some superstitious beliefs as Friday is considered a day of penitence (adlaw sa kasakit) –> christ’s death occured on a Friday (in this day and age?), the reason that I came home on that day. Right, Patrick Valiente, Janet and Nerio’s 2nd son at two months and is a British citizen.

The baptismal rite was just simple and short and was held at the church’s sacristy.

My cousin Janet’s 1st born, Paolo, now at age 4. Can’t speak Cebuano but understands a little. He’s really kind of shy but when around other children, right, with my niece Enicka, and his toy dinosaurs, he’s really a great and happy kid.

Enicka’s photo

I printed out Enicka’s pic (binary silver and flickr) and bought a frame in SM Cebu. When she saw it, she pointed at it and laughingly said, “Enicka, Enicka.”

Happy 2nd birthday!

Cebu last week…, 1

I’m already back in Makati and looking back at some of my activities at Cebu last week:

Dodong, Gerard, Jerome, Rodney, Louie (I’m above him), Popoy, Johnny and Poking.

Matias a.k.a. Johnny Tabasa, III birthday
It was a reunion of sorts, albeit, few, but it has been quite sometime that my classmates, close friends in highschool batch ‘91 in Don Bosco Technical High School (now Don Bosco Technology Center) in Punta Princesa met during Johnny’s birthday, Saturday, 29 October. Over bottles of beer, pulutan (bar chow) of kaldereta (goat stew), lechon (roast pig), balbacua (pork knuckles stew?) and chocolate cake, we talked about the fun times, asking the whereabouts of our classmates, and just reminiscing old times. But in the company of married men, talk just drifted to their family problems and wives. Well, maybe its always like that?

Anet chat
Last Wednesday, when I arrived at home from SM, my brothers and cousins were congregating at the computer. Apparently, my cousin Janet (her nick’s Anet) who is a nurse in Kent, UK, was online and they were chatting via Yahoo messenger via webcam. She’s infanticipating her second child.

Food, food, food
Friday and I requested my mother for crabs, shells and sinugbang baboy (grilled pork) as I really missed this. So, just before I left home for the airport, I was voraciously consuming these homecooked meals.

Blue crabs are my favorite compared to the alimango (mud crabs). Their tastier but can only be found in deeper waters compared to their coastline cousins. While these are not too fat and quite small in size, their still delicious.

Aninikad (its a kind of shell), to eat this one, a skewer is used to get at the flesh. Another yummy dish.

Sinugbang baboy, when properly marinated, and grilled over hotcoals, it just fills the stomach and senses.

Fresh lumpia, except for this one, I ate this during the 1st of November. Cooked vegetables, heart of palm and meat wrapped with a soft tortilla and then doused with garlic sauce. I especially like the lumpia of Cebu since it uses this kind of sauce compared to those in Manila where peanut sauce is used instead.

Family and cousins dinner out at the Big Mao

My cousins and siblings had dinner at Big Mao in Ayala Center, Cebu earlier tonight and, god, we were very full! The food was delicious especially the lemon chicken and the ostritch was so tender. So was the spicy sweet tenderloin tips, salted duck egg crusted chicken, the restaurant’s specialty, was quite good, and the fish in garlic and soy sauce that just melts in your mouth. Yummy!