Let there be light!

In a few more hours, I will be looking at more lights than this single abaca fiber lamp at Ninyo Fusion Cuisine & Wine Lounge.

Have a fantastic New Year's Eve!

Hazards

Back in November, I posted a photo of the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos, Ilocos Norte. This is the reason why a lighthouse is needed in the area—nothing but cliffs and rocks all along the coast.
  Well, okay, goats too. The rocks are hazardous to ships, and the goats are hazardous to drivers. The local government of Burgos ought to put goat crossing signs in their stretch of the Pan-Philippine Highway.

Bene, good, 좋은, masarap!

Caffé Bene, a Korean coffee shop chain, is now in the Philippines. So far, they only have one branch, located at Eastwood City. I only had a sip of it, but their Misugaru Latte, a roasted multi-grain drink, is really good. I want to go back soon for a full mug, when I'm not so full from a leisurely lunch with friends—their enormous honey bread concoctions also looked very tempting.
 

The whole hog

Inside Glory Hogs restaurant (see yesterday's post) is a wooden silhouette of pork cuts with identifying numbers…  
whose corresponding prices are listed on a chalkboard beside it. You choose which cut you want but you can't choose how it is cooked. And their basic method of cooking: fried.  
To be honest, I found the prices too expensive for the size of the servings and there really wasn't anything special with their marinade or dipping sauces either. Even the frying left a lot to be desired—the skin wasn't perfectly crunchy. Glory Hogs has other dishes on their menu, though, and they actually sound more interesting than the novelty of having all the parts of a pig available in a restaurant. If we ever go back there, I'm going to choose from the non-pork menu.

Glorious pork

When a restaurant is named Glory Hogs, you just know what you're going to get on your plate.

White wafers

The decorations hanging from the cupola of the Ateneo Church of the Gesù this Christmas season are called Neules de Mallorca, a traditional craft from the island of Mallorca or Majorca in Spain. They are cut-out paper disks with delicate designs which originally were edible wafers made of the same unleavened bread that Roman Catholic communion wafers are made of.

Today

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, 

which is Christ the Lord.

~Luke 2:11

  The Nativity scene at the Ateneo Church of the Gesù

Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed 

and grace-filled Christmas.

Exie & Hilda

They came on a boat

In the Christmas Parks of the Ateneo de Manila University, the Jesuit Residence (where the Jesuits who work in the university live) and the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI, a Jesuit-run institute though not part of the university) were assigned the MIMAROPA region. An abbreviation for Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan, the MIMAROPA region is a long and narrow string of island provinces in the west central part of the Philippines. As you can imagine, boats are a major way of traveling around the islands, and the EAPI and Jesuit Residence's Nativity is set on a bangka, a small outrigger canoe which is the most common boat used in the country. The roofed shelter is optional and is usually found only on bigger boats.

Island view

One of the resorts on the Blue Lagoon side of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte is the Kapuluan Vista Resort. Its designer used traditional nipa for the roof, and also used stone, wood and bamboo lavishly in its interiors.
  Unfortunately, the beach right in front of Kapuluan Vista isn't very nice. It is narrow and rocky, the water is full of seaweeds, and Blue Lagoon is several hundred meters up the muddy road. The name of the resort is apt, though, with beautiful views of the small islands just offshore.
  Though we didn't stay at Kapuluan Vista when we were in Pagudpud, someone had recommended their restaurant to us, so we decided to go there for lunch.
  We were not disappointed. Kapuluan Vista has its own organic herb and vegetable garden, so we chose dishes which make full use of that fact. The lightly-seasoned fresh tuna ceviche was wonderful, the garden salad was a delightful combination of textures and flavors, and the tacos were buried under the crunchiest lettuce. There was one thing our friend forgot to tell us, though: the servings are huge! Since we also ordered empanadas, we ended up doggie-bagging more than half of our order.

Boat to Bethlehem

The Christmas Parks of the Ateneo de Manila University are also thematic, with each group randomly assigned one of the regions of the Philippines to incorporate into their Nativity scene. Probably one of the most challenging regions is the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). How does one sensitively depict a very Christian belief in a Muslim setting? By not making any direct reference to the Muslim faith, of course. The Nativity scene is set on a vinta, a traditional boat with a sail of colorful vertical strips which has long been used in the islands of Mindanao. And as an additional detail, Joseph is also wearing a taqiyah.

Parents!

Aside from providing decorations for the campus for the Advent and Christmas seasons, the annual Christmas Parks project of the Ateneo de Manila University is meant to foster community, with the various offices and academic units building their own parks. As I mentioned in the bottlecap Nativity post, one of the requirements is to use recycled and indigenous materials. There is also a limit to the amount that each group could use to buy new materials, a sensitive and just requirement given that those same monies can be used for the many social outreach programs of the university. And to make sure that people do their best with the limited time and resources on their hands, the Christmas Parks was turned into a contest, with the grand prize being an amount bigger than the expense budget limit.
  One group, however, stated at the very start that they were going to build a Christmas Park but weren't going to join the contest—which basically meant that they were not going to limit their costs. The beautiful, delicate, life-size porcelain figurines alone probably cost more than the entire budget.
  The group used indigenous products, though, with the most prevalent decorative item being coconut husks—on the ground and the ornaments on the tree. And while the members of the group chatted away and shouted directions from their picnic tables, their maids and drivers constructed and decorated the scene for them. I have to admit, there's a very big advantage to having a lot of money.

Orange

Near the entrance of an alley which leads to a poor community, the water meters of a row of apartments are locked in a metal cage whose base is cemented into the ground. The cage helps prevent three things: coconuts falling on and damaging the exposed pipes, illegal tapping into the water line, and stealing of the steel meters for resale.

Deterioration

Yesterday, I showed you the finely detailed ornamentation of the pavilions in the Chinese Garden of the Rizal Park. Unfortunately, the quality of the maintenance doesn't quite measure up to the design's magnificence. I noticed a few missing tiles and some of the paintings on the beams have been either been damaged or have faded. I hope the park can find the high-caliber artisans—and has the funds—to have them repaired.

Ornate

The detailed ornamentation of the pavilions in the Chinese Garden of the Rizal Park is amazing. Tiles, woodwork and painting—I cannot even begin to imagine how long it took to finish each structure.