Between Bites

Archive for April, 2009

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” –Mark Twain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Albums:

 

Cambodia Trip Set 1 DSLR Photos

Cambodia Trip Set 2 DLSR Photos 

Vietnam Day 1 Album

Angkor Wat Album

Siem Reap, Cambodia Album

Cambodia – Vietnam Trip Album

 

Related Post

 

Ho Chi Minh City’s Hidden Charm

Traveling to Cambodia

My Tuk Tuk Moment

Angkor Wat: Journey to the Lost City Begins 

Inside Angkor Wat and the Beauty of Rain

Moving to Angkor Thom Aboard Big Feet

The Bayon

The Elephant Terrace, The Leper King and Phimeanakas

Back to the Roots: Ta Prohm

More of Angkor Wat in Stills

 

 

Stay Tuned: Last Leg of The Cambodia Series

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

 

 

Tomorrow, Livin’ La Vida Local entry.

(Note to self: Remind me not to take photography classes.  90% of the time, it’s the bystander, wait staff or drivers that take the shots anyway :) )

The Afternoon After Angkor Wat

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

 

We finished touring Angkor Wat a little past 12.  We went back to our hotel, the Dead Fish Guest House, and took a much-needed rest.

 

Of course, all three of us fell asleep as soon as we hit our room.  It was such an early day for us waking up at 5AM to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. 

 

Image Source Flicker Member emu468

Image Source Flicker Member emu468

 

We woke around 4PM and the first in the agenda was lunch.  Since we’ve had enough of Khmer cuisine, we opted to go American.  We missed fastfood.  We eagerly headed to KFC.

 

 

Their chicken taste less salty than our Kentucky fried chickens in Manila but we love sinking our teeth in the “oh so familiar food”.

 

 

 

After our late lunch, we went around to look at souvenir shops.  Most stores carry wallets, belt and display items made out of crocodile or snake skin.

 

 

 

With all the walk we did that morning, our muscles were in dire need of a Khmer massage (similar to Thai massage but with gentler strokes) after at USD5 per head.

 

 

We explored the area and found the restaurant and hotel that Bev recommended, Cafe de La Paix. 

 

 

 

 

Our hotel’s restaurant, Dead Fish restaurant, has quite an intriguing dining interior.  It’s multi-leveled without borders.  It resembles an unfinished construction project, where it’s all skeletal and lofts.  It has a rustic appeal to it.

 

 

 

 

 

While checking my mail and plurking at the hotel lobby/restaurant (free Wi-Fi), Lea conveniently bumps into us for our dinner date that evening. 

 

 

 

Happy Herb Pizza is said to be pizza flavored to “excite”.  Happiness served by the slice liberally garnished by the “organic herb” that makes people laugh –ranging from Double Happiness to Ecstatic.  A row of pizzerias catches our attention and we dined at one.  There was like a 5-minute effect and that was it.  (Don’t ask us what we tried to do afterwards…)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pizza was split into two flavors, one was Quattro Formaggi (our choice) and the other was Everything on It (Lea’s choice).  The pizza was yummy!  I especially like the Quattro Formagi because the taste is subtle yet flavorful.

 

 

We walked to the famed and now our own favorite Pub Street for some late night drinks.  We stopped by 2 travel agencies first to check the airfare cost for a flight back to Ho Chi Minh Vietnam.  It was about PHP7,000 without the terminal fee yet of USD 25.  Remembering the long uneasy drive to Siem Reap, I consider a bit.  But since we already incurred the rebooking fee for our return flight to Manila, I decided against it.  I might as well endure the ride back. 

 

 

 

 

Chris bumped into his friend Jay who was with his friends having dinner at the Mexican restaurant we dined in the night before.

 

 

 

Temple was our spot for the night.  We picked our poisons –Lea treated me to a Tomb Raider drink (the drink named after Angelina Jolie’s movie that was shot in Cambodia).  While drinking, we enjoyed a bit of Apsahara show.  Lea called Rattana and he went to meet us.  We invited him to join us for drinks.  After finishing our drinks, we asked Rattana if there are any dance clubs in Siem Reap.  He said there were and brought us there.  I said Hip-Hop and he nods his head in recognition.

 

 

 

 

 

We got to an exclusive dance club with suspicious scantily clad girls in a huddle outside.  No photo policy in the club.  The music was undeniably hip-hop but mixed with Khmer local music.  For the heck of it, we ordered drinks (this time on me) and stayed for 20 minutes before heading back to the hotel.

 

 

Since Lea was set to leave early the next day to a bus ride back to Phnom Penh where her plane touched down, we kissed Lea goodbye before turning in.

 

Albums:

 

Cambodia Trip Set 1 DSLR Photos

Cambodia Trip Set 2 DLSR Photos

Vietnam Day 1 Album

Angkor Wat Album

Siem Reap, Cambodia Album 

Cambodia – Vietnam Trip Album

 

Related Post

 

Ho Chi Minh City’s Hidden Charm

Traveling to Cambodia

My Tuk Tuk Moment

Angkor Wat: Journey to the Lost City Begins

Inside Angkor Wat and the Beauty of Rain

Moving to Angkor Thom Aboard Big Feet

The Bayon

The Elephant Terrace, The Leper King and Phimeanakas

Back to the Roots: Ta Prohm

More of Angkor Wat in Stills

Ced’s Take on Happy Herb Pizza

 

Reminiscent: The Goody Bag Project

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

December 6, 2006

The Goody Bag Project

In Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Album

RSCC Orphanage Feeding Program

06 1223- Goody Bag Project

Hospicio de San Jose Album 

 

Related Post:

Hospicio de San Jose

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and 12 Cups of Advocacy

Madz and Project Brave Kids

Sharing on Your Birthday

A Child’s Smile

 

 

 

Urban Mom’s Bazaar

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

 

 

What we remember most about May is Mother’s Day.  Since the month is going to start with the labor holiday this Friday, the day to celebrate this special For Mothers occasion is around the corner.

 

Image Source Powerplant Mall Multiply Page

 

Treat your lovely moms to an ultimate shopping spree at your favorite mall, Powerplant Mall.

 

On MAY 1-3, Power Plant Mall will celebrate this occasion with the URBAN MOM’S BAZAAR at the Rockwell Tent.

The Urban Mom’s Bazaar will once again feature over 90 participating shops with a unique finds– women’s fashion, accessories, beauty, home items and knick-knacks.


Rush to the Rockwell Tent to treat your Mom and yourself to a one-of a-kind shopping event! For more info, please call 8981702.

 

 

Markdown Madness @ Tektite

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

 

 

Lopez Defeats Filipino Boxer Peñalosa

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

Gerry Peñalosa surrendered his WBO bantamweight crown to be able to face Juan Manuel Lopez who is defending the title for the third time.  Unfortunately, Peñalosa’s attempt to win his third world championship failed when he lost to Lopez in a TKO in Puerto Rico.

 

The 36-year old Filipino boxer challenged the 25-year old Puerto Rican who won over Ponce de Leon, Cesar Figueroa and Sergio Medina with first round knockouts.  The knockouts in the last three outings and the 11-year age difference didn’t intimidate Peñalosa.  Training under Freddie Roach, Peñalosa had a lot of guts and heart staked at the ring.  It was Peñalosa’s ringside people that stopped the fight after the 9th round.

 

Image Source 411Mania.com

Image Source 411Mania.com

Lopez raises his record to 25-0, with 22 KOs.  He was only five years old when Peñalosa turned pro in 1989.

 

Poker Tales: Cracked Bullets

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

 

 

It doesn’t take Superman to squash bullets to pieces.  It happened to me 2 weeks ago at Metro Card Club.

 

I have pocket of Aces and raise it to PHP120.  Gary L. moves all in with short stack of PHP350.  Gary has been losing all night to some of the people on the table.  He likes to move all in with only a top pair and low kicker.  I was feeling bad for the guy.  His buy-in must have been 4K already.  The guy in stripes at the button moves all in too with PHP 450.  My stack got both covered.  What do you do but call it having the best hand pre-flop.

 

Image Source: PokerDIY.com

Image Source: PokerDIY.com

 

 

 

But I wasn’t overconfident because 4 AAs got cracked on this table within the last hour.

 

Flop:  7? A? 4?

I hit my set at this point.  Good.  Best set on the flop.

 

Turn: 8?

I was wary of a possible straight.  People play connectors.

 

River: 4?

Whew, that 4 gives me a great 5-card hand with full house of As and 4s.

 

SHOW TIME:

The striped guy had Q and 9 suited.

Gary shows a pocket of 4s. The sub-standard version of bullets. 

QUADs. 

…and that my dear, is how you knuckle-punch piercing bullets.  

 

A Child’s Smile

Monday, April 27th, 2009

 

Saturday was one of the best Saturdays spent this year.

 

Zarah, having worked together on a charity project before for the elderly, buzzed me last Tuesday regarding another volunteer work.  I was really excited.  This time it’s for the other end of the spectrum, kids.  The RSCC Orphanage is located just at the back of SM North EDSA.

 

 

It was a feeding program hosted by Michy and her friend.  20 minutes after we got to the venue, we see kids running with so much enthusiasm towards the activity hall.  It was a total of 62 kids.  I think we were about 10 in the group.  They were so giddy about that afternoon’s activities.  Most were generally playful.  Some need affection –a touch, a tender hug. 

 

Girl V. Boy: These two kids wanted my undivided attention and didn't want to let go of my hand.

 

Tug of War

 

They took their respective seats in their small chairs.  The boys are grouped all together and the girls in another.  The program started with games the children was familiar of.  The palpable energy was so contagious that it upped my vigor ante. 

 

 

 

Playing Stop Dance

 

 

 

They say a child smiles on the average 400 times a day compared to an adult whose smile average is 15 times a day on a good day.  What a great reward to be able to smile like a child again –that smile of pure joy and unadulterated innocence.

 

Trip to Jerusalem

 

 

 

The kid kept teaching me magic tricks

 

 

To see a child’s smile is one of life’s greatest blessings.  I smiled 400 times that Saturday afternoon. 

 

 

Album

RSCC Orphanage Feeding Program

06 1223- Goody Bag Project

Hospicio de San Jose Album

 

Related Post:

Hospicio de San Jose 

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and 12 Cups of Advocacy

Madz and Project Brave Kids

Sharing on Your Birthday

 

More of Angkor Wat in Stills

Monday, April 27th, 2009

In Photos:

 

Can you imagine how enormous these trees are?  Mammoths! 

 

Having fun under the Cambodian Sun.

 

Hit him while he’s distracted by the camera and not looking…

Make Peace, Not War

 

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”  –Henry Miller

 

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” –Martin Buber

 

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

 

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.” –Charles Dudley Warner

The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” –Rudyard Kipling 

 

 

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” -James Michener

 

 

 

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe” –Anatole France

 

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” –Clifton Fadiman

 

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” –Tim Cahill

“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” –Freya Stark 

 

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” –Pat Conroy

 

 

 

Albums:

 

Cambodia Trip Set 1 DSLR Photos

Cambodia Trip Set 2 DLSR Photos

Vietnam Day 1 Album

Angkor Wat Album

Siem Reap, Cambodia Album

Cambodia – Vietnam Trip Album

 

Related Post

 

Ho Chi Minh City’s Hidden Charm

Traveling to Cambodia

My Tuk Tuk Moment

Angkor Wat: Journey to the Lost City Begins

Inside Angkor Wat and the Beauty of Rain 

Moving to Angkor Thom Aboard Big Feet 

The Bayon

The Elephant Terrace, The Leper King and Phimeanakas

Back to the Roots: Ta Prohm

 

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