I was cajoled enough by the big man to give away one of our secrets to having a "healthy" relationship, other than maintaining an open line of communication as your love guru would tell you, dining together is one sure way to keep your love al dente. I guess that has been the same secret kept by the amiable owners of Bellini's, an authentic Italian ristorante in the middle of busy Cubao. In this watering hole of artists, food connoisseurs, families and couples, everything is made fresh daily which sets it apart from other Italian eateries. They make their own pasta and pizza dough and it has been rumored that they offer 365 different pasta sauces, a different sauce everyday for the whole year. Me, I have yet to master the different pasta listed on their menu: ravioli, farfalle, tortiliogni, fusilli, etc. Good thing there's a description below for those Dory-moments. Their thin crust pizza is well-loved by patrons who are at war against carbs found in those American style pizza of Pizza Hut, with more than a dozen toppings to choose from. For desert, their heavenly panna cotta and tiramisu are the best-sellers. For us, it's always a different experience every time we go there and we've maintained a faithful vigil to Bellini's for five years. It's a homey, warm place to enjoy a sumptuous piece of Italy without leaving a dent in your pocket (nice pitch). Plus, the mysterious singer never fails to amuse me.
If you're curious of how Roberto Bellini, an ex-paparazzi of celebs and royals, runs a place with a mural of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you can ask him at the Marikina Shoe Expo, his place is open until 11 pm.
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As promised to Iris Gonzales, one of the owners of Datelines, a new Bohemian book shop located inside the Shoe Expo near Bellini's, I am inviting friends and bloghoppers to visit their place with a selection of rare, non-mainstream books and other cool stuff.
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Move that lazy ass and also pay a visit to Vintage Pop, the place to be for those looking for antiques, collectibles and memorabilia.
Rice Terraces at Batad Junction. More than an hour ride from the Banaue Viewpoint, traversing on very narrow, semi-rough roads carved right through the mountains. Aim to go farther, the vista here is unspoilt, no words would suffice to describe the feeling of being right in the middle of paradise . It's worth every bump in the road, plus the danger of falling over the ledge adds to the adventure.
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The Banaue Rice Terraces from Viewpoint. This is not the majestic and picture perfect terraces we see on postcards. A bit disappointed because the scenery is blighted by houses and other establishments around it.Talk about unplanned urbanization.
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On the road to Banaue. We took the Isabela road passing thru Lamut going to Ifugao around 3-4 hrs. ride.
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Rustic scenery. Fresh air. Blue sky. What more could a city animal ask for? On the road to Ilagan town proper.
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At the President's Guest House Isabela State University. Lack of sleep+uncomfy sleeping positions at the bus=haggard looking people.
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Phi. The Divine Proportion. The Fibonacci code. The Priory of Sion. Perhaps you’ve guessed what I have been glued into today. Yes, Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown has been stirring a hornet’s nest with his daring expose (though fictional) of that sacrosanct organization involved in a highly dangerous quest to attain power. Once again a depiction of the transgression that had cost an angel his place in Heaven: the desire for ultimate power and supremacy.
I’m a sucker for trivia and I have found the book highly entertaining and most intriguing.I even scrambled for a tape measure when Langdon was explaining about the Divine Proportion or Phi. He said that if you measure your height and divides it by the measurement of your belly button from your feet; you’ll get 1.618 which is Phi. Fortunately, I have a handy honey who became an unwilling guinea pig (pun intended: D). We’re totally surprised (waddahell?!) it didn’t add up, but its close, our measurement was far from accurate, but the quotient is close, amazingly close, 1.717 a .099 difference.
He also said that the quotient of the female bees when divided with the number of male bees in a bee hive anywhere in the world would equate to phi. I have yet to find a bee hive and count its residents without getting stung. Or catch a nautilus or pick a sunflower.
I have yet to resume my reading and despite the scorching heat, the book is way too cool to be put down and head for the nearest mall to chill out. In the mean time, a fitting challenge for Dan Brown’s converts.
http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/davinci/
What could be a fitting way to glorify such highly controversial book than to depict it in film. In 2006, The Da Vinci Code will be shown in the big screen with Academy-award winning actor Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon and Audrey Tautou as the cryptographer Sophie Neveu. Gossip mills have circulated that Brown was offered $6 million by Sony for the rights of the novel.
And now the debate on whether Tom Hanks should be playing Langdon begins.
By Prof. Ryan Cayabyab
(Speech delivered at the University of the Philippines commencement exercises 24 April 2005)
*sent thru email by the coolest PSO, Bel.
Maraming salamat po, magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat. UP President Emerlinda Roman, former presidents Jose Abueva and Noel Soriano, UP Diliman Chancellor Dr. Sergio Cao, the Board of Regents, U.P. faculty and administrative staff, co-professors from the College of Music, classmates from UP High 1970, fellow alumni, graduates, and friends: Malugod kong binabati kayong mga nagsisipagtapos ngayong taong 2005. Isang karangalan ang pagtayo ko dito upang maghatid ng isang talumpati para sa inyo. Huwag kayong mag-alala, maiksi lamang ang aking sasabihin.
Kinikilala kong ako ay isang mamamayan ng UP. Unang nasilayan ng aking mga mata ang sinag ng araw sa Area 1, UP Campus, sa may likuran ng Infirmary, kung saan din nanirahan sina Wilfrido Ma.Guerrero, si NVM Gonzales, si Jovita Fuentes, si Jose Maceda, at ang mga Lansang, mga Manalang, mga Daza, Cailao, Lesaca, Estrada at marami pang ibang mga pioneering faculty members ng UP Diliman.Ang nanay ko ay nagturo sa UP College of Music.
Apat kaming magkakapatid na lumaki sa sariwang hangin ng Area 1, nanghuhuli ng tutubi at kuliglig sa araw, kulisap naman sa gabi. Diyes ang Coca-cola, singko ang Cosmos. Minsan sa isa o makalawang linggo, may dumaraang truck ng DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) na nag-bubuga ng makapal na usok pampatay ng lamok na nagdudulot ng malaria. Lahat ng bata sa Area 1, at sa buong campus ay sinasalubong itong truck, at kung kaya lang naming magsiawit ng Haleluya noon ay ginawa na namin dahil para kami lahat nasa ulap, nagtatakbuhan, hinahabol at nilalanghap ang maputi at mabangong usok ng DDT truck.Napakasaya namin. Walang nagsabi sa amin na hindi lamang lamok ang pinapatay ng DDT. Ngayong malalaki na kami at nagbibiruan ang aming egroup na Area 1,napagkasunduan namin na dahil sa DDT na yan, bawat isa sa amin ay may bahid ng kabaliwan, depende sa dami ng nalanghap na DDT.
Marami kaming laro noon sa Area 1 patintero, tumbang preso, siyato, lastiko, gagamba, luksong tinik, step-no, habulan, taguan, teks at holen, na sa palagay ko ay sasabihin ninyong napakalow-tech kumpara sa mga laro ninyo nung kayo'y mga bata. Meron kaming mga sikretong tawagan, sipol at huni. Ang dami kong nais ikuwento tungkol sa aking pagkabata ngunit mauubos ang ating oras.Nag-aral ako sa UP Elementary School at sa UP High School.
Matagal na panahon ding diyes lamang ang bayad sa IKOT. Saan pa ba ako magkokolehiyo kundi sa UP rin. Una akong pumasok bilang accounting major sa UP College of Business Administration. Sa kabutihang palad, nauntog ako at na-realize ko na ako ay hindi pala maalam sa pagbibilang ng pera. Tinanggap ako at lumipat sa UP College of Musicbilang isang piano major. Nauntog na naman ako at natanto ko na ako ay nagpapanggap lamang na isang Cecil Licad.Mabuti naman at tinanggap ako ng Department of Composition and Theory.
Sa maniwala kayo't hindi, tinapos ko itong kurso, Bachelor of Music Major in Composition suma suma-sampong taon bago ko nakuha ang aking diploma.Aba! Naniwala pa sila sa akin at kinuha akong guro. Dito ko nakilala ang isa kong estudiyanteng napakaganda na una kong naging barkada sa kainan at kantahan, nauwi rin sa simbahan.Halos dalawampung taon din ako nagturo sa UP College of Music. Wala pang tatlong taon na ako ay nagbitiw bilang isang assistant professor; akala ko'y doon na ang katapusan ng aking koneksyon sa UP. Hindi pala, dahil ngayon ang aking panganay ay kasalukuyang isang university scholar sa College of Music.
Mababaw at maikling kasaysayan lamang ito. Gayon pa man, kasaysayan pa rin. Para sa akin, napakahalaga ng aking nakalipas at ito ay lagi kong babalik-balikan. Habang ako ay papalayo ng papalayo sa akingpinanggalingan, palalim nang palalim ang mga ugat na aking tinatanim, sinisiguro ko lamang na hindi ako maitutumba ng kahit ano mang malakas na bagyo o delubyo na sa buhay ko ay sasapit.
Ngayon, nakita n'yo kung bakit napaka-halaga ng UP sa aking buhay, sana ay maging sa inyo rin. Kahit hindi nyo na nasisilayan ang oblation, at hindi na naririnig ang karilyon, nawa'y nasa puso at isipan lagi ang paaralang kumupkop at nagpalawak ng isip ng bawat isa sa inyo.Naituro na lahat ng maituturo sa inyo ng inyong mga guro. Alam naman natin na ang bawa't isa sa atin ay may natatanging angking galing. Walang halaga ito kung hindi ninyo gagamitin para sa ikabubuti at ikauunlad ng inyong komunidad, ng inyong pamilya at ng buong sambayanan. Itanghal ninyo ang inyong pagiging Pilipino na nag-aral sa U.P. kahit saan kayo mapadpad.
Meron lang akong dagdag na pabaon sa inyo para lalong di nyo malimutan, ang UP nating mahal. Ito ang pitong mga bagay-bagay tungkol sa buhay na natutunan ko sa U.P.:
1. Ang buhay ay parang IKOT jeep. Ang iyong patutunguhan ay siya ring iyong pinanggalingan.
2. U.P. lang ang may TOKI, sa buhay wala nito. Pero nasasaiyo na yon kung nais mong pabaligtad ang takbo ng buhay mo.
3. Sa IKOT, puede kang magkamali ng baba kahit ilang beses, sasakay ka lang uli. Sa buhay, kapag paikot-ikot ka na at laging mali pa rin ang iyong baba, naku, may sayad ka.
4. Sa U.P., lahat tayo magaling. Aminin nating lahat na tayo'y magagaling. Ang problema dun, lahat tayo magaling!
5. Kung sa U.P. ay sipsip ka na, siguradong paglabas mo, sipsip ka pa rin.
6. Sa U.P., tulad sa buhay, ang babae at ang lalake, at lahat ng nasa gitna, ay patas, walang pinagkaiba sa dunong, sa talino, sapagmamalasakit, sa kalawakan ng isipan, sa pag-iibigan; at kahit na rin sa kabaliwan, sa kalokohan at sa katarantaduhan. At ang panghuli:
7. Sa U.P. tulad sa buhay, bawal ang overstaying.
Maraming salamat po!
Mayroon pa akong isang huling pabaon, galing sa puso ko - para rin sa mga puso ninyo, ito ang napili kong paraan upang maisalarawan ang tema ngayong hapon: "Angking Galing Para sa Sambayanan". Ito ay isang awiting nilikha ko at ng aking kakaklase sa high school na nagtapos din ng kolehiyo sa U.P., aking musika sa titik ni Ome Candazo, sa tulong ng mga kaibigan ko sa San Miguel Master Chorale at San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra na pawang mga alumni ng U.P.'Hala? ginawang concert ang speech!'
Photoshop-ped by Dô during one of those lull moments at the Palace.
Original art by Alex Robinson.
Dô (wannabe bassist), Pabs (wannabe guitarist), Pie and Tin (wannabe groupies, certified pretties (!) san ka pa? hehe)
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