My Choco Experience

Chocolates are my comfort food. I guess it’s true when they say that these sweet, milky dessert boost up body’s happy hormones called endorphins. No wonder, when I feel down and out with certain life dilemmas, chocolates are my ultimate quick fix.

            When I was still a bratty kid, my playmates and I were fond of buying these cheap tiny egg-shaped chocolates after hours of playing slipper game, ora-ora kamansi, or piko. These yummy, soft chocolates seemed to rapidly rejuvenate our exhausted bodies. We also liked the chocolate coins because after it melted in our mouths, we play with its gold or silver wrappers like they were teeth braces.

These egg-shaped chocolates are reminiscent of childhood snacks after some tiring games with playmates.  

            Have you ever tasted this creamy chocolate oozing from a plastic stick? It is popularly known as Krim Stix. I have always loved to nibble it either while watching tv or by simply lying on our comfy sofa, waiting for time to fly. I like making a minute cut in the chocolate stick so when squeezed, the contents will come out fine and curly, topping it on crunchy biscuits or flavoring it on whatever chips I fancy.

Krim Stix were the bomb during lazy afternoons when I was a kid.

            Since kinder, I have always been a fan of barquillos. And what do I get when these crispy cylindrical bread is internally swirled with sugary choco creampaste?  We get Stick-O! Just by eating it puts me in Cloud 9. I used to buy it in the neighboring tiangge for something to munch while waiting for a ride to the city.

Of course, how can imported chocolates be lost in my list? As long as I can remember, I have always been excited when my relatives abroad send us Hersheys, Kisses, Maltesers, Toblerone, Mars,  M&M’s, and many more. My lola even keep them in her cabinet to prevent us from incessantly eating them. I consider these sugary delights as perfect dessert to conclude a filling meal. Of course, we are always told to slow down from devouring them because they might cause teeth problems.

A few weeks ago, our tita working abroad sent us these well-loved, irresistible chocolates.

            Though these sweet tongue pleasers add flab to our bellies when consumed uncontrollably, we can’t deny the fact that they also offer us some health benefits. Usually, dark chocolates are the most beneficial ones. They contain antioxidants, neutralizing free radicals in the body that damage body tissues. Some studies discovered that dark chocolates lower high blood pressure as well as help the body metabolize sugar, thing that is of regard to diabetic individuals. But as the saying goes, too much of something is bad enough. Chocolates are enticing, delicious, and mouth-watering, but for us to continuously take it with fun and pleasure, eating it moderately is the way to go. I don’t want the time would come when my doctor would prescribe me some hypoglycemics for a shooting blood sugar.

You can experience rich and luscious cocoa in these Anthon Berg dark chocolate bar .  According to studies, dark chocolates are good antioxidants that lower high blood pressure.

            Surely, chocolates have been a part of my life from childhood up to this day. I could not imagine life, whether fun or sad, without these delectable stuff. I can say that, yes, chocolates is indeed an experience. And a wonderful experience at that.

Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank: More than just the Plot

Everyone seems excited to watch Cinemalaya’s “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” directed by Marlon N. Rivera and starring one of today’s generation hottest comediennes, Eugene Domingo, who won a best actress award for the said independent film. To catch on this frenzy, I headed at Robinson’s Mall, Iloilo with my chilly green tea and a pack of Mr. Chips. And what can I say? I really laughed my heart out with the film’s simple yet convincing humor and cried my heart out as well with the touching issue presented in the movie that tackled poverty and its consequences.

The plot followed the adventure of young filmmakers composed of director Ranier (Kian Cipriano), producer BingBong (JM de Guzman), and production assistant Jocelyn (Cai Cortez), as they searched for the actress who would suitably portray the role of Mila, a poor mother of seven who decides to sell her children to a paedophile, in their film entitled “Walang Wala”. After thinking of possible actresses to fit the character, they decided to assign Ms. Eugene the role. The popular comedienne begged the filmmakers that she’d do anything except for one sequence in the script where she would take a plunge into a septic tank. As the filmmakers reviewed their thought-to-be winning script and Oscar worthy film bit by bit and arranged the necessary preparations from setting to the budget, the screen coincidently flashed through Jocelyn’s imagination the actual scenario in their story which changed into various concepts these movie-makers could ever imagine.

Eugene Domingo was pretty well adept in her acting skills not just in pulling off hilarious punch lines but also made it good in tear jerking dramatic scenes. She was also a satisfactory singer, acting while belting out in the film’s musical parts. Kian Cipriano was fresh in the eyes, acting simply and not too pushy. JM de Guzman I guess was a really good actor because he felt every emotion he expressed.  Though Cai Cortez didn’t have much dialogue, her presence was comically felt anyway.

I commend the film’s script for its wittiness, with lines that were simple yet relatable and entertaining. The shots taken were stylishly varied depending on the treatment. One musical part was taken theatrically  so the scenes were captured as if you’re watching a stage play. Another part was treated as a documentary film so the video moved shakily for it to be more realistic.

Some movie-goers thought that the story left them hanging for it was “bitin” or concluded incompletely but I think , the film would like to leave to the viewers the real essence of the entire film. I personally think that the story’s focus wasn’t only about the filmmakers’ job in movie production but the very film vitally depicted the unending turmoil Filipino people are still obviously suffering from – poverty.

Many of our kababayans would risk even their worth, or their relatives’ worth, just to survive from their daily hand-to-mouth existence. And yes, if this problem would be remedied with a bad, immoral solution, the problem would just get nastier, more absurd, and more uncontrollable. This is certainly happening in the Philippines now. We make our predicaments even worse that it would require us a lot to escape from this seemingly dark trap that we ourselves created./This Bubbly Life

Changes I See in My Trike Rides

              So the first week of August was really a wet and damp week, huh? I mean, I went to and fro the hospital I’m volunteering in with white shoes splattered in mud and slacks stained with dirt no matter how careful I was to avoid the merciless speeding vehicles whose wheels splash groundwater as it came past me.

            Well, I must say I’m presently more tolerable towards the above situation because maybe, my system has become used to it. Ever since I was in elementary, I have been riding the tricycle that pass a bumpy, unpaved road, causing you to hit your head on its steel many times - and nothing is worst than raining hard when you get home poorly soaked from head to foot.

            Yes, although I’m clamoring about this, I still find riding these down-to-earth three-wheelers fun. I loved sitting on its roof, feeling the cool breeze that brushes through my face. However, there are times that I just wanted to sit on its either soft or rock-hard chairs just to prevent the burning heat of the sun. But since I’m a guy, I need to give way to the girls and the oldies as well.

            Like what I’ve expressed, I’m still amused by commuting in tricycles. You get to see inevitable changes unfold right in front your very eyes. Although it is a rural scenery while traveling along our place, one may notice that wide rice fields are now turning into expansive housing subdivisions. The kantos and kalyes I came familiar with in my day to day ride are giving birth to computer shops, big sari-sari stores, apparel shops, batchoyan, and refilling stations. Barangay chapels are renovated and made more beautiful for the dwellers. Small, kawayan houses turn into concrete ones. Trisikads and tricycles doubled in population, reflecting the increase of residents in our area. Companies arise such as the ice plant and the factory that dresses chicken, providing jobs to the residents.

            Nevertheless, some things remained unaltered. You still get to see a hardworking person in his trisikad who buys scraps in the neighborhood and a man vending in his bicycle a load of chicharon, hoping someone will buy. There is also a guy patiently carrying on his back a furniture which he eagerly sells from house to house.  A mother entices you to eat her freshly prepared bitso-bitso, pancakes, aripahol, and banana cue just to have something to give for her children she sends to school in the nearby public school.

            Good thing, there are still rice fields that relax your tired eyes with its green, refreshing view. I’m glad that trees giving off clean, cool air remain standing in its roots. I smiled on that one time I saw a blue bird swiftly fly past our backyard. I smiled for its existence. I adore the sight of colorful, graceful butterflies hovering on flowers that embellish the streets.

            Like what I’ve said, eversince I was a kid accompanied by my tita or mom in these tricycle rides, our road has been rough and rocky and unpaved. Now that I am commuting on my own, it is still is. I am yet uncertain of the time where residents would experience a smooth ride without having to worry about the mud spattering on their clothes. For now, I’ll continue to enjoy this bouncy and jerky journey and be mesmerized with the amazing changes occurring in the corners of the streets I have been acquainted to as time flies by.

Ice Scramble and Pizza at Sta. Barbara

         My cousin and I drove off to the main town of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo in search for food for our gurgling tummies. I bet you'll never starve strolling through the kalyes and kantos since a number of humble restaurants are just around the corner, waiting for guts to satisfy.
          By the plaza, we spotted Chico Shade, a refreshment built around a Chico tree. The walls inside were lined with bamboo and of course, you can see the Chico trunk rooted right in the middle of the space.

          We ordered bihon for about Php 60 which was already good for three starving mouths. For our drinks, we tried its popular ice scramble for Php 15 which I think to be the tastiest, milkiest, and smoothiest ice scramble my tongue has ever slurped. They also serve pansit canton, batchoy, cakes, halo-halo, and juices that came in lofty glasses.
          Chico Shade is the right haven for budget-conscious eaters who desire a satisfying meal or meryenda. No wonder many students from nearby schools get to have their delicious fill here.
          A few walks away from Chico Shade is Dogsdale, a small pizza restaurant popular to the residents in the place. Aside from the different pizza sizes that you can choose from, the pie comes in two basic types of preparation - the ones with white sauce and the once with red sauce. My cousin and I tried their Dogsdale Solo White Special for Php 40 which tasted like your perfect home-made pizza coated with delectable melted cheese and topped with pepperoni, hams, and onions. They also have various sandwiches to select from.

          After an exhausting shop in the town's grocery stores or a perspiring transaction in its government halls, people can stop by these two refreshments for a very rewarding munch.