Manila Boy

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

ARMY NAVY = IN-N-OUT?

THIS IS INSPIRED BY IN-N-OUT

Finally gave in and gave this a try:

it’s good — damn good, but also

quite expensive at P440.00 (!!!)

even higher on Grab: P480.00.

I’d order it again if someone’s

treating — but honestly, it’s

resemblance to the Double

Double is really due to the

generous amount of tomatoes

& lettuce and best of all, lots

of fresh onions. This really

is an excellent burger, and

you’ll end up loving it more

if you don’t compare it to

the legendary In-N-Out

and its Animal Style!!!

TO ME, YOU ARE PERFECT . . .

The Can't Miss Valentine Concert!!!

Labels: Concert, Lea Salonga, Miss Saigon, PICC, Songs from the Stage, Valentine

CHAN WE CAN BELIEVE IN.

115 DAYS 'TIL CHRISTMAS . . .

Wooooooohoooooo!!!

THE FIRST DVD I EVER BOUGHT . . .

and that was a few months before I even purchased

my very first DVD player. I was just too excited to see

one of my favorite movies ever, the film I consider as

the "Casablanca" of children's films. And a large part
of that was due to Gene Wilder's role as Willy Wonka:

snarky and subversive, subtly lonely, a joyous genius,

dangerous even; above all, a man of pure imagination.

My childhood would not have been complete without

Willy Wonka. It was my Golden Ticket, and the reason

why I'll forever be transported by the magic of cinema.

Thank you, Mr. Wilder. It's been an unforgettable tour!

THEY NEED NOT BE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.

I really believe that Rody Duterte can be a good president,

in the same way that Noynoy Aquino was a good president.

I don't see why so many people have to belittle one to make

the other seem better. Why can't they both be great leaders?

Sure, they're absolutely different, and certainly both have their

blind spots, their obvious imperfections, their weaknesses. But

both have their strengths, and both certainly are the Presidents

the country needed, and wanted, at the times they were elected;

change has come, and change will continue, but not because

of an Aquino or a Duterte. It's all up to us. We're fast becoming

a mature democracy, a country on the rise, and this momentum

can only be sustained by our commitment to personal discipline.

Pitting one President against another is a sign of immaturity and

an inability to move on; a selfish and self-serving refusal to grow

up and leave personal biases behind. It's high time for everyone

to be constructive, and not destructive; be critics but never cynics.

R A W R : ASIA GOMEZ

SERIOUS DOUGH : SERIOUSLY GOOD PIZZA

It's been called "the perfect food".

Perfect because it has all the major nutrients,

the major food groups, all in one convenient circle.

Carbohydrates from the dough, obviously.

Vegetables in the form of tomato sauce.

Proteins from the meaty toppings.

Dairy? The cheese of course!

Pizza's been a Pinoy staple for over half a century.

My dad remembered Di Marks from the 1960s,

perhaps the pioneer pizza restaurant in the Philippines.

In the mid-'70s, Shakey's opened its doors

and made generations fall in love with thin crust.

Shakey's started a "Pizza Parlor" trend that's never ended.

Pizza Hut taught us the stoner convenience of deliveries, and

Yellow Cab, which I first thought was a foreign franchise,

proved that Filipinos had mastered the game.

Gino's Brick Oven

introduced us to Neapolitan-style pizzas,

blasted in 800-degree ovens for a few short minutes,

giving the classic pizzas their unmistakable charred crust.

And just a few months ago,

a hole-in-the-wall in Century City's Hole in the Wall,

that new millennium elevated version of our childhood food courts,

started baking pies that have now gained a reputation

as the "best crust ever", and perhaps, the best damn
New York-style pizza in our pizza-crazy country.

Welcome to the singular greatness of

SERIOUS DOUGH!

'

Mushroom Spinach Ricotta

Four Cheese

Pepperoni

The slices are humongous.
The toppings, stupendous.

The crust, well...

the sign below doesn't lie.

For me, these are the best value-for-money slices available.

And they're so f*ckin' great, I make excuses to pass by Kalayaan

in Makati just to pass by Century City, and say to myself:

"F*ck it, I'm already here. Why not grab a slice?"

They're that f*ckin' perfect.

I WANT YOU TO BURN . . . BURN FOR ME BABY!!!

Manila's Brand New Artisanal Ice Cream Parlor

is now open on Bonifacio High Street.

A very Canadian

Bacon Maple

on top, ey?

And right below?

My favorite new flavor of the year,
it's quite odd, but it sure tastes amazing:

HEINZ KETCHUP & MAYONNAISE!!!

So how does that taste?

The mayo gives the ice cream extra creaminess...

a silkier texture, and a tiny tang.

The ketchup doesn't come off as savory;

instead, the tomato's fruitiness comes through.

I'd love to put a scoop of this between

two slices of wheat bread, actually!

Freezer Burn is from the same cool kids

behind my favorite bespoke cookie shop in

Century City's Hole in the Wall, "Scout's Honor":

Chef Miko Aspiras,

Chef Kristine Lotilla,

and
Innovator Charles Paw.

You know I love what you three keep on coming up with,

but I have just one request for you three to consider:

for their second branches?

Freezer Burn and Scout's Honor
should be right next to each other!!!

BUTTER ICE CREAM OMG.

THOSE EYES THOUGH.

SALUDO

It's true. All of it. We're much better off, as a country,
and as a nation, than we were six years ago. In 2010,
we were coming off a dozen years of two administrations
that rivaled the Marcos era in terms of corruption, but we all
forget so easily. That's alright, I'm certain history will be kinder.

As I will. This presidency was not perfect; as a matter of fact,
it was very imperfect. Luneta, Abaya, Mamapasano: massive
failures all. Heartbreaking. Exasperating. Game Changing. But
let us remember, there were quite a few tremendous victories too.

There's no glossing over the fact that PNoy's character flaws:
his brutal decision making processes, his lack of empathy,
his intransigence, his loyalty to his Liberal colleagues,
all contributed to an inevitable decline in popularity.

And that is the unique nature of Philippine politics.
We bring down the old to make way for the new.
And change is certainly coming. That is good.
President Duterte's success will be ours too.

But that is not cause to tear down President Aquino.
Nor rain insults on the color yellow. That is not a
political hue; it's a remembrance of his parents'
ultimate sacrifice for the Philippines. Haters
will hate, but to them, I say: "F*ck you all".
What have you done for the country lately,
but to act like whiny ugly spoiled brats?

I for one, will always be grateful to the man who never
wanted the office; a son who was forced to assume
the mantle, and not because he desired it, but
because we, once upon a time, demanded
that he do so. I will be forever grateful~

maraming salamat, Noynoy Aquino.

R A W R

THE ORIGINAL HIPSTER

The Young Atty. Eddie Enriquez:

Dad could rock a millennial haircut,
don a suit like a boss ~ and carry on
the whole night with a whisky in hand.

Happy Father's Day!!!

SLASH BROTHER : How I became a Brand Ambassador for RÉMY MARTIN

One fine day,

early this April,
I received this letter:

Greetings on behalf of our client,

Rémy Martin Cognac.

We would like you to be a part of our new global PR campaign

that celebrates the individual’s multi-talents

as embodied by its brand ambassador
Jeremy Renner,

himself an accomplished actor/film producer/musician.

The campaign tagline,

One Life/Live Them®

assumes a grammatical accident,

it identifies today’s highly-driven individuals

as not defined by one talent or skill,

but are multi-faceted and should be
applauded for their many passions.

Rémy Martin’s One Life/Live Them campaign

encourages each and every one to explore
and celebrate all their talents.

It is a call to live richer, larger lives.

To expand the horizon and seize

all the wonderful opportunities that life can offer.

We believe you embody this brand philosophy and lifestyle

as an accomplished television host/ food connoisseur/blogger.

Now, tell me~
how could I say
NO to that?

Then they threw us a party.

In the freakin' Jaguar showroom!!!

My KTG Family~

that lovable bunch of hipsters and millennials,

showed up and gave me moral support~

but it was mostly immoral support~

I'm sure they were there just for the free booze!!!

The Slashers:

The Remy Martin
Philippine Ambassadors

Merci, Remy Martin!!!

AND SO I'M BACK . . . FROM OUTER SPACE!!!

Well, not really.

More like, I'm back from cyber space.

Or at least, another quadrant of the 'net:

THE DAILY SPANKS!!!

For the past five years, since March 2011,
I've been blessed to be part of the core team of Juice.ph,
the social portal of EYP, the electronic version of the Yellow Pages,
those massive doorstoppers that were invaluable during the rotary/analog era.

I was fortunate. I was given the latitude and the freedom to write whatever
I wanted to rant or rave about, from pop culture to politics, from sex to senti shit.
And write I did. Over the course of sixty-odd months, I published over 1,000 posts.

And for that, I'm forever blessed. There is no greater joy,
no deeper sense of accomplishment for writers, than seeing one's name
on a byline. And I had my byline in Juice.ph hundreds and hundreds of times.

Thanks for the trust, Juice.ph team. Thank you for letting me go off on my tangents,
and never pulling me back. Thank you for providing a channel that sharpened my skills.

I will always be grateful, and I will always consider our time together as a wonderful privilege.

And since this is already is sounding like an Academy Award acceptance speech,
allow me to run with it, and personally thank all my friends in Juice.ph, most specially,
to Doji Lopez, who invited me to be part of his hundred services half a decade ago, and
who always was my constant reader. Well, at least I'd like to think so. I certainly hope so!

To all my editors: Edz, who took care of The Daily Spanks for the longest time;
to Billy, who loved to leave comments; the glamorous ladies: Ms. Limon, Ysab, Sam,
Nicola, Jihan, Therese, Chiara; the gentlemen, led by Paolo, Ryan, and Teng, cheers to all!

Juice.ph will be fading away soon, but like Juan Ponce Enrile, it will never really die.

(drops the mic)

And so, an era ends, and a another begins.

Five years after I stopped regularly posting on this ten year old blog
you're reading right now, we resume today. The prodigal son has come home.

Welcome back to MANILA BOY!!!