when yolanda came to town

In December 2006, typhoon Seniang's eye passed right over Boracay and wreaked all sorts of havoc. Since then, I've always kept tabs on the weather forecast. Two Saturdays ago, I noticed something big and bad approaching the Philippines. It turned out to be #Haiyan.

We battened down the hatches and waited. The day before the typhoon arrived, we had beautiful summery weather.

The predicted storm track of #YolandaPH was terrifying.

birthday boy

Guess who else celebrated his birthday this month?

The festivities lasted an entire week. He started with Kalibo's Ati-atihan on 18 January 2013.

For three days, he shook his booty.

hap chan = comfort food

I can already hear some people out there scoffing, "Hap Chan?"

Try to imagine being in my shoes. Since I started living on Boracay in 1996, there had never been a decent Chinese restaurant. No fried rice, no sweet and sour pork, no wanton noodle soup. For more than a decade I was deprived and desperate. And then Mongkok came... and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

About a year ago, Hap Chan opened its doors at Boracay Regency Resort. Happy happy joy joy. In January, I celebrated my birthday there.

Shrimp siomai, P90++

Sautéed beef with broccoli flower, P265++

beautiful day

Yesterday, we attended the christening of our friends' bouncing baby boy, Aidan. After the church ceremony, we were whisked off to a secret hideaway on the "other side" of Boracay.

Our group was composed of Boracay locals, foreigners who have been residing on the island for many years now, and some guests from Manila. This is one of the things that makes our island very special: A happy mix.

how to sink a plane, part 2

We were told to assemble at Aqualife Divers Academy on 1 March 2012 at 830AM.

The briefing.

All aboard.

We were the last team to arrive at the site, but technically we weren't late. The others were just early. In any case, our president was calm and relaxed. "They won't start without me," he said.

The Boracay diving community waits for Gov.

Our plane!

how to sink a plane, part 1

Once upon a time, I was president of the Boracay Association of Scuba-diving Schools (BASS). For four years, in fact. I was personally trained, mentored and groomed into leadership by Dirty Harry who was president before me. In La Famiglia, which is how I fondly think of the BASS, I was Michael Corleone.

I initiated quite a few projects during my term, but I was constantly hounded by the entire Boracay diving community's desire to create another wreck dive. (The first one was the Camia, a fishing/cargo vessel that we sank in 2001.) No matter how good I was at my job, all I ever heard was, "When are we gonna have a new wreck? Huh? When?"

The Camia is one of Boracay's best dive sites, and IMO one of the Philippines' best wreck dives.

So. In 2009, the universe gave us one.

15 December 2009, the first time I saw her. What a beauty.

Her radio call sign is Tri-bird because of the three jet engines.

But in my heart, she's always be "YAK"!

But it was not the right time.

my day

Have I ever mentioned that I have water lilies growing in my bathtub?

the other side

A few years ago, I thought about taking up kiteboarding because it looked so cool. But I keep putting it off because it looks like hard work to me. Or is it? My former diving friends are now kiteboarding friends, and they seem to be addicted to it.

When old scuba diving instructors retire, they take up kiteboarding.

Diablo flies a kite.

And away we go!

assorted edibles 2

Before we go to Kalibo a few days from now, hopefully to take lots and lots of pictures of the Ati-atihan Festival, I thought I'd organise my 2011 photo files. So here's some more stuff that I put in my mouth last year.

1. It's the best reason to eat at Spiral. Where else in the country, or even the world, can you get all-you-can-eat foie gras? The quality was not top notch of course, but it was adequate. This is a clear case of quantity winning over quality. The foie was a little veiny but still creamy, and it had that slightly gamey flavor that I love. And being sliced in bite-sized pieces meant that there were more seared surfaces.

Foie gras and apricot compote at Spiral concept restaurant at Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. 4/5

2. Why are the desserts at Spiral always so horribly, disappointingly bad? The chocolate soufflé thingy looked promising, but it was dry, tasteless and dense as a rock, and that orange syrup was a big joke. After taking a bite, I returned it to the dessert counter and hung around warning complete strangers not to eat those monstrosities. They really pissed me off.

Chocolate horror at Spiral concept restaurant at Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. 0/5

hello, 2012!

2011 is...

the lengths

Aileen Anastacio's Salted Caramel Cheesecake: Hand-carried from Goodies N' Sweets in Shangri-La Plaza Mall to Trinoma Mall via MRT.

let's get physical

A while ago, I made a vow to be slim and sexy by my next birthday. That's four months from now. Time is getting short, plus my favorite clothes don't fit me anymore.

Steve Shadow told us about the gym at Regency Lagoon Resort Boracay so we went to take a look. We got the grand tour. It's nice to have friends in high places, jeje.

They've been open for a year now, but this was our first time to see the resort. Not bad!

View from the fourth floor of the north wing.

being good, being bad

Since Shangri-la's Boracay Resort & Spa opened in 2009, I've eaten at their largest restaurant Vintana four times. Twice for breakfast, once for dinner, and just yesterday, lunch for the very first time.

The spread is not as abundant, lavish or varied as morning and evening. I guess most of the guests skip lunch altogether, or just have a quick snack outdoors when the weather is ridiculously excellent like yesterday. (Wouldn't you? See pictures of their beach and swimming pools in my previous post. )

But that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy my meal.

First plate: Tofu, baby bok choy, mashed potato, asparagus, grilled fish, broccoli, shiitake mushroom and cauliflower.

Second plate: Beef carpaccio with arugula and parmesan, assorted sushi, sweet and sour fish, stir-fried noodles, salmon sashimi.

i love my life

Guess where I went today?

getting it

About five years ago, I'm not sure exactly when, a friend of a friend, someone I wasn't particularly close to, gave me a book by David Sedaris. It was a collection of essays entitled Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim. When I started reading it, it quickly became obvious to me that David Sedaris is gay. I mean, he's a gay writer. I mean, he writes about being gay.

I didn't get it.

A couple of years after I finished reading that book and set it aside, still wondering what it was all about, I found out that the person who gave me that book was-- guess what? Gay.

I felt compelled to read the book again, I'm not sure why. But I finally got it. The book is not just about being gay. It's about family, friendship, life and love. I liked it the second time around. So I bought another one of his books.

Shangri-la's Boracay Resort & Spa, 10 March 2011, 6:13PM

an unexpected moment

Louisa May Alcott: "Stay" is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary.

Shangri-la's Boracay Resort & Spa, 6:15PM, 10 March 2011.

dinner at the lost horizon

Remember my Best Picture of 2009?

Shot with my Vivitar Ultra Wide film camera.

Guess where we had dinner the other night?

A bonfire at the entrance of Solana Bar at Shangri-la's Boracay Resort & Spa.

bagel break

Everybody knows that I very recently came back from a trip to Saigon and Siem Reap, but before I blog about it, let me just say: I am so glad to be home!

I rushed to our latest foodie discovery on Boracay. Last month, we ordered some sandwiches from Brother Bakers and immediately fell in love with their bagels. And since sharing is caring, we bought some for our friends Hot Tuna and Canned Tuna to taste.

Sandwiches made fresh as you order.

The best way to eat bagel sandwiches? With champagne, of course. (Hot Tuna: "Of course!")

The champagne that traveled round the world.

i feel a change comin' on

Herodotus wrote in "The Histories": For many very wealthy men are not happy, while many who have only a moderate living are fortunate. In truth the very rich man who is not happy has two advantages only compared with the poor man who is fortunate, whereas this latter has many as compared with the rich man who is not happy. The rich man is able better to fulfill his desire, and also to endure a great calamity if it fall upon him; whereas the other has these advantages over him-- he is not indeed able equally with the rich man to endure a calamity or to fulfill his desire, but these his good fortune keeps away from him, while he is sound of limb, free from disease, untouched by suffering, the father of fair children and handsome himself. If in addition to this he shall end his life well, he is worthy to be called that which you seekest, namely a happy man; but before he comes to his end it is well to hold back and not call him happy yet but only fortunate.

my heart is ravished with delight

New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights. ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie, 1846-1916