I didn’t have a whole week of terrible things, but it was still annoying and stressful. I was waiting for some of my writing fees to be available, and accounting kept making mistakes with my kilometric name, or my checks kept getting delayed. That’s not funny when you have bills to pay.

Then the car broke down. Naturally Oneal was annoyed, and he didn’t have time to bring it to the shop. The weather made things more difficult for us, with three different wakes to visit, and Oneal having to go back and forth between Parañaque and Pasig. We were lucky that friends happened by and gave us a lift home, two nights in a row.

Oneal’s dad was able to pick up the car on Friday, and have it repaired in time for the busy weekend. All in all, it wasn’t that bad, but I did suffer a comical traumatic experience that must be shared.

On Thursday, I was scheduled to go to the office. Given how unpredictable the weather had been, I wanted to dress appropriately: sensible clothes and shoes for rain or shine, and presentable clothes for the wake of Dante’s uncle, which we were visiting that night. So I put on jeans, a tank top, a jacket, and brown boots. I was armed with an umbrella and two handkerchiefs, a bottle of water, and my knife tucked behind my back. I also had snacks in my bag, since I get grumpy when I get hungry. See, I was prepared for anything!

RIP rubber heel

So I stepped out and walked my usual route towards the corner of Ortigas Ave. and C-5, to get the jeep to Cubao. I trudged through Hypermart and Tiendesitas. Once I was on C-5, that’s where I noticed that my tread seemed uneven. When I looked down, I saw that the rubber heel was sticking out on the side of my foot!

I had walked so far, and it was so hot and I was sticky and sweaty. I couldn’t very well walk all the way back home lest the heel come completely off. So I waited for a jeep and got down at the corner to walk home. By the time I got to the house, the heel on the other shoe was coming off too!

When I looked at my shoes at home, I saw that the heels were cracked in the middle. It looked like the rubber couldn’t take the heat from the pavement. I had to change into a different pair of boots. And since I was already disgustingly sweaty, I had to change my shirt too.

Both shoes!

I set out again for the jeep, and I made it to IPI, unscathed and starving. I got on a jeep and made it to Cubao without incident, with only crackers to stave off my hunger. I boarded a Lagro jeep near Ali Mall, and sat quietly as other passengers got in.

Once the jeep crossed Aurora, it stopped at BDO as usual to get more passengers. One of the passengers who climbed in was a greasy-looking man in dirty black shorts and a black shirt. He looked like he was homeless, one of those wandering people who just picked up what they could off the street.

And he sat beside me.

I got a little nervous since he was muttering angrily, and he smelled not nice at all. I thought he was muttering at the young man who was hanging on by the back of the jeep. I tried to keep quiet and be inconspicuous. Then the young man got down at Ermin Garcia, and I thought the homeless fellow would turn quiet.

Alas, he was still muttering.

And he kept glancing at me.

Call me terribly bourgeois and middle class and prejudiced, but I thought he was going to rob me. I thought he was looking at my jewelry, so I tried to hide my hands behind my bag and under my handkerchief. I thought he would reach for me. Once when he looked at me, I looked at him, then looked away, hoping to show that I wasn’t intimidated by him at all. I thought I saw him smile, but he was still muttering so I thought he was still angry

I kept thinking, if he reaches for me or tries to touch me, I’ll slap him or elbow him. On the other hand, I was also thinking, he’s just a crazy old man, he can’t do anything. But then again I would think, if he tries to hold me I’ll kick him.

Eventually he got down at Kamias Road, and I was unharmed. I and the lady in front of me breathed a very visible sigh of relief when he departed, and she told me, he had been muttering as he looked at me, “Wala ako’ng asawa.”

I didn’t know if I was going to laugh or cry, so I just laughed as I told the story at the office. But that was creepy.

Ruby Bayan, our ninang

Our principal sponsors at the wedding are awesome, wonderful people, who happen to be very good friends and close relatives of ours and our parents. But one truly awesome ninang is Ruby Bayan, mom of my best friend and our best man Dante Gagelonia.

Tita Ruby is based in Florida, and is a woman of many trades: she writes, does Web design, creates gorgeous jewelry, does her own carpentry and gardening, and is often sound engineer for her husband, Mike Llamas aka DJ Stoney Burke.

When we asked her to be ninang, Tita Ruby jumped onto the Star Wars bandwagon without hesitation. She scoured the Web for a costume she could wear to the wedding, and not only did she indeed wear a costume, but she made it herself too! And she modified a costume that was purchased for her husband. Check out her costume construction progress on Multiply.

Bridesmaid jewelry

In addition to the awesomeness of her costume, she also gave us a wonderful wedding gift: bridal jewelry for me, and jewelry sets for my bridesmaids and main and matron of honor! We gave these sets to the bridal entourage on the day of the wedding, and they all shrieked like teenage girls when they saw the beautiful, beautiful things. Check out the jewelry and the process of making them on Tita Ruby’s blog.

Tita Ruby, thank you for being an awesome ninang!

So anyway, since moving back to the Philippines in 1996, my brother and I have been discovering Filipino foods and awakening in our palate a love for the cuisine of our homeland. All sorts of pancit, kakanin, inihaw, seafood, seaweed: you name it, we’ll try it. The results are not always spectacular, but we’re always willing to stuff new things in our mouths!

It’s said that Kapampangans cook so well because they eat so well. Being the daughter of a Kapampangan who loved to cook, I guess I took up the spatula and the ladle as well. I started cooking when I moved to Yale in 2004, and I haven’t stopped since.

Cooking Filipino foods—especially the ones my brother and I love to eat—has become something of a mini-quest of mine. I love nilaga and tinola, and those are some of the things I tried learning to cook. Despite protestations from Paul regarding the necessity of saging na saba in nilagang baka, I’ve heard many approving sighs and happy moans from masticating mouths when it comes to my cooking.

So one day I tried caldereta, and it wasn’t half-bad!

The problem now is not how to cook caldereta, but how to cook just enough of it. I seem unable to cook for two, having gotten used to cooking larger batches of food for the transients and refugees that Yale always housed. So here’s my recipe for caldereta! Ingredients listed should be good enough to serve 2 people.

• ¼ kilo beef
• 2 bell peppers – red and/or green, chopped in squares
• 1 small carrot – peeled and chopped
• 1 piece chorizo – chopped and sautéed in olive oil with chopped garlic and onions till brown
• green olives – optional, they add a salty flavor
• 1 small can liver spread – use only half, otherwise the sauce will be too thick
• 3-5 medium sized potatoes – or you can use 1/4 kilo baby potatoes so you don’t need to chop
• 1 pack tomato sauce

Procedure:
1. Put beef in pot, fill with just enough water to cover meat. Boil over medium heat to tenderize. Once water is boiling, reduce heat. If you want to reduce fat, throw out water after boiling and add fresh water, then boil again. You’ll know the beef is tender enough when you can cut it easily with a spoon and a fork.

2. Once beef is ready, add potatoes and carrots to broth. Let it simmer till potatoes and carrots are tender.

3. Add tomato sauce, chorizo (with garlic and onions) and liver spread. Season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer, stir occasionally.

4. Once flavor is to your liking, add the olives. You can add the peppers just before serving if you want them crunchy, or let them simmer if you want them soft.

Simple sandwiches are not a bad thing. But simple need never be boring! A cheese sandwich, for instance, can have two kinds of cheese and a dash of something to liven it up: cayenne, chopped basil, a slice of tomato or cucumber. That isn’t so difficult.

The other day I discovered how to make my perfect cheese sandwich:

- 1 hamburger bun, sliced in half
- Edam cheese
- 3-4 slices of cucumber
- Olives, chopped in half
- Lady’s choice ham or chicken spread

• Arrange slices of Edam cheese on one half of burger bun. Option: Bury olive slices under the cheese.
• Toast for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove bun.
• Spread Lady’s Choice on the other side. Add cucumber slices.
• Close up and enjoy!

If you need meat, try adding sliced chorizo (sautéed in garlic, if you wish), liver spread, or Purefoods Ham Selections (any variant, they’re all good). Another option is to use cream cheese or Cheez Whiz instead of Lady’s Choice. You can also add sliced tomatoes. The possibilities are endless, and your appetite saved!

Tita Ruby, Dante's mom, was our ninang. She made the costumes that she and Mike are wearing.

May your helmets embolden you
to explore worlds beyond your wildest dreams
while your boots keep you firmly on the ground.
May your armors flaunt your battle scars
as the Force remains strong
within you and among your younglings.
Always.

Oneil & Rej from Paul Macasaet on Vimeo.

Would you believe I’m reading about 4 books right now? Since I have more free time now that the Kapihans are over and I’m no longer working for Playboy, I’m reading more and more. Webcomics, RSS feeds, news, books, and even comics. The books are scattered all over the house, so wherever I am, if I feel like reading, I need not look far for a book.

Books:

• Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe, by Laurence Bergreen. I’ve been inspired to read aboutexplorers and adventurers since I read Tony Horwitz’s book about Captain James Cook. I bought this one because it looked like an interesting angle on Magellan, and I’ve never read anything about him other than what’s written in Philippine history books. Different perspectives are always interesting.Unfortunately, I’m finding the writing of this book a little less engaging. Bergreen put a lot of effort into his research, though, taking care to explain the situations of the time, the histories that affected royal and religious decisions, and the importance of these voyages of discovery. I find my attention wavering from time to time, but not enough to give up on the book. I still want to know more about the man who first brought our country to the attention of Europe.
• Daughters of Britannia: The Lives and Times of Diplomatic Wives, by Katie Hickman. This book talks about the trials, tribulations and triumphs of women on diplomatic mission (either as diplomats or companions of diplomats) for the UK/England/Britain/whatever they called it at the time. Very interesting read, as we see accounts from different women–wives, sisters, daughters–in different times and different parts of the globe. These women braved raids, terrible weather, sick husbands and children, malnutrition, great discomfort, various modes of transportation over an even greater variety of landscapes and cultures.Though mine was not a diplomatic family, the book evokes many memories of my own travels, with my own family and friends. It is also a very personal look into the lives of these women who are long gone, as few of the excerpts are from history books or official records, but are instead taken from letters sent to sisters, mothers, friends. It makes me wonder about my own mother’s difficulties when we moved to the desert kingdom in 1987.
• Marvel Visionaries: Chris Claremont. Adam bought this for Oneal a few years ago. Actually I asked him to buy it, so I could give it to Oneal, but Adam refused to let me pay him back, so it’s a birthday gift from Adam really. Anyway, Oneal always said Claremont was his favorite X-Men writer, so I said I’d give him a read. So far I read two stories from this collection, and I find them pretty interesting. I hope to read the rest of the book.
• A Man of my Words, by Richard Lederer. I love Richard Lederer! I love reading about other people’s love affairs with words. I love etymologies, anecdotes and jokes related to words andtheir usage. I also love colloquialisms and observations on the vernacular. So this collection of Lederer’s writings is a fun read. It’s not something I need to read continuously, as the individual pieces (columns, I think) are pretty short. It’s good to pick up when I’m bored. It’s also a great source of trivia, which is often good among my friends for conversation topics.

Webcomics:

I used to read webcomics rather religiously, but with the wedding and the move, I’ve been so busy that I lost track. So I returned to my old favorites and started reading them all from day 1.

• Ctrl+Alt+Del, aka CAD. I’m not a gamer, not really (Dante will protest), but I love gamer humor. I guess it’s because a lot of our friends are gamers. Also, a lot of the humor isn’t just about games, but also about movies and fandom. Lots of pop culture references, so yeah, it’s right up our alley.
• Questionable Content. If CAD has games, QC has books and music. They make a lot of references to bands I’ve never heard of, and it’s funny because a lot of it is self-deprecating. The characters are also a lot like many people we know, haha, so it’s hilarious because sometimes they sound exactly like us. I don’t think I’m anything like Dora or Faye though.
• PVP. Another gamer comic, this one started in 1998. So yes, I have over 10 years’ worth of webcomic to read. The characters work in a gaming magazine called PVP, and it’s funny because they’re different kings of gamers: Cole, the editor, is all about classic games like Pacman. There’s Brent, who is a Mac user (and therefore the minority in the office); Jade, to whom I relate a great deal because she’s usually the only female in the story; Skull the troll (yes, they have a troll); and Francis, The Child. There are other characters, and their antics are really nuts.
• Something Positive. Dante got me started on this. I started reading it in 2003, I think. There’s a lot of plot and character development, and some things get really crazy. There’s a lot of geek in there: RPGs, theater, music, movies, and other pop culture stuff. I dunno if I like Peejee or Aubrey more.

It may have a lot to do with the markets. SM Hypermart is well-stocked. (Admittedly though some things are woefully lacking. Axion dishwashing detergent, I need you!) There are many options, a good fresh produce section, and points for the Advantage Card! There’s also a bakery, a deli and a roast chicken stall. For the days when I’m too lazy or tired to cook, there’s a food court and many other restaurants to choose from.

When I want to go all healthy, Tiendesitas is right next to Hypermart. There’s an organic market, and various stalls sell preserves, local delicacies, and other locally made products. And there are so many ihaw-ihaw places! We need never go hungry!

Of late we’ve also been frequenting the weekend markets in Makati. Fresh stuff! Organic stuff! Homemade stuff! Preservative-free stuff! And best of all: cheap stuff!

So the point is that I’ve been attacking new dishes with aplomb. The discovery of yet-untried ingredients and recipes is a great match for my husband’s willingness to eat anything I cook. Oh, such a dear.

One of my new recipes is my Hunny Bunny’s Mustard Chicken. Adam, Mary Ann and Jovan have tried it. They’re still speaking to me, so it must not have been awful.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast, or whichever part you like–washed and chopped into small pieces
• Mustard–I used hot English mustard
• Honey–bought in Tagaytay, but I’m sure they all taste the same
• salt
• pepper
• basil–I don’t know if fresh basil would work as well. I used dried basil.
• olive oil
• garlic–peeled and crushed, then chopped finely

Procedure:

• Mix garlic, mustard, honey and olive oil in a bowl.
• Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper and basil.
• Arrange chicken pieces in a baking dish and pour marinade. Make sure each piece is thoroughly coated. Marinate for at least 2 hours. Overnight would be better.
• Bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn over each piece. Bake for another 20 minutes.

Serve with baked potatoes or rice.

MERALCO, why oh why?

Nearly two months of wedded bliss, and everything’s fine. New house, new life, and many other new things, most of which use power. We’re people of many gadgets–who isn’t nowadays? My work requires me to be online almost all day, and Oneal and I have many interests online. In fact, we rely on the Internet for so many things: news, photos, communication with friends and family, even much of our charity work and 501st activity happens online. So you can understand the need for the multiple laptops, the phones, and the requisite power consumption.

Still, that’s not unusual. Neither are the aircon units (only used at night, but if during the day, only when we’re both home), the washing machine (chosen because it’s energy and water efficient), the lightbulbs (all CFL, mind you), the electric fans, and the kitchen appliances. So when we got our first electric bill in March, it was P2,082.40, and that seemed reasonable. After all, there’s two of us, and a three-bedroom townhouse.

Then just a few days ago, we got our new bill: P7,062.70

Granted, the first bill had been for 6 February to 6 March. Our lease on the townhouse started late January, and we moved in only after the wedding, so for about half of that billing period, we weren’t actually living here. But we were here at least every other day, and many of the days were spent installing various fixtures (aircon, water heater) and fixing the electrical wiring here and there. And when we moved in, we were pretty extravagant with the aircon use.

We expected a high electricity bill, but the P5,000 increase was preposterous! When we got the bill, my husband and I were looking over it, scrutinizing each charge, each item, each detail. Sure, our consumption had gone up from 201 kwh in February to 533 kwh in March. But it was ridiculous! We were thinking about power-saving strategies, like turning off the light in the hallway at night; getting those adapters with switches to make sure there’s no phantom power drain; reducing the use of the turbo roaster and the electric grill and the toaster; using the timer more religiously when we use the aircon; and reducing the usage of our secondary computers.

Then Oneal pointed out the distribution charge.

What was a charge of only P0.9953/kwh in February became P2.1998/kwh in March. What was a charge of only P200.06 in February became P1,172.49 in March. The generation charge also increased from 11.19% to 11.42%.

This is preposterous. Even when we were living in Cubao, where the house had 4 occupants and we had a total of 7 computers (1 desktop and 6 laptops/netbooks) and 2 aircons, our bill didn’t spike that high.

I hope Meralco realizes this atrocity isn’t going unnoticed, and that paying customers won’t take this lying down. Price hikes are understandable, but keep them reasonable! This is ridiculous! Join the protest on Facebook.