Sunday, October 27, 2024
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| Cats of WVSU on Instagram |
October 4 is Kindness to Animals Day by virtue of Proclamation Number 537. This month, let's think of the cats of West Visayas State University.
Just like any other university around the world, West Visayas State University is home to a dozen or so feral/stray cats. The cats make their presence felt the moment you enter the front gate. Lady Guard, a short legged female tabby is the designated leader of the security guard cats. She lets out a soft meow to alert you of her presence. Her sweet, munchkin kitten like appearance often delights visitors and the security guards alike. You would often find her sleeping near the entrance gate or lazing in a sunny spot near the WVSU Cultural Center. Then there's Bogart, a black and white cat that not so long ago got adopted but was promptly returned to the campus. Apparently he is more suited to be a campus cat rather than be a house cat given his love for people watching. You can find him loafing contently on the covered shed facing the cultural center. He loves the gentle pats that the students give him and the occasional treats. If you are lucky, you might spot the sassy, cheeky semi-orange cat Melo. When he sees a familiar face, he enthusiastically sidles up to ask for head pats or food. Of all the front gate cats, Melo is the devout eater and attention seeker.
Other buildings in the campus have their own cat colonies and are lovingly attended to by volunteers. Looking after the cats however is purely voluntary and often depends on the resources of people who have committed themselves to caring for these gentle yet helpless animals. Fortunately there's university based group Campus Stray Care that seeks to generate financial support for the care of the WVSU campus cats.
If you're a cat lover, student or alumni of the university and would love to support the the WVSU campus felines in your own way, Campus Stray Care is open to receiving donations in cash or in kind (cat food, medicines, vitamins and the like). Adoptions are also welcome.
Saturday, October 26, 2024
For good eats, quirky finds, bargain shopping and more, nothing beats Binondo--the world’s oldest Chinatown established in 1594. As one of the biggest epicenters of commerce, be prepared for the hustle and bustle and the merry cacophony of sights, sounds and flavors. The best, authentic Chinese food can also be savored in this district from fine dining restaurants such as President’s Grand Palace to hawker street stalls. Of course, a visit to Binondo would not be complete without taking home goodies such as Eng Bee Tin hopia, Lord Stow’s Portuguese egg tarts, HK/Taiwan/Japan gifts and confectionery as well as lucky charms and traditional Chinese medicine.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, there’s the mega shopping malls in nearby Divisioria such as 168 and 999 malls for pure retail and wholesale shopping pleasure. Binondo is best this time of year for seasonal offerings such as autumn fruits and pastries. For a definitive guide on Divisoria’s shopping streets, check out this article from Grid Magazine.
As we were pressed for time on a limited itinerary, we were not able to do a proper food crawl. I'm curious of the vegetarian kebabs and surgarcane juice that the Gen Z kids were lining up for. As any foodie would tell you, the food is good if there is a long line!
A few hours is definitely not enough to explore the vibrants streets of Binondo. Can't wait to be back soon!
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Yay! Flying Tiger Copenhagen has finally opened shop in Metro Manila. I first discovered this Danish Scandinavian store at Aqua City in Odaiba, Tokyo a decade ago. The shop is a treasure trove of fun, inexpensive, novelty items and knick knacks with charming Scandi design. For home, work or play, there is whimsical Flying Tiger item to bring a smile to everyone.
I'm happy that Flying Tiger Philippines opened its second branch in Alabang Town Center (the first branch opened at Glorietta 4, Makati City) and since I was in town for the weekend, I didn't miss the chance to visit the store for seasonal goods and decor. The Halloween and Christmas goodies are adorable as expected!
Sunday, October 13, 2024
The hustle and bustle that pervades the work week can take a toll on our health and well-being. It's hard to eat well when we barely have time to plan for meals, cook and rest during the week. Subsisting on to-go coffee, cafeteria meals and take-away food during the work week may not be the healthiest option but sometimes we just don't have the time and the energy to cook.
I welcome the rest and the respite that the weekend provides. Sleeping-in, listening to my favorite Spotify playlists and playing with my fur babies are the kind of recharge I need. The weekend is also the time to eat clean and whole. Thank God for vegetarian/vegan restaurants like Monkey Grounds Coffee, it's now easy to have a healthy, balanced meal delivered to your home.
My favorite weekend reset is the Buddha Bowl. Monkey Grounds has 3 types of vegan Buddha Bowls: Buddha Bowl Spicy Peanut, Avocado Lime and Garlic Tahini. This one-bowl wonder has typically 25% grains (i.e. quinoa, Adlai or brown rice), 50% vegetables (red/green bell peppers, beans, sweet potato, pumpkin, greens), 20% protein (candied walnuts and chickpeas) and 5% herbs, spices and toppings (dressing of choice). A Buddha Bowl is filling and good for your body and soul.
For breakfast, I have my weekend oatmeal reset- a bowl of natural protein oats, paleo protein raw superfood mix and chia seeds. I either add hot water or soy milk depending on my mood. Of course, there's caffeine free drip coffee sans the sugar.
For more mindful meal planning you may want to check out Eating Well Meal Plans or the Eat This Much Automatic Meal Planner.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
If you haven't been paying attention to your art history classes in college, now is the time to get seriously reacquainted with the Masters the AI way! Go on art refresher course on Google Arts and Culture. While you're at it, download the Google Arts and Culture Filter on your phone for some out-of-this-world, art movement inspired portraitures inspired by you!
The weekend is here!
If you're around Jaro area and you're looking for a quiet place to have solo dinner after work (or if you are too lazy to cook when you arrive home), Cocina Project's cozy little restaurant across San Jose College in E. Lopez Street is the perfect spot for some mealtime me-time. From starters to sparkling drinks, the dine-in menu selections are kitchen tested, crowd approved dishes such as smokey honey back ribs and citrus orange chicken. They also serve family size portions true to their tagline "Food brings family together."
Aside from being budget friendly, Cocina Project has a lovely and cutesy ambiance to enjoy food alone or with friends and family. Bookmark this place in your list of eating places for tasty, value-for-money meals. See you at the Cocina. Happy weekend!
Cocina Project
E. Lopez Street, Jaro, Iloilo City
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Today, let’s lift ourselves up by raising our awareness on mental health fitness and issues. Check out Wondermind, the world’s first mental fitness ecosystem that can help us improve our mental and emotional well-being.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
I love Iloilo City's quiet, laid-back lifestyle but there is nothing to love about the worsening transportation problem brought about by the city's rapid development and population growth.
In car-centric Iloilo City, commuting remains to be problematic especially if you live in the northern suburbs. Despite being a growing metropolis, the city still implements 80's style transportation management that has remained unchanged since my elementary days. With the addition of a few traffic lights, some road widening efforts, and implementation of a jeepney modernization program, nothing has essentially changed to make travel time faster and more convenient for everyone.
These are areas of concern that remain unaddressed:
1. On Mondays, when people from out-of-town return to the city for school and work, there is an undersupply of modernized and traditional jeepneys. Not even ride-hailing services such as Grab Car and Angkas can keep up with the demand. If you do not have a car, it is impossible to arrive on time as the deluge of commuters is overwhelming. This problem can somehow be remedied if this kind of situation is anticipated by the transport sector.
It has been observed that buses plying the routes from the northern/southern transport hubs have an average turn-around time of 1.5 hours. Perhaps supplementary point-to-point PUJs are needed to transport passengers from out-of-town transport hubs to the city's district plazas where they can get connecting rides.
2. The unresolved traffic bottleneck at Jaro Plaza continues to dim the district's sparkle. Yes, the Graciano Lopez Park is beautiful but is surrounded by constrictive traffic jams and visual/noise pollution from across the plaza. Maybe it's time to create a system for the organized loading and unloading of passengers in this area. Itinerant vendors also need to be regulated to maintain cleanliness and sanitation.
3. The shiny and new modernized jeeps no longer look relatively new and shiny due to lack of maintenance. The jeepney modernization plan should have a corresponding maintenance plan to keep the vehicles clean, safe and fresh-smelling. The passenger assistance officers (aka conductors) should also look well-groomed and clean.
4. Modernized jeeps should have designated loading and unloading areas to keep traffic flow smooth and clear. This is also to instill discipline and awareness in commuters that they cannot be unloaded whenever and wherever they want.
5. The modernized jeepney Panay transport card should be conveniently available so commuters can turn to a cashless pay system.
6. There is also a need to review and re-assess the placement of pedestrian crossing markings especially in places that pose a danger to pedestrians (i.e. forks in the road, rotundas etc).
7. Waiting sheds should be utilized for its most important function-a waiting area for PUJs. Enough said.
There are still a lot of things to be improved to upgrade Iloilo City's transportation. All it takes are small steps taken one day at a time!
Monday, October 7, 2024
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| Phở Bò (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup) |
On a rainy Saturday afternoon, my friend and I found ourselves craving for a warm bowl of traditional Phở soup. Nothing beats a serving of heartwarming soup when the weather is moody and threatens to crash all your weekend plans. We remembered seeing this new, homely Vietnamese street restaurant in front of the Jaro Small Market in Simon-Ledesma St.
Despite the threat of another impending downpour, we made our way to Simon-Ledesma Street. Hong Viet looked like something right up our alley! No fancy decor or expensive ambiance means the food must be good and affordable. We loved the kitschy Vietnamese music blaring from the speakers and the delightfully tacky wall decor that gave off a cacophonous Ho Chi Minh city vibe. The place is run by Vietnamese expatriates so we anticipated the food to be authentic, homestyle and unfussy.
The menu offered basic Vietnamese comfort food--beef noodle soup, rice paper rolls, dry noodles, Banh Mi, omelette bread plus iced Vietnamese coffee and tea preparations. There is nothing in the menu that's over Php 200 so it's definitely a commuter friendly eatery.
The Phở was aromatic, mildly spicy and meaty. However it lacked the essential coriander herb garnishing that is ubiquitous in Vietnamese cooking (it’s an herb I'm sadly allergic to). Instead, Thai Basil was the convenient substitute that lent a pleasant flavor layer.
Hong Viet's Banh Mi was surprisingly basic, not the extravagant sandwich I'm accustomed to seeing. It's a budget version but still satisfying and filling despite the super chewiness of the baguette. The bread needs more toasting though. It was chewy enough to yank your dentures out.
The eatery’s coffee and tea selections are as authentic as it gets. If you want to try some traditional beverages and noodles at home, they have items for sale such as pandan and chamomile tea, coffee and instant Pho noodles in several variants.
The owners told us they will soon be launching Vietnamese snacks like savory pancakes to go along with their coffee menu. That's something to look forward to!
Hong Viet is open daily from 8 am to 8 pm. Grab a bite of their Com Tam breakfast special if you happen to swing around Jaro Small Market that early.
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| Iced honey Jasmine tea with chamomile blossoms |
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| Banh Mi with smashed meatball and veggie filling |
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| Located just in front of the busy Jaro Small Market |
Hong Viet Vietnamese Food
Simon-Ledesma St., Jaro, Iloilo City (in front of Jaro Small Market)
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