The Southeast Asian Craving: Banana Leaf Asian Kitchen

- April 28, 2013, Sunday.

- My friends Christiane, and now-doctors Monica and Dorenett, and I decided to try the newly-opened Banana Leaf Asian Kitchen (BLAK) in Lucky Chinatown Mall. BLAK replaced what used to be Kirin, a restaurant that served Szechuan-style Chinese food. I received neutral to not-so-favorable reviews of Kirin; I tried it myself last December, and was not too convinced with its Szechuan food. (Probably why it closed down.)

Dor and Christiane.

- BLAK opened a few weeks ago, and I hoped that it tasted better than the Banana Leaf in Robinsons Place Ermita. Banana Leaf in RP Ermita was not too authentic, so I wished that BLAK won't disappoint me.

- We had nasi goreng, pad thai, shrimp covered in oats, and Thai chicken green curry. Although the dishes were generally OK, I felt that the serving size seemed a bit small. I also preferred the shrimp to be cooked with the oats without the shell, than with the shell, since most of the seasons oats' flavors go to the shell instead of the body.

Sumosam's parade outside. Dunno why they had a small parade though. 

- I had pandan iced tea to drink, and felt that the pandan was too overwhelming. At least the restaurant's special iced teas, like mine, could avail a free refill.

Yogurt.

- We all had yogurt after our semi-heavy lunch. BLAK seemed promising, and was a great addition to Lucky Chinatown's list of restaurants. Although located a few doors away from Little Asia, another restaurant that served Asian food with different twists and fusions, I think both restaurants were still largely distinct in terms of the dishes available and the manner of preparation. (I still prefer Little Asia though. I think their pad thai is more authentic than BLAK's.)

Gibby's First Radio Guesting

- April 24, 2013, Wednesday.

- I was invited last week by the UP Asian Center to be a guest in this Wednesday's "May Punto Ka D'yan" radio show in DZUP 1602 AM. DZUP 1602 is UP Diliman's own radio show, and this certain show that airs daily from 2-4pm frequently guests students or professors within the university. For the past 5 or 7 Wednesdays, this radio show decided to guest students and professors from the Asian Center. (The other days were reserved for other departments and schools of the university.)

Prepared by Ivy.

- I was asked to talk about Islamic representations in both Philippine and Bollywood movies. On top of that, other topics such as social structures, stereotypes, and other sensitive issues were tackled. (My mom was afraid that those who did not agree with my important points might cyber bully me, despite most of my points were impersonal, academic and well-researched on.) Ivy, one of the research associates of the UP Asian Center, accompanied me to the DZUP office.

Trying to act casual, but my hand position shows how nervous I was.

-  The show's host, Mr. Edge Uyanguren, coincidentally the loving husband of another Asian Center research associate, was very casual about the topic, and made it easy for me to talk about many things. I might have missed some minor points, or was not able to expound vastly on some subtopics, but one hour is of course not enough to cover everything. It was a good experience though.

With Mr. Edge.

** Yes, I still managed to wear my half-kurta and scarf despite the blazing summer heat outdoors. It helped me be "in character" though. Haha.

Someone's Back Home: With a Twang, With the Gang (And the Photoshoot After)

- April 13, 2013, Saturday.

- After three long years since migrating to the USA, my friend Katherine was finally able to visit us here in (extremely) sunny Philippines. She came back just this Monday, and I know how her jet lag and the sheer number of people wanting to meet her makes it difficult for her to meet everyone up.

- My neighbor Charmaine alerted many friends about a plan to meet up with Katherine today at Robinson's Magnolia. Without hestitating, I knew I had to meet Katherine, since I didn't know when else I will be able to see her.

- I went to RP Magnolia with Charmaine, Riezeryl, and Anabelle. We met Zachary at Starbucks, and soon settled in the Magnolia Ice Cream House, and waited for Katherine and her boyfriend Jourdan to arrive.

Food!!

- Katherine arrived all giggly and excited, and I "buried" myself in Zachary's arms, pretending to hide from Katherine. She did not know I was coming today, so I wanted to "surprise" her. Katherine liked Indian stuff like I did, and I wore something Indian today to make her happier (I hope it did.) True enough, Katherine did not need to see my face just to know who I was. Haha.

- Abigail came to meet us later in the afternoon, and friends Dianne, Dianne's sister Demiee, Vicson, and Bryce later came the latest.

I don't really know why we did this photo, but I'm glad I did. Haha.

- The most of the afternoon was spent literally walking around the mall after Zachary went ahead, and randomly playing tag (yes we played tag inside the mall.) We later settled at the Food Court, though we ate nothing, before the others decided to have dinner.

Together with Dianne and company.

- As for Charmaine, Riezeryl, Anabelle, Abigail, and I, we headed home despite wanting to spend more time with Katherine. We just justified by saying that we had our quality time with Katherine before Dianne and company came. At least dinnertime will be Dianne and company's quality time with Katherine and Jourdan.

- Anabelle and Abigail parted with Charmaine, Riezeryl and I at the train station. The three of us went to my place to do a very last-minute photoshoot for the Thai, Khmer/Cambodian, Lao, and Burmese new years. For those who know me well, it's been my some sort of trend for the past 3 years to have my photos taken during certain special celebrations/events, wearing the traditional outfits of the countries involved.

Experimenting with lighting.

Cambodian New Year (Chnam Thmey)

Riezeryl.

It became her photoshoot while it took me a long time to prepare for the next country.

Lao New Year (Songkan/Peemai)

Thai New Year (Songkran/Peemai)

Burmese New Year (Thingyan)

- Tonight's photoshoot was done more quickly and more easily, since I had prepared my costumes and accessories last night, in an attempt to photograph myself, to no avail. Well, at least having my photos taken today was more fun since I had two amazing neighbors to help me out.

My amazing photoshoot-crew-slash-neighbors

The Day I Pretended to be Thai: Thai Trade Exhibit 2013 in SMX Convention Center

- April 7, 2013, Sunday.

- My mom once again reminded me about the Thai Trade Exhibit after she red about it in the newspaper a few weeks ago. This year, she made sure that she would be able to go with me, and this year, I made sure I wore something distinctly Thai to the venue. Last year, I went to SMX alone, and wore something simple and minimalist, and wished I wore something better after having a fortunate photo session with the Thai dancers.

Tada!!

- This year's trade exhibit was once again a 4-day event, where the first two days were trade days, and the last two days, today being the final day, are open to the public. Most of the stalls were the same as last year's, and the crowd was not too big as well. The fruit-and-veggie carver was still there, as well as the Thai woman who cooked some Thai snacks, and gave them all away to the exhibit visitors. This year, she cooked sago with chicken, to be accompanied by some greens, such as Chinese parsley, or small pieces of lettuce.

Northern Thai

Northeastern Thai (Issan)

Southern Thai.

Central Thai.

4 Regions Dance.

Supanmatcha, from "The Pursuit of Supanmatcha," an excerpt fromt he Ramakien.

She's a mermaid by the way.

Hanuman arrives. (Left side.)

My highlight of today.

An "archaeology" dance. The dance moves were inspired from the dancers in temple carvings.

This is from the Sri Vijayan empire, so the dance's movements and music resemble Javanese ones.

- Today's schedule features three sets of dance numbers. One set in the morning, and two in the afternoon. A cooking demo was inserted between the two afternoon shows. The dances this year were better, and more diverse than last year's, but the 4 Regions Dance, my favorite Thai dance featuring samplers from the 4 Thai regions, was not as picturesque as last year's. I was not able to get a photo with the different dancers this year, although I was fortunate enough to have a photo taken with Hanuman during the "The Pursuit of Supanmatcha" dance. Both Supanmatcha and Hanuman went down the stage to half-dance and half-take-photos-with-people.

Another archaeology dance.

Kinaree Dance

Long stick short stick mock fight. (It was a comical performance, surprisingly.)

- Some of the dances were repeated in the later shows, although different music and dance steps were used. The final showcased the best costumes. Overall, I enjoyed the whole event, especially since there was no entrance fee, and a whole day of culture was more than enough to tickle all the senses.

Sukothai dance.

Issan dance.

Cooking demo for Pad Thai and Thai Green Curry. 

Hmm, not too satisfied with the Pad Thai. Felt like it lacked tamarind and/or lime. 

WHY HELLO ABI!!!! :D:D:D:D Didn't expect to see you!!

Kinaree Part 2.

Southern Thai dance.

Guys with puppets.

Issan dance 2.