Of Friends, Food & Macau (The Blog Entry) 3

...continued.

After the show, T & I went over to the Venetian Food Court and had some comfort food: Pho. And then after a tiramisu from the must-visit Florian bar and an attempt to win big bucks from the slot machine, we cabbed our way to Jojo & Belle's where the couple and Verna were waiting. A night of some drinking, some special video screening, some chit chat, and the best of all... some shots. Camera shots. Not tequila. We're too old for those.

The following morning, I was awaken by what sounded like a stage whisper from T. He was asking me to start making brekkie, in the softest voice possible so as not to wake our hosts up. But in less than three minutes, we heard Noel's voice and in an instant, the whole household was bustling with activity. I was preparing the bowls of fruit and cereal while Noel was preparing ham sandwiches. It was gonna be a light breakfast, since the main event for the day was lunch at Fernando's. Half an hour later, we were all done with breakfast, done with shower and was ready to race all the other brunchers to the doorstep of the famous resto.

Fernando's is a well-renowned Macau tourist attraction. They're open everyday except on the 1st of May, serving to hundreds and hundreds of pilgrims day in and day out. They open their doors at 12noon on the dot, and they don't take table reservations. First come, first serve. Survival of the fittest. So we made it a point to be there early. We were hoping to be able to place our orders in advance, sit in the waiting area and have a sangria, perhaps, while waiting for it to officially open for the day. We got there at 11:05, and we were surprised to see that even the waiting area in the compound was still inaccessible at that time. We decided to take a walk on the beach... Take some photos (What else does one expect? Duh!) and then be back just in time before all the other people start to arrive. Brilliant. So we did just that, and when we went back 10 minutes later, we found ourselves at the end of the 10-meter queue going in.

About forty minutes and a bottle of Heineken later, Fernando (not the real one) opened his portals to us, mortals, and each group was directed to its respective table. We were lucky to have made the cut, as they ran out of tables after two groups from us. Then finally, lunch. It was well worth the travel. Well worth the waking up early. Well worth the almost-one-hour wait.

We took the taxi back to Old Taipa immediately after lunch for some self-service frozen yogurt, a bit of sight-seeing, and what became Entry 113 of Jojo Mamangun's 365 Project.

http://amoonlitday.blogspot.com

After a bit of a caucus, we hiked (literally) to the Venetian to get Tiya Razel's Lord Stow Egg Tarts, and to have some ourselves. Then, it was time to ferry back to HK. But we changed our mind.

will be continued...

Of Friends, Food & Macau (The Blog Entry) 2

...continued.

We finished our sumptuous lunch of mussels, squid, lemon chicken, and two different dishes of prawns two hours later, and after someone declared that he has had a minor injury eating the mussels, T & I took a taxi to Old Taipa.

We got dropped off in a place we both had never seen before. After verbally admitting we were lost, we took a photo and called Nak for rescue.

In five minutes' time, Nak arrived and 5 more minutes later, we were by the doorstep of their flat. I was right all along: we were just two blocks away from their place. A tweet and a glass of water later, my just-recovered-from-near-death-by-alcohol body passed out on the couch. At around 3:30 in the afternoon, T gently woke me up so we could start getting ready to see The House Of Dancing Water. I got up, got dressed and then we marched out of the door. We passed by Cuppa Coffee on the way to the main street and I suggested a coffee pitstop to T & Nak. I strongly felt the need to give them some income after the mess that I had done in their loo in the morning. Cut to...

An hour later, after claiming the tickets that Nak had reserved for us from the ticket booth, T and I got in the Dancing Water Theatre at the City Of Dreams. The house was full and the stage was, well, filled with water. It promised to be a spectacular show. Definitely something I had never seen before.

The House Of Dancing Water was conceptualized, directed and maybe (I'm not sure) choreographed by Franco Dragone, who used to be one of the artistic pillars of Cirque Du Soleil. Sky-high expectations on the show were quite reasonable. And I think it delivered quite well. The aesthetics were awe-inspiring. The sets, costumes and makeup design weren't as edgy as the show in the other casino-- in fact, they were a bit simpler. But they worked. The design didn't upstage the central attraction of the show, which was the aquaeous performance space. The tutu-clad barefoot swans dancing contemporary choreography has been done numerous times over the world. In the Philippines alone, I have seen four of those. But done with the water element, it felt fresh and original. Even though it wasn't fresh nor original. The clever and calculated way they overlapped the subsiding of the water from the preceding scene to the entrance of the stunt motorbikes, emphasized the sense of danger exponentially. It spelled "SLIPPERY WHEN WET" in bold, italics, and all caps.

On the downside, I thought the music wasn't riveting enough. It was good, but considering the HK$800+ tag on the ticket, it could be better. Also, as my friend Belle pointed out, there were no clear borders between the acts and the transition. In effect, the climaxes seemed to plateau. My biggest turn-off: the narrative was weak, and felt contrived. But it still wasn't so bad. They promised a spectacular show, and it was a spectacle in every sense of the word.

After the show, T & I went over to the Venetian Food Court and had some comfort food: Pho. And then after a tiramisu from the must-visit Florian bar and an attempt to win big bucks from the slot machine, we cabbed our way to Jojo & Belle's where the couple and Verna were waiting. A night of some drinking, some special video screening, some chit chat, and the best of all... some shots. Camera shots. Not tequila. We're too old for those.

will be continued...

Of Friends, Food & Macau (The Blog Entry) 1

One of the maaaaany things I love most about my new job is that it gives me the chance to enjoy public holidays the way every hardworking adult is entitled to enjoy them.

Since I moved here to HK in 2005, I have never been able to experience the long Easter weekend until this year. Yes, that's five years of working Lent, my sweethearts. Five! And I wasn't even aware what I was missing until last Saturday morning, in Macau.

***

photo taken just about two minutes before the "little emergency"

T and I were sitting in a cozy, little coffee shop called Cuppa Coffee in Old Taipa, waiting for our very, very good friends, Belle, Jojo & Verna (we were gonna go for lunch in Coloane). I was forcing myself to drink up my Vitamin Water while T was having his baguette, and raving about it. I had to rudely interrupt T from his monologue to run to the washroom and excrete, orally (I know. Eew!), the last three glasses of champagne I had at Cubic, six hours back. I was hating myself terribly for the immensity of hangover I subjected myself to. But at the same time, I was thoroughly enjoying the fact that I now have the luxury of sitting hungover in a coffee shop outside of Hong Kong on a Black Saturday.

***

About twenty hours prior to that hangover, T & I were on the ferry to Macau, watching RuPaul's Drag Race on my computer when, out of nowhere, I remembered my Good friday entries for the past two years. Both years, I posted the question, "What is so good about Good Friday?" I didn't mean to be sacrilegious. I meant what I asked. Why do we say, "Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Black Saturday"? Why not Black Friday or Maundy Friday? Why not Good Thursday or Good Saturday? Why Good Friday? I thought of posting it again as soon as we reached Macau. Three's a charm after all. Maybe this time, I'd get an educated answer. But as soon as we got off the ferry and tried to overtake all the other passengers to beat them to the immigration, I just forgot what I wanted to blog about. To re-blog. And I never had the chance to do it anymore.

Nakety nak

The excitement of the weekend started as soon as my Nak picked us up from the Pier. We went over to their place, and he started making dinner. Then Noelito came home and then we headed to the liquor store to pick up a bottle. We ended up picking up five.

The fun officially starts.

Drunk and hungry, and still posing

We had dinner, drank some more and then headed to Cubic where we met their colleagues, Monica, and Alisa & Alex. A little bit of dancing and litres and litres of alcohol later, we headed back to Noel & Nak's-- drunk and hungry. Noel decided to cook pesto for us. At 430 in the morning! I'm overeating, I realized. Immediately, I justified myself. I'm on vacay.

***

Verna, Jojo & Belle arrived and after the besos, Belle immediately offered an Advil. Jojo had read my tweet before they left and so they decided to be really awesome friends and bring me some of those. We took the bus to Coloane and had lunch at Nga Tim. Their soup was ridiculously simple but very hearty. And, what's more, it made my hangover go away!

photo credit: Fajee (not in the pic)

We finished our sumptuous lunch of mussels, squid, lemon chicken, and two different dishes of prawns two hours later, and after someone declared that he has had a minor injury eating the mussels, T & I took a taxi to Old Taipa.

We got dropped off in a place we both had never seen before. After verbally admitting we were lost, we took a photo and called Nak for rescue.

...will be continued

Tonight I Pray

Dear Lord,

Tomorrow we'd like to play.

So please keep the rains away

From the shores of Big Wave Bay.

It's this year's first beach day,

And my bbq things are now okay--

Marinating in my silver tin tray.

Please let us, on the fine sands, lay

And be oh-so-very happy and gay.

I earnestly hope that tomorrow, you may

Allow us to yell out loud, "Hooray!"

"The sun is out," we hope to say.

And our friends, we'll merrily call out "Heeeey!"

This to you, I pray.

Okay?

Rye (not Ray)

Fitness Awards

Best In Yoga

The Man Who's Been Doing Yoga For Three Years: Have you been doing yoga for very long?

The Guy Who Used To Be A Professional Dancer: Hmm... Three months.

The Man Who's Been Doing Yoga For Three Years: How often?

The Guy Who Used To Be A Professional Dancer: Once-- sometimes three times-- a week.

The Man Who's Been Doing Yoga For Three Years: Wow! I can't believe it. I've been doing yoga for more than three years now and you're even better than me.

The Guy Who Used To Be A Professional Dancer: It's not a contest. Excuse me, I need to shower now.

Best In Body Jam

The Lady Who Always Takes the Front-and-Centre Spot: You hit my hand.

The Guy Who Used To Be A Professional Dancer: I know. That's why I said sorry twice.

The Lady Who Always Takes the Front-and-Centre Spot: Oh did you?

The Guy Who Used To Be A Professional Dancer: Yes. And by the way, why don't you try to dance on the beat next time so that you don't collide with other people?

Best In Body Pump

The Lady Who Gives Everyone The Attitude: You have nice legs. They're shaped very well.

The Guy Who Used To Be A Professional Dancer: I know. Thanks.

Fly by Mamangun

Fly
Originally uploaded by jojomamangun

My very good friend, Kris-belle Paclibar Mamangun-- one of the most awe-inspiring dancers I know-- as Zaia in Cirque Du Soleil's ZAIA at the Venetian in Macau.

Love and miss you both, newlyweds!

I am very, very proud.

On A Clear Day

I didn't get to play on the beach today, like I had intended to, as soon as I stepped out on to my Tung Chung flat balcony, when I woke up this morning. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the calming presence of the sun, the invigoratingly crisp and cool spring air, and the smile-inducing clearness of the day. This doesn't happen 365 times a year. I am grateful that one of the few times it did, is on my day off.

view from my rooftop

Oh! And the birds are chirping too, singing along to Babs...

On a clear day
Rise and look around you
And you'll see who you are
On a clear day
How it will astound you
That the glow of your being
Outshines every star
You'll feel part of
Every mountain, sea and shore,
You can hear from far and near
A world you've never never heard before

And on a clear day
On a clear day
You can see forever and ever and ever and ever more.

Welcome, spring! Thank you for coming. Thank you for coming today.

There Are No Mistakes, Just lessons To Be Learned

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I had a whole Mc-f*cking-Wings platter. That's loads of calories and, not to mention, saturated fat. I would say I am terribly sorry, except, I only did it so I could practice my Cantonese.

Mayonnaise gong dong wa hai salad jeung, dan hai hai McDonald's, kuy dei giu mayonnaise, dai gai jeung.

dai= big; gai= chicken; jeung= sauce (cos they use it for McChicken, the burger)

Ngoh yi ga hoi chi gay dak.

Translation:

Mayonnaise in Cantonese is "salad jeung", but in McDonald's, they call mayonnaise "dai gai jeung"

From now on, I will remember.

----

*Thanks to Lawlawt for checking on my grammar. But Lo c William, I had very, very minimal help, I swear.

The Gift

"Juswa, geb et tu Titsur Rye na! Gu ahid," the auntie ordered.

And coyly but cutely, the boy came up to me, handed his present and whispered, "Happy Bellentime's, Teacher Rye."

I smiled and gave my thanks.

Connect The Dots

"Average is just as close to the bottom as it is to the top."

-Jane Archibald

tweeted 12 Jan. 2010, Wednesday

"By perseverance, the snail reached the ark."

-Charles H. Spurgeon

shared by Paul John Pena and tweeted on 14 Jan. 2010, Friday

"He just didn't get a very good seat."

-Phil Whelan

comment posted on 14 Jan. 2010, Friday

Happy Monday, world!

Congratulations, Natalie Portman and

thank you for The Black Swan