GK Build

Last November 26, I had a chance to join a GK Build Event in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. I have wanted to join these events for the longest time but I just haven't found the right time or the right person to contact to, up until my good friend, Maymay and I got reconnected last June 2012. You see, Maymay works in Gawad Kalinga full time so she naturally knows the different GK Builds going on around the city. It was a good thing that for the weekend she invited me to come and participate in this GK Build event. 

I was actually running late for this event since I came from duty. Thankfully, Maymay patiently waited for me and Gilson at MRT Quezon Avenue station and we rode a taxi towards Tandang Sora Shrine. When we got there, we got to meet Tito Jun, the GK Quezon City Director, and a descendant of Tandang Sora  (Melchora Aquino-Ramos) who allowed us to tour inside the Tandang Sora Shrine and gave us a brief history of why the GK Tabora is a memorable and historical place.

I love the font!

Tandang Sora Family Tree

It's a very chic historical place!

After the short tour we then started with our build. We only actually did a little - just moving gravel from the main road towards the village and that's it. But mind you, the scorching heat + the big buckets of sand and rocks + the 1-2 minute walk to and from the village more than compensated for more than 1 week of lack of physical activity. Haha! We took around 3 round trips before we called for 'Water Break'. Maymay, Gilson and I then bought Scramble. It's made of crushed ice with strawberry flavoring + chocolate and strawberry syrup with marshmallow toppings on top. I remember this sweet perk fondly during my elementary days since we had a vendor in our school before where he sells Scramble. Maymay and I were laughing at Gilson then because he didn't know (or couldn't recall) what Scramble was. He finally remembered it as a snack-with-no-name which he ate before when he was a teeny bit lad. Hehe.

Gilson's scramble experience.

Lunch was then served 'Boodle Fight' style. It was refreshing to see our other groupmates experiencing boodle fight for the first time. The processing of the entire activity after made the GK Build much more meaningful. It made me realize that there are people who really need to explore more and go out of their comfort zones to experience life at its peak. That goes to me too. I see a lot of opportunities out there waiting for me but I do not have all the time in the world right now. One day, hopefully, I get to fulfill all my dreams and aspirations. As I conquer each day ahead of me, I realize that my passion for helping others has tremendously increased. In my daily encounter with patients, I find myself being more patient, more caring, more matimpiin even though that trait is so not me. Haha! I guess my inner desire really is to help other people but I feel as if I could help more and I could use my potentials more if I just teach instead of be a doctor. I don't know. Sometimes, those kind of musings overwhelm my mind. I just shrug it off though. Sayang naman ang liimang taon ko sa Medisina kung hindi ko tatapusin. After I finish Med School, I plan to stay off the hook for a while, do some moon lighting and enroll in an MBA course, prolly in Ateneo or UP-D. Come two or three years after that, I plan to pursue residency again, probably Surgery or Orthopedics - still not sure about that. Is that a good plan or is that a good plan? Haha! We shall see in 2 years' time if I will still be sticking to my plans. 

Anyway, back to GK Build. We went to another GK Village in Commonwealth QC. The houses in that area look similar to the ones in GK Tabora except that some of the owners finally got to finish their second floor area already. I remember Tito Jun's words regarding the GK Community: "In GK, we build communities, not houses. It's so easy to build a house - you can get materials anywhere and just patch them up together. But building communities is different. We build communities to end poverty, to link the people together and give them a chance at experiencing a better life by building camaraderie and friendships first and then the houses become a bonus. For less privileged people, building houses and calling them their own uplifts the people's dignity." Indeed, the people who got to live in a better home (compared to their previous shabby abode) were all very welcoming and you can see it in their faces that they are very happy and very proud of their home and of themselves for building their own home. I would love to experience another GK Build soon. Events like this uplifts my being and keeps me empowered. 

Participants of GK Build Tabora! Until next time! (:

Wanderlust Week #2 - Binondo Plus!

Another tick off my 25 things list last week. Yay! Last Saturday, I was with my high school friends for another wanderlust day. It was actually my idea to go on a Binondo food trip since I have never been there and I heard the food was simply irresistible. My friends gladly obliged since they too wanted to take part in my little adventure. We met at Carriedo LRT Station since it was the most accessible place for all of us. We just walked our way towards Ongpin Street and wandered around Binondo using our trusty Google maps as our guide. I made a lot of research prior to our trip and I narrowed 7 places that we should go to. Unfortunately, we only got to visit 6 places because of lack of time. But, as I always say, it's all goooood.

The entire trip consisted of the following food stalls/restaurants: Fried Siopao - Wai Ying Fastfood - Cafe Mezzanine - Carvajal Street - Sincerity Restaurant - Estero area. 

Top L-R: Shanghai Fried Siopao, Masuki, Wai ying Fastfood;
Middle L-R: the busy street of  Benavidez, Chinatown Welcome Banner, Cafe Mezzanine;
Bottom L-R: Carvajal Street, Spa-la-la (I love the name of the store!), the homey street light of Binondo

Fried siopao madness. The fried siopao was surprisingly good!
At 16php, we had our tummies giddy for more.

We then walked towards Wai Ying fastfood where you can reportedly find the best Nai Cha. Indeed, their Nai Cha did not disappoint. We also ordered other sumptuous meals such as Shrimp Chong Fan, Curry Beef Siomai, and Hakaw. I personally loved their Hakaw and their Curry Beef Siomai was surprisingly good. I never thought you could mix curry and siomai in one dish! Soooo good.

Clockwise from top left: the famous Wai ying Nai Cha, Curry Beef Siomai,
Shrimp Chong Fan, and Hakaw, my personal favorite!

We then walked ahead and went to look for the Estero but ended up instead in Cafe Mezzanine where my good friend, Gilson, and I tried their Moon Cake with 2 eggs. It was my first time to try a moon cake and the taste was indescribable. There was a surprise egg in the center which contributed to the sweet-salty ensemble of the cake. Delicioso! 

The intricate design of this mooncake made it more special.

Our next stop was Sincerity restaurant but on our way there, we sidetracked towards Carvajal street since the lights and the colorful decors were amazing to behold, attracting all of us to just pass by there. The place was about to close though and so we did not get to see the colorful fruit and vegetable stands. We finally arrived at Sincerity restaurant and ordered their famous Sincerity Chicken. It was pretty okay. My gustatory receptors were not that exceptionally impressed though.

Sincerity Chicken (L) and Spicy Fried Frog Legs (R).

Our last stop was the Estero where the (in)famous Spicy Fried Frog Legs were old at a meager price of 110php for sharing. I must admit the thought of eating frogs appalled me but then again, I am advocating a YOLO life so I went for it. Besides, I searched the internet for any casualties regarding their Frog Legs but I haven't seen any reports of it. Haha! Sigurista, teh! So it came to me as a surprise that frog meat actually tastes like chicken but has the consistency/texture of fish meat. It was not that bad after all. In fact, I would not hesitate to eat it again the next time we  get to visit Binondo.

At Wai ying Fastfood. From L-R: Gilson, Luisa, me, Maymay, Edward

We were all full after the food trip. But the night didn't end there. We traversed the Manila road from Binondo to Quiapo to get our dose of card reading ("hula") with Madame Remy. For my hula, Madame Remy said I love to travel and that that is my number 1 passion right now. With regards to my love life, there are problems here and there that need to be solved. I will be a milyonarya someday and that I shall have 2 kids. I will also be receiving a special surprise within 2 weeks. Ain't that awesome? Haha! I love the milyonarya part. I didn't get to take a picture of myself though. Instead, I took pictures of my boys killing it with Madame Remy. Edward, in particular, dropped some awesome questions. And Madame Remy's favorite word: MAAARI. Hahaha! Whatta fortune teller!

Left: The busy road from Ongpin to Quiapo. Right: Gilson and Edward getthing their hula with Madame Remy.

Our last stop was at the Ayala Triangle Gardens where we get to experience the Lights and Sounds Show. This is a daily show held at ATG Makati City every 6:00-9:00 PM and is being brought to the audience by Ayala Land and Makati Tourism. The show started last November 16 and will be continuing its magical spectacle until the end of December. I love the concept of lights and music being merged into one pro bono show. The entire show was masterfully invented and skillfully executed. It was for me a brilliant way to cap the night! 

Pardon the blurry picture. You've got to see it in person to appreciate it, I guess.
But ain't the lights lovely? (:

L-R: Sean, Maymay, Gilson, me.

My good friend Luisa was not around for the show but another friend came, my BFF, Sean, with whom I bestow the nickname vayets/vayetch. A quick trip to KFC and a little chat with my high school friends made this trip very memorable. Once again, the Jo(e)vialist in me is giddy and another YOLO moment was conquered!

Wanderlust Week #1

Yay so I finally have a free time to post my previous Wanderlust Week! 

First on the list: Cyma.

I have been craving for Greek food for the longest time already - 3-4 months perhaps? But I only got to finally satisfy my craving last week when my college barkada (Phabulosa) and I decided to get-together for a crazy weekday night. We (I) initially wanted to go to Greeka Kouzina since I was informed previously that the place was awesome for meet-ups and get-togethers and that the ambiance and food were excellent. Things did not turn out the way we planned it though and so we went instead to Greenbelt for dinner. My girl friends and I decided to have a Chesca-themed night and the biggest winner was Miss Josephine Dianne Deauna. Yes, from drab to fab ang peg ni Atey! You see, Dianne is the Dora-the-explorer type of girl when it comes to fashion. She has this carefree attitude and it shows in the way she dresses herself. I did not mean this in a negative way, mind you, Dianne has her own personal taste when it comes to fashion. And we all love her for it. Here's a picture of how Dianne was transformed by her fairy godmother:

Dianne in her usual dress (L) and on the Chesca-themed night (R) (Sorry Di I have no other solo pics! Don't kill me!)

Chesca and Dianne. The picture on the left was taken a month before our Greek night and the theme for the night
was patterned on Chesca's fashion. She wears this very feminine clothes, full of ruffles and sheer fabric and bling. I love it!

The food at Cyma was, as expected, amazing. We ordered Roka Pasta, Lamb Yiouvetsi, Moussaka, Kotopoulo Lemonato - all for sharing, and I ordered their Gliko Frappe (sweet frappe) which was undeniably good. I personally ordered the Lamb Yiouvetsi because I miss eating lamb (my favorite meat!) and Kotopoulo Lemonato because this is my favorite Cyma food. Another surprising discovery was their Roka Pasta which was made of "sautéed arugula (Roka) and spaghetti with EVOO, pine nuts, grated parmigiano reggiano and fresh tomatoes". It was the best pasta I have ever tasted as of yet and wouldn't hesitate ordering it when I come back. Once again, Cyma did not disappoint. Good thing my friends loved it too. 

from L-R: Kotopoulo Lemonato, Roka Pasta, Moussaka. I forgot to take a picture of the Lamb Yiouvetsi since we already started eating when it was served.

After our sumptuous meal, we went for one round of drinks at Dillinger's. The place is awesome for those who want to chow down cheap ass food and drink and party the entire night. The place is cozy with an edgy side to it. The music is loud though - perfect for party people but not so enticing for those who want a quiet alcohol-free barkada night.

I love the old stonehouse theme of the place! Look at the entrance! (:

Top photo from left: Dianne, Chesca, Adrian. Middle photo from left: me, Jean.
Bottom photo from left: Chesca, Dianne, me, Jean.

Missing from the gang that night was Hazel since she had to attend to a soccer rehearsal. She followed us though at my place where Jean and Dianne slept for the night. It was all good and we were all reminded of our college days when we were all still carefree, worrying less about other people (patients) and caring more for our outfits and theme days. We were young back then. We still are. And we shall be having more of these, I believe. Good food + good company + weekday getaway = FUN.

Wanderlust Week #1 solved.