swiss bretz vs american pretzel

authentic american blueberry pancake, paghahanap nyan ang una kong misyon pagdating sa new york. back in dubai, pancakes - of all varieties: oatmeal w/ almonds; banana w walnuts; sweet corn; plain pumpkin; chunky cheez; choco & nuts; black and/or yellow raisins & almond n pecan nuts (ganyan ako ka-nutty sa aking pancakes); have always been a weekend treat for myself and friends, to try my delightful recipes..kasi mind you, when it comes to my kitchen, i break all the rules and have it my way!

thats why when i embarked on US tour last month, american SIZE pancake lang ang nasa isip kong kainin for the rest of my 2week breakfasts..

but i found out pretzels pala ang kinalolokohan ng mga new yorker. so di na ako nag-aksaya ng panahon at nakigaya me na palakad-lakad sa streets of NY na kumakain ng pretzels (yes totoo ang nakikita mo sa pelikula na ang mga kano kebir kahit naka coat n tie basta kakain yan ng burger or pretzel kahit pa tatawid ng kalsada) oh by the way, speaking of pagtawid, lam nyo bang wala din silang paki sa traffic signals? gosh yours truly lang ang the only traffic law abiding crossing citizen in new york when i first arrived there..opo and i mean both pedestrian at motorist! pero thats another story..

back to my food expo, di ko man type ang pretzels (mabibili mo to sa mga street vendors) nila at super alat ang una kong natikman? di gaya ng bretzels sa switzerland na unang tikim pa lang..woww ang sarap!

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missing something

Whenever i visit a new place, esp big cities, i always look forward to a bonus side trip in the suburbia. And soo happy indeed that in this return trip to Washington DC (from NY) on Memorials day, we did manage to find time to dine in a Chinese resto in Fairfax, around 15min drive from DC. The bonus dinner trip was courtesy of her graciousness Ms. Grace Valera, the lifestyle editor of migrant heritage chronicle-a DC based magazine.
it was 10pm late when we hit the road back to NY, passing through the states of Virginia (not sure aktwali kung state nga ba to? haha) Philadelphia-where bob lost his way twice, Baltimore, Atlantic City (may sign board going there lang), New jersey- the border of NY ..so exciting it was that we travelled 7hours instead of 4hrs lang! kaya umaga na pagdating NY.
in my 14day US trip, every single day was jammed with fruitful activities, accomplished business, new friends, and good memories..yet i still have this nagging feeling that i miss something... or someplace?

o baka someone?@#?

BFF

USC, Cebu City. Dekada 80. ganito na ang porma namin ni marivir montebon, then editor in chief of Today's Carolinian-the official student publication of USC-CC, at ako naman, then the renegade President of USC Theatre Guild. enjoy kami sa buhay aktibista..pero di kami masyado enjoy na laging tinatawag ng guidance office para kastiguhin ni mamita alo..haha (bff na rin kami ngayon ni mamits nu!). pero nuon pa man, lagi na kaming laman ng cafe shop sa kanto para magdiskusyon or magpalamig or magpainit (ng ulo), depende sa panahon. pero ang totoo, mas maraming oras ang ginugugul namin (bukod sa tulog at katatawa) ay ang mangarap ng gising.

foremost sa mga pangarap ay ang maglakbay sa ibat ibang bansa lalo na sa US of A (mga kolonyal na aktibista!), kasama na dyan ang kumain ng french bread sa paris, mag sweiss cheeze sa zurich at yes, magkape sa streets of new york...

mga higala..after conquering our collosal struggles in life in the last 2 decades..(o sya sya, almost 3 dekades grr) eto na po kami ngayon!!

(pambansang wika na ang ginamit ko para mas maintindihan ng madla..vir, you may translate in english for the benefit of your fans club)

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budget travel -NY

since many are asking, here's more on budget travel in new york.
as mentioned previously, planning ahead is the way to jumpstart your trip.
for locations, directions, transpo options, travel time to and from your airport of destination, you may Map quest. for accommodations, always get info from official local tourism websites. for budget travel, agencies normally quote 3star hotels i.e., comfort inn, days inn , holiday xpress etc w/c price is reasonable enough. hotel rates in midtown manhattan (the center of new york city) for 3stars ranges from $150-$300 (depending on season) but if you book farther i.e., jamaica in queens borough, the rate for the same hotel can be less than a a hundred dollars.

as member of IBPA (independent book publishers asso in manhattan beach, CA) and exhibitor at BEA (book expo america), i was given a discounted rate of $199/night at roosevelt hotel in midtown manhattan (orig price is $400) , pero di ko naman ma-afford ang discounted rate na yan for 14days kaya syempre hanap ng medyo reasonable acc to budget.

lucky me, at siguro dahil malakas talaga ako kay bro, he always hear my prayers. ayun , a good pinoy samaritan who runs a learning center/convention center / hotel accommodation in midtown manhattan came to my rescue. mantakin mo naman i was given a big room w bath (sa NY pag less than $100/- may ka-share ka na sa banyo) at 5th ave/43 st ang address, just two blocks straight ahead to times sq/broadway..and i paid only $35 /night!

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zurich's hometown attitude

zurich, switzerland
5jun2010,7am

at 9degree C, the cold summer breeze and the sweet scent of the alps brought me a familiar chill.
its now almost a year when i first arrived here, but this city never lose its charm on me.
cant help comparing Swiss Airport hometown hospitality and service to visitors as compared to other bigger cities .. but at this beautiful early morning, reserve ko muna energy ko at ayoko magsalita ng di maganda, so i will only happily talk about the free wi-fi / public internet and yes, the delightful hefty breakfast free only at Swiss Flughafen..
walang ganyan sa NY or sa Paris sorry!
(2 b cont')

book launched at kids party in NJ, Sun 30May2010

EJ proudly showing off his check payment for the book, and kid's party host-father of celebrant Greg gave us a very warm reception to present Postscripts from Mindanao to his guests.
kaiba rin ang sense of community ng mga pinoys sa new jersey..kung may party, di na kailangan ng imbitasyon go na agad! mixd race na talaga sila dito and many pinoys are married to japanese, americans, at mga latino/latina. greg's wife yoka is japanese at sobrang hospitable din.
im so thankful to have been invited to this gathering, as seeing a happy mixed family of pinoys is always a welcome sight...at syempre to savor the taste of american bbq party..sarappp!

Memorial Day in DC, 31May2010

celebrating memorial day in DC yesterday is one of my most memorable days in this trip.

why? becoz we were on the road 24hrs and were soo dead tired when we got back to New york at 5am next day, thats why!

and dya know that in DC-the US capital city, at this very day where people were feasting and drinking beer in honor of the war heroes, dya know that all shops: cafe/bar/resto/mall and even the 24hr convenient stores closed at 6pm? goodness! i was dying from dehydration we couldnt find any store within the next 1000mtr (i walked farther nu!) radius of the white house! i told myself if darkness prevails in the next block, i shall return and willl have to ask tito barack to serve us drinks... and then there was light at the end of the tunnel..there was mc do!

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