I've read about Howie Severino's budding foodscape near the CCP Complex and had been meaning to try it ever since. Since Dennis and I happened to be around the area today, we decided to have our lunch there.

Sev's Cafe: Food and Ideas is located in the Basement of Legaspi Towers 300. So after my MBA Research class, Dennis and I met-up at NCBA and proceeded to this foodscape. (I was the first one in my class to be given a go-signal to start the next chapter, by the way. Hoorah!) The entrance to the place was also the entrance to the parking lot. If it weren't for the big white sign that read "Sev's Cafe", I would have not believed that we were already there. I was expecting a different set-up. I've read that the place serves healthier food options so I was prepared for a posh ambiance common to places that serve similar food. However, what greeted us was a different, albeit not necessarily unpleasant, interior. Well, to help you visualize it, here are some photos:

For a long time, I've owed Ady a date. So after the tree planting last July 27, we headed out to my favorite foodhub: Kapitolyo. Yaaaaay! Before the fact, we were swaying back and forth between manning up at Mad Mark's or rubbing it at Rub Ribs and BBQ. Ultimately, rubbing it seemed more fun for the both of us so we went to Rub Ribs to get fingerpainting with barbecue sauce.

Now, NJ and I first went to this foodscape a couple months back. I think it was in May. Anyhow, I remembered making a comment about the ribs: they were nothing special. They were ok. But more on that later. I was already hungry. I'm not really sure how this happened as I've just eaten two rounds of fish fillet, rice, and mixed vegetables. Regardless, Ady and I decided to order an appetizer:

The nachos were supposed to come with cheese sauce and salsa but one of the servers informed us that the salsa was not available. They asked if it was ok if they give us two ramekins of cheese sauce instead. Ady turned to me. I said it was fine.

A little more thicker and the cheese sauce could've passed for scrambled egg. Heh.

Later on, the main dishes arrived:

Where to begin with this dish. Hm. First of all, it tasted dry and grainy. The chicken bits were not moist at all. I couldn't make sense of what was going on with this dish. It lost me. It wasn't awful,don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't recommend it. This dish was a disappointment.

This dish came with a choice of two sides. I went for the sprice (spicy rice) and the garlic spinach. Now, now. I know I said there was nothing really special about Rub's ribs. Despite the meat being tender and all, I still stand by that remark. The sauce and the sides may have made up for it. But its saving grace, I think, is the price. Ribs for less than 400 bucks? That is truly truly not bad.

Want proof?

By the way, I ordered Dr. Pepper for our beverage but the server informed us that they ran out of it. They were offering us the Iced Tea Pitcher but I told Ady it wasn't worth it. I was being unfair, to tell you the truth, because I don't like iced tea anymore. I loathe its aftertaste that lasts even the morning after.

At any rate, here are some shots of the interior of Rub:

Overall, I would still recommend Rub Ribs and BBQ. It is worth a try and a second try (and more tries). We all live for value-for-money foodscapes, after all.

Here's a little something to get you going:

Cheers to the next adventure!

It was late June when I was browsing Takbo.ph for road races that I might be able to participate in. (I'm just really really into running right now. I'm so into it that I would go as far as saying I've finally found another sport, the other being Chess.) When I saw the 2013 MILO Marathon in the list of events, I immediately took note of the registration areas. The most accessible was Riovana at Katipunan. The plan was I'd proceed there after my MBA class over the weekend. However, it was a weekday when a member of the MMPC Striders informed us that they'll be batch-registering for the aforementioned event. And they were kind enough to include us in this batch registration. Yay! No hassle! 

By the way, there was a slight fuzz about my singlet size. I opted for the Medium size and most of my colleagues were sort of scandalized by this choice. They were pointing out that it was one size too big for me. I said it was no problem if that was the case. My concern was not in the matter of width but of length. Thank goodness, I've heard no more of this subject after that explanation.

In any event, we were informed that MMPC would be lending shuttle vehicles to us. Yay! So, July 28, the day of the event, we all headed out to the Mall of Asia. I was very excited because I've been training for this run. I wanted to finish the race without stopping to walk or rest. I wanted to go nonstop running. It was my goal that day. I told myself that I will not stop running until I cross that finish line!

I didn't mind the fatigue that was slowly trying to deter my determination. I kept running! I was so happy. I wanted to pat my own head for a job well done. It was, for me, a great achievement. Despite my failure to keep time of my run, I knew I had a huge improvement compared to my 3K run last June 16. What had happened had filled me with profound euphoria because, at that very moment, I became sure that I could do anything if I just put my mind to it.

After everybody else had crossed the finish line, we decided to check out the happenings at the open grounds where MILO had set up camp. Ninang, Tito Lem, Jen, Nikko, and I instantly queued up for cups of free MILO! Yum yum!

Anyhow, now that my endurance has been kicked up a notch, I'd be focusing on improving my speed. I plan to run an uphill road race this August, right here in my hometown. *fingers crossed* I hope I'd get to see familiar faces.

It was such an eventful one—last weekend was. Last Saturday, July 27, MMPC conducted the fourth (and final) phase of its tree planting project in Tanay. I know, I know. It would've been more exciting if I got to blog this real-time. I’m trying real hard, trust me. But like I said, I've been busy this past weekend (and the whole week too, if that makes any difference) plus you already know that other thing about my tools. So there we go. 

Oh, wait. Allow me to use this opportunity to ask for a tablet or a laptop. I’d even settle for a smartphone with a decent camera. Pleeeeeeaaaase! Could someone donate one? Nyahahaha.

This, right here, is the first installment of an epic trilogy that was my weekend.

Commence! Woohoo!

The people on the ground immediately dispersed after AJ walked away with the camera. Haha. As I shouted a thank you to AJ, I saw Mr. Shibata, MMPC's President and CEO, walking at a fast pace towards a white Montero. He was immediately followed by the Yamadas. Yes, the other two Japanese executives share the same surname. So with clarity in mind, let us refer to them as Akihiro and Masaaki. I think they won't mind if we get on a first-name basis, don't you agree? At any rate, it dawned on me that the reason behind everything being done as scheduled was because two executives, and the president himself, were joining us on this activity. Japanese time trumps Filipino time.

At any rate, the tree planting caravan left at quarter-to-six. The five of us didn't have any choice but to sit down on the still-wet floor of the cargo area. Despite the soggy feeling on our bottoms, we were still excited because our driver, Sir Eli, was one with a sense of urgency. We all have a need for speed. 

As we ply the less traveled road to Tanay, we were treated to breathtaking views of green and blue. However, midway, a thick pall of what I presumed was smog, gathered over and around us. It was almost zero-visibility:

I seemed to have lost track of time because all of a sudden we were taking a right to the dirt track that was the entrance to Kaliwa Watershed. Now, this was the fun part. We got to cross three streams! 

After spanning the third one, we got off at a small sandy shore. I should mention that my eyes, hair, face and nose caught the dirt that gusted past us while Sir Eli drove on the dirt roads. I didn't mind. I even thought my hair looked better with dirt on it. Haha.

In any case, I jumped off the Strada and did some stretching. Seconds later, I saw AJ. I said his name and he already knew what I wanted. Haha. I grabbed Sir Eli and Nikko, and posed for a photo:

It was no surprise that after this photo was taken, a swarm of people and a paroxysm of "Kami naman!" or "Dito naman!" rattled an otherwise quiet place.

I felt a bit sorry for AJ. Well, sympathetic is more appropriate. I knew the feeling of not being in any photos. So I asked for the camera and barked at him to strike a pose.

Later on, Ady went on and said some things that I really did not pay attention to. Except maybe the "good morning" part. Haha. After that, I took my sneakers and socks off, pulled the hems of my sweatpants up and started crossing another, albeit shallow, stream. The rest of my colleagues took after.

After crossing the river, of course I put my footwear back on. After passing through a rice field, we arrived at the foot of the planting site where Kuya Arnold--a representative from the DENR--gave a short talk before we trekked to the actual tree planting area.

So we climbed the hill and started planting saplings. At one point, I noticed Akihiro carelessly plunking down a sapling into its designated pre-dug hole. "Sir!" I said to call his attention. He looked at me all innocent. "Your work is substandard!" I pointed out, eyes squinted towards the sunlight. He smiled a cretinous smile and mumbled in a sing-song voice,"You worry too much! Trees are strong, like a lady."

At another point, I saw him step on a patch of soil where I just planted a sapling. "You stepped on my tree!" I said, exasperated by the playfulness of this Japanese. "I'm putting pressure. Look," he punctuated this by lightly stamping on the soil. I rolled my eyes and went ahead.

I left Akihiro behind and found myself with familiar company:

Moments after it has been declared that all saplings have been returned home to the earth, we climbed down for some good ol' buko!

To tell you the truth, I look forward to this part of the tree planting. I loooooove buko so so much. I even started to get a bit annoyed when I didn't immediately get a buko. Remlo was kind enough to pick a buko for me. Hehe. In fact, I even asked Ady for some coins to buy another one. (I only had a 500peso bill left in my wallet.) Unfortunately, she left her purse in the car. Luckily, Kuya Jeamben took pity on me and handed me a hundred-peso bill. I bought another one! Yay!

After having buko, banana, and boiled egg, we posed for a group shot:

We posed for a couple more group shots before it was decided that it was time to go home. So we crossed the shallow stream, back to our rides. I plopped down on the ground and put my socks and sneakers back on. After which, I saw a carabao-drawn kariton heading our way. It was filled with buko. The man atop the carabao unmounted the creature and started distributing the bulk-orders to those who asked for them. I asked, not really seriously, "Kuya, pwede sumakay?" To my surprise and welcomed joy, he said sure. I got extremely excited. Sir Eli and Sir Gary took to assist me as I clumsily mounted the noble creature. I probably looked right at home. I looked like I've been doing field work. It was awesome! I got teary-eyed. It was my dream to ride a carabao!

I am so grateful to Sir Eli and Sir Gary for looking out for me. I felt more affectionate towards them because of their gesture. :)

Anyway, me-on-a-carabao is worth so much more than me-on-a-Pajero. It was gold!

After my short affair with the carabao, we headed out back to MMPC for the closing program and lunch. This time, Nikko and I opted to sit inside the Strada as it was already hot outside. Remlo and his friends decided to stay outside, Majesty decided to join them as well.

Back at MMPC, we were showed a photo compilation of the past tree planting activities. I got teased that most of the pictures had me in it. Haha. Not my fault. Our lunch was not bad either. I had two rounds of fish fillet, rice, and sauteed mixed vegetables. I got hungry. Heh.

We had many a good laugh during the program. I sat back and smiled the whole time. I was just so happy that I got to participate in this activity. I'm glad I got to plant trees. I'm most especially glad that my dream of riding a carabao (even if it wasn't actually moving) came true! Hooray for Nature! Hooray for dreams coming true! 

Cheers to the next adventure!