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		Recent Posts		Garage Sale! All Must Go! (And How I Healed my VVB* Heart) 
				Bring Home a Bag Promo from Asyanna! 
				My Wish List for the New Cabinet Members 
				‘Rubberized’ meat in Persia Grill – Megamall 
				La Graine et le Mulet: Moving Simplicity and Complexity 
				New site, new look! 
				In SM Baliwag, the sisig rocks! And you get free wi-fi, too! 
				Finding a Partner in Bangko Kabayan 
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		Archives		Select Month July 2010  (3) June 2010  (4) May 2010  (2) March 2010  (1) January 2010  (2) December 2009  (1) November 2009  (4) October 2009  (4) September 2009  (2) August 2009  (2) May 2009  (2) April 2009  (1) March 2009  (1) February 2009  (22)Recent Comments			Mary Anne Velas-Suarin on ‘Rubberized’ meat in Persia Grill – Megamall

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					Jul				
				
					10				
			
			
				Garage Sale! All Must Go! (And How I Healed my VVB* Heart)				
			By Mary Anne Velas-Suarin Posted in 
				Dogs/Pets,  Relationships/Family,  Travels and Food				 | 
				No Comments »				 
			
			  			
			Pioneer DVD Player, barely a year old, P2,800. Blue sofa (recliner), good for studio units, P1,000. Honda City Lxi, 1999 Model, Automatic Transmission, P220,000. And so goes the list of all things I was selling when I left Manila in May 2007 because of a very broken heart.
Flashback to late evening of February 13, 2007, Tuesday. I couldn’t sleep. I was tossing and turning. I knew there was something awfully wrong. My then boyfriend (of more than 5 years) left for a business trip to India exactly two days before and he wasn’t calling yet. There had been minor signs already. But I chose to ignore them because somehow, I knew he was a great guy. Or so I thought.
I went down and absentmindedly opened my laptop. I forgot to lower the volume the last time I shut it off so Windows shouted its presence like a giant who was forced out of sleep. Darn these gadgets. Can’t they be more polite for one? I mean, hello, it’s the dead of the night and someone here is just about to find her world turning upside down. In all the cinematic colors ever invented by Hollywood.
I automatically clicked Internet Explorer. Something immediately got my attention when I halfheartedly clicked the drop-down button that shows the previously visited website addresses. It seemed to be my guy’s office email box. Click. Voila…it didn’t even ask for a password! Oh my God, I said to myself, should I really do this? I mean, I am generally a good citizen and peering into someone else’s email is not something that falls under the category of “good deeds.” But. But. But, dear Lord, you will understand me, right? Was it actually divine intervention, I asked myself the day after.
At first, I couldn’t find anything really ‘interesting’ or yeah, a bit incriminating. Most are office memos, notes from his secretary, schedules…I guess the boyfriend is indeed a good guy…or just knew how to sanitize his emails?! I scrolled further down and just about the time that I was already finding this exercise a bit futile (and stupid?), I saw a subject heading that is a little bit different from the rest. It wasn’t really shouting ‘incriminating’ but there was something there…I counted 1…2…3…and clicked it open.
I froze. I started to feel weak in my knees. Wobbly, watery knees. I am not exaggerating.
The email just confirmed what must be causing those little butterflies in my tummy. The tossing and turning ever since he left that Sunday. The unexplainable feeling of sadness. It wasn’t really a love letter. There was no “love and kisses”, no sweet promises, no lover’s talks about growing old together. Still, it hurt the same.
In the email exchange dated sometime in December 2006, the person who was supposed to be ‘my guy’ was asking a girl if she was joining his India trip “this upcoming February.” He also briefly asked if she can take care of her visa. Then he went on about taking care of her tickets, and to add more insult to injury (pardon the cliché!), apologizing not being able to show her most part of the day but that he will be free all evenings… WTF, I screamed in my mind (perhaps louder than the sleepy giant named Windows). Can someone give me a glass of water, please? Or, maybe, wake me up from this nightmare?
But it is real. As real as the tears that started falling.
She replied briefly as well, assuring him that she can manage to entertain herself while he is working during the day. At this very moment, I was already imagining them holding hands while crossing the sea of humanity and smog of Bangalore, laughing, getting amused from the street hawkers and tuktuks that crisscrossed the streets like Pac-Man (no, dearies, not our Manny Pacquiao), hungry for pac-dots.
I realized I didn’t even know where to call him outside of his mobile phone. Unlike all his previous trips, I just realized that this time, he didn’t even tell me his hotel’s name. Then all the tell-tale signs just started running across my brain’s hard drive, in bold, all-caps prints, 40 points Arial font…he vaguely reasoning out that he will just be too busy during the trip so it’s not a good idea for me to join when I asked if I can join…he informing me about the trip too near the date of his departure…bleep bleep…
Forward to July 2007, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I am screaming, but this time, for another reason. It’s almost two months since I left Manila. Five months after the harrowing discovery a few hours before that ‘iconic’ Valentine’s Day. I am on the way to recovery, slowly but surely. Meet Sabbay and Luna, two puppies-turning-into-dogs, my wards who also keep me company while I house-sit for friends who went to France for vacation. Their house was just what I needed: quiet and open spaces, well-tended gardens, wide-screen TV, fairly good collection of CDs, wi-fi, and friendly 24-hour security guards who managed to talk to me in a combination of hand gestures, nods, smiles, and half-English half-Khmer sentences.
I was screaming because Sabbay, the Cambodian version of the mixed-breed Pinoy askal, is happily eating away my DSLR’s leather case and cable wire! Darn this crazy dog. While Luna is the typical sweet, cuddly, behaved and well-balanced puppy, Sabbay is the horrific opposite. No more description is needed. You get the drift.
I guess the deafening and worthy-of-YouTube-uploading kind of scream was enough to rattle her. She got the message. She slowly decided my case and cable are not delectable at all and with heads bowed and eyes begging for mercy, she walked away. I was ready to squeeze her neck like the way I’d wring water out of a wet sink towel but had sudden vision of becoming a dog in my next life. Darn, I can’t even have a decent revenge.
Up until the time I had to sell my DSLR a few months ago, I have not bought a new case. Sure, Sabbay successfully left her teeth marks all over it as well as on the cable (which surprisingly still works!), but somehow, the marks reminded me of my own heart’s scars. My heart is scarred, yes, but it definitely survived the strongest storms and longest crying bouts, carrying with it all the wonderful, sad, and bittersweet stories that cannot even be contained in a 1-million GB storage drive.

Meet sweet Luna and the naughty Sabbay. If they can just talk, they'd say that I wasn't a bad nanny after all.   Seriously, they helped me realize that caring for helpless creatures (even those that include leather camera cases as part of their menu) actually helps heal even the most broken of hearts. 

And unlike the TV, DVD player, sofas, car, and numerous other stuffs that I easily put on sale when I left last 2007 to be able to afford a long travel, heal my broken heart, and start anew, the scars will never ever be put on sale.  They made me into what I am now: richer, fuller, more beautiful maybe (?), and very happily married.
So, are you mending a horribly bruised heart? Nothing is ever crazy. Jump, fly, shout….or maybe, sell your stuffs, pack your bags, and just go wherever your feet will land you. Commit to be happy again.
*Very, very broken
(Note: This is also an entry to the “I Commit to Change” Blogging Contest. If you like this entry, please help me win by going to Facebook and look for the “I Commit…” Page. This entry is Shortlist No. 9 posted in “Boxes”. You can vote for this by clicking “like” at the bottom of the entry. Thank you!)
 

Meet JR, the stranger who listened to my sob stories (while inside a public van enroute to Balamban. Cebu), the friend who touched me with his kindness, and eventually, the husband who would readily give me the best parts in a pack of "Mixed Nuts." Don't be afraid to love, cry, and love again 

 
 
 
 
 
		
		
				
			
				
					Jul				
				
					04				
			
			
				Bring Home a Bag Promo from Asyanna!				
			By Mary Anne Velas-Suarin Posted in 
				Business/Economics,  Culture, Arts, & Films,  Travels and Food				 | 
				No Comments »				 
			
			  			
			JR and I celebrated our 1st Year Wedding Anniversary last month so we thought of sharing one small item from our “goody box.” 

Bring me home!

Yes, ladies (or even the guys out there who want to give this away to the woman of your life), you can have this silk and cotton bag from Thailand, for free! All you have to do to qualify to the draw is share the link of Asyanna (http://asyanna.com) and my personal blog (http:meilbox.asyanna.com) through an email to at least 50 of your contacts and buy a minimum purchase of P300.00 from our personal care products line (under the Human Heart Nature label) – you or any one of your contacts can make this single purchase requirement. Just as long as you or anyone of your contact bought P300.00 worth of products (within the promo period), then you can already get the chance to be picked up as the winner of this bag.
We will then compile the names of those who have done these two requirements within 04 July to 04 August 2010. After that, we will draw the lucky winner on 12 midnight of 04 August. We may even decide to give consolation prizes of free personal care products so hurry, email the links now!
In order for us to monitor/verify that you indeed sent the links to at least 50 of your contacts, please send a cc/bcc of your email to mei@asyanna.com or jr@asyanna.com. The email below is the required text when emailing your friends/contacts:
Hi friends! I am helping ASYANNA in promoting the BEST of ASIA and PINOY products! Please visit the following urls so you can know more about it as well as read the blogs of one of its owners, Mei:
http://asyanna.com
http://meilbox.asyanna.com
You may also be entitled to join Asyanna’s raffle draw, “Bring Home a Bag Promo.” Please visit the sites for more details (in Asyanna’s site, just click “Blogs”). Thank you and happy browsing/shopping!
		
		
				
			
				
					Jul				
				
					01				
			
			
				My Wish List for the New Cabinet Members				
			By Mary Anne Velas-Suarin Posted in 
				Business/Economics,  Current Events/Politics,  Environment				 | 
				No Comments »				 
			
			  			
			The good news is that we have a new President! Hooray! But the bad news is that we still have an ex-President (with not-so-good record) as a member of the House of Representatives.

This child needs us. Let us help build a strong nation.

As they say, there is always two sides to a coin. You gain one, you lose one. In our case, we have gained a reason to hope, but another reason (more reasons?) to dread.
P-Noy indeed represents hope albeit the seemingly ‘confusing’ membership in his new Cabinet. I almost fell off my chair when I saw the name of a Secretary who is said to be close to former President Erap. Hhmmm. Is your guess good as mine? Let us rest our judgment. Maybe people can really change, right?
I was rather disappointed that my favorite DOH Secretary, Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan was not appointed. With all due respect to Secretary Cabral (I heard she is really good at her job), I can say with high confidence that Doc Jimmy is the most ideal Secretary. He is a true-blue doctor to the barrios (if I am not mistaken, he was one of the pioneers of the  Doctors to the Barrios Program of the DOH), a man of great intellect and profound wisdom,  believer and practitioner of a holistic approach to health, very wise and skilled manager, a visionary, and a world-class entrepreneur. With the challenges in public health these days, we do not only need a manager and doctor per se, we also need someone who can balance both the social/public and business sides of health. And Doc Jimmy is the man for that. He can move mountains to get things done. He knows and lives the vision AND will find ways to tap and mobilize resources (most importantly, people resources) for that vision.
Alas, it may be another time in the future when he can lead the DOH again. For now, let us just hope that the new DOH Secretary (Dr. Enrique Ona) will rally all of us towards that vision: a healthy Philippines where everyone has full access to health and wellness knowledge, services and facilities. I think “knowledge” should be there because (this may sound cliche-ish), indeed, knowledge is power. If you know what is good and healthy for you, you just practice and live it.
Anyway, as the Philippines celebrates the new administration, we are also called upon to remain vigilant. I am going to try my best to support the administration (even if I did not vote for P-Noy) simply because I am a Filipino and I owe my country loyalty. My support goes with a ‘wish list’ so I hope this will become a source of inspiration.
Here then is my ‘wish list’ for the new Cabinet Members:
Paquito Ochoa Jr., Executive Secretary: Please do not just become a ‘mouthpiece’ and a ‘puppet’ of the President. You are expected to be loyal to your Boss but I hope that this loyalty stops when the name of the Office is already being compromised. Please do not follow the footsteps of your predecessors.
Julia Abad, Presidential Management Staff: The same wish list above. Please do not feed the President rhetoric speeches full of motherhood statements. Also, please ensure that the close-in-aides of the Cabinet Members will have enough communication (including wi-fi) facilities while they are in the anteroom, working their butts off, while Cabinet meetings are ongoing. I used to be a ‘dakilang alalay’ to a Cabinet Secretary before and it was frustrating to share two landlines and one fax machine only (and sometimes, it was not even working!)
Edwin Lacierda, Presidential Spokesperson: Please do not simply give a ’sanitized’ rundown about your President’s accomplishments. We would much rather hear the real score.
Eduardo de Mesa, Presidential Legal Counsel: Hmmm. I don’t know what to ask/wish from you. (Maybe you can first explain your real role in the Government and why our taxes should go to your salaries. Does the President really need you? If you can give us a good justification, then I will repost this blog and include my specific ‘wish’ from you.)
Sec. Alberto Romulo, retained for Foreign Affairs: Please help ensure appointments to postings abroad are justified. At the minimum, Ambassadors should be career officers, and not has-been trapos who lost elections or  simply have nowhere to go. Please ensure Philippine e-passports can be made available in all Philippine Consulates/Embassies. Most of all, please help the international community curb human/women trafficking!
Cesar Purisima, Finance: Please monitor the banking sector. Many banks brag about offering SME-friendly financing packages but most, if not all, are merely playing lip-service. Capital for the small and aspiring entrepreneurs are simply not available. If we want to partially solve unemployment, then we should create an economy where most can have easy access to credit so they can start on their own.

Banks should REALLY help build small businesses.

Leila de Lima, Justice: Please rally the Courts to more efficient and faster resolution of  cases. Please help ensure the Maguindanao Massacre will be resolved and the culprits penalized soon. Please practice impartiality at all times.
Voltaire Gazmin, National Defense: Please lead the military/AFP towards genuine social development. The environment, for instance, needs your ‘muscles.’ There is really no real war except the war against poverty. Please change the mindset of our soldiers.
Cayetano Paderanga, NEDA: Please ensure that the MTPDP is sincere and focused and not just a regular ‘document’ being churned out because it is required.Please help ensure that “sustainable sanitation” is explicitly spelled out there, with a real funding source.
Br. Armin Luistro, Education: Indeed, the quality of education is deteriorating. We cannot over-emphasize this: we need competent educators but they are all going abroad because of the pitiful pay. Higher salaries for teachers, please. Along with this is raising the standards for the teaching profession and of course, enough classrooms and facilities. In the long-term: please help change the mindset that makes parents say this to their children: “Study well so you can get a job after school.” This should instead be: “Study well so you can get or generate jobs after school.” We should be bringing up entrepreneurs along with the doctors, teachers, engineers, etc.
Florencio Abad, Budget and Management: Please review fund allocation/disbursement. Some programs cannot take off because of misalignment and malversation of funds. These can be addressed if we have a proper and effective system of fund management and disbursement.
Rep. Proceso Alcala, Agriculture: Please modernize the agricultural sector and promote organic farming. Please ensure lesser  ‘middlemen’ by providing BETTER infrastructure support to farmers.
Usec. Ramon Paje, Environment and Natural Resources: Please rally the LGUs and the military towards a doable strategy in addressing key environmental issues like those in climate change, solid waste management, clean air, and water quality. The national government cannot simply do it alone. Please require all Filipinos to plant trees on their birthdays!
Jose de Jesus, Transportation and Communication: Please protect consumer rights (ref: telcom issues). Please curb corruption in LTFRB! Please do not allow toll operators to charge exorbitant toll fees. Please build a modern IT infrastructure, which will make IT accessible to all.
Rosalinda Baldoz, Labor and Employment: Please develop a realistic local job generation strategy. Please work with DTI, DepED and CHED and develop strategies for an education system that supports local economic growth. Please do not overly promote jobs abroad.
Dr. Enrique Ona, Health: Please continue supporting a realistic and effective population control program. Please prioritize sustainable sanitation. Shocking as it may seem, 27.5-M Filipinos still do not have sanitary toilets.
Gregory Domingo, Trade and Industry: Please help achieve a vibrant domestic economy by assisting small entrepreneurs. Please do more research on what industries will work given our resources. Please help the export sector. Please run after crooks! We have filed a DTI case against a vendor who ran away with our money but it’s been over a year now and we are still waiting for DTI to resolve it…
Alberto Lim, Tourism: Please promote ecotourism.Please develop alternative tourist sites. Please help enforce environmental regulations in tourist towns/areas.
Corazon Soliman, Social Welfare and Development: Please help this country veer away from dole-out mentality. We need more of development, less of ’social welfare. Please review adoption guidelines. I recently heard of a nice couple who wanted to adopt child but because of some strange ‘guidelines’, the couple just packed their bags and went back to the US. Sadly, the child who should be enjoying a comfortable life now is still without a home and a loving set of parents.
Mario Montejo, Science and Technology: Please improve the S&T curriculum. Please build more S&T-focused learning institutions and create more scholarships for S&T-focused education. Please support investors so they will not sell their ideas abroad. Please tap the private sector for R&D programs.
Jose Almendras, Energy: Please lessen dependence on fossil fuels (which are more pollutive!) by developing more renewable energy (RE)-based systems. Please increase the share of RE in the country’s energy mix.
Rogelio Singson, Public Works and Highways: Please curb corruption in the DPWH. Please build more farm-to-market roads.
Virgilio delos Reyes, Agrarian Reform: Please work together with the DA in modernizing the agricultural sector. Please implement a genuine land reform program. Please distribute Hacienda Luisita to landless farmers.
Teresita Deles, Adviser on the Peace Process: Please ensure genuine peace dialogue with sustainable development as the core principle. There can be no peace if people are hungry.
Patricia Licuanan, Commission on Higher Education: Please work with the DepEd and DOLE in developing higher education curriculum and programs that can realistically support the goals of sustainable development (hinged on employment/business generation). What is higher education if people cannot find find jobs or start businesses afterwards?
Kim Henares, Bureau of Internal Revenue: Please clean up the BIR! Please rationalize the income tax system. The middleclass and working professionals are literally being bled (texed) to death while scrupulous businessmen have creative ways in evading taxes! Also, it’s like being taxed twice or even thrice: we get taxed from our incomes, and then we get taxed on all the bills we pay!
May this list inspire our new Cabinet members. And may we all work together (even if we dread a GMA comeback in Congress).
God bless this country!
P.s. If you want to add more to this list, we can probably ‘formalize’  this and submit a People’s Wish List to the new administration. So email me now and let’s start ensuring this Government will work! [mei_velas(at)yahoo(dot)com]
		
		
				
			
				
					Jun				
				
					16				
			
			
				‘Rubberized’ meat in Persia Grill – Megamall				
			By Mary Anne Velas-Suarin Posted in 
				Business/Economics,  Travels and Food				 | 
				2 Comments »				 
			
			  			
			We had hoped for a romantic dinner at this Italian restaurant in Shaw Boulevard. I had read a great review about it in a weekly magazine and suggested to hubby that we celebrate our 1st year wedding anniversary there last June 4. However, I had a meeting in Ortigas area that day; a meeting that lasted until about 7:00 pm so by the time I met hubby in Megamall, the taxi bay had long lines already.
We still wanted to do that romantic Italian dinner and so we went in line hoping that taxicabs would come by fast enough. However, it was a Friday and rained earlier in the evening; the taxis were slow in coming. It was about 8:00 pm when we decided to end the long wait and just have dinner in Megamall. Our first choice was Mesa but changed our mind because we think that it is better to try a different country’s cuisine for that very special evening. We saw Persia Grill across the street and so off we went, two starving souls who were looking forward to a nice dinner celebration.

The signage looked impressive; sadly, the food didn't live up to the nice photos.

Uh-oh. It turned out to be a bad decision. I guess the first warning signs were there: the food we originally wanted were not available. And then the mango shake tasted like 10% mango and 90% water and sugar. Yes, it was awfully sweet that it could easily pass for sugar shake and not mango shake. We could have easily write it off as non-essential if the food was great, or even slightly better than average. Unfortunately, we were in for more disappointments.
My original order was a lamb chop dish but because it was not available, the waiter recommended one of their house specialties instead. It was also a lamp chop dish so I said, “Go!” We also ordered vegetable moussaka hubby’s favorite chicken and pork kebab.
I must admit that the vegetable moussaka is ok (perhaps 2.5-3 stars out of 5?)  but the serving was too small. I can easily gobble it up in one or two mouthful. Obviously, they tried to cover up the whole plate by spreading the eggplant so thinly across it but the effort made it even look more pathetic.  It was so thin that if we were seated outside and there was a wind blowing, it can easily fly away and probably end up as a nice toupee on someone’s balding head (no offense meant).
Hubby’s kebab is also average. In fact, we agreed that the fast food kebab kiosk in Shopwise serves cheaper and definitely better kebabs! You can have a complete meal of a yummy kebab there at about P54.00! The price tag of the kebab in Persia Grill: P199.00.
The lamb chop is the biggest disappointment. It was too hard and ‘rubbery’ that I cannot even cut it up myself. I had to ask JR to cut it into bite-size pieces because it was really THAT hard. We called the attention of the waiter and had hoped to order another dish but he said they do not honor “returns.” In short, we need to suffer in silence. Sorry, no refunds or no reorder. End of discussion. The waiter offered to recook the dish (as if recooking it will change the structure of the meat!).
We did not want to make a scene anymore so JR just offered to eat my order while he offered his kebab. I guess I was also hungry to even complain further so I just simply nodded my consent. Funny thing was, when the recooked lamb chop returned, the tomato I earlier placed on my plate (‘relocated’ from the plate of JR) was missing! We even had to request for them to return MY tomato! (wink!).

The meat on the left refused to budge even after minutes of chewing.

Anyway, the lamb chop was still rubbery. Of course, no amount of recooking will change the structure of the meat. (See the photo on the left. The pitiful slice of meat on the left ‘evolved’ after long efforts to chew it; yes, it wouldn’t budge.)  It was obvious that the meat used is of low quality. For the price of P285.00 for a small serving, one would expect at least an average quality of meat, not this one that is so rubbery and tough. Some neighborhood carinderia and fast food places even serve better quality of meats.
We left the restaurant with the resolve not to eat there again. We also decided we will blog about it just so others can be forewarned. This restaurant is so uncaring. They do no care about their clients’ satisfaction. The waiter who attended to us was so unfriendly and uncaring. Hubby and I have dreams of owning a cafe-restaurant (he is an aspiring chef) and we will always do our best to ensure that our clients will be happy with the food that they will eat and the service of our team. Because they deserve only the best.
Anyway, we did not want to completely ruin our anniversary celebration so we just later went to a cafe in Tomas Morato, shared a pot of green tea and yummy plates of blueberry cheesecake and chocolate lava cake. Hmmm, we  still managed to save the day and of course,  it was still a very happy anniversary date, even with the bad memory of the ‘rubberized’ meat. Thank God for loving husbands, nice pots of tea, yummy cakes and yup, long-stemmed roses.

The best parts are the ones that can be felt by the heart. 

		
		
				
			
				
					Jun				
				
					11				
			
			
				La Graine et le Mulet: Moving Simplicity and Complexity				
			By Mary Anne Velas-Suarin Posted in 
				Culture, Arts, & Films,  Relationships/Family,  Travels and Food				 | 
				No Comments »				 
			
			  			
			The 15th French Film Festival in Manila is currently ongoing at the Shangrila Cinema (running until Sunday, June 13). We have watched two films already and although the first one (Le Beau Marriage or Good Marriage) has its merits, I was moved more by La Graine et le Mulet (directed by Tunisian-born French Director, Abdellatif Kechiche).

La Graine et le Mulet (film poster)

Many writers/bloggers have already written reviews about the film so I will no longer dwell so much on the plot (you can just Google the film title to know more about the plot and characters). What I would write about are my observations and feelings about the film.
Over-all, it is a very moving film. It is one of those films that stay in the mind long after you have seen it. It had been two days already since hubby and I watched it but the story is still running in my head. The ending was both expected and unexpected. I was both pleased and disappointed. So there, the ironies.
Let me start then with the expected-unexpected ending.  I had a hunch in the beginning of the film that it would have a surprising ending but that the ending itself was unexpected. It was even ridiculous but in its twisted reality resides the rawness of life itself. In life, there is no rehearsal. You either quit or move on.
I was very pleased with the ending but I also felt sad. Pleased because it surprised me; sad because I may have expected a more positive take although, later, I still think that the ending  has powerfully positive elements. I guess this is where the film succeeds. You would tend to argue and counter-argue with yourself, deciding that the ending was quite tragic and then later, admitting that, yes, the ending evokes feelings of hope (in a rather deep and ironical way).
At the center of the film is couscous, a North African dish of rice and mullet (a type of fish considered as very ‘adaptive’ even in difficult environments), and the main character’s (Slimane) struggles to build a couscous restaurant out of a rundown boat right after he was forced into retirement. Actually, the English translation used in international releases (The Secret of the Grain) is not really the literal translation. Literally, the title means “The Grain and the Mullet” in English but I would agree with the Director and producers that The Secret of the Grain is an appropriate second title because the film’s complexity revolves around a seemingly simple ingredient, the grain.
I liked the film because the script does not read like a script at all. The conversations are real conversations between real people. Some film critics described the film as dragging (or “too long”) but I think the long conversations are essential. The long dialogues touched me because I never liked films that appear like “films” or scripts that read like “scripts.” Here, you would feel like you are in the middle of a real family lunch, sharing their food and their stories. There is sensitivity, there is ‘naturalness.’ There is no pretension.
That is why I am not really very impressed with the awarded film of this Filipino indie Director (I will not mention his name anymore because he is famous now and people may think I am trying to be an expert in films) who repeatedly used frames and frames of characters walking endlessly, climbing up stairs, wandering endlessly….duh? It is ‘trying hard’ to be deep. One scene of that kind of approach is enough! I would rather suffer long dialogues with enough sensibility but I will not consider a film that tries to evoke ‘mystery’ and ‘intelligence’ through long and dragging shots of aimless walking and climbing stairs as great. To me, that is pure pretension.
I also liked the La Graine et le Mulet because it is very intriguing. It makes you think deeply. I still wonder what is the meaning of the ending. Why did the main character, Slimane, choose that path? Did he want to give up or did he really fight hard? Was it an easy way out for him or was it a symbol of a deeply-seated passion that never wanted to give up, even up to the very end?
The scenes are also well chosen and the shots are amazing. I cannot forget the scene when Rym (the daughter of Slimane’s lover) was convincing her mother to attend the party at the newly-opened boat restaurant of Slimane. It was quiet at first, and then you see Rym’s passionate admonition of her mother and her decision not to attend the party. The close shot of her face from such an angle (the camera seems coming from the side and below but not too low from her face) captured the flowing of her tears beautifully. Her sadness, anger, pains, and frustration are all captured in that series of frames. The scene also touched about people’s weaknesses like selfishness. I think this scene reminds us so much about our inability to think of others also when confronted with our own difficulties. Rym was right, her mother should also think about the dreams of Slimane. The scene also powerfully carried the difficulties and struggles of women who chose to love the men they have chosen despite the previous lives that they embraced, including former wives and their children.
The film is also about trust and loyalty. It tackles fidelity between a husband and wife. The scene where Julia (Slimane’s daughter-in-law) found out (again) about her husband’s infidelities is too painful and emotional but it was effective even with a seemingly long dialogue. Slimane’s quiet stance while Julia was bursting out all her pains also implies the struggles of real fathers and mothers who may know that their sons are not faithful to their wives but  continue to remain quiet not because they do not honor their wives but because they love unconditionally and feel helpless, too, about changing their sons’ ways. I do not think any woman or father would intentionally choose to simply endure her or his son’s infidelities but I also think that such a sad reality happens in the Philippine society.
Here in the Philippines, mothers and fathers would painfully condone their sons’ infidelities, even hide the truth from their suffering wives, because we are also at a loss and unable to choose the right way when it involves the people we love. It is hard to accept our own frailties. It also shows the seemingly double standards we are living with: if the one cheating is the wife, the treatment is so much different– it is understandable if the husband cheats, but unpardonable if the one having affairs is the woman. The film talks about this theme but it is not ‘in your face’ kind of treatment; it just shares a story in its raw form, never judging, never questioning.
The film is also inspiring in a paradoxical way. It evokes feelings of helplessness and fatigue but at the same time, arouses hope and passion. It tells us to dream big, to never stop hoping amid a deluge of obstacles. It evolves triumphantly, as if replicating our journey towards greatness.
There is so much to be liked about the film and even if there could be low moments in terms of technicality and execution of some scenes, La Graine et le Mulet is really a very provocative, moving, and beautiful film.   Watch it before the Filmfest ends!

Rym is beautiful, fierce, loving, intelligent and surprising.

Notes: Length of the film: 151 minutes. Available in: French, Arabic and Russian (with English subtitles). La Graine et le Mulet recently won Best Film in the prestigious Cesar awards, comparable to an Oscar award in the U.S. Still showing in Shangrila Cineplex 4 (Friday, June 11 and Sunday, June 13, both at 9:00 pm).
		
		
				
			
				
					Jun				
				
					02				
			
			
				New site, new look!				
			By Mary Anne Velas-Suarin Posted in 
				Relationships/Family,  Writing/novels				 | 
				2 Comments »				 
			
			  			
			
Mailboxes bring sweet memories.

Hi everyone! I am so excited to ‘migrate’ my Wordpress.com blog to our  domain here in Asyanna. It took about 5 days ! The longest and most  tedious part was choosing the perfect template! I wanted a three-column  layout with customizable header but unfortunately, the WP templates with  these combined features are not that much.
Anyway, I am quite contended with this template (by Adazing Design), for now. Thanks to the creative guys who thought about using ‘wooden’ blocks (just like Scrabble’s letter blocks!) as the theme of the template. Thanks, guys!
I hope you like the name of this new site! It also took a while to think of a name…until I started playing around with the three letters of my nickname…M..E…I….hmmm….I thought, why not MEILBOX?! After all, mailboxes remind us of sweet notes, surprise gifts, and wonderful neighborhood kartero (postman)! From mailboxes, we get nice little surprises. Mailboxes also remind me of the joys of writing.

May your boxes be full of nice little things, too!

I have always enjoyed writing notes, letters and what-have-yous ever since I was a child. And with the advent of emails and cellphones, I also kind of miss the old feel of stationery and the way an ink beautifully glides across it as I scribble down long notes for friends and family (yup, I did write notes to my Dad particularly when I suddenly had to leave town or stay overnight in a friend’s place and he wasn’t home yet from work…ok, admittedly, that’s probably a kind of strategy so he will have no more choice but allow me! After all, when he gets to read my note, I am most likely already in Tagaytay for a CEGP Conference or in a friend’s place where I am already a permanent household fixture.)
Yes, “MEILBOX” it will be! We will share wonderful stories, inspire one another, and perhaps, find nice little surprises along the way. And this will be YOUR box of goodies, too.  (Thanks to fotosearch.com for the cute pictures in this blog.)
		
		
				
			
				
					Jun				
				
					02				
			
			
				In SM Baliwag, the sisig rocks! And you get free wi-fi, too!				
			By Mary Anne Velas-Suarin Posted in 
				Relationships/Family,  Writing/novels				 | 
				No Comments »				 
			
			  			
			We were invited to  a bloggers event in SM Baliwag in line with the launch of the mall’s wi-fi access. The day began with movie treats (JR and I opted for “Shrek Forever After, the Final Chapter”) that eventually led to a nice lunch treat.
I can say that a lunch that comprised of Pinoy Lugaw’s fresh lumpia, Chef Chow’s shabu-shabu, Baliwag’s Lechon Manok and Liempo, and Sisig Hooray’s pork sisig is well beyond my daily capacity for lunch (wink! wink!) but I really enjoyed the food for the most part.

Rows and rows of lumpiang sariwa

The lechon manok and liempo are really impressive. Perhaps it goes to show I am really a die-hard ‘carnivorous’ in my previous life (I have been trying to veer away from meat the last couple of years) and as they say, old habits never die! But then who could resist these yummy treats, beckoning to you as if they are bottles of sweet sweet wine suddenly appearing in the horizon while you are sweating in the middle of a Saharan desert? You bet, I am not that disciplined yet!
I also enjoyed the shabu-shabu although my standards somehow are a notch higher after marrying a chef-in-progress. I dare say it needs a bit more of the taste that can only be produced from a dash of spices and herbs (instead of just salt and the pepper). However, over-all, it is already satisfying given that it is a fast food fare.
The fresh lumpia is also good but then again, I have also tasted better ones in the past. One thing I  would recommend to its ‘creator’ is to go easy on the sugar of the sauce. I think it was too sweet. Except for this downside, I will definitely still enjoy it especially if I just wanted a small meal the next time I visit SM Baliwag again. (Too bad I don’t have a DSLR these days so the above shot of the tempting rows of lumpiang sariwa was taken by JR through my dear old trusty HTC Touch Cruise. Not bad, huh?)
What’s the winner for me? It is the dear “old” pork sisig! Nutritionists will probably cry in horror over this blog but then again who says it is easy to say “no” to temptations? ;D I just LOVE Sisig Hooray’s Pork Sisig! They definitely deserve lots of “Hooray”! (Just remind me to start going to the gym again or I’d probably end up looking like the piggies where these treats come from if I continue going to SM Food Court everytime I am passing by Baliwag!)
This has been an enjoyable day. Food, wi-fi, the company of great people (and bloggers!), and an adoring husband who always makes sure I am happily fed…what more can I ask for?  This day definitely rocks! Thank you, SM Baliwag, and to all the sponsors!
(Repost from “Light & Shade”, my previous blog in Wordpress.com, 30 May 2010)
		
		
				
			
				
					May				
				
					23				
			
			
				Finding a Partner in Bangko Kabayan				
			By Mary Anne Velas-Suarin Posted in 
				Business/Economics,  Current Events/Politics				 | 
				2 Comments »				 
			
			  			
			Now, here is a bank that truly ‘walks the talk.’
Hubby and I just opened our first (joint) bank account with Bangko Kabayan (BK), a multi-awarded and SME-friendly rural bank in Batangas province. Their brochures and website are not just for PR purposes – they indeed  change lives and support the dreams of small entrepreneurs. Among their most recent awards is the “Most Outstanding Rural Bank in Calabarzon for 2008.”

Bangko Kabayan: Giving a Helping Hand for Small Entrepreneurs

We instantly know that this Bank has a ‘heart’ when we were personally and enthusiastically welcomed by the Bank Manager, himself, Mr. Rico Arcillas, and their Info and OFW Desk Officer/Product Development Officer, Ms. Gaye Gonzalvo. We came from Laguna (to attend dear friends’ wedding) and so, you can just imagine how tired and ’shabby-looking’ we already were by the time we reached the bank. [I just hope we did not smell yet!]   It was also beyond office hours already so that makes the gesture even more admirable and appreciated.
The Bank’s vision statement (pasted below) is definitely reflected in the way it does its services -
Enabled by the Divine Providence and generating His presence among us as  a work community united in His name, we will be a leading rural  financial institution through the delivery of personalized and relevant  financial services in an excellent manner, with a preference for the  small and micro entrepreneurs of Batangas, contributing to the  development of the countryside. (Source: Bangko Kabayan website)
The term ‘personalized service’ is often abused in the business circle but in the case of BK, the use of such a statement is certainly well-deserved. The BK team truly demonstrates passion, eagerness, and commitment. The words in their brochures and website are backed up with concrete and realistic programs that allow ordinary citizens to open an account or secure loans (for example, in BK, one can already open a savings account with just an initial deposit of P100.00! A balance of P1,000.00 already earns interest. This is no longer widely available in other commercial or big banks. )
They also offer microfinance and SME-friendly loan and financing services that are genuinely sensitive to the realities of small and aspiring entrepreneurs. As I have mentioned before in my online article in Suite101 Media, oftentimes, the big banks  claim to be offering “SME-friendly” packages but in reality, they still require stiff requirements that already limit access for start-ups.
I strongly believe that genuine development can only be realistically attained if there are adequate opportunities for jobs/ employment and more importantly, self-employment. The banking and financial sectors have big roles to play because they are the ones who can truly provide the needed impetus for business development and growth by providing real, easy and tangible access to credit and financial services.
But anyway, you may be wondering why we opted to open an account with them when the branches are all based in Batangas? For one, we have a dream of owning a farm and Batangas is a perfect place because of its proximity to Manila. We want to begin planting the first seeds towards that dream! As they say, you have to visualize your dreams so that they will become true.   Second, BK allows clients to deposit/withdraw funds via the (Globe) Gcash system and so, the distance no longer becomes an issue. Third, the BK is truly passionate about their mission and we have seen that up-close when we visited their Tanauan Branch. Fourth, opening and maintaining an account does not cost an arm and a leg! (You can practically save every peso because the Bank will not charge you anything, say, if your balance falls below P2,000 – an example of the lowest ceiling for the Average Daily Balance or ADB required in most banks.) Finally, we believe in the Pinoy industry and this is also our way of supporting our own.
Bangko Kabayan is indeed a breathe of fresh air. They know the real situations of small and aspiring entrepreneurs but never will you feel ’small’ when you enter their premises. They offer you even bigger smiles, which you carry home with you, happy with the thought that you have just gained a lifetime partner.
P.s. This is definitely not a paid blog! I am writing this because I  truly believe in the mission of BK. For more information on the bank, please visit www.bangkokabayan.com. God bless!



Bangko Kabayan’s Deposit Products

		
		
				
			
				
					May				
				
					06				
			
			
				Is the majority always right?				
			By Mary Anne Velas-Suarin Posted in 
				Business/Economics,  Current Events/Politics				 | 
				8 Comments »				 
			
			  			
			Our voting history somehow does not give much hope. We say, “We need change.” Unfortunately, it seems that such a statement for hunger for change is just a lip-service. We are not serious about wanting change.

Vote not because of popularity and emotions.  Vote   wisely. It is about this child's future.

We just like how the words sound. As if by saying those words, we are truly becoming nationalists. Are we, really?  I don’t think so.
Because come May 10, 2010, we are still voting for the old politics. The old bananas. Noynoy Aquino. Manny Villar. Gibo Teodoro. Dick Gordon. Loren Legarda. Mar Roxas. Bong Revilla. Lito Lapid. Juan Ponce Enrile. Ralph Recto. And the list is endless. I give my thanks and respects to the old guards like Sen. Enrile but…
What is the most tragic part here? We are voting for a president based on popularity and emotions. Not by platform or a genuine promise for a new day. (I certainly do not favor a Villar presidency. Let me reiterate my stand once again: I am voting for Nicanor Perlas.)
And so today, I woke up with sadness. Because I realized that Noynoy Aquino may just win the presidential race. The latest INC endorsement for the presidential bid of Noynoy Aquino may have just clinched the tide in his favor.
I fear another Aquino presidency.
Why do I fear his brand of politics? I fear his brand of politics because it looks like it is based on opportunism. With all due respect to him and his Mother (I am still a Cory fan), I really think that deep in our hearts, we know that Noynoy will not even consider running for President if his Mother were alive. And that if Tita Cory is still alive now, and her son still decided to run, I am fairly sure that she will not give his blessings to him. Why do I believe so? Because Tita Cory is a woman of intelligence and discernment. She knows the capacity of her son and being a president is certainly not one of his strong competencies.
Sadly, however we look at it, the death of Tita Cory gave him the idea and motivation to run. Not even the dreams of Mar Roxas stopped him from wanting the top post. Never mind the ultimate dreams of Mar. The swelling of yellow colors right during Tita Cory’s funeral march told him, “run, run, run!” These yellow-bearing people need another hero and you are the hero, Noy! Are you, really?
In the deepest of your heart, do you really think you are the hero that we are hungry for? In the deepest of your heart, do you honestly believe your Mom wants you to run?  Mga kababayan ko, is he really “the One”? Why are you voting for him? Popularity? The emotional pull of Tita Cory’s death? His ‘clean’ image? Are these reasons enough? Aren’t we looking at the wrong reasons?
We certainly need honesty and integrity. Oh, we are all crying for that! Making it No. 1 criteria for choosing the next president. But is Noynoy the only one who has that? Look at the other candidates: Nicanor Perlas, Eddie Villanueva, and JC de los Reyes; they seem to me people of integrity and better yet, had not been tainted with the colors of old politics. They are new and fresh faces. Why couldn’t we try them? Oh yes, we go back to popularity. See now? We always end up to voting for those who are popular. And then later we blame the government for the poverty around us. Haven’t we learned enough? We certainly deserve the government we voted for. We voted for popular names and so we live with it. This is not even about Noynoy per se. It is about us, Filipinos. The way we squander our voting power.
Under a Noynoy presidency, you give up the right to complain if you voted for him. If our poverty level remains the same during a Noynoy presidency, I will blame you for it. Because you, the majority, those who belong in the yellow army, took away my voice.
Noynoy reminds me of an old salesman who never really sold anything in his long career as a salesman but will suddenly earn the CEO post in his company because the owner (who is loved by millions) suddenly died. So the millions who are enamored with the dead owner cannot let go of his memories and suddenly, just like magic, turn their hearts and souls to the son whom they think will save the company from downfall. Because he is the son of the old hero.
Sadly, the voice of the minority who knows a much better and competent manager (but who is not a relative of the dead owner) will just slowly fade away in the deafening and almost-hypnotic screams of the millions who believe that the son is indeed the savior.
Is Noynoy really clean? No one can judge. But what is ‘cleanliness’ really? Is it enough that he did not steal? That he was never associated with any scandalous transactions in government? I don’t think so. Cleanliness and integrity, when it comes to the top post in the political ladder, should always be associated with making one’s powerful position very useful. I said it once before: positions of power are privileges. You are not voted into power and then just sit there, listen, vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘abstain’, go home, and sleep contentedly at night. The votes were given to you because you are entrusted with the task of making a BIG difference. Voting for laws is NOT making a difference. Not stealing from the public coffers is certainly NOT making a big difference. Being honest is certainly not something that should earn our politicos the accolades. We thank Noynoy and vote for him because he is clean and honest?
Napaka-baba naman yata ng standards natin for a President! 
Let us not forget that Noynoy had three terms in Congress and one in Senate and yet we all know he did not really deliver exemplary performance. He is talking so much about corruption in his TV ads but what did he really do while he was within the system? Suddenly, now, he is talking about corruption? Naman…
Please think about your vote for another Aquino. Noynoy is of the same mold as old politics. He is not the ‘newness’ that we say (?) we need now, more than ever. He comes from an old lineage of politicos who own vast tracts of land and who up to now, refuse to relinquish ownership that would have otherwise improved the lives of thousands of farmers and workers. This is not even about the rich and the poor. I also believe that all classes should have equal rights. I never liked the campaign lines that say, “Para sa Mahirap” because it is already divisive. It is like saying one’s poverty already earns him certain privileges. I do try to avoid that kind of thinking. But yes, it is important for a presidentiable to know what to do when he is in the seat of power. Noynoy had the chance to work for meaningful changes while in Congress and Senate. At least he could have tried to do something for the farmers of Hacienda Luisita.
You may say, “But he has promised to distribute the Hacienda Luisita to the farmers in five years!” Really? But why is he saying that only now? Because he needs your votes and sadly, you will give it to him.
		
		
				
			
				
					Mar				
				
					17				
			
			
				15 Most Toxic Places in the World				
			By Mary Anne Velas-Suarin Posted in 
				Current Events/Politics,  Environment,  Travels and Food				 | 
				No Comments »				 
			
			  			
			It’s been a while since I last wrote here. I miss writing a lot but there had been many things occupying hubby and I lately (one is on the search for a new flat/home!). We have a wonderful option and we hope we can still negotiate for a better deal. The unit is nice and big enough for a couple and in a quiet neighborhood. It’s not too far from Makati and Ortigas – yet it’s still in Quezon City! We are bent on staying in QC so we can bring our Bayantel phone+DSL subscription with us – we really just like their services. This makes me wonder again whether Bayantel will consider expanding their coverage. They really should! Anyway, I will blog again about our search for the new lovenest once we have moved in by end of the month.
I had really wanted to write more about our environmental problems (and solutions) so I hope this blog will start me ‘revved’ up again.   Here then are the 15 most toxic places in the world (lifted from the website of Mother Nature Network). This list does not want to put judgement against any location, country or nationality. I guess the MNN site only wants to remind us all again about the precarious condition of our environment, and in the process, motivate us to do more concrete and effective steps in arresting the degradation around us! Here is the list then -

A greener future should not remain as just a dream

1. Citarum River, INDONESIA – considered as the most polluted river in the world (I saw the photo posted with the list and I really cringed because you can no longer see any ‘empty space’ on the river surface – everything is just covered with floating debris and garbage.)
2. Chernobyl, UKRAINE – of course, everyone knows that this is where the 1986 nuclear disaster happened.
3. Linfen, CHINA – the MNN site said it is considered as the place with the worst  air pollution in the whole world. The coal and soot from industries and vehicles make the air so dirty that your laundry will turn black even before it dries, if you hang it outside your window. Actually, this doesn’t seem ludicrous because even in Manila, our white shirts turn grayish-black  on the collars if we stayed outdoors the whole day.
4. North Pacific Gyre, PACIFIC OCEAN – not many of us know that we are already building an island of garbage and debris right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The waves naturally push garbage away from the shores and accumulate in the center. Experts say that the debris there is already about 30 feet below the ocean surface. Imagine?
5. Rondonia, BRAZIL – this is considered the most deforested area of the Amazon rainforest. It has reached this stage because of rampant and uncontrolled cattle ranching. Our very own forests will most likely reach the same stage if we don’t do something more urgent about the continuing forest denudation.
6. Yamuna River, INDIA – this is the largest tributary of the Ganges River and flows through Delhi. It is said that 58% of the city’s wastes are dumped here. (Sounds familiar? Our very own Pasig River may not be entirely different although it is commendable that efforts are now being done to revive it.)
7. La Oroya, PERU – this is where rampant mining operations are being done. It is described as a “soot-covered mining town.” Experts say that 99% of the children living in the area already have high lead level in their systems – levels exceeding the acceptable limit.
8. Lake Karachay, RUSSIA – it is considered as the most polluted spot on earth. It has become a nuclear dumping site where radiation level is too high that an hour of stay there (without a very modern breathing mechanism strapped to your body) will be enough to kill you.
9. HAITI – the whole country is so deforested that the recent earthquake made the place even more fragile. It used to enjoy 60% forested area but that size is now down to 2% and fast dwindling…
10. Kabwe, ZAMBIA – the soil has accumulated toxic levels of lead and cadmium due to rampant mining. The children there have lead levels in their systems 5 to 10 times higher than the permissible levels.
11. Appalachia, West Virginia, US – it is also a mining town where the prevalent system being used is called “removal mining” where whole mountaintops are removed. This system leads to soil erosion – which consequently causes run-offs of toxic chemicals and pollutants to the rivers and streams below.
12. Dzerzhinsk, RUSSIA – this is the most chemically-polluted place in the whole world. Chemical wastes are dumped here leading to death rates 200 to 250% higher than birth rates.
13. Riachuelo Basin, ARGENTINA – the river body easily became a receptacle for the garbage and dump of more than 3,500 factories and 13 slum communities around the water system. It also ‘hosts’ 42 open garbage dumps.
14. Vape, INDIA – it has become a dumping place for chemicals as it lies south of industrial estates. The level of mercury in the groundwater is 96% higher than safety levels. There is an alarming presence of heavy metals particles in the air and even in the local produce!
15. EARTH’s ORBIT (yes, you read it right) – around our home called Earth are 4 million pounds of space debris including nuts, bolts, metals, carbon and even a spacecraft! Can you imagine being thrown up there in the skies and dying NOT because of lack of ‘breathable’ oxygen but because you ran smack a floating spacecraft?
We don’t need a lengthy discourse just so we can be convinced to do something more concrete now, right? So please help us save this Earth. It is our only home.
Have a good life!
		
		
				
			
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