IN RANDOM VIEWS of a city-bred and a promdi.

Some hilarious THRILL(anes)S that happened to my family and me et.al. this Nov. 29, 2007 in chronological order:

AT HOME

At 4PM I receive a text msg from my sis:
Are you watching? Mag-kaka-coup d’etat na!

I got tensed.  I went downstairs and told my parents:
Ma,
Da… mag coup coup d’etat na sabi ni Chap! Paano na dinner natin sa
Super Bowl?!? (Ngayon lang kasi kami makapag-didinner na kumpleto as a
family)

Daddy responds:
Walang coup d’etat! ‘Yang si Chap naman e… wala namang sumusunod sa kanila Trillanes at Guingona e! Mga pampagulo.

After taking a bath and dressing up:
Ma, Da, Nick… Tara na, mag-dinner na tayo!!! (But all of them watching TV)

Secretary Puno on TV says:
May curfew na
tayo… no carrying of firearms - licensed or otherwise… If caught
with firearms, they will be apprehended for questioning…

I got tensed again:
Paano na dinner natin.. may curfew na pala!
Itong sila Guingona naman kasi e! Pa-uprising-uprising pa kasi e! Wala namang nangyari!

Then words flash on TV screen:
CURFEW STARTS 12 MN. TO 5AM

I said:
Ah okay, pwede pa tayo mag-dinner.

DINNER AT SUPERBOWL, TRINOMA

At the reception.  I told the waiter:
Table for 4 please

We were told to pick seats.  It was 8:10 pm in my watch.

Waiter handed the menu.

Daddy: Wow. Gusto ko yung pancit.
Me: Ah I’ll order the Fillet O’Fish… naitikman ko na masarap.

Then the waiter cuts…
Waiter: Sir, Ma’am… may 9pm po tayo na curfew.  Okay lang po kung hanggang 8.45pm lang po sila kakain?

Pissed me: Ha?!?
Daddy: 12 MN pa ang curfew! (to the waiter)

Waiter responds:
Yes sir, but we received a memo from the management ng mall… all restaurants will close at 9pm.
Mommy: O cge bilisin na natin.

I ordered like superman faster than a speeding bullet:
Ok… ahhh.. (skimming… like cramming on a case)…..
Yang Chow Fried Rice, Hot Tea.. yung free. House water na kami
My brother Nick: Pero ako Coke.
I continue: Ahhhhh… yung tofu with mushroom. Pancit. Soup of the Day, Egg Drop Soup.
My brother: Pero ako Garlic Rice.

Waiter repeats our order.

Then serves the food.

After few minutes of eating, they forgot 1 viand… which we also forgot… the fillet! (The most delicious pa naman!!! harghhh ).

Me: Waiter! Waiter! May nakalimutan yung fillet!
Waiter: Ah okay ma’am.

Waiter comes back: Ma’am lulutuin pa ma’am.
Pissed me: Hargghhhh. O cge cge! Pakibilisan.
Waiter shouts towards the kitchen: Fillet O’Fish … in advance please!

Fillet O’Fish arrives when all the food including the rice were all almost eaten na.

Then Chap, my sis working at ABS-CBN arrives from work.  She didn’t eat anymore.

IN THE CAR ON OUR WAY HOME

   
The last time I joined a Filipino crowd in a standing ovation during a
play’s curtain call was Repertory Philippine’s production of Les
Miserables.  This was years ago.  I was in gradeschool then.  I never
joined a standing ovation since then, or should I say it has been a
long time since I saw a standing ovation in Philippine theater… until
I saw Dogeaters last Sunday at Carlos P. Romulo Theater at RCBC Makati.

   
Aside from the starstudded-cast that made me see this play (where I had
to travel all the way from Ilocos and maximize my weekend-off from my
internship at PAO, Laoag City Branch) is the encouragement of Christine
Guevarra a.k.a. Tin, my college batchmate and presently a 2nd year med
student in UST.  She sent a pm (personal msg) and asked when I am
planning to see it since I posted it in my multiply calendar.  Well,
though I did post it, I did it merely to remind myself of the upcoming
plays but I wasn’t really decided yet at that time.  Tin mentioned to
me that the play is originally from Jessica Hagedorn’s best-selling
novel DOGEATERS which she bought at Fullybooked in year 2004.  Tin,
though not as an avid theatergoer as I am, insinuated that the play is
well-written.  And I was convinced, she being a prolific writer
herself… not to mention being the SINAG associate editor who even
bested the magnas and cums in our batch who applied for the high
-ranking positions in our college editorial board.  In other words, I
trusted her judgement that this play is indeed… good.

    And it surely was.

   
And not just good but excellent even.  I am not saying though that you
will definitely feel the same way as I rave about it for we have
varying tastes, but my entire family and friends seated at the center
orchestra, 6 to 8 rows from the front row stood up during the curtain
call.  Some people remain glued to their seats… but I think half of
the audience that night stood as we did.  Actors Michael Williams and
Madeleine Nicolas who were part of the audience, and who I also watched
in Into the Woods the night before at Music Museum were with wide
smiles during the curtain call seemingly very pleased at their fellow
thespians.

   
Well as to my "say," I prefer not to discuss the synopsis since this
has been written about many times like the very detailed column of Pat Evangelista.  You can read about the story on other websites, just google it, or check Atlantis productions website.

   
Andoy Ranay - gave one of the best performances as Imelda Marcos.  The
accent, the voice, the imeldific hair-dress-shoes, the twinkling of the
eyes, the mannerisms — it was IMELDIFIC!  It was perfect, funny, it
would make you laugh! I enjoyed watching her… I mean him

Blurry pics taken by sis Nina Corpuz (who is sooo good with my phonecam ):

   
Andoy is by the way a television director of Marina, Kampanyerang Kuba,
MMK, and Prinsesa ng Banyera.  Gays as Sir Ray Macapagal (a brilliant
gay psych teacher) said are usually considered as lower form of species
of human society — but Andoy Ranay disputes this fact. He gave a
stellar performance.  His diction was perfect, he had an impressive
voice projection and clear enunciation of the words - his overall
performance was exemplary.  I hope I could get to watch him more on
stage besides his films like Markova and Comfort Gay among others.

    Another
observation is that the cast is NOT entirely star-studded.  Unlike
elitist theater companies who hire the "elites and the same" actors
most of the time, Dogeaters also consisted of some thespians from the
"masang pinoy" theater companies (I call it masang pinoy since their
tickets are more affordable, usually at student prices at natural mas maraming nakakapanuod na masa at hindi elitista; and their "pinoy" rendition of plays which usually have tagalog
versions) who are not given the same attention and opportunity (as
those in elitist theater companies) gave the most impressive acting
performances. 

   
At the top pf my list is Nicco Manalo who portrayed the afro-haired
Joey.  He is part of Tanghalang Pilipino Actor’s Company and has also
acted for student and indie films.  He FELT his role — mula
sa pagiging high sa dopamine, to a weird homosexual disk jockey, sa
nanginginig na witness sa assassination ng isang senador at sa gubat
kasama ng mga rebelde — his performance was flawless at sobrang totoo.
I hope his outstanding performance in this play would open more
opportunities for him not only in theater but also in television and
film.  Kung may best actor award — sa kanya ko ibibigay ang trono. 

    The
next to my list are: Gerald Napoles who portrayed 5 characters - best
of which as Lt. Pepe Carreon, Las Rodriguez - as waiter of the
wealthiest man of the country and boyfriend of Trining portrayed by
Chari Arespacochaga.  I was also impressed with Chari who made a
comeback from directing.  Her portrayal of Trining gave life to the
play as she is funny and kenkoy — especially the bedscene with Las
when the latter called her Lolita to which she responded, "My name is Trining! Not Lolita." Hahaha.

   
Ana Abad Santos was brilliant as Barbara, a talkshow host who also
served as narrator of the play.  Rez Cortez was amazing from shifting
back-and-forth as a General and a tangengot waiter.  Other notable
actors are Jenny Jamora as Daisy Villanueva as a senator’s daughter who
converted to a rebel communist, and the pokpok/mistress Lolita Luna
portrayed by Che Ramos.

    Acting legends Jon Santos, Gina
Alajar and Joel Torre were as usual — very very good in their craft.
Gina who appeared in only a few scenes did great acting with her
sacrilegious prayers towards the end of the play.  She could scandalize
religious conservatives… that she almost did to my mom .  I am glad I was seated next to her to keep her reminded that "it is only a play mom."  But
this only goes to show that the play could make you laugh, shock your
moral sensibilities and empathize with their political sentiments -all by the
characters from the different social strata of Philippine society. Which
is why the poster of Dogeaters says it is "A Play About the
Philippines." 

   The play is about our country.  The "then"
era of the late dictator but has parallelisms to the "now."  I liked it
a lot.  I hope you do too…

    It is the best play I’ve watched this year.

Nov. 16 - Dec 2, 2007
Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium
RCBC Plaza, Makati
Atlantis Productions - 892-7078/840-1187
Ticketworld - tel. no. 891-9999

CLICK HERE FOR TIN’S SITE and
GET TO READ HER REPLY TO A COMMENT

I
am usually not used to going to coffee shops in my province,
particularly in Laoag where coffee shops started to sprout for the
first time in Ilocos in my college years.  My friends and I started to
visit the first few coffee shops when we’re home on a schoolbreak, like
the one near Laoag’s Provincial Hospital (which closed later on) and La
Preciosa - a resto and later on included coffee in their menu.  However
Manila’s Starbucks, Coffeebeanery, CBTL, Figaro and Seattle’s Best’s
coffees can’t still be matched.  They still serve much much better
coffee than Laoag’s coffeeshops’.

But
now it’s 2007 and Laoag City has improved a lot - with a wider list of
fastfood chains, restos and coffeeshops.  To my surprise, I didn’t
expect that the coffeeshop that can compete with Manila’s standards is TRIBECA located in the newly built 365 plaza mall in San Nicolas, just before Nangalisan, Laoag City.

So
what is Tribeca?  Tricia, a highschool ka-berk told me it is an
abbreviation of “Triangle Below Canal Street.”  I said to myself, “Huh?
What could that mean?  A triangle below a canal?”  Soon as I arrived
home and faced my laptop after my visit at Tribeca, Google gave me the
answer to my questions:

TriBeCa is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York in the United States. The name is a syllabic abbreviation of “Triangle Below Canal Street.” It runs roughly from Canal Street south to Park Place, and from the Hudson River east to Broadway. TriBeCa, once an industrial district dominated by warehouses, has undergone a major revitalization. Warehouses were converted into loft apartments and new businesses emerged, making it into a mixed zoning neighborhood. (Source: Wikipedia, 2007)

The definition above explains why there is a huge painting of the map of a Manhattan on its wall.  As to why this coffeeshop is named Tribeca, the definition above wouldn’t explain it. Probably
for some reason, the owner has an affinity to the place (?).  Well,
that is only my guess for I’ve never heard of a coffeeshop named Tribeca.  But what I am sure of, this coffeeshop serves the best coffee in Ilocos Norte.

Other than that, they serve coffee as low as P75 compared to Mocha Blends at the centro in Laoag that has P120 for its lowest priced coffee.  E di saan ka na pupunta? Shempre sa Tribeca — sa price pa lang, hindi ba? Tapos masarap pa.

I have been an avid coffee drinker since Starbucks invaded Manila.  But I was only hanggang kape. I don’t usually order their waffles, salads and pastries.  Other than being too expensive for a student - hindi sila sobrang napakasarap para bilhin ko with my allowance.  Tribeca however, surprised me with their cakes.  They serve as low as P98 for a huge slice of BTS (Better than Sex) Cake.
Gayuma, a resto along Xavierville Ave. Katipunan QC also has BTS but
Tribeca has a better version of it.  It is not too sweet, hindi masakit sa lalamunan ang tsokolate that melts in your mouth.  Naubos namin kaagad for a few minutes.

We liked their BTS cake very much so we ordered another cake - which is Blueberry Cheesecake for P120 at laking gulat ko — pinaka masarap na blueberry cheesecake na natikman ko!
It can beat the blueberry cheesecake of Chocolate Kiss in Manila and
the resto in New Jersey known for its cakes.  The lady asked us to
answer a survey questionnaire for Tribeca’s breakfast which they might
serve in the future.  I am not sure though if breakfast would be a hit,
but I am sure that their cakes will.  They had about 4 different types
of cakes on display when we got there… in case they will add more
cakes in their menu considering they make very good cakes, I am sure
the others would also be a hit.

Going
here with my three friends is not my first time… it is my fourth time actually
during this short sembreak.  I drop by as much as I can when I visit
Laoag as I come home to Batac.  Their coffees have similar taste as
Figaro’s.  Their Cafe Mocha
tastes as good as Figaro’s Caramel Mocha, my fave which I usually order
when I am in Manila.  My brother’s favorite on the other hand is their Chocolate Mint Frappucino.  Their other coffee & pasta with prices are:

They also sell the Coffee table book The Ilocos Heritage by Chit De La Torre
for P3890. Though this book, which is also sold at National is
expensive — I am glad they have one copy available for reading inside
the coffee shop.  Being able to view a few pages will encourage buyers
(if they have money).

This
coffee shop is strategically located at the first floor of 365 plaza
mall  — which is usually the diners’ choice to drop by after having
lunch or dinner at the restos of the mall. Unlike other restos and coffee shops in Laoag City which open late (lunch or afternoon), Tribeca is already open in the morning.  And doesn’t close early.  It was open when we left at 12 mn sometime I went there.

The coffeeshop is too small though.  Inside, it could only occupy 3 small groups. I
heard that a call center will be built in the future beside the mall.
Expectedly, Tribeca would have more coffee drinkers coming to its doors
soon.  And that would mean — mas maraming kakompetensya sa upuan.  I hope they could find a way to maximize the available space if they don’t plan to expand it sooner.

I
also hope that the ladies at the counter would be more polite next
time.  We ordered 2 coffee mocha and 1 cappuccino.  When I ordered I
said, “dine in, Coffee Mocha.”  They ended up serving “decaffeinated coffee mocha” instead.  Since when did “dine-in” sound like “decaffeinated “? The girl at the counter even insisted that I ordered decaffeinated at tinanong pa ako na malakas ang boses, “Gusto nyo po palitan ko !?!”  Ahem… kung matalino ang tao hindi na dapat nya tinatanong kung papalitan niya, but instead she should have voluntarily offered to change it. I also suggest that they repeat the order of the customer so that the latter can make changes or corrections incase mali ang rinig sa order nya. Anyway my friend already had a gulp of her “decaffeinated but shouldn’t be decaffeinated”
coffee mocha so we didn’t argue any longer.  I just hope that they will
be more cautious in treating customers politely and… properly.  If
they will, I am sure they will be more inviting to customers and so,
more profit. 

Tribeca is at
LG 8 365 Plaza, The Center Complex
San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte
(077) 7813199
tribecacoffee@gmail.com

FOR MORE PICTURES,
CHECK TRICIA’S SITE
AND MY ALBUM