Kalye Hits and Exotic Pinoy Foods Like Isaw in the US

Today, I felt compelled to write this blog.

In the US, I live in a area that is densely populated with Filipinos. Well that’s California for you. As far as North of San Francisco to the Southern edge of Chula Vista right near the border of Tijuana Mexico. You will find niches of Filipino towns, Filipino malls that makes you feel home away from home.

I am ashamed to say though given my mixed Pinoy heritage that there are certain Filipino foods I strongly refuse to eat.

Number one is Adobo ( yes yes shame on me ) and the next is Lumpia. The first was due to a bad experience I had with my Nana which she feed me adobo everyday for nearly a month that I have lost all the desire to eat or even smell the meal without gagging, no matter how good the chef who prepares it.

Lumpia for me is overrated. Chinese restaurants have it, Japanese places serve it….American Buffets have them. So I’m kinda over the flood of Lumpia everywhere.

I do like though is Pork Belly or Liempo…most Americans call them giant slabs of bacon. I like em grilled and dipped in vinegar with some crushed garlic and soy sauce. Then there's the other favorites like Sinigang, Nilaga, Pancit… which if you live right next to a Goldilocks in San Francisco or San Diego…you have no problem of running out of your Pinoy food craves.

However, if you are craving for old school Filipino exotic street foods like Isaw ( barbecued pork or chicken innards). Kwek-Kwek ( deep friend quail eggs ), Addidas ( barbecued chicken foot), Fish balls and Kikiam ( Filipino Fishsticks ), then you have better luck in just buying a plane ticket back to the Philippines because not all Filipino restaurants here serve these.

Ironically the ingredients to make the above mentioned are inexpensive and easy to make. In the Philippines alone, they are called "street food" since you can see any person at a corner street, roadside or sari sari store barbecuing them by mid-day till late night in a makeshift coal grill. They are also called Pulutan food…food that you normally eat when you are having some beers with friends. Its funny because my dad would warn me how dirty some of them are yet I still eat them anyway..the thrill of meal, plus a quick and inexpensive lunch when you are on a tight budget back in High School and College.

I was lucky enough that a friend showed me recently the possibly ONLY place in California and surrounding states that serve these. Seriously Google it and this is the only name that comes up.

The place is called Kalye Hits. Its located in National City, CA in a literally hole-in-the wall location right next to another Pinoy restaurant called Point Point Joint ( or in Tagalog Turo Turo). Their hours are awesome, open till late and they are always busy:

Mon - Thurs: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Fri - Sat: 11:00 am - 3:00 am

Sun: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

In addition to the street foods, they also sell other Pinoy favorites like Shawarma, Goto, Arroz Caldo, Pork and Chicken Barbecue even birthday cakes. The isaw and barbecue sticks are sold per stick and its not a small serving either. I have friends from as far as Oxnard ( that’s a nearly 3 hours drive) that venture to this little shop in a weekly pilgrimage for a taste of their old favorites.

The place is popular but doesn’t get that much web buzz….YET. So hence me posting this article to inform my other Pinoy foodies in the US.

Also to other Filipino Entrepreneurs in the US this may be a great idea for you as a start up business. Seriously.. if there is only one Pinoy Street food restaurant in the whole of California serving this that is doing good business..think what it can do for you.

Links to the place are as follows

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Z8dDAvsbWjcdYiaaYJHU8g?select=VfjYi8DfKrF7MPxjNiFglg
Facebook page

Was He Really Arrogant?

Last week has been a flurry of debates about the infamous Youtube video of US Pop Idol Justin Bieber titled “ Justin Bieber: How arrogant can you be” posted by a scorned fan and daughter of the father featured in the video being brushed off by the singer. The video for me was too choppy for me to see, some say he was pushed away other seems he was ignored. In my interpretation, the man quickly rushed over to Justin as he was quickly walking out of the tarmac and brushed passed the man who dropped something on the floor. The daughter immediately posted the video and closed the comments section in her Youtube account.

Since then PEP and Yahoo Philippines and other media sites has picked up the story of the Viral Vid calling Justin ungrateful to the very fans that lifted him up to his fame. And the opinions and flurry of comments came flooding in on whether the pop idol or the employee was on the wrong for their actions.

The work I am in now allows me to work and interact with VIP clients such as high profile celebrities and politicians. Most of who have a similar crazed fan base as Justin Bieber. As a fan myself, say if I am in the presence of the cast of Fringe or of Jonny Depp, my human side is fighting every last cell of my body from trying to give one of them a hug, a kiss and ask for an autograph.

However before the start of our shift we are briefed such actions are unprofessional, can cause problems with the security detail and can also get us suspended or worse fired. Already the fact the fan approached the VIP and another video taping the incident by both employees of the airport questions security and protocol issues by the managers of NAIA.

After a while working with such VIPS, some I can say ARE snobs, others seem like they are, not because of choice but because they are instructed to ignore fans at certain areas by their agents and bodyguards due to security reasons. In most cases celebrities can only pose for pictures and sign autographs for a short period of time at certain public areas.

I understand that the Tatay in the video was trying his best to give his daughter such a great gift. After all his daughters greatest fan can walk up to him once in a lifetime. However the viral buzz of the video has taken the whole thing out of context. Maybe JB was sick, maybe he was running late behind schedule, maybe his agents told him to ignore any fans that come his way as he walks out, maybe he really is arrogant. There are many factors here to consider and we have yet to hear from the actors side. And also remember that US has a different way of how their celebrities interact with fans as compared to Philippine celebrities. Seriously its only in the Philippines I find certain people actually do a live interview that they have an STD or tweet how jealous they are of another co-host or air.

I am not defending the actor here, but the issue is now a mountain of a molehill. What does the daughter want? A public apology from JB which I am sure the Philippine fan base will be gain spilt on their opinions about him, and rebirth of new issues about his actions. This can cause a gaffe between possible future concerts of the actor in Manila. Because seriously, every US based celebrity that visits our country seems to get a bad rep the moment they leave.

And the father who IMO broke some serious protocol in walking over to him to ask for an autograph. He was actually lucky he was just brushed aside. I have witnessed and myself have been tackled by a bodyguard simply by being within a few feets space of an VIP. If I was NAIA’s marketing and security manager, the best way I could have deflected this issue was give everyone involved a serious briefing on professionalism when facing a VIP. And then speak to the agents/publicists of the VIP for a latter photoshoot with the crew as a complimentary gift in exchange for assisting JB on both his arrival and departure in Manila. Most celebrity agents allow this because it builds rapport with them and the company and can be used as a positive publicity stunt.

Reading most of the comments in PEP and Yahoo Philippines, show that the fans are running mostly on emotions. But we need to see all sides of things in every issue and controversy before making hasty judgments and conclusions.

Unfortunately humanity nowadays with the rise of social media, have an unsalable hunger for negativity, trolling and controversy.

Beggars cannot be choosers

Once again I have not posted for the longest time. last time i did I was preparing for my trip back to Manila. the trip was awesome and I got to meet up with the first gen and second gen GM's from Level Up. Also all of us have moved on from our Ragnarok days cept for me who still act as an on and off mod for the LU forums (I blame my PC for that)

So Updates ,Updates

1. Manila Trip was awesome. The best part was cooking food in a stone grill back in the farm ( in laguna) and picking fresh veggies at the garden

2. Trip back was ok, first time I actually gotten jet lag after all these years of me travelling

3. Tonsillitis Galore. The weather back here in the US is not good for us. Been getting Tonsilitis that has been lingering for weeks on what could just have been a 4 day thing.

4. Japan trip for 2011 is possibly cancelled due to the recent earthquake and Tsunami. Though my dear is insisting for a Japan trip still in Sept for the Tokyo Game show, we had a bit of an argument about that stating budgetary reasons and his overzealous endeavors for all Japan ( he's one of those Japanaholics) and Capcom related events, outweighs the crisis of the country and my fears of safety due to the radiation issue. Please bear in mid that I keep Japan in my thoughts and prayers and is hopeful that their country will recover

5. I have 3 Family members in Japan all confirmed safe and one awaiting for a flight back to the Philippines

6. My new HP desktop died on me. HP says I was out of warranty by just 2 days and refused to do any type of support. So I have an expensive desktop with a shot motherboard sitting in my room.

On a more recent update. I feel blessed with the current state of my employment, whilst a frenemie of mine was given the 2 month notice after 4 years of working in accounting. The person in question is about 1 years my senior. And an accomplished Business Finance employee in his own right. In fact I will praise his work very well, unfortunately the work he does ( saving companies millions of dollars) is rather the opposite in his personal finances, often being conned by friends for pyramid scams and quick money marketing schemes.

Thus our arguments arose. My family being a victim of a car theft ring back in Manila back in 04 and was previously scammed out of my parents life savings back in the 80's, my mother taught me well to weed out back financial investments. I'm not perfect managing my finances and will say the culprit of my credit card debt was due to lack of employment 3 years prior and had to pay bills to my credit cards. But I did not splurge on unnecessary "investments" and rather focused on survival.

When he was given the ill fated 2 month notice, his company placed him into a supposedly "career saving probation" that took most of his time and left him working long hours giving little time to search for other employment. He asked me for help. Asking for work in my company and our sister locations. Unfortunately we haven’t had a Finance and Management opening in years as most of our employees has endured more than 5 years to 10 in their positions.

I decided to assist him in revising his resume. The hiring trends vary every 2 years. Back then a career objective was a must on resumes. I deleted that. No "I's" and "Me's" in the skills description.

He lacked details on his past employments which would be a plus to major companies that rely on using keyword searches on their HR/Applicant database. that was easily fixed by me.

I also noted there are alternative positions for him to take. There were many. Tons. I could surf for hours on the weekends pointing each out.

However after more than years of a high level position, he had a LOT of Pride. No to this, its too low for me, I used to be higher than that.

I explained to him in today's tough economy Beggars cannot be Choosers. If he needed to pay his bills and have survival money if he gets unemployed, i advised him to cast his pride aside. Don't ask for too much when an offer comes your way. I cited my example when I lost a desirable position in a gaming company (not Level Up)

I worked meager jobs while still applying for a stable one. I was grateful to find what I have now, with a wonderful team to boot.

Unfortunately, the stress of his current work altered his attitude and he would often lash out on me. The most common of his verbal tirades on how he would point out his Career Seniority over me. That unlike him I was immature and naive, young and do not have the same field of expertise he has. I have rebuttals that I could throw at him, yet decided in the end that there is no cure for PRIDE.

Karma somehow reared its ugly head. His brother ( who detest me I am sure of it) lost a job and like him is seeking for a high paying position that in this economy does not longer exists.

SIGH...... There's little help you can do for those who refuse good and wise advise.

My 2010-2011 Philippine Vacation Rant and Rave

My 2010-2011 Philippine Vacation Rant and Rave

Picture borrowed from the web

After working abroad for so long I was looking forward for some much needed me time. The girly girl in me was desperately craving for a good makeover and back massage. The good thing about the Philippines is that compared to most US prices for Spa’s and salons, we get the most bang for our buck even in the most luxurious establishments.

Caution though to the wise and seeking, it’s a hit and miss for most. And these are my Rants and Raves of my R and R experiences

THE RAVE: Studio FIX by Alex Carbonell ( Green Belt 5)

I normally get my haircuts and mani-pedis at the Fix Bench salon franchise. My favorite and most trusted branch would be the one located in Glorieta Makati right next to the Cinema. My hair was already near waist length and after an unfortunate accident with an escalator, I decided that my untamed mane needed some serious hairscaping. The Fix Bench salon in Glorieta was able to fix the dryness, remove the split-ends and give my bangs a softer look. However my friends noticed that there was very little change to my hairstyle. It got a trim bit shorter but lacked flair or style.

My friend GM Mikou recommended me to go to Rever salon located inside the Pacific Star Building in Makati. Her stylist gave her an awesome K-Pop ish like hair do. Unfortunately, it rained that day and I decided to stay put in Green Belt rather than braving a Taxi ride to my old workplace.

Two days prior, I was walking around Green Belt 5 and stumbled along the Studio Fix salon owned by famed hairstylist Alex Carbonell. The salon is also part of the Fix bench salon franchise but this was more personally owned/managed by Alex.

I have to admit that my knowledge of the latest fashion trends and who’s are scarce and had to google his name to find out who he was. But even before I did my research I decided to take a leap of faith and put my locks under the guiding care of their senior stylists. Being I was walk in setting up an appointment with the master cutter would take days or weeks at most. Unfortunately I was closing in my fly back date to the US and Japan and had to settle with one of their senior stylist.

My experience with Studio Fix was absolutely STELLAR. Let me walk you through my first ten minutes. The location is on the 5^th level of GB 5. It’s a bit hidden, but I trust me that people do come and line up. The facility is clean and has a crisp feel. There are a few salons, even the posh ones ( except if they are collaborated with a Spa) that offers you a drink with a selection of water, juice and ice tea. The staff was cheery and extraordinarily helpful. What struck me most was their attentiveness. It was non verbal and on cue. Like how they knew when my glass was a quarter finished, that they would offer for a refill, or move it to the coaster. I was then fitted into a robe as I was led to my shampoo area

My shampoo-ist was absolutely, hypnotically amazing. She tended to my mane with her gentle fingers and massage my scalped so good that I was fighting not to doze off. This went on for a good 10-15 minutes for pure bliss for me.

The stylist who was assigned to me was Romeo Torente, he was a handsome man with a lean built and gentle fingers that I barely felt as he ran them through my hair while listening to my styling request. I wanted my hair to have more flair and to frame my face. He worked meticulously on my tresses for a good 30-45 minutes. My hair was trimmed a bit shorter and a fitting layered cut was added. He personally blow dried my hair ( on other salons, another person will be assigned to that task) snipping on areas that needed work. He spoke very little and had a warm smile. He would nod at his assistants every now and then as if giving them nonverbal commands . When he was done I thanked him as he proudly showed me his work. I was giggling in satisfaction and joy and he was quickly ushered off to his next client. I remembered to award him graciously for his services, praising the salon as I left.

The cut was soft and had a slight flair that was wash and wear yet can be styled to either rocker chic or classic polish. I was happy and told them I would HIGHLY recommend them to my friends.

The Rant: Wensha Spa ( located near Boom na Boom)

I should have just listened to my guts and not my wallet when I promised GM Sumire that I would treat her to a Spa massage and scrub. I normally go only to The Spa ( either the Alabang or Green Belt branches) however their prices have skyrocketed massively .

We heard about Wensha Spa a 24 hour spa located near the boom the boom and CCP complex . I’ve read only one web review from them a costly mistake that I learned later on. The prices are good and the website description was attractive, especially the steam room and sauna and a free buffet.

We headed there on a Saturday after weighing our options. Going to QC was a no-no given it was the feast of the Black Nazarene and we would have been stuck in traffic for 2-3 hours at least for 5-10 mile drive.

Upon entering the large Thai like facility, the first thing I noticed was the crowd and noise. There was a lot of human traffic on the place that immediately killed the ambiance. They offered us slippers that were laid out on the greeting area, something not very appealing to me. We were then lead to the locker rooms which served as a changing room.

There were about 20+ women on the locker area, undressing before us. I’m a private person when it comes to my body and though I have shared a nudity or two at The Spa, I felt I was walking at a nudist camp. People just undressing everywhere. The staff or rather only girl in the locker area seemed cross when I asked for towels.

The wet area for me was absolutely HORRIBLE. If not for me paying upon entrance I would have backed out already. The Hot pool was crowded with women, the water smelled strong of bleach and chlorine.

I have worked in the Hospitality industry for almost 2 years now and worked with the pool maintenance crew at my company, I knew exactly when a Jacuzzi/pool water is bad. Upon dipping my feet at the hot tub, the water had a thick and nearly itchy consistency.

The shower area was ICKY and smelly, with barely any hot water. I wore my slippers all the time due to the stench on the floors. The only thing I liked was the steam room, which I wailed out my Gripe to Sumire about how I wish their service would offset the sucky facility. There were others who agreed to my silent disgust, as a group of Spanish patron entered with a “WTF” look on their faces upon entering the wet area.

After washing up, we went to the eating area, the meal was shabu-shabu and some buffet. However if you leave a piece of food on your plate, you would need to pay up to P600.00 in fines. The meat was scarce and at one point had to fight for a plate against a foreigner.

We both had body scrubs in which we were ushered to this clinic like area which the lying table was loosely covered with a towel. NOT SANITARY for my standards.

I was right though on one thing, the staff did an ok job with the scrub but there was no ambient music to relax us and we could hear the loud chatter from below. After a second shower we were led to our “massage” area.

If i were to describe the place, it is a closest to that of a horse barn stall, you know with dividers and such. There was NO Music, and again the bed was just covered with a towel. I was glad I was wearing shorts when I lied down.

The massage was awesome. And the lady was able to find mines and Sumire’s kinks. However there was a LOUD guest from across the room, yapping loudly for a good 15 minutes. Noen of the staff asked her to observe silence, however the guest must have heard me later on, as I loudly quipped how it was unrelaxing to hear ones unnecessary chatter.

When we left the area, I cursed to my hearts content in the car and apologized profusely to Sumire. It was a horrible experience if not only for the above average massage we received. Sumire noted that that may be the only thing besides the rate that makes people come back to Wensha.

Unfortunately, I would not recommend this spa to anyone and would never return, I have been to more affordable spas with average and cleaner facilities than Wensha. And will suggest to do a lot of homework and ocular inspection first before going to one. Or perhaps save up to slightly expensive but more fulfilling experience. After all your body's care and relaxation is worth a few hundred pesos more.

So there you go, my gripes and raves on my two pampering highlights so far. I hope for the Google searchers that this would be helpful and would discover the greatness of Studio Fix and be wise when having your body taken care of wellness clinics by doing your homework first and scanning reviews such as mine.