A brotherhood of heroes

Many of the leaders of the Philippine Revolution of 1896 were members of one of the oldest fraternities in the world: Freemasonry. This Centennial Memorial Clock was a project of various lodges and individual members of the Philippine masons during the hundredth anniversary of the country's independence from Spain and stands across the shrine of the most renowned Filipino mason and our National Hero, Jose Rizal.

Memories

Fourteen years ago tomorrow, Exie and I got married at Mary the Queen Parish in the City of San Juan. Our lunch reception was at the restaurant Chateau 1771 in the El Pueblo Real complex in Ortigas Center. It closed last year—for good, I thought, because it relocated to the newer Greenbelt 5 mall in Makati City, a location which better suits its fine dining atmosphere. Happily, I discovered earlier this month that the company only closed the El Pueblo location temporarily. Its interior has been completely renovated and it is now named Café 1771 but it still offers some of the original dishes and its charming facade has been retained. I'm glad to know that our wedding reception memories are not just memories now.




Happy anniversary, love of my life.

Sweet treats

Today, I decided to share with you a couple of the pastries that we brought home from Sofitel Manila's Galette Patisserie & Chocolaterie: an exotic fruit tart with berries, grapes, pineapple, mango and dragon fruit…




and a strawberry and chocolate mousse with white and dark chocolate leaves (which I think look like lopsided bunny ears)…




just because today's my birthday. :)

Sticky rice

Sapin-sapin is a Filipino dessert made of malagkit (sticky rice) flour, sugar and coconut milk, and cooked by steaming. The different colors come from additional ingredients (and food coloring) which give the basic recipe different flavors. Depending on the cook, these could include ube (purple yam), corn, sweet potato and even squash (think pumpkin pie). Sapin-sapin means layered, and slicing into the white pieces will reveal at least two other layers with different colors and flavors. This particular sapin-sapin features a center of biko, another sweet glutinous rice delicacy. If you like coconut, you can sprinkle toasted coconut flakes over it or, better yet, latik—the result of heating coconut milk until the oil separates from the solids.




Because of it's festive colors, sapin-sapin is popular Filipino party fare. So what better way to celebrate My Manila's 2nd anniversary than with something sweet and very Pinoy. Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful encouragement these past two years—it is because of you that I have managed to continue blogging for this long. It has been a joy showing you Metro Manila and other parts of the Philippines, telling you about our customs, history and art, and all other manner of things (even the not-so-nice ones), and I hope that you've found it enjoyable too. Again, thank you.

One Big Night

Today's the day—the grand celebration of the Ateneo de Manila University for its 150th anniversary, its sesquicentennial! And the reason why I haven't been online much these past couple of weeks. We begin with a wreath-laying at the Ateneo Heroes Memorial, then a Mass at the Church of the Gesù, where the Marian procession starts which brings the congregation to the high school grounds where the rest of the event is but which is also a commemoration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception last December 8. From 6pm to 8pm, a musical celebrating the history of the university from 1859 to the present, especially commissioned for today, will be performed by members of all the student performing arts groups, though scripted, arranged and directed by theater professionals who happen to be alumni. After the musical, the real party begins with bands from the 1970s to the 2000s, also with members who are alumni, playing until midnight. The problem with working in the office that organizes these things is, all of us have work assignments throughout the entire event. So please keep your fingers crossed that I can watch some of the performances (and take some decent photos), because if I can't, I'll have to wait for the video recording and I really like live performances much better. Whatever happens, I think all of us will be glad to get our lives—and full night's sleep—back. The gates leading to the campus are decorated both for the sesquicentennial and the Christmas season. The stars with tails are traditional Filipino Christmas decorations called parol, symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem which led the three wise men to the stable where Jesus was born.



Actually, the Ateneo de Manila's 150th anniversary was on Thursday, December 10. But it being a school (and work) day, we couldn't have a big or late night to-do. So how did the university commemorate the day? As befits a Catholic institution, with a Mass. As simple as that.

An homage to the humanities

As part of the Ateneo de Manila University's 150th anniversary celebrations, the Loyola School of Humanities staged "Magis" (Latin for "more," which summarizes the Jesuit ideal of the pursuit of excellence) on September 9. It was a three-hour cultural gala that celebrated and paid tribute to Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, the university's most eminent alumnus, and to the Ateneo's performing artists, composers, filmmakers, popular entertainers, journalists, outstanding teachers, National Artists, and recognized figures in Philippine theater, literature and visual arts. The show ended with a procession of the images of the Immaculate Conception and St. Ignatius, after which everyone, from the performers to the audience, stood up to sing "A Song for Mary," the Ateneo de Manila's alma mater song.