Saturday, December 27

On the Bus

To add to Mayn Man's post, here are two pictures I took while commuting to Makati:
mcdo, cheeseburger, mcdonalds, pa-cheeseburger, burger
beside it was..
mcdo, cheeseburger, mcdonalds, pa-cheeseburger, burger, mcdonald's

Friday, December 26

Pinoy Version of Twilight: Takipsilim

twilight, takipsilim, teleserye, primetime bida, rayver cruz, shaina magdayaoThe idiots over at ABS-CBN are at it again. Idiots. See Perez Hilton

Wednesday, December 24

The Complainer 3: Complaining on "Holidays"

If there is one term that I hate more than anything especially during this time is the greeting "Happy Holidays!"

It's disrespectful to the specific occasions held during these time of the year. It's like greeting people with "Great Vacations!". It's stupid. It's Christmas not Holiday. For some people it's Hanukkah, again, not Holiday.

It's bad enough that we've forgotten the real meaning of these occasions but now we've even glossed over their names.

Merry Christmas everybody. I'll punch the face of the next person who greets me Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings.

Noche Buena Tips

[Note: This article came out last December 20, 2008 in The Philippine Star]

Noche Buena Tips by Francis Maynard S. Maleon


Christmas is here once again and a lot of us want to make sure that our families have a good one. As usual, the Noche Buena is the most significant meal during this Christmas Season and we all want it to be as special as possible. At the same time, these days we have to be smart in buying food for our feast as sometimes we buy stuff that we do not really eat. For those of us who want to have a great Noche Buena Feast without breaking our Piggy Banks, here are some tips.


Tip no. 1: Set a Budget


During Christmas Season, we always fall under the “Pasko naman e” mentality. We all know what this is. We buy every food that we like reasoning out that it’s Christmas anyway. While this may be fun while buying the food, it’s not nearly as fun when you check your wallet after. For a family of five to seven, a PhP 1,000.00 peso budget for Noche Buena is just about right.


Tip No. 2: Go shopping for food after you had a meal


One of the worst things that you can do when shopping for Noche Buena food is to go to the grocery when you are starving. This is because when people enter the store with an empty stomach, your mind signals you to buy a lot of food which are in fact related to your current state of hunger and not on what you would want to eat during Noche Buena. What happens is that your stomach takes over your brain and before you know it, your cart is full of non-Noche Buena food stuffs which would either be wasted or consumed before Noche Buena. By eating before going to the grocery, you have a much clearer mind and you can choose the right kinds of food to eat while thinking of sweet baby Jesus.


Tip No. 3: Remember the Food Groups


Another problem that people encounter during grocery shopping for the big day is that everybody just tends to buy their favorite food without thinking of whether or not it would match all the other items in the dining table. This is why we sometimes have pancit and spaghetti as well as other forms of pasta at the same time. Then we have barbecue, porkchop, pork adobo and inihaw na liempo at the same table. While I am sue that you would love and could, much to your heart’s protestations, eat them all, it is nevertheless not a good idea to do so. Always remember that you want variety in your table and not just variety in the way of cooking the same type of food. During Noche Buena, vegetables and seafood like fishes always seem to be forgotten and gets pushed in the background in favor or chicken, pork and beef. Remember that Jesus was born in a manger and Joseph and Mary did not kill the cow, chicken, pig and sheep to celebrate His Birth.


Tip No. 4: That Special Christmas Food


Noche Buena should be special and should rise above those usual celebrations that you have during the year. It should be better than your birthday party because we are celebrating Jesus’ birth here and not a lowly mortal like yourself. To make things distinctly Christmassy you should always have something that would signify that it is a Christmas celebration. Ham for example is one type of food that makes the celebration a little extra Christmassy and would make your feast a true Noche Buena.


Here is a sample of a Noche Buena with a limit at PhP 1,000.00:


Ham- PhP 250 pesos

Chicken barbecue – 6 pieces, leg parts 120 pesos

1 Kilo Rice- 45 pesos

Fish Fillet- 180 pesos

Pancit or Spaghetti – 200 pesos

Juice -60 pesos

Leche Flan -120 pesos.


Noche Buena does not have to be costly to be special. Use your heart when thinking about Jesus this Christmas. For everything else, use your brain.

Thursday, December 11

Random Street/Everyday Pictures

Just random things I see on the street.

Bluish Purple socks tell me that either he's The Joker or he's a Jokla.

This bus I took from Galleria to Cubao (Ibabaw) is the first brand new bus (not Korean hand me downs) I've ever taken.

My Golden Retriever, Goldie, and the cat, Hawn, are best of friends.

A Dog riding a Man riding a bike.

Chicken Inasal anyone?

Look closer.

Vehicular accident C5.

My dog, Kitchie na Dog, studying for the Bar.

Really? This is nationalism?

I can't be sure but I think Chaniel Ramos wrote this.

Taken during the rice crisis.

Blair Witch Project 3: Isawan

Just thought that this guy from Chelsea Lately was wearing a Pacquiao shirt last August.

If your shoes are killing you, you probably bought them here:

Check out the colors of this cat's eyes.

Has it been so rampant that they have to put up a sign?