No More Patriot Games: RIP Tom Clancy

Before I start thinking of my list of his books to collect, I just want to say RIP to Tom Clancy (1947-2013), one of the greatest spy thriller writers of our time. Just as one of my colleagues at work, Lyle Adriano, said: He may be gone, but Jack Ryan's still around.

I haven't been a Clancy fan but I've read a couple of his books; stirs the frustrated spy in me. I've also watched a number of the movies based on his novels and they were good. Because Tom is now gone, I've decided to look at his collection more seriously. Actually, I've decided to add him to my author collectibles, in addition to my favorites Mary Higgins Clark and Steve Berry. I also have a number of Dan Brown novels, though he's not my favorite. Just good to have around, as they say.

Anyway, thanks to another colleague, Jonas Lopez, I have a short list now of novels that I plan to scour in book sales for my about-to-be-created Tom Clancy Collection:

Without Remorse

Patriot Games

Red Rabbit

The Hunt for Red October

The Cardinal of the Kremlin

Clear and Present Danger

The Sum of All Fears

Debt of Honor

Executive Orders

Rainbow Six (1999–2000)

The Bear and the Dragon.

The Teeth of the Tiger

Dead or Alive

Locked On

Threat Vector

Command Authority

I hope I find them still in their regular price. Since the author's dead, retailers might jack up the price. Hope not.

On Feeling Old

Having a youngish face and a generally youthful outlook in life, and being small in build and height, I hardly feel that I'm aging in years. My husband always says I'm like a preschool teacher; I connect well with the kids (even those not my own) because I'm young at heart.

Sometimes, though, some little things remind me that the years are rushing by and that the one day I've been most dreading might actually be just around the corner. Last week, I was browsing through a friend's friend list on FB and noticed the name of a guy who I knew was living with a friend of mine from way back media days. I haven't talked to my friend in at least five years, and I wanted to know if she has an FB account.

So I clicked on the name of her boyfriend, Jing, whom I've met as well and was a friend of my husband during college days. I went through Jing's status posts and, true enough, he had a post on Mel Dominguez, my friend. He greeted her on the anniversary of their 12th year together, and I marveled at how time flies, as I've met Mel long before they've become a couple; now they're 12 years down the road. I'm happy for them.

I clicked on Mel's FB, meaning to just go through her timeline quickly to find out how things were going for her lately. Then I saw her photos of a Singapore trip that said "...with Paolo Alejar...". I know a Paolo Alejar from office. He's one of our junior writers in ERI, but he's about to resign to pursue further studies. I coach him once in a while when I handle his articles. Could this Paolo Alejar be the writer I know? How is he acquainted with Mel Dominguez?

Heart pumping, I went through all of Mel's photos and saw one with the caption "my beautiful kids" and Paolo, my officemate, was one of them!

Oh my God! Mel is Paolo's mom! I've seen this guy as a child when Mel would bring him along, and now he's my subordinate, working with me in the same office. He's grown bigger, of course, and he's also now a writer. Who would have thought I've seen this person in shorts, a kiddie shirt, and rubber shoes?

So now, I feel really old.

I'm okay with not looking my age. But finding out that the writer you're coaching is actually the "little" son of a friend (with whom I've been really close when I was still in media, and who acted as one of my confidants when I was having love life problems at that time), the years seemed to have suddenly caught up with me. Or the other way around. I was only 24 then, I realized, and I almost choked on my own saliva. That's 18 years ago!

Rush to the mirror, look at wrinkles, see eyebags...drowned self in coffee the rest of the day. Ulk! Does coffee make you old? (faint).

Haunted Dolls

My daughters have a new obsession: haunted dolls. Since we watched The Conjuring (at home, before the official screening in theaters, with a torrent from KAT), they have been surfing sites that sell "antique" dolls with a story. Yep, that's their term - they want a doll with a story. I admit, I have been intrigued with Annabelle, too, and have read up on her history in connection with the Perron family.

It's most interesting to note that the real Annabelle doll doesn't look anything like the one on film. In fact, the real one is more charming, cute, cuddly and not at all scary. Which reminds us that most evils are wrapped in beautiful, fancy wrappers. (Isn't it, Janet?) Well, I learned from my Annabelle research that the doll has done really strange stuff in its time, some of which were not shown in the movie anymore for lack of time. The Perron eldest, Andrea, however, swears to the strange and creepy things that happened in their family, including their experience with the doll, in the book she wrote, which was partly the source for the presentation of the film.

Anyway, my daughters' obsession didn't die down with the arrival of another doll in our home recently, a porcelain collectors' item from Canada, which was a gift to Marthe when she was younger. It has been on top of my mother's cupboard for the longest time, but since my parents are moving to a smaller place, they're disposing of the cupboard. So one night, I retrieved this doll (still intact in its strong plastic box) and brought it home. The two girls stared at it hard, marveling at how beautiful the doll is (she has flawless skin, curly brown locks and crystal blue eyes), and lugged the doll around the house wherever they went.

Mary Ann looks something like this but not exactly. Got this image from Ebay.

They eventually christened her Mary Ann (Marthe's classmate suggested renaming to Annabelle, but that would be creepy). During the days that followed, they did nothing but pore over porcelain dolls on Ebay, Sulit, Ayosdito; since Mary Ann belonged to Marthe, Fides was searching for a second one for her that would be Mary Ann's "friend". I allowed their fancy (they even researched about the difference of porcelain dolls made in France and those made in China and ended up knowing more about porcelain than me) until they began pestering me to buy a really lovely one on Ebay that's worth P10,000. It's time to stop them.

Robert the Doll

So then, they've moved on to haunted dolls. They've discovered a certain Robert the Doll, located in the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, which was supposed to be possessed by evil spirits and who wants people to ask his permission first before taking his picture. If you don't get his permission and went ahead to get a shot, the doll will curse you and your family--or so the story goes.

Rebecca

Another two dolls are said to be haunted, namely Rebecca and Emily, who, as the story goes, seems to  be haunted by children who lived in a children's home (which is now a home for the aged in the West Midlands). The dolls were found in a storage room and were placed in the fireplace of the home. Since then, strange things have been happening. When the manager couldn't take it any longer, she asked paranormal experts to look into the matter and the latter discovered that Emily and Rebecca were owned by a child named Emily who had Aspergers (you can google the condition to learn more) and who was bullied most of her life because of it.

At 17, she became the embarrassment of her parents that she was sent to the children's home. She has been adopted since, but it looks like evil spirits are using these negative energies from her to possess the dolls and scare the old women living in the elderly home.

I'm already getting the creeps just talking about this. My daughters? Well, they're still into it, reading about haunted dolls, and scaring themselves to sleep.

Lunch at Phoenix Court, Bellevue Hotel

Last Christmas, Mel won a minor prize in their department party: a gift certificate for lunch for two at The Phoenix Court in Bellevue Hotel, Alabang. We lost track of that GC until I saw it in my desk at home, among a pile of notes, and realized it was going to expire this June. So off we went to Bellevuer one Saturday for a taste of their "a la carte buffet" (that was what the GC said).

Going to Bellevue Hotel in Alabang wasn't difficult. We got there from Pandacan in 30 minutes, on a Saturday lunch hour. Once you get off the highway and enter the Alabang-Zapote Road, watch out for the Filinvest subdivision entrance in the second or third street on the right. You can reach the hotel through this street.

The Phoenix Court is a Chinese restaurant located in the hotel's Tower Wing. It had an abundant menu of dishes. I was wondering how they could have mixed up a la carte and buffet in one breathe. It turned out, what they meant was eat-all-you-can a la carte. To avail of the a la carte buffet, you simply have to order from the menu whatever you can finish. No sharing, no takeout, no leftovers - those are the rules.

Whoever thought of the label for this GC seems to have forgotten that the main difference between the two styles of food service is the way it is served. Buffet meals are laid out before you, while a la carte is served per order. Nevertheless, despite the confusion over the manner of serving, the taste of the food was good. We were clear on what dishes we liked the most.

One hakao left

Let me start with the appetizers. We ordered Steamed Prawn Dumpling or Hakao, and Deepfried Prawn Dumpling Salad. Both were good, especially the second one. Then I ordered a bowl of Braised Spinach Soup with Seafood, which had that greeny appearance reminiscent of Slimer (from Ghostbusters). It also has a bland taste so you need to spice it up a bit.

Beef Tenderloin with Black Pepper

Cuttlefish with Chili Sauce

Finally, our main courses arrived. Mel ordered Beef Tenderloin with Black Pepper and Cuttlefish with Chili Sauce. The beef is, by far, the best of the set. The tender meat strips seemed to have been marinated in black pepper or a peppercorn sauce, and cooked with its marinade, creating a flavorful dish. The cuttlefish was also delicious, with a taste borrowed from the chili. It was worth the second, third, fourth bites and so on.

Roasted Duck Hong Kong Style

I ordered Roasted Duck Hong Kong Style. If prepared correctly, roast duck will no doubt be promising. This one, however, was, to me, a bit overcooked. It wasn't as tender as I would've wanted it to be, neither was it spectacularly tasty. In other words, it was a bit of a flop, though we eventually cleaned the plate.

Braised Shrimps Ho Fan

The Yang Chow Fried Rice can be ordered by cup, and we got one for Mel. My Braised Shrimps Ho Fan, however - which I chose in place of rice - came in a large platter.

I drowned my spoonfuls with glorious Green Tea Kiwi Smoothie, a blend of green tea, kiwi, yoghurt and honey. Love it! Mel, as usual, sampled a glass of Mapu cabernet sauvignon (a Chilean variety).

Overall, we had a lovely lunch. We like the quiet ambiance of Phoenix Court, even when there were other diners. We're also planning to check out the hotel one of these days. They're offering a promo for Father's Day (up to the end of June only, which is this week), both Bellevue Hotel and its sister establishment, the B Hotel, just on the other side of Filinvest Corporate City in Alabang.

Four Girls and a Dude

The other Saturday, the girls got fed up with the heat at home that they declared a "Girls Day Out". Since they've just completed a short summer remedial program and were holed up at home these past few days, I succumbed to their wish. Of course, Kuya Jules will never allow himself to be left behind (lest he misses out on some cool shopping spots we might pass), so Saturday became technically a "Three Girls and A Boy Day Out" (four, if you count the yaya, Olive; and two boys for half a day, if you count Mel, who ate lunch with us before going to work).

Instead of spending the whole day doing a Star Wars marathon -- as we originally planned -- we began our no-plans-no-direction gimmick in Salcedo Park, where I introduced them to the barbecue and fruit shakes I used to enjoy with my GS friends. (In fact, I suddenly missed everyone who did overtime with me on Saturdays many years back -- Emper, Jason, Melanie, Lynnie, Cecile, Marco, Monch, Rose, Rech, Deepa, etc.) The number of stalls has increased and the parket is now a lot more crowded than it used to be, but I still get excited over hunting for something unique to buy.

Unfortunately, there wasn't time to buy anything as we arrived there about 12:30pm. Just one and a half hour more and the parket will be packing up. So we just decided to have lunch (chicken barbecue, grilled tuna belly and shakes) and go. After some deliberation, we decided to check out the A. Venue Mall in Makati Avenue. Mel drove us to the place and proceeded to his office.

A. Venue is virtually a ghost mall. Have you ever watched that Japanese animated film Spirited Away? That scene when the young lead Chihiro and her parents entered the abandoned recreation park at dusk and the whole place was deserted? That was how we felt when we entered A. Venue. It's as if the mall was meant to thrive at night, but remains "asleep" most of the day. Kinda like that spirit spa in Spirited Away. After visiting the restrooms (which had more people than the mall itself), and buying a cologne each for the girls in Savemore, we left A. Venue and took a cab to Greenbelt 5.

And the fun begins. There isn't really anything you can buy in GB5, you know, so we expected to just roam around and end up in Starbucks Greenbelt 3 later. Then we passed by Timezone and the kid in me led the way. I loaded up my card P200 worth of games; luckily, they have a student discount and I paid only P150 for it. We made the rounds of the games, favoring the basketball and ball-throwing the most. We did several cycles of those. We found the shooting games lame, but the videoke booth witnessed how off-key we could get and that made it the more fun. The girls enjoyed themselves, and so did Kuya Jules.

Finally, we ran out of load. That's when we decided to go to Starbucks. But Starbucks was full in and out, and so was Seattle's Best. So we ended up in Coffee Bean, where the lattes tasted like water with a drop of milk. Too much ice. They didn't like it. But I loved the Pink Guava juice, which the girls finished. As for Kuya, as soon as we settled in Coffee Bean, he ran off to Cotton On and bought two shirts for P800. Cotton On always has a buy-one-take-one promo for that price or higher.

After finishing our "water-like drinks", we went up to exchange the Timezone tickets we won. On the way, we saw Joem Bascon having his picture taken with some girls. We almost had ours taken, too, but we were too slow and he found the chance to duck into Guess before any more camera-bearing starry-eyed lass approaches him. We exchanged our tickets for, ehem, a watermelon sharpener and a glow-in-the-dark room decor (all those effort for only that?!).

Just kidding; the girls didn't mind getting mini prizes, and so didn't I. I had a grand time with the girls and the dude. Looking forward to another day of this kind.

Puerto Princesa 2: Biking, Barbecue and Beer at the Baywalk

Four o'clock in the afternoon isn't exactly the best time to visit the Puerto Princesa City Baywalk. First off, the sun is still high in the sky; not ideal for a leisurely walk. Secondly, there aren't many food stalls open yet. Most of the baywalk sari-sari stores, barbecue stands and street food joints start cooking and setting up tables at 5pm, in preparation for the night crowd.

In front of the famous giant fishes (didn't see the peacock, though)

Nevertheless, we were ready to pump up our appetites for adventure, so, at the advice of our tricycle driver-cum-tour guide Dave, we went straight to the bike rental area and chose our two-wheelers. You can rent a single bike for P25/hour, and a sidecar for P75/hour. My mother, who, as usual, was hiding from the sun, decided to stay in the shade of a tree and watch our bags. My husband Mel, who's not in the mood for biking that day either, on the pretense that he will act as our photographer, also stayed under the same tree. I bet he just didn't want to get tanned that early in the trip.

My son Jules is just starting to learn how to ride a bike. We've taken him out to ride on a few occasions, but his comfort level in bikes remains low. He chose a sidecar so he can drive his two sisters and still keep the balance. Meanwhile, the girls' nanny Olive and I rode around the plaza with gusto. It isn't everyday you get to ride a bike without a car beside you to worry about, you know. Carpe diem!

Sharpening my biking skills

Apparently, the Baywalk had quite an intriguing history, but that will be the topic of another blog. In a more recent history, the Baywalk used to be a stretch of squatter homes that got burned in a fire. The fire trucks had difficulty entering the area as the streets were very narrow and the houses were too close to each other. More than 1,700 families were affected by the fire. The local government decided to have rent-to-own tenement buildings constructed for the families. Each family has to pay P1,000 per month for the unit. After 25 years, the units will belong to them.

When you look at the tenement houses, they're nothing like the ones along South Super Highway in Manila, which were built for similar purposes during the administration of former president Fidel V. Ramos. The ones in Baywalk are a lot cleaner and appeared well-maintained by the tenants themselves. It really takes the right attitude to groom a city like Puerto Princesa; when can that attitude ever rub on the residents of Manila?

Baywalk buddies

There were a few boats in the wharf. According to Dave, when you book a tour for dolphin watching, this is where you board the boat that will take you to the site, which is about 2hrs away. I'm not sure if it's also the takeoff point for the firefly watching tour, but one thing is definite. We won't be taking this tour because it's too expensive. P900/person! We did firefly watching in Bicol last year and it cost us only P1,250/boat of five people. Normally, they don't allow beyond five in the boat, but the boatman allowed my youngest daughter to be the 6th person since she's small anyway. So that means we spent about P208/person. Are the fireflies in Palawan made of gold? I think the tour operators should rethink their prices. They'll be losing clients in the long run.

By 5:30, we've had enough of biking and watching the abundance of sea urchins near the water. Imagine, these sea urchins are being sold for P400+ apiece in Farmer's Market in Cubao. Here, they don't even merit a second glance. If only we could get down there and pick them.... We started drifting toward a barbecue stand that had just brought its grille out -- but not before we caught sight of an ice cream cart and purchased five cones.

Beer and soda to fight the heat

A stick of barbecue cost P10 each, but a stick of regular hotdog cost (what the....?) P25 each! That's what you get for ordering processed meat in a predominantly-fishing community. Both the barbecue and hotdog servings were small. A bottle of San Mig Light was at P50. Not bad. I don't remember how much the 1.5 liter of Coke cost, but I think it was a little more expensive than usual. If you want to enjoy the street food in Baywalk, I suggest you come in the evening when all the food stalls would be open and there would be more options.

Before 6:00, we were on our way back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. We had a reservation at Ka Lui Restaurant at 6:15pm. Read about our excellent first night dinner at Ka Lui..

Puerto Princesa 1: La Charica Inn & Suites

It's funny that you should find my last entry to be my 2013 New Year's Resolutions, which, as you can see, were never followed to the dot. I did with the salad, the half rice and exercise, but they weren't regular. As for blogging everyday.... oh well, I'm trying.

I think, therefore, that this is the perfect first blog post of the year. Since it's about a place that has always inspired me, may it inspire me to keep on writing here daily.

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Palawan is my favorite tourist destination in the Philippines. I've visited the province a few times before, as a tourism reporter for a newspaper and as a PR account supervisor for the Malampaya natural gas project, and my amazement at the place has never ceased. This year, to celebrate my son's graduation from high school, I decided to bring my family to the spot that has etched a permanent mark in my heart.

There are many parts of Palawan worth visiting, but we decided to start with Puerto Princesa because of the St. Paul Subterranean River, which is now one of the seven new wonders of the world. We arrived in Puerto Princesa on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. The hotel's pickup van arrived almost on the dot—which increased the hotel's points in my book—and we officially began our first day in the city.

We checked in at La Charica Inn and Suites, a boutique hotel in Abad Santos St., just parallel to the Rizal national road. Since some parts of the hotel are under renovation, the facade wasn't that attractive and the view deck wasn't open. The interior of the lobby, however, is adorned with artistic wood furnishings—oddly shaped benches, masks, wall art—that contribute to the homey ambiance of the hotel.

My husband Mel in the entrance, surrounded by wooden artworks

Daughters Fides and Marthe sitting in front of a shell-adorned table

Manager Jam was very accommodating, from the very first e-mail we've exchanged. She arranged for us to get the hotel's promo rate and we chose the dormitory room for 7 for only P3,200/night. That translates to P400/person/night. I had initially booked a Family Room for that price, for six people. But my mom wanted to join and I requested Jam to squeeze in an extra person and to find a room for us seven that would not exceed my budget. She told me she won't be charging the extra person but will be moving us to a Dormitory Room so we can fit comfortably and still have enough space for our things. What's more, for that rate, daily breakfast is included. Great bargain!

Unlike the other hotels I tried to contact (such as One Rover's Place, which replied to my FB message more than a month after), La Charica gave me prompt replies to my e-mail and was willing to do the extra mile for a potential guest. Jam waived the 50% down payment and requested only for a portion of the accommodation and the cost of the Underground River tour so they can book the tour well in advance. They also agreed to help me look for a welcome grad gift that they can present to Jules when we arrive. She chose a black Palawan shirt.

Just arrived

The Dormitory Room was large enough for our group, with individual beds (not double decks) and pull-out beds for larger groups, a cable TV (with all my favorite channels except for Bio and TLC), a small fridge and a dressing table. The beds were comfortable; it was easy to be tempted to stay indoors, if not for the lure of the Underground River and Honda Bay. The aircon was cool enough (in fact, colder at times, we had to adjust the temp).

The toilet and shower looked a bit worn, and the shelf in the lavatory area was of old wood, but the toilet flushes, the bidet squirts water strongly you can use it for massage, and the shower temperature is adjustable. Shampoo and soap are provided. I wouldn't say that this is the downside of the room, as it had all the essential stuff a bathroom and toilet can offer. For P400/night, I have no complaints.

After unpacking, we toured the inn a bit—lots of renovation going on so we couldn't visit the 3rd floor balcony and spa—and then went off on a tricycle to the Puerto Princesa City Baywalk. 

Before we left, Franny of the front desk reminded us that only blue and white tricycles are allowed to transport passengers within Puerto Princesa city. Day fare is P8/person and night rate is P10/person for a given distance. Tricycles may charge higher for longer distances.

(For reservations, you may contact La Charica Inn & Suites through tel (048) 4342088, mobile 0917-8592088 or email reservation@lacharica.com.)