I love my Mother Earth *updated!*

Canvas Mother Earth Bags

Hello? Anybody out there? I hope you all haven't given up on me and left me alone. :( I'm a scaredy-cat. Sigh, but I don't blame you. I broke my promise, about being back to blogging, and about blogging on the road and I'm sorry. But I tried! Turns out, blogging on the road, is kinda like, well, doing a commentary on bungee jumping while you're airborne. Have you tried doing that? Neither have I but I bet it's difficult!

Anyway, instead of giving you a list of reasons why I've been gone so long, since I bet you can guess half of them, I'll show you one of the things that's been occupying my mind a lot and some of my time. In behalf of my amazing partners (Joey, Angela & K), I am thrilled and proud to introduce to you the Mother Earth Bags!

Mother Earth Bags made using recycled flour sacks

We've all heard the warnings, most of us have watched Al Gore's eye-opening presentation, so the last thing I'm going to do is preach to you. I have long wanted to do my share to help heal this beautiful planet we live in, for our sake and for those of our children and grandchildren to come. So while I'm making changes in baby steps towards that goal, I wanted to help others do the same. Hence the idea of offering very affordable and fun reusable shopping bags as an alternative to plastic ones.

The bags are expertly made by the hard-working women of The Livelihood Shoppe, a livelihood center that has been employing the underpriveleged women of Taguig for the past 21 years. So by purchasing and using these bags, you are not only being kind to our Mother Earth, you are also providing these women with jobs. Now how great is that?! :)

At the website, you can view the bags in slightly larger images, and find all other information such as product descriptions, pricing and details on how to order (unfortunately these are only available in Metro Manila at the moment until we figure out shipping arrangements to other places). Also on the site are some links and videos which I've included in case you like to know more about the gravity and magnitude of the dangers plastic imposes on our environment and eco-system.

Update!! : I'm both ecstatic and proud to announce that as of today, Oct. 15, Mother Earth Bags are now available at the EchoStore. I was a big fan of this store since it's inception, and to be part of it is simply thrilling! :) This is a one-stop shop for other Filipino-made, organic, environment-friendly, all-natural products made by indigenous communities and marginalized groups. It is the brainchild of Jeannie Javelosa, Chit Juan & Reena Francisco and was conceptualized to promote a sustainable lifestlyle while sustaining marginalized communities, showcasing Filipino excellence and giving small businesses like ours a place to market our products.

EchoStore shares shop space with Kape Isla and is located at the ground level of Serendra, facing Market! Market! with tel. no. at 901-3485.

http://mamaearth.multiply.com/

Love our Mother Earth, we only have one.

Hi, my name is Christine and I'm a delinquent blogger

I'm really so sorry for neglecting my blog for as long as I have (more than a month already!). But between work, 2 new projects outside work, a friend visiting from the US and other stuff, I haven't had as much free online time as I used to. I always get home too late or too tired to do more than check email or new photos or friends' updates on Facebook, if I even turn on my laptop at all. I know I'm the one missing out since I don't even get to visit my favorite blogs anymore. Sorry guys, I haven't forgotten you! In fact I miss your posts and I promise to be back for a visit real soon. :)

Another reason I've been extra-busy this past week is that I'm preparing for an upcoming month-long trip. The first half of the trip is a 2-week holiday that will have me visiting one of my favorite cities in the world once again (SF), and from where we kick-off our road-trip along the Pacific Northwest towards Vancouver (another favorite city), with stops along the Oregon Coast, Portland and Seattle along the way.

I'm so psyched about the trip, as you might imagine, because aside from the fact that I love roadtrips, I'l be visiting with my sister and her family in Vancouver!! The last time I did that was back in '96 when I lived with them for 3 months. Twelve years is just too too long, this is a long overdue trip. :)

I'm going to try something new, blogging on the road. I know, I know. You're probably thinking, yeah right! She can't even blog regularly at home. And I share your skepticism, trust me! So while I say I'm going to try, I'm not making any promises. I just think it would be a great idea to post while the experience is still fresh and I don't forget any important details. And most imporantly, I won't be so overwhelmed with processing all the photos and info when I get back home a month later. So wish me luck and have a little faith! :)

Also, if you have any recommendations for favorite places in SF, Portland, Vancouver, and also NY & VA ,where I may be going for work in the latter part of the trip, I'd very much appreciate it!

(I had meant to post about my trips to Xiamen and Dumaguete plus a few food posts before leaving, but because I didn't I'll have to save it for another time. To those of you who still take the time to visit my blog, thank you for being so patient with me! :) )

WS #39: Beer Party

Two WS entries in a row with nothing in between, ayayay I'm slacking again. I need to get cracking on my backlog of posts.

But for now, here's my entry for Weekend Snapshot #39, a photo of the brew we ordered for a beer-tasting party. It wasn't one of those formal beer-tasting events with the survey forms etc., just a group of fellow beer-loving friends sampling different varieties of imported beer. The beers come from select breweries in the US such as Ballast Point, Rogue Ales & Spirits and Gordon Biersch and include pilsners, abbey ales and wheat beers. I love beer and I miss the wide selection from the grocery shelves and from the bar taps while living in London, so I was thrilled about all this new beer suddenly available in the market.

So I sent out the tasting notes to friends from which they made their selections, called up the guy who brings it in (cousin of a good friend) to place our orders and picked it up the next day. Prepared some pica-pica that I thought would pair well with the beers (cheeses, chips with various dips, truffled popcorn, homemade trail mix, salchichon and salami, buffalo wings, spicy sausages, olives/pickle/sweet onion mix etc. plus more snacks brought by others), set-up my iTunes and proceeded to have a really great time. The party lasted 9 hours (from 5pm to 2am) and it reminded me of how often I used to entertain in the past and how much I enjoyed it and missed it.

So what were my favorite beers from my selection? They were the:

GB Hefeweizen - described as "Interesting flavor of creamy vanilla, banana, and zesty citrus balance, the sweetness of its earthy malts. A hint of whipped cream is thrown in for good measure. Mouth feel is smooth, creamy, medium-bodied thickness. "

Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar - "A nutty twist to a traditional European Brown Ale. Dark brown in color with a hazelnut aroma, a rich nutty flavor and a smooth malty finish. "

Rogue Mocha Porter - "Ruddy brown in color, a bittersweet balance of malt and hops with a light cream finish. "

Rogue Dead Guy Ale - "Deep reddish amber hue. Generous toasty malt aromas and earthy hops follow through on a moderately full-bodied palate with fruity accents and a long spicy hop finish. A delicious hybrid style with bock-like maltiness but ale-like hopping "

and the Rogues American Amber Ale - "Tawny in color, with a coffee aroma, tight head, and a delicate roasted malt accent. Generous use of hops and a smooth finish. "

For more info on the beers, check out the Global Beer Exchange website.

BTW, you can sample these beers at all the branches of Old Swiss Inn, Basilio's at the Fort, Myron's (both at the Power Plant and G5) , Elbert's Steakroom, and Good to Go Deli at Net One in the Fort.

WS #38: Stairway

I forced myself out of bed earlier than usual last Saturday morning so I could make it to Agrifina Circle in Rizal Park by 10 am. I've been to the Louvre, the British Museum, many other museums in foreign lands, even the Egyptian Museum! But I had never, in my 34 years as a Filipino, ever been inside the galleries of our very own National Museum. I know, right? Sad! It boggles my mind that this was never included in any of our field trips in school.

Well I'm proud to say that this photo I'm submitting above for WS#38 was taken inside the National Gallery of Art, one of the two main buildings that make up the National Museum (the Museum of the Filipino People is the other). I joined John Silva's tour together with about thirty or so other people, and I'm really glad I did. It was a very entertaining and educational 3 hours well spent. If you're interested, he has more tours scheduled in the month of June. (see blurb below). Proceeds from tour fees fo to John's I Love Museum foundation whose goal is to educate Filipino students about the importance of the arts by bringing public school teachers to the National Museum and to their local museums.

Morning tours of the National Museum in Manila are being offered in the coming weeks. Led by the museum’s senior consultant John L. Silva, the three-hour tours encompass the 15 galleries of the Museum of the Filipino People where a highlight is the collection devoted to the Spanish galleon San Diego and its treasures; and the National Gallery of Art with its massive original of the “Spoliarium” by Juan Luna.Remaining tour dates are June 7, 11, 21 & 25. They start at 10am and end at 1pm, priced at 700 pesos for adults and 500 pesos for children up to 18 years. Information: John Silva, phone +63926 729 9029, email jsilva79@mac.com.

Carlitos' Way

I've gone on many of Carlos Celdran's walking tours, some more than once, which I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about the Philippines or who simply wants to be entertained for a few hours. Because much more than just a tour guide, Carlos is a highly-entertaining street performer.

Save for the photos I've taken while on his tours, this post isn’t going to be about that. If you're looking for information about his tours, please click on this link and this one. Neither is this going to be about my experiences on his tours because you already know I'm a big fan. He's been written about countless times by bloggers and has even been featured on television shows both here and abroad, even making it to Time and Lonely Planet.

Instead, I’d like to share with you some interesting tidbits about Carlos' past and personal life that most of you probably don’t know. There was quite a few items I had to leave out because they’re not meant to be published and I didn’t want to be responsible for ruining his reputation. ;)

If These Walls Could Talk collage

As early as the 5th grade, Carlos designed his own cards with the cutest caricatures and witty sayings. I remember the first one I ever received from him, I think it was for my birthday, and I was amazed! It looked like the work of a professional graphic artist rather than that of a 10 yr old. At that moment, I knew this guy was going to be famous someday.

He slept through school. Literally. As you can imagine, this amused his classmates but drove his teachers batty. He got away with it, because each time they caught him sleeping and tried to get him with a difficult question, he managed to answer it correctly.

He knew a whole lot about anything and everything without having the slightest ‘know-it-all’ attitude that usually comes with the territory. You can talk to him about anything!

He swallowed mayonnaise by the spoonfuls just to gross us out.

He once shaved off our girl friends hair on stage, for art’s sake.

Carlos was the youngest cartoonist of the Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas. He had a funny comic strip in Business Day & Manila Chronicle called Bar Sins.

He played Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Metropolitan Theater, but was rejected when he auditioned for the Miss Saigon London cast.

The North Bank tour collage

Whatever is the opposite of OC, that’s Carlos. His room and car looked like mini-landfills.

He’s the man responsible for the designs of the then famous Island Spice T-shirts. With the profits he made from the shirts, he replanted an entire forest in Mindoro, single-handedly driving the trees across the channel.

In between all the careless partying and beach-bumming that made up our high school life, Carlos was already an active member of the Haribon Foundation.

His bathroom mirror had “Lose weight, Charlie!” written across it in permanent marker.

While everyone around him was going through teenage angst, and struggling with the trials that come with puberty and high school, Carlos was just…..steady. Nothing fazed him. He was our rock, and that was always comforting.

And I bet you didn’t know Manila’s favorite tour guide CAN SING! During the Battle of the Bands, he treated us to a fantastic rendition of Hotel California!

All the way down to Chinatown collage

His first car was a silver VW bug with a green stripe that would noisily announce his approach from 2 blocks away.

He was our comedian, our jester and our clown without even trying to be.

He’s been known to take his dog with him to a meeting with one of the heads of a big corporation.
He secretly dropped out of UP to live like a hippy in Baguio.

He was already frequenting Penguin and Cosa Nostra long before Malate became a popular bohemian hang-out.

When he had used up all his allowance, Carlos would borrow small change from different people in school, in the pretense of using it to make a phone call, until eventually he would come away with more food from the cafeteria than those who donated their change

Living La Vida Imelda collage

Our friend John claims you could count on Carlos to lock his keys inside his car especially when it was raining cats and dogs, and most definitely lose his parking ticket as well.

He once dated a 250 lb lady doctor whom he painted nude, before he married Tesa. But he himself also posed nude for other artists while in college at RISD.

Carlos is a genius. He’s like the Rain man, but not quite autistic. Just a naturally tremendously talented artist and intelligent person.

But those who know Carlos and know him well, will attest to the fact that he was the one person you could count on to cheer you up no matter how down and out you are, because within a minute in his presence you’re sure to be laughing your butt off.

Carlos shows us how it's done - at a temple in Chinatown

HS Grad Picture

Follow these links for some articles on Carlos:
Carlos Celdran is changing the way you look at Manila - by Pepper Marcelo
A Walk through History - by Trina de la Rama
Walk the Talk with Nostalgia - for Go Negosyo
Local Heroes - by Irwin Cruz