Classic Savory Chicken
April 29, 2009
photo from gourmandtales.wordpress.com
Tancho Boy, a former boss, used to tell stories of how he, as a young man, would immediately make a beeline to the Savory restaurant in Escolta every payday. Hearing him tell it, eating at Savory Restaurant was an in thing to do. His tastes may have changed somewhat over the years but Savory restaurant still (according to him) makes excellent chicken. Personally, I hated Tancho Boy and thought him a humbug but to his credit, he does eat well.
A few years after Tancho Boy, and just this Monday, I was at Ali Mall in Cubao with my neighbor and BFF, B. We were both hungry and wanted to take lunner (late lunch and an early dinner) and I didn’t want to go far as I am about to board a bus in an hour’s time. I chanced upon Savory Restaurant in Ali Mall and Tancho Boy came to mind. “What the heck, let’s try this one” I said to B.
The place only had a few patrons as it was around 5pm. Our waiter, when handing us the menu, placed it on top of the plate. We ordered at set meal of 1/2 chicken, pancit canton, lumpiang shanghai and plain rice. Our order arrived promptly, within ten minutes. The rice was cold, the pancit so-so. The lumpia was indifferent and the sauce unremarkable. The chicken - the house specialty, from which the reputation of the restaurant rose, the msot excelent chicken according to Tancho Boy- was a big disappointment. It was moist and the skin was sort of crispy and had a lovely color and that was it. It had no flavor and the gravy was hohum. My friendly sidewalk vendor sells better chicken than this. The service wasn’t that good either. While we were eating, a waiter was lounging near our table as if waiting for us to finish.
Overall, the meal was so-so. It wasn’t expensive as I think I paid less than P500 for the meal. At least it filled the hunger. The experience didn’t improve my opinion of Tancho Boy.
How To Take The Bar Exams: Preparing For the Review
April 28, 2009
photo: trcc.commnet.edu
By now, thousands of law grads are starting to buckle up for the review. It’s the same every year. Thousands line up at the gates of La Salle, hoping that they will become lawyers. No one really knows the exact formula on how to pass the bar but the Supreme Court is making efforts to make is less like a lottery.
Before I took the bar, I asked for tips from friends who have already taken it. Not tips as in leakage, no? Tips as in advice. Anyway, I am passing some of the tips as someone may find these useful.
Preparing For The Review
First, ascertain if you need to enroll in a review school or if you can just review on your own. Me, I NEEDED to enrol myself in a review class. One advantage of enrolling in a review class is that they issue you materials on things you may have missed during your school days. Plus, they give you updates on law and jurisprudence.
For working students, you need to decide if you are going to take time off from work for the review or you work and review at the same time. This could be tricky as you may need lots of time for the review. It is however, not impossible. I know of several friends who were working while they reviewed and they passed naman.
Next, determine if you will be staying at home or will go off someplace else. There were a lot of distractions at home and since I can’t study in a noisy place, I needed to go to some place quiet. I stayed in a dormitory with some friends who are also reviewing for the bar. Of course there are advantages and disadvantages in this. Staying home means less expenses, hot home cooked meals, and free laundry services. Meal time for us at the dorm then was hard because we either: go eat out, have Aristocart deliver food to us, or subsist on noodles, chichiria and biscuits. It was then that I discovered that isaw is also good as ulam (good times). Good thing that two of our friends would have family come over and visit on weekends, bringing lots of food (thanks ed and vince! I still remember those mouth watering siomai). One advantage in studying with friends is that you can pace each other and you can discuss points in the review.
Just before you start your review, draw up a calendar on how you are going to divide your time to the bar exam subjects. Take note that you need to review on eight different subjects: Constitutional law, Labor law, Civil law, Tax law, Criminal law, Commercial law, Remedial law and Legal Ethics. You determine how much time you need to devote per subject. Me, I made my schedule in such a way that I will go thru my books twice. Two weeks per subject starting April and on August, second reading na. Oh, and I made a list of the subjects I am medyo confident at (ehem!) and those I am less confident with. I started reading on the latter and finished with the former. You wouldn’t be able to exactly follow your schedule but at least you can see how you are progressing. Just take my advice on the calendar.
Inis
April 20, 2009… ang bata-bata mo pa, papayag ka nang sumama sa isang lalaki na tatlong araw mo pa lang nakikilala, kayong dalawa lamang, at pupunta sa malayong lugar?
… gagawin mo ba yun at hindi ka magpapaalam kanino man, maski sa nanay mo, kahit man lang i-text sya kung saan ka pupunta at kung sino ang kasama mo?
… nung malaman mo na yung napuntahan mong lugar e mahirap makakuha ng sasakyan pauwi, hindi ka man lamang ba magte-text sa nanay mo na hoy, andito ako sa impyernong lugar na ito at mahirap daw umuwi pabalik kaya gumawa ka ng paraan para makauwi ako ngayong gabi?
… na kahit niloko ka na ng lalaking kasama mo na tatlong araw mo pa lamang nakikilala, sasama ka pa sa kanya na rumampa kahit gabing gabi na?
… at lintik na punyemas, papayag ka bang matulog sa isang kwarto na kayo lang dalawa ng lalaking tatlong araw mo pa lang nakikilala, at magkatabi pa kayo sa iisang kama?
… bakit ka papayag na tatabi sya sa iyo sa kama e meron pa namang ibang kwarto sa bahay na yun kung saan pwede syang tumabi sa mga kapatid nya?
… ngayon, sasabihin mo na ginahasa ka? Tonta! Sinong niloloko mo?
Pasalamat ka hindi ko sinabi sa nanay mo na hindi yun ang unang nagyari sa iyo. Akala mo hindi ko napansin ang healed lacerations mo?
3 Logbooks, Update
So at the advice of a very good friend, I talked today to the person who is in charge of the person who is in charge of the guards. The person I talked with didn’t know about the incident so MV was a bit surprised by my report. Anyway, MV is going to have a talk with the head guard about it and hopefully, something will be done. I don’t want anyone to get fired or to get in trouble, making a living is hard enough as it is, but really, they have to be very careful about handling guns.
Three Logbooks Away
April 15, 2009
Susan Boyle
April 14, 2009She’s fat, middle aged, is not exactly aesthetically gifted, and needs a makeover. But she’s got a certain charm, a wicked sense of humor, an cheeky grin, a dream and a heavenly voice.
Susan Boyle, proof why we really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
I was teary eyed. I hope she gets her dream.
p.s. look at simon at 4:01 to 4:03. he’s like a boy with a crush.
Unfair
April 4, 2009
photo: dryicons.com
It just ain’t right.
I make some longganisa and hung them out under the sun to dry, it rains.
I buy a ton of lovely red tomatoes and slice them to make sun dried tomatoes, it rains.
I dry some kamias, it rains.
If I were paranoid, I’d say that the weather is conspiring against me. But I’m not paranoid so I think the weather is really weird.
It’s summer and Holy Week is just around the corner and everything should be hot hot hot. Just when I started to think about going off to my favorite beach hideaway for a few days’ of escape from the heat, it started raining torrents. With thunder and lightning to boot. When the heat should be making you start thinking that a tall glass of watermelon shake sounds realy really good, what we get are thoughts of hot soup dancing in our heads and how a really hot thick mug of chocolate would go great with breakfast. Why am I not cursing myself at nights for being so kuripot for not buying an aircon and instead, I am burrowing under a blanket and sleeping with socks on? It’s summer for god’s sake! What will happen to those penitents walking on the hot pavement? To kids running around with their giant kites? To the halo halo vendors? To cicadas singing their asses off while dusk settles?
It just ain’t right at all.
