Big Guys Get Mugged Too!

It's August again, reminds me of a bad incident that happened last year...

Walking along the Katipunan road to go home after midnight, I was surprised that a guy walked past me. The weird thing was he’s only a few inches away from me. As I approached the corner, he turned back and pointed at me a balisong! At the sight of that I panicked as another guy approached me from behind. I was mumbling “No, no, no, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, why, why, why!” as they were taking my bag and my phone. I was saying, “Can I just take my sim? Can I just take my sim?” while I was crying (with no tears). It seemed the end of the world for me. I have nothing if I lose my bag. As they were abandoning me, I cried more and at that moment I thought they took pity on me. They returned my bag and my phone and just asked for my money. I readily obliged and gave them my coin purse, which has about less than a hundred bucks, and said “This is all I have.” They were about in their twenties, one guy apologized “Pasensya na ha, may sakit kase anak ko eh...” Still crying, I replied “It’s ok... the money... I understand... I’ll pray for you!

I ran immediately and decided to sleep at a friend’s house. That incident happened last August 1, at about 2 o’clock on the morning. What a nice welcome for the Anniversary Month of UP Kalilayan! I couldn’t imagine losing that bag because all of my files are there. “Panu na ang homecoming pag kinuha nila bag ko?” I was really thinking of the anniversary month. I can’t contact the alumni if I don’t have a phone. I can’t lose the alumni directory. But after that, I was ok and my life went on like nothing happened. It’s actually a terrifying experience to be mugged. I am very grateful to God for helping me during that experience.

Fiwd

Did you know that I cooked for my family last Pahiyas Festival? My father wasn’t around so I was the one who cooked for the holiday. Actually, I also cooked for Noche Buena and Media Noche last Christmas vacation. I have also cooked for family picnics, and during meals.

I love cooking. My father is a great cook. Although he didn’t directly teach me how to cook, I always observe him while he was cooking. I had my own experiments in cooking. I like watching cooking shows and reading cookbooks. That’s how I learned to cook.

I don’t use measuring cups or spoons while cooking. I imitate the chefs on TV and use my instinct to measure my ingredients. I think that it’s a mark of a true chef. Haha.

Last Pahiyas, I cooked beef (carabao) caldereta, chicken ala king, and chopsuey. These dishes are not easy to make. I used carabao meat in cooking caldereta. One thing I hate about carabao meat is that it’s so tough to cook. It takes hours before it becomes tender. Our chicken ala king was so plain so I added mushrooms. The chopsuey is also plain-looking because we have limited ingredients.

I cooked spaghetti sauce last Christmas. I have also prepared carbonara for my family, and the usual pancit, which my mother always asks me to cook, when I’m home. My usual mistake is that I put too much salt, soy sauce, or fish sauce that’s why it comes out salty. Sometimes, my siblings even avoided eating food that I cooked because they knew it was salty. But I’m changing that and I am now very cautious in using salt, soy sauce and fish sauce.

There are lots of new things to try with cooking. I have always wanted to cook mouth-watering dishes; those types that are found in 5-star restaurants. Someday, I want to have my own kitchen. I have always wanted to have an oven, because with an oven, I can do everything with it. I can bake, roast, broil, everything!

My favorite chef is Rachael Ray, she’s the best! I really like her show 30-Minute Meals. It’s practical plus it’s easy to cook. I haven’t tried any of her dishes because I always forget them. Same with cookbooks, I have read a dozen of cookbooks but I can’t remember any single recipe. Well, there are lots of times in the future to cook all those recipes.

I also like watching Iron Chef. It’s fascinating how they can come up with five different delicious dishes in just one hour, and yet it always looks elegant. When I watch the show, I would imagine that I’m in the kitchen stadium and I would think hard on what dishes I will make.

I would like to enroll in a culinary school but it’s so expensive. There are lots of chefs out there and it’s hard to be competitive because everyone seems good.

I suppose I’d just consider cooking as a hobby. Someday, I want to put up our own restaurant. I have a concept and I’ll wait to say it to my father so we can plan for it together.

Imperyalismo! Ibagsak!

It was my first experience to attend a hardcore rally! I’ve attended rallies before but only in UP. It was hot on the streets, good thing I have an umbrella with me. To fight the heat off, I bought ice candy, two of them, so I stayed cool for the whole rally. I liked the running part of the demonstration. It was the most enjoyable part, together with the chanting. I like what the rally does. It has a homogenizing effect. We were marching with high school students, squatters, teachers, workers, everyone in the community. And it felt like we were one. I didn’t feel that I am a UP student with them. There is no difference between me and the people I’m with. The classes and the status didn’t matter in a rally. We were one, as Filipinos.

I got hooked with the chanting and felt like I was an expert in shouting those words. And I felt proud yelling the chants while passersby look at me. In a different perspective, I lowered my pride and showed the ordinary people in the streets that I am part of this rally and I’m proud. I felt the passion of being in the rally. It gave me the feeling that I belong to this big family of people who care and makes a difference for the future of our country.

What I liked about rallies also is the food. In the program in Liwasang Bonifacio, there are lots of stores to buy food. It can also be a good time to go food tripping. After that, we marched to Mendiola. Only eight of us were left in the class. In the program there, different speakers from different sectors spoke and presentations were presented. We finished the program and went home safely. I was tired but that was an experience I’ll never forget.