jawwell

Believe it or not, 1 of the best steaks that I tasted in the Philippines was in Heaven And Eggs in Market, Market. But that was 5 years ago. North Park eventually took Heaven & Eggs place in Market, Market.

Please constructively criticize. I know how frustration easily leads some of us to say that the place is terrible and just leave it at that. But maybe if we describe the details of our gripe, it may help the establishment serve us better in the future. Having written that, I know that some establishments do not necessarily want some people's business.

I just had a good meal at Amici's and I decided to go for a slice of Red Ribbon's Taisan bread. When I get to the counter, the cashier was dealing with a guy who ordered cake. There were 2 other employees there who kept on asking me what I wanted and everytime I said I wanted a slice of taisan, they kept on saying that I should order it from the cashier. Yup, the same cashier who somehow had such a difficult time processing the first guy's order.

Eventually, some lady cut in front of me and I let it go thinking that she was going to order something simple. Indeed, she ordered something simple (2 empanadas, I believe) but based on the employees' reaction and movements, I sensed that it was also gonna take an eternity before this lady got her empanadas so I decided that Red Ribbon Walter Mart did not deserve my business today nor does it deserve my business any time soon.

Places where I've eaten in CBD:

Comfort Pinoy food - Binalot, Max's, Chicken Bacolod, Aleng Inengs BBQ, Ebun, Heaven&Eggs, Gerry's Grill.

Comfort American food - Chilli's, Bubba Gump, National Sports Bar, Rockafeller Oyster (former MYLK), Heaven&Eggs, Fish & Co..

Middle Eastern - Pasha, Cyma, and Medit. Cafe.

Comfort Chinese - North Park and David's Tea House.

Pizza Places - Avineto, Amici's, Yellow Cab

Comfort Japanese - UCC, Teriyaki Boy, and Tokyo, Tokyo.

Filipino Food (on the expensive side) - Massas and Sentro.

Japanese - Sugi and Kikufuji.

Chinese - Tang City, Mann Yann, Big Budha.

Thai - Thai In The Box and Oodys.

Spanish - Uno Mas

Circles - really good but not good for weight watchers

I enjoy the offerings at these establishments. Some more than I did at others but there is a restaurant next to Ebun (in between Ebun and Seattle's Best at GB3). May be Kitchen (or Recipes). Fantastic ambiance but terrible food. Only been there once so it may have been an off day.

In the complex on the Northeast corner of Herrera and Pasong Tamo is a Thai Restaurant that has a decent Phad Thai. Soms Phad Thai is good but it contains a lot of egg and not enough meat (from what I remember, it doesn't even contain meat). This restaurant's Phad Thai has shrimp.

Can anyonbe tell me the streets next to Binakod (location of Kainan sa Binakod)? I have an old map and I can not locate Binakod street.

yung shrimp sashimi ok din , pati yung dessert na melon matamis . matagal service yun lang

Where in Makati is Syrina?

By the way, to those who posted about Japanese restaurants in the 250-300 range. Thanks guys. I only live a few blocks from all these Japanese Restaurants on Pasay Road, Pasong Tamo, and Greenbelt I had always been kind of intimidated to go these Japanese restos on Pasay Road and Pasong Tamo because it just looks like it's going to be expensive (i.e. 500 per visit), similar to Sugi. As a result, I only go to Sugi on semi special occasions and on those times I only have 200 peso budget, I go to Terriyaki Boy. Terriyaki Boy is ok but you get what you pay for, and the premium by Kikufuji is worth it.

try nyo ito, authentic japanese food and reasonable prices pa. Izakaya Kikufuji. Anything japanese you want they have it, pati horse sashimi. Laging puno at panay hapon kumakain dito. its in little tokyo, along pasong tamo, tapat ng makati cinema square

 

Kikufuji is as good as tsumura but half the price.

Also Akiga is good, dati sa Puregold shaw pero nawala na sila nung nasunog. they have a branch in podium but ive never tried it.

How often has 1 taken restaurant advice and survived to regret it? This definitely is not 1 of those times. Izakaya Kikufuji is really good. I grew up mostly in L.A. and I have only been to Japan on a brief stopover at Narita so I am not really qualified to deem whether what I ate today is authentic or otherwise. What I will claim is that it reminds of Mishimas in West L.A. (formerly on the corner of Sawtell & Olympic but now on Wilshire and maybe Bundy). I ordered the Katsudon lunch set. Lunch set came with 4 pieces of appetizer size sashimi, a small salad, "shallow soup" which contains tripe and pieces of pork, and miso soup. Sashimi should have been colder and soup should have been hotter but everything else was great. Main course was hot and delicious.

Maybe because of my timing (I arrived at the restaurant around 12:30 on a Monday) but the place had just the right number of people for my taste (i.e. not too crowded, which usually means not having to wait a long time, and not too sparse, which communicates that enough people like the food). Indeed, there were many who looked like Japanese nationals eating at the place.

Lunch special starts from 190 to 380? Not sure of the high range because I focused on the 250-300 range, which happens to be within my budget. Lunch set and vat cost Php 218 (I didn't order any drinks). Tip not included in bill so if you get good service, reward the hardworking staff. I gave Php 50 but if you can afford more, give more, and if you can afford less, give what you can. The place is right across Makati Cinema Square but it is across it on a small street instead of across it on Pasong Tamo. Market Square Cinema and Kikufuji are on the same side on Pasong Tamo (I believe, it is the east side)

Here is my take on Metrobank, the West Triangle Branch. I was so upset that I wrote a blog about it.

21’30”95. That’s what my stopwatch displayed when I pressed the stop button after the number written on my reusable ticket got called at Metrobank. Just a little short of 21 minutes and 31 seconds. Not too long of a wait. But my stopwatch resets to 00’00”00 after 60 minutes and this was the case. I waited a little more than 81 minutes for my number to be called. This happened on May 29, 2006.

To be fair to Metrobank, the security guard that handed me the ticket (#72) told me that it was a long wait because they only had one teller and they were only serving people with ticket number of 60 or below. If I had something better to do that day, I would have chosen not to wait. But it was the week before school started and one of the reasons for coming to the Philippines to pursue a masters degree is to get a taste of what the “average Pilipino” is being served. I walked away from Metrobank that day feeling bad for the “average Pilipino” who banks at Metrobank.

I had expected to wait 20 minutes at the bank so I brought a book that could help me pass time. Reading, 10 minutes after I had received my number, I saw a guy come in and saw the guard give him a lower number (in the 60s). Although it is possible that the guy gave that number back to the guard when he went outside, I don’t see why he should get it back. As far as I’m concerned, when he gave his number back, he lost his place in line. He should have taken his number with him and come back with it. It is more likely that the security guard knew this guy, thus, the lower number.

I like the purpose but the implementation leaves much to be desired. I wonder if they’ve looked into a “disposable number” system. I know it’s not environmentally friendly but it takes away the guard from the equation.

Which leads to the next question. Why doesn’t Metrobank have an information person? With the abundance of labor available in the Philippines, as many witness when they walk through any Shoemart or Landmark, you would think that Metrobank could hire and train a person to greet and direct customers who just entered the bank door. It is a bank and it needs security personnel but if you want the inside security guard to serve as your information person, train him well.

Around the 50th minute, I started a conversation with another guy who also had been waiting for a while. He shared his observations and mentioned that part of the reason he and I have been waiting so long is that V.I.P.s are cutting in front of us. I’m pragmatic so I understand that Metrobank has to provide their V.I.P.s better service. Again, there is enough qualified labor on this island available for Metrobank to train, someone whom they can dedicate to serve V.I.P.s.

So why did I go to the bank in the first place. 3 weeks beforehand, I opened 2 accounts - an ATM account and a checking account. The bank employee who opened my account also signed me up for telephone banking. When I tried to transfer money from my checking account to my ATM account over the phone, the system informed me to go to the bank.

81 minutes later, my number gets called and I walk up to the counter. I informed the teller of my issue and he casually informs me that I didn’t have to wait in line and that I should have just gone straight to the new accounts people. After being, in essence, told that I was stupid to wait in line, I walked to the new accounts desk. The new accounts person informed me that I should have signed up for the transfer when I opened the account. Of course, at the time I opened the account, the new account person with whom I dealt didn’t mention any of this.

I suppose I could have avoided all of this had I asked the person who opened my account to allow me to transfer money between my accounts. Furthermore, I should have just asked around (and in the process, act like an ugly American) 81 minutes beforehand and I could have done away with the marathon like wait.

After this experience, I went to another Metrobank branch and had a better experience. I wasn’t going to write about the 81 minutes but yesterday’s phone conversation with one of the “81 minutes” branch’s employees broke the camel’s back. The employee called me to verify if I had written a check.

I appreciate their verifying information and hence, protecting my interest. I guess there is an abundance of fraud here in the Philippines. He called me because my signature did not look like what he had on file. I admit that I have poor handwriting but I’ve used the same signature for at least 12 years; the institution in the states where I bank has never called me to verify my signature. I guess Metrobank’s handwriting “experts” have higher standards.

After I verified if I had written a check, he asked me if I had a land line. I have a cell phone and I use the schools wi-fi set up to access the internet. I do not need a land line. Evidently, I need a land line to open a bank account. When I opened the account, I used my cousin’s land line number because I had been living there. A week after I opened the account, I moved into my apartment.

So I told him I was going to give him the land line number for my condominium building so that the bank can call the condominium’s front desk and leave messages for me. But he implied that I should have my own land line. So I told him that I am a student and that I’m at school from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (banking hours). How would they get a hold of me via land line if I’m not home at those hours. He then suggested that every time a signature discrepancy arises, they could just bounce the check.

With his tone and his suggestion, I felt that he wanted me to close my account. After the checks I’ve written clears, I will do as he wishes, and take my business elsewhere.

A majority of my initial experiences with computing was on Unix. But now that I'm mostly working with business applications, I find it easier to create programs (web or stand alone) using Microsoft's tools. I'd appreciate anyone who can share some information on benchmarking the application development process on Linux and that on Wintel machines. Thanks.

Pards, where is the exact location of this FAT Michaels? Tnx!

Please do tell. I've been trying to find out this restaurant's location ever since it got featured on GMA as one of the best bargains in Makati. I've taken the jeep from Pasay Road all the way EDSA and back a couple of times and I have yet to notice the restaurant.

Guys have you tried the eatery in the corner of Dian near Vito Cruz which serves the best chili con carne that I've ever tried, the place looks like a typical carinderia but during lunchtime you could see yuppies in their pajeros and matching long sleeved shirts eating there another one is the Aling Nene which is a block away from this place which serves the best barbeque and their fried rice is the best.

Are you referring to Sosings? Sosings is on the Northeast corner of Dian and Zobel Roxas.

The MRT is the best way to travel along EDSA. When I visit the Philippines (I'm from L.A.), I ride the MRT to travel between QC and Makati. While riding the MRT, I observe the pace of traffic on EDSA and thank my lucky stars that the MRT exists.

As for the LRT (from Pasay), I hear from some people that it is not well kept and that many have had their pockets picked while riding on it. I, therefore, do not ride the LRT. How accurate are their accounts? Are there many pick pockets on the LRT? Are the LRT cars not as clean as MRT cars?

Is anyone a member of the Y.M.C.A. in Makati? If so, please give your opinion of the place. Thanks in advance.

Diether Ocampo at Bernard Palanca. Nanunuod ako nang TFC kanina at sumubuk sumabay itong dalawang kupal sa tunay na rock band. Kung ako yun nasa banda, burat na burat na ako na sinisira nang dalawang it ang performance nang banda ko.

Kung meroon sa inyo dito na nagtratrabaho sa ABS/CBN, pakisabi naman sa mga amo na biyaan na lang yung rock band na mag perform na walang isturbo sa mga hindi marunong kumantang actor. Ngayon, kung meroon sa inyo ang amo nang ABS/CBN, paliwanag niyo kung ano ang rational kung bakit pinabibiyaan niyo ito. Sinisira niyo and rep*tation nang Pilipino.

To Diether and Bernard, stick with what you're good at, whatever that may be.

Alucard, tell us how your laser treatment went when you've undergone it.  I'm very interested in the laser treatment but I haven't met anyone who has undergone it.  I've also read about it and it's not really for everyone.

 

From the ads that I see in the US, one eye for laser treatment costs less than a $1000.

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I prefer wearing glasses but when it comes to swimming, playing sports, and participating in rugged activities, I need to wear contact lenses. Muffy69, I live in L.A. and 4 years ago, I went to a laser eye treatment center in Long Beach for an evaluation. The center informed me that I was a good candidate and kept pestering me to have the procedure done.

Fortunately, my uncle is an ophthalmologist. He has been practicing in the U.S. for the past 50 years and every 6 months he practices in the Philippines. The facility for which he works in the Philippines performs laser eye surgery. I decided to get the procedure done in my uncle’s facility. The facility’s doctors performed a comprehensive eye exam. After evaluating the results, the facility’s laser eye surgeon informed me that my pupils are too wide and that no present laser can treat cases that are similar to mine. He also added that the procedure would permanently lead to poor night vision.

Okay, you may now be thinking that the Long Beach facility’s laser is superior to that of my uncle’s facility. Well, my uncle’s son (my cousin) is also an ophthalmologist. He got his undergrad and medical degree from Ivy League schools and he is the reason (he probably saved my vision) for my electing to have the procedure done in the Philippines. He informed me that the doctors of Harvard medical envied the doctors of my uncle’s facility for having more advanced equipment.

If you are going to get treatment, do your due diligence. Much better if you personally know the doctor.

Karamihan sa kakilala qng girls naaastigan sa mga kalbo "cool"daw or "konyo" tingnan but I don't find them attractive eh..  parang nawiweirdohan aq sa kanila kc most of the guys na kakilala qng nagpakalbo ang gaganda ng hair datiIf maganda naman un hair mo y naman kakalbuhin mo di ba? 

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Overall, I'm very happy with what my parents have passed down. But my dad is bald and I started loosing my hair after my teen years. In the past, I envied those who have a full crop and I even tried different elixirs to fight the inevitable. For some, hair growth medication produced wanted results. In my case, it only produced rashes.

I am now in the acceptance phase and like many who are loosing or who have lost their top crop, I find it best to go with clipper number 1. It is easy to maintain and it looks better than various “cover procedures”.

The lady, however, does have a good point. If I had more hair, I’d occasionally grow it as long as that of the average rock and roll band member. But I am bald so my hair fashion options are limited. Just like with everything else, I make the most with what I have and if that entails shaving my noggin, so be it.

To those who live in Makati, I'm looking for an apartment around A.I.M. My budget is 15,000 to 18,000. Please PM if you know of anything.

I feel lucky because I learned from some of the best school teachers of Cerritos’ ABC Unified School district (e.g. Mr. Tom Watson, Mrs. Eve Dow, Mrs. Jackson-8th grade History teacher, Mr. Jeff Green, Mr. Ken Baughman, Mr. Armstrong - World History teacher, Ms. Yamaguchi - high school English teacher, Mrs. Rachel Rach, Mrs. Maria Fiero, Mr. Russell Brose, Mr. McIlhaney - U.S. history teacher, Mr. Ian Desbrough, Coach Jim Chapel - English teacher and basketball coach, Ms. Mejia - French teacher, Ms. Curry – Chemistry teacher, Mr. Neville – Biology teacher, and Mr. Mark Cheverton). With these people’s help, I made it to U.C.L.A.

I probably will never forget those that I wrote above, but the teacher that I’ll always remember is Professor Gerry Crough. He taught some of the PIC (program in computing) classes at U.C.L.A. in the late 80’s and early 90’s (he still may be there). He insisted that everyone call him Gerry. If you saw this guy outside of the lecture hall, you would think that he just walked out of the homeless shelter. He sported a thick “dirty” beard and wore his thinning hair long. He looked and dressed like a bum. It seemed that he always wore the same oversized white shirt and loose khaki pants. From what I remember, his shoes even had holes.

Aside from his appearance, he is memorable because he made life easier for me as an undergrad. Gerry’s classes required students to work on their assignments in the computer lab. If a student did not like working in the lab, he needed the ability to access the Unix system from a remote location. My dad gave me a modem and I tried to configure my desktop to access the school network. I, however, wasn’t as computer savvy then as I am today. I just couldn’t connect to the school network.

After one of his lectures, I informed Gerry of my problem. He offered to take a look at it. I didn’t have a car and he was a bus rider so I had to pick him up from campus on my Honda Elite 80 scooter. When he saw me pull up to the curb, I knew he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of riding shotgun on my scooter. Nevertheless, he hopped on and off we went to my apartment.

While he fixed my remote connection, I cooked hamburgers (Pinoy style home made patties wrapped in mayo, cheese, and pandesal) for my apartment mates. After Jerry finished his task, I offered him a burger and he obliged. I left him in the dining room to enjoy his burger while I tested the remote connection. As onne of my apartment mates walked into the dining area to eat burgers, he saw Gerry eating. My apartment mate proceeded to my room and asked me why I was feeding the homeless guy. When I told my apartment mate that Gerry is my programming class professor, he thought I was pulling his leg. To this day, my old apartment mate reminds me of the time I made him eat burgers with a “bum”.

I am a computer programmer now and I probably would not be one without Gerry’s tutelage.

I am considering attending AIM's Masters in Management program (11 month program). Lately, I feel that I missed out on something. My family immigrated to the California when I was 11. California is home but I'd like to spend a full year in the Philippines as an adult. It's sort of an itch that I need to scratch.

Well here in the L.A. area, Pinoy Grill's (in Buena Park) is pretty good. Although some may not consider it sisig because the only pork ingredient in it is belly. I'm not much of a liver fan so it works for me. I, however, wouldn't mind if they put some ear or nose in their sisig.

Davao Tuna Grill in Glendale serves a delicious tuna sisig.

In high school, dream school was U.C.L.A. Certified Bruin since '89. Dream business school is Anderson School at U.C.L.A. Will find out next month.

Swim 3000 yards. I didn't go this morning but I'll go tonight.

Hi guys. Can someone please describe machang.

I really don't want to offend anybody with my statement... I'm just curious why people ... who are obviously have a larger body than the average sized people would say that they are proud to be fat rather than taking time to commit themselves in regualr exercise and diet..... did they lost their will to trim down or what?  I used to be really fat when I felt that I need to trim down when I was in highschool.... kasi panget na nga ako then it would be complemented by my very big belly...  kay todo exercise ako at diet.. pero not to the extent of torturing myself.....  lahat ng tao pwde magpapayat ..... they just need time and determination.. pati discipline... pero bakit ang daming gustong maging large framed sila for life? Why? not to offend kasi marami din ako friends na large...

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For many, it's a matter of comfort. If you ask proud fat people if they're proud because of their size, they'll probably say no and tell you that they're proud because of their other qualities. Speaking from experience (I was 220 lbs and I am 5'9), I believe proud fat people don't think they are fat because of their high self esteem. When I was 220, people kept on telling me that I was getting big (a nice way of saying I was fat) but everytime I looked in the mirror I was happy with my appearance. I definitely felt, and still do, that what I have "inside" is worth more than what my "cover" shows.

I now weigh 187 lbs and I'm trying to get to 170 lbs (167 is the maximum healty weight for my height and body type). I am trying to loose weight more for my health than for my appearance. My mom is diabetic and I believe excess weight is a contributing factor. Furthermore, I like playing sports and my knees started hurting. It doesn't take a genius to realize that the extra weight has become a burden on my knees. Furthermore, experiencing discomfort in my chest area and my physician's not finding the cause reinforced my belief that the extra weight had something to do with my aches and pains.

Now that I have lost some weight, I am no more and no less proud as I was when I was very heavy. I, however, catch some women, who never looked at me when I was rotund, taking peaks my way. It's unfortunate but the reality of our "Madison Avenue" driven western world is that "normal" is beautiful. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I too am infected with this mindset; I usually don't initially find women who are more than 15 lbs over or under weight sexually appealing (of course, there are exceptions). It's a testament to my gigantic ego that I never thought I was sexually un-attractive to a majority of women when I was 50 lbs. overweight. And what drives my ego is my character, my personality, and my sense of humor.

So if you're fat and you're happy with yourself, more power to you. If you're not fat and you're wondering what these fat folks are proud of, then I'd like to remind you that there's more to all of us than our physical appearance.

Lee's Sandwiches (Vietnamese) in Garden Grove, Fullerton, and coming soon in Artesia also has good sandwiches. Has anyone tried a St. Paul sandwich (St. Louis)?