Scenes from my university

I recently found cause to write about UP-Diliman, the university that I attended for a few years, in rather elegiac terms in a story.

As that story is supposed to be part of a project where both words and images come together, I took it upon myself to add some references for the artist who will draw my story, and to this end I went out last Sunday to photograph my uni.

Turns out it was perfect weather to take pictures: a blue sky overhead, a sun that was not overwhelming in its light and in fact was a bit moody and muted. There were also not a lot of people on the grounds, which my SO and I attributed to that weekend being the first of the semester break, meaning, everyone might have gone home for a couple of weeks.

He and I took turns with the camera. I'm pretty sure that the third photo is his.

The facade of Ang Bahay ng Alumni features a striking stained-glass half-circle window, which unfortunately is not that obvious in this light. [Hint: it's that massive window with the iron traceries.] The name of the building roughly translates to "The Home of the Alumni".

A look up, up, up the UP Carillon. When we were at uni together we used to spend afternoons listening to the distant songs of the bells as they were rung in this tower. Recently the whole thing has undergone a facelift and it now looks much better than it did ten years ago.

The facade of Palma Hall, also known as AS [Arts and Sciences] and LA [Liberal Arts], depending on your generation, as seen through some of the acacia trees planted along the Academic Oval. Photo by my partner.

A photo of one side of the Academic Oval, taken by me while sitting on the sidewalk opposite Palma Hall. I really like the atmosphere in this photo: it makes us look as though we were the only people in the area. In fact there were a few bicyclists making the rounds - I just got lucky; I took the photo while they were still far away.

For all its flaws and strange idiosyncrasies I still think my uni is gorgeous and a joy to be in. I hope these pictures help convey that.

Scenes from a Vacation

I was on hiatus for a couple of weeks. As you might have noticed, the last blog entry had been on my birthday - and then radio silence here and on the Facebook fan page.

Well, that was due to a vacation. Took some time off, which culminated in me and my partner celebrating yesterday [Binary Day, otherwise known as 10-10-10] in a Chinese food marathon with friends and family.

Pics or it didn't happen, so here's some of the food from the past weekend:

Elbert's Cheesesteak - provolone cheesesteak hoagie, fries, iced tea and orange juice, 8-10-10.

Toast Box for breakfast with chocobos, 10-10-10

Conti's cakes for dessert, 10-10-10

I should try to go back to more regular posting from here on out. As it's almost time for the busy season to start at work, not to mention I've a 20k-plus story to write, I'll do my best.

It's National Coming Out Day. All my love to friends and readers and especially to a wonderful queer friend of mine in the US. And here is a possibly relevant video.


Chris Colfer [Glee's Kurt Hummel] for the Trevor Project: "It gets better."

All we need is love, each other...and gelato

The reason for the hiatus: my partner and I were celebrating eleven years together. We took time off from our respective jobs and spent the last four days running around the city together, exploring, eating, having fun. and delighting in each other's company.

The one thing that we tried to do was to do things for the first time. So we ate at restaurants we'd never tried before - there were hits and there were misses, but the experience was great all the same.

We stopped in at a photography studio and had our portraits taken. It was a simultaneously sad and funny experience: we were imagining what our photographer must feel like shooting all these people that he may or may not meet again; we were feeling our nerves because it was something we had never done before; he was fussing about his hair and I was unhappy with my scarred face.

[Some people even asked me afterwards if it was a pre-nup shoot.

In a word, no. Sorry to disappoint!]

We saw Toy Story 3. As we make a point out of seeing Disney/Pixar movies, no surprises there - except for the part where we splashed out for tickets to an IMAX 3D theater.

[One of the Barbie doll's final outfits made me gasp and point at the screen because I'd had that Barbie doll when I was a kid. Barbie and the Rockers...wow, that was a very long time ago.]

And yesterday's highlight: an eat-all-you-can gelato interlude, at a nice place called Gelatone in Greenbelt 4 [Ayala Center, Makati City]. Five hundred pesos gets two people all the gelato they can eat, provided they show up during all Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays of July, 2-5pm.

Let's let the pictures speak for themselves.

Starting off with my lemon sherbet and his peaches-and-lemon one.

His next two flavors: mint and chocolate, and mixed berries.

I tried the panna cotta-flavored gelato next.

My third scoop was mascarpone with candied figs.

My partner's final flavor was cheesecake.

And mine was dark Toblerone.

It was a great break from normal life. Yes, we only had eyes for each other. It was an occasion that needed to be remembered and commemorated. And that's precisely what we did.

Here's to us, my love.

Bliss in the City: My First Spa Visit

(Full disclosure: The owner of La Nueva Casa is a friend of mine; we were classmates in high school. We wound up reconnecting via social networking, and that was where I heard that she was going to be managing a spa.)

Yes, you read that subject heading correctly. Although I had been the recipient of therapeutic/relaxing massages, and while I like nothing better than to zone out blissfully while a skilled person paints my nails, I'd never been inside any sort of spa-like thing before.

It was a fortuitous thing, then, to hear of La Nueva Casa, a day spa and cafe located rather near my home, and that a high school friend of mine was managing it.

Now, the first thing you need to know about this new haven in the city is its rather odd location. It's situated right along a busy roadway - Regalado Avenue in Fairview, Quezon City. The cafe section overlooks the rush of vehicular traffic, and the spa section is secluded behind that, muting the noise considerably.

For its soft opening, the spa is initially offering one of its signature treatments, Hilot Maharlika. (This translates loosely to "Noble's Massage".) It's touted as a relaxing combination of several massage techniques, such as chakra manipulation, gliding strokes, and Thai stretching.



The left picture is a view of the spa's front desk; the right one shows robes and slippers stacked on one of the massage beds. (Photos from La Nueva Casa.)

So, being a total newbie to spa-ing, I asked for, and got, a walkthrough for the process:

- Sign in at the front desk. At La Nueva Casa, that includes a complimentary cup of salabat, a traditional soothing ginger infusion. Fill out the little health questionnaire they'll give you; if you have high blood pressure, make sure to let them know. After signing in, you'll receive a locker key, a towel, bath soap and shampoo, spa clothes (a robe and a pair of shorts), and slippers.
- Go into the changing area and get undressed (yes, strip everything off). Luggage and street clothes go into the assigned locker. Take a shower, dry off, and change into the spa clothes.
- Proceed into the massage room assigned to you. Your assigned masseuse will provide you with a choice of oils for the Hilot Maharlika; I picked the Relaxing blend. Take off the robe and lie face down on the bed, and let the masseuse do her work. Don't forget to let her know how much pressure she can apply during the massage. It's not supposed to hurt.

It had been a *long* time since I'd last had a massage and my body had amassed a truly impressive set of aches and pains, particularly around my neck and shoulders. I was really looking forward to seeing if these could be dealt with.

Hilot Maharlika means the masseuse alternates a series of pressing, gliding, and striking strokes over the skin and the muscles beneath, then finishes off with stretching exercises.

After a little initial discomfort, I began to relax under her ministrations, enough to actually start drifting partway into sleep. All I had to do was lie down or turn around as needed so the masseuse could do her work. The massage includes the legs, back, tummy, and head, so it's really a pleasurable full-body experience. After the hour-and-a-half of massage I felt weightless - and with all the aches gone, completely refreshed.

It is an insane-making sort of beautiful bliss to suddenly have all the pain that has become as another organ taken away from you.

If you get the Hilot Maharlika package, you can order a meal after the massage; ask the front desk for choices. I picked a snack of suman, which is a sort of rice cake. For their take on this popular Philippine food, La Casa Nueva offers it with a really nice chocolate dip, plus the traditional sugar on the side. The suman is served with coffee or tea.

While I had a most excellent relaxation experience I did have a few quibbles with the place:
1. The music was the same old bossa nova that everyone here in the city is playing when they think they want a calm ambience. I would recommend nature sounds, or classical (not movie soundtracks) piano.
2. The location is, as stated above, odd. The best way to reach La Casa Nueva is by car - but there's not much of a parking lot. Commuting there is likewise tricky.
3. The spa needs a bigger sign to tell people what it is. After the first time I visited La Casa Nueva, before the spa had opened, the driver of the cab I got into asked me if it was a bar. And the owner said they had also been mistaken for a beer garden. (They don't serve any alcohol at all.)

The Hilot Maharlika package costs PHP550, but you can get a privilege card when you sign in at the front desk, and so I paid PHP495 for my first spa experience.

All things considered, I had a great time and I will definitely go back to try their other packages when they become available. I hope they do well.