Meal in the City: Cake and Ice Cream at the Office

Here is a Meal in the City post that's quite a bit different from all the rest. There was a recent birthday celebration at the office, and as is custom here in the Philippines, he treated those of us who were in at that time to something to eat.

(The custom strikes me as somewhat hobbit-y, since hobbits prefer to give away gifts on their birthdays as well as spread out an even more lavish meal or two. But in other parts of the world, it's the celebrant who gets treated to a meal.

Well, we do that too; we just expect the one with the birthday to also share his happiness, usually via sharing food.)

Anyway, for this particular treat, the celebrant brought in two of the things without which no birthday is really complete: cake and ice cream.



Sorry it's kind of blurry; I took the picture from my mobile phone. This is my portion of the birthday treat: I piled together in a small bowl some cookies-and-cream ice cream and a slice of chocolate roll.

Ice cream's really popular here and the types run the gamut: the various companies put out all sorts of types like sherbet, fruit-based, low-fat, low-sugar, etc. There are some small manufacturers that specialize in gelato; lots of Japanese and Korean mom-and-pop stores import their native brands.

And then there's the so-called "dirty" ice cream. Actually that's a misnomer; when we were kids our parents would try to dissuade us from eating it by saying it's unsanitary or full of microbes. Right, which only made us want it more since it was now microbe-rich forbidden fruit. Anyway, sorbetes is hawked in the streets from carts, which probably contributed to parental nightmares of GI distress, but it's still good. And they still do a roaring trade.

I wonder what I'll be bringing in for my own birthday, which is coming soon-ish.

Memories of Neverwinter Nights

Companion piece to A Brief History of PJ the MMO Player (mostly MMORPGs).

So, hands up if you know that Neverwinter Nights was an MMORPG first and a best-selling PC RPG second.

Developed by Stormfront Studios and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. on AOL under license from TSR, the *original* Neverwinter Nights was the very first graphical MMORPG, running from 1991-1997 on AOL. This MMORPG version was the predecessor of many other successful titles, such as Ultima Online, Everquest, and World of Warcraft.

In 2002 BioWare and Infogrames (now Atari) obtained permission from Wizards of the Coast to create an RPG based on the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons and Dragons. The result was the PC RPG Neverwinter Nights.

The PC RPG version of NWN was a massive hit and its legacy has come down to us in various forms: an eponymous sequel that came out in 2006, as well as other hit BioWare titles such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.


Top half of the composite image shows a promotional wallpaper for the original boxed set of Neverwinter Nights; bottom half is another player's screenshot of his character and inventory, from Gamespot.

I began to play NWN sometime in either 2004 or 2005, and was hooked hard on the original campaign and its intricacies of character creation, alignments, sidequests, and dialogue.

For the record, I preferred to play a female neutral good half-elf fighter. After trying on a few of the henchmen (female human bard Sharwyn, useful for her buff songs; and male halfling rogue Tomi Undergallows, great for avoiding all manner of traps and opening chests), I settled with a fellow melee specialist, the male half-orc fighter-barbarian Daelan Red Tiger - partly because he was a great keep-the-pesky-sneak-attackers-off-my-back kind of guy, but mostly because the item he gives at the end of all his sidequests buffs against Fear.

And you don't want to be vulnerable to Fear effects in the endgame.

The first playthrough of the game, however, did not end as anyone would expect. As I was slogging through Act IV, the PC I was playing on suffered a massive crash, deleting all my game data!

OMGWTFBBQPWNED.

Once I got my shot at a do-over I vowed to play through straight to the end. Lessons learned from the first playthrough:
- Know the correct order in which to complete quests.
- Find the correct henchman and stick with him/her throughout the entire game - and make sure to equip the final upgraded form of the item that henchman gives.
- Go everywhere, talk to everyone, and open every damn door/chest/box/barrel/whatever.

I got some serious help from the game on the second playthrough since there were several drops of godly weapons and armor. By the time I finally got to the point where the previous game had crashed, I was more than ready for the final set of boss fights.

I wonder if I should play again. Maybe this time I'll take up the spellcasting classes - and I'll make doubly sure to get Daelan as my henchman again.

(I DID try NWN 2 but never got past the first act. Ironically, the graphics engine gave me migraines. I gave it up as a lost cause.)

Atlantica Online: Jiangshi Outfit GET.

So, there was only ever one real outfit I wanted to get from Atlantica Online: the Jiangshi Outfit. See the picture to the left. Ain't my girl smashing? :)

Costumes in Atlantica give some boosts to stats and, of course, change the look of the character. I got lucky during one of the last major events and got an item X that I sold off for the gold that I needed to buy this lovely dress.

The Jiangshi Outfit also gives me the giggles because it looks a whole lot like that worn by a mob in Ragnarok Online. A girl wearing the Jiangshi Outfit looks like a Munak, while a boy looks like a Bongun. Even more so with the matching hat accessory.

Now, excuse me while I power up my girl to level 90 and beyond.

Meal in the City: "Golden Brown Waffle" at Pancake House, Quezon Avenue

There's a quote by the nutritionist Adelle Davis that sums up my usual approach to three meals a day:

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.

The Philippines has an amazing variety of breakfast delights, which makes the first part of the quote very easy to attain, but sometimes it's nice to take a break from the rice and go for something more Western.

Something like a waffle. And for me, waffles should be crunchy; they should have a golden-brown color that contrasts delightfully against the tawny pancake syrup and the creamy white butter (preferably unsalted).

A waffle is great with just those two add-ons, but I also applaud the idea of coupling its crunch with either fruits or meat.

There's a local restaurant group that advocates the idea of "breakfast like a king" and actually offers pancakes and waffles all day. This is Pancake House - they've been around since 1970, serving breakfast food and other dishes. When I was a kid I looked forward to the times when we could eat their pancakes and their house specialty tacos, as they were always nicely made.

Pancake House has branches all over the country; I pass the one on Quezon Avenue every day on the way to work. Well, one particular day last week I was way too early to head for my desk - I was in the area by 8am, and the office opened at 9 - so I got off the bus at this branch.



My breakfast at Pancake House: their Golden Brown Waffle plus four Country Sausages.

Now I guess I've just grown older, because when I was a child I remember that the pancakes and waffles at the Pancake House were big - the type of big that even some kids might balk at finishing. This waffle was smaller than I remembered.

But man, was it wonderfully crunchy. The unsalted butter was whipped to airy perfection and made a great topping for the waffle, and with the tiny hint of tooth-achy sweet provided by pancake syrup, made for a powerfully uplifting and nostalgia-tinged breakfast.

Added drama was provided by the wonderfully juicy country sausages, each small link bursting with spicy juices. Each bite made a great contrast to the waffle.

As good as this waffle was, I still can't help missing the days when the waffles were big....

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.

Musical shenanigans

I'm one of those people who tends to work better when there's something to listen to. And like some writers, I will listen to a track or a playlist over and over again in order to keep the inspiration flowing.

This iTunes playlist really has been around for quite some time - at least a year, I'd say. I've just trimmed out a few tracks that wore out their welcome. Mainly, though, this list exists to be expanded, and I'm always on the lookout for new tracks to try or old ones to revisit.



This is the music that accompanies me whether I'm writing for work or for play.

The highlighted track is Jonathan Coulton's "Space Doggity", an homage to David Bowie's "Space Oddity" that's also a tribute to Laika, the first dog in space and the first martyr of space. I'll be looking out for you among the stars, you sweet puppy you.

If you're allowed to listen to music at work, what do you like to listen to? Do you segregate your playlists for work, play, exercise, or whatever it is you do?

Pop Chart: Wonder Girls and "Nobody", robots and Granado Espada

Top of composite is a screengrab from one of the "robots" video versions of "Nobody"; bottom of composite is a promotional image made by Darrick/Mr. NG for his forthcoming Granado Espada version of the same song.

A quick glance at the Wonder Girls' Wikipedia page shows that not only have the Wonder Girls (currently composed of Ye-eun, Sunye, Sohee, Sunmi, and Yubin) been around since 2007, but that song of theirs that's been ruling both the airwaves and the Internet - "Nobody", of course - was released in 2008!

So why are we only hearing that song now? Part of the answer is that the band and their management chose "Nobody" to become their North American debut single. The single hit American musical outlets in June 2009 - and now everyone's at least HEARD of it (pun most definitely intended).

The song and the video have since gone viral on YouTube. Part of that may be attributed to the insanely catchy tune and lyrics, and part to the dance moves.

It's gotten to the point where it's become a mini-trend on not only YouTube but the social networking sites. Either you make your own video of you doing the dance moves, or you share the more interesting versions with your social network.

The "robots" version (made by Yongchul Lee of KAIST, South Korea; posted online by YouTube user jcbazin) is one of my favorite takes on the song. It's been mistakenly described all over the place as featuring Optimus Prime, Starscream, and Bumblebee. It doesn't look as though the robots in the video have Autobot/Decepticon badges, though - I think it's just that people are associating it with the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie.

Taking inspiration from the "Nobody" phenomenon, my good friend and fellow blogger Darrick/Mr. NG of the blog Fantazzztic! has decided to put together a machinima version of the full song, with dance moves by female stock characters from the MMORPG Granado Espada (which I've already mentioned here).

Sample video 1 - pilot
Sample video 2 - first set of props added

I'm really rooting for him to complete this video soon, the more so since September will mark the second anniversary of Granado Espada in the Philippines! Please cheer him on along with me!

Recent journeys in search of the lost Atlantis

After a few days off from playing Atlantica Online owing to OS crashes, I'm back in the MMO saddle again. Typically this means doing quests - typical quests mean killing mobs - and at the end of it you have to kill one more thing, the boss mob.

So here's the most recent boss fight I did.



Meet the Machine Goddess, the final boss of the Sunken Machine Shrine dungeon. Recommended levels for these maps are late 7x-early 8x. Although, if you peer closely at the top screenshot, you might be able to see that the boss has an orange name.

In AO as in many other MMOs the color of a monster's name in the field changes according to the level of the person fighting it. The color chart in AO runs something like this (this is a personal estimate):

Red - you're in way over your head. Mob is at least ten levels above you.
Orange - manageable in a party or if you have a good formation. Mob is at least five levels above you.
Yellow - can be done, but you still have a chance of getting owned. Mob is at least three levels above you.
White - equilibrium achieved. Mob is just about at the same level as you.
Green - easily killed. Mob is at least five levels below you.
Blue - don't bother, unless for a quest or for leveling new mercenaries. Mob is at least ten levels below you.

The colors adjust in shade according to the relative level of the monster. If you're at my level or so, for example, beginner mobs are dark blue; 10x mobs are dark red.

I like my build to be more geared towards fighting mobs instead of other players, so I was able to take out this boss and finish the quest line, though not without incident as you can see in the bottom screenshot: got two front-line mercs killed in the process. Statuses on the boss include Freeze.

Now that I've almost made 8x I need to spend a lot of money to upgrade armors and mercs themselves. Oi. *facepalm* That's going to be a lot of gold down the drains.

Meal in the City: "Crispy Dinuguan" at Kanin Club, UP-Ayala Technohub

I have realized that UP-Diliman seems to be one of those places that attracts good eats. I'm lucky that I can still go back to the old uni, enjoy its sights and sounds and the bustle of student life, and then drop in on one or another of my old haunts for an always-satisfying meal.

Now UPD's sphere of eating influence is expanding to the swank new BPO campus nearby. Named the UP-Ayala Technohub, it's a bunch of call-center locations and office space, clustered around a retail services hub: there are banks, a beauty salon, a 24-hour convenience shop that also doubles as a small pharmacy, a gaming center, and a bookstore.

And food outlets. This is the Philippines. Mustn't forget the food outlets.

On a recent weekend my partner and I dropped in at the Technohub to try one of its newest tenants, called Kanin Club. "Kanin" is the Filipino word for rice, and we eat a lot of it. We're a lot like the Japanese: no meal is complete without rice (a bowlful of white is standard, or several mouthfuls if you're eating sushi, or mixed with all sorts of things up to and including raw eggs and/or natto).

Kanin Club has already achieved a measure of fame in food-obsessed Metro Manila, but previously it had been dauntingly unreachable because the only branches had been rather...FAR...South. The type of far that needs a car because one needs to drive down a tollway to reach it, or the type of far that needs to cross into ANOTHER PROVINCE just to get there.

And that just hadn't been possible for us - until now.

Sunday lunchtime at this newly opened branch and the place was already getting packed. It was promising to see that most of the tables had been pushed together so that whole families could dig into Filipino food with a twist.

Warning for the faint of heart: Filipinos like to eat, er, strange things.



One of the specialties of the house at Kanin Club is their Crispy Dinuguan. "Dinuguan" is, essentially, pork and innards cooked together and then dropped into a stew with pork blood as the major thickening agent. The blood is cooked with spices and vinegar, boiled down slightly, and then mixed with the meat. And many households like to put in a few finger chilies to add more heat and flavor to the stew.

Still with me so far? Good. You MUST try this dish. The reason why Kanin Club calls its Dinuguan Crispy is because they make it with pork and innards that were first DEEP-FRIED to crackling perfection. You could HEAR the crunching going on at several tables, all of which had ordered the specialty of the house. The crunch enhances the essential savory nature of the pork meat and emphasizes the tastes of the various bits of innards and organs perfectly.

And the pork blood! Good, good, good. Faintly gamy and faintly sour, it's full of a deep, elaborate flavor that goes just perfectly with bowls and bowls of plain white rice. The folks at Kanin Club have come up with a mix of vinegar and spices that really brings out the inherent savor of the blood. It's so rich that you might only want a bite or two - but it's so flavorful that you keep eating the whole thing.

I loved every bite of this and will go back again for it. And you should try it, too - don't let the blood put you off. This is good Filipino food.