Baguio again in a bit

Mama, Papa and I will be off to Baguio in a few hours to bring Joe his cello. I cannot explain just how happy I am to know that Joe will get to make music while in the Academy. I'm sure that having his beloved instrument with him will bring him a bit of comfort. I'm glad that the PMA officials are encouraging their cadets to keep on developing their talents.

My brother has major talent in his pinky fingers alone.

I'm gonna miss Jackie the cello here (I haven't been using her that much lately, anyway), but she and Joe will have a good time!

Pepper Lunch

Until this afternoon, I was probably the only Chuvaness fan in Manila who has not tried Pepper Lunch yet. The first two branches (Rockwell and Shangri-La) aren't too accessible to me. Luckily, Pepper Lunch opened at Alabang Town Center two weeks ago. I dragged Abet and May there for lunch today.

May's Beef Pepper Rice (P198)

The dish is served on a patented cast iron heated to 260 degrees centigrade and stays hot for up to 20 minutes. The meat is raw when it arrives: you're supposed to cook your meat on the plate, mix everything up (there's special butter and sauce in the middle of the plate), and drizzle the food with steak sauce (Amakuchi - Honey Brown or Karakuchi - Garlic Soy).

Abet's Shimofuri Pepper Steak (P610)

Just look at that pretty chunk of beef above, doesn't the marbling look good? We couldn't talk to Abet after his dish was served, he was too busy enjoying his steak.

my already-cooked and already-mixed Chicken Pepper Rice (P198)

I enjoyed everything about my Chicken Pepper Rice, and I don't even like peppercorns. I guess it made a difference that their peppers are freshly prepared each morning, with just the fragrant outer shells used. Their honey brown sauce was just to die for, May and I practically drowned our food in it.

I can't believe it took me this long to try Pepper Lunch. It was worth queuing for more than 15 minutes to order and smelling like our food afterwards. With the ATC branch nearby, the only thing that's keeping us from dining there more often is the price. Don't get me wrong, the food was worth it, but Abet and I shouldn't be spending so much at this point. Still, I'm dying to try the salmon chicken rice and the hamburger + cut steak combo. Next payday, perhaps? I just need to make sure we don't go there during lunch time.

--=-=--

Abet took me to the Pluck and Struck concert at the Insular Auditorium in Alabang last Saturday evening. It was my first time to watch Abet's professor and mentor, Sir Ruben Reyes, in concert. He played Brouwer's Concierto Elegiaco and I was in awe: he really is the best. Perf de Castro performed one of my favorite pieces in the whole world, Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, and I was utterly disappointed, both with the guitarist and the orchestra. What a bummer. Jovianney Cruz's Liszt Piano Concerto no. 1 was fantastic, so it was still a good concert overall.

--=-=--

While waiting to meet up with Abet last Saturday before the concert, I caught this nice old man playing the grand piano at the Commerce Ave. part of ATC:

I was looking at shoes at VNC (great stuff there, by the way) when I heard "I Wish You Love" playing from outside the store, and I just had to follow the music. A small crowd had gathered to listen to him play standard tunes. Lolo was really good--he took requests--he must have been a hotel or bar pianist in his younger years. I have a video of him playing "That's All." It was a nice treat to hear good live jazz music when I least expected it.

--=-=--

Abet and I watched Marley and Me on DVD--Marley looks exactly like our Labrador Retriever, Django! We were cooing during the movie. I wish our dog lived with me instead of with my boyfriend--I only get to see him on weekends--but I don't think I can handle all the feeding and the cleaning up.

--=-=--

I'm drinking chocolate Vodka Mudshake as I type. Good stuff.

I hope y'all had a good weekend.

Missing the cello...

Abet took me to a concert by the Manila Symphony Orchestra at Phil-Am last night--Haydn's Symphony no. 104, Paganini violin concerto with Junior Saraza as soloist, and Beethoven's Symphony no. 5. What a nice Saturday evening date! The soloist was amazing, I had goosebumps during his entire concerto (and his two encores), and Beethoven's 5th is always a joy to experience. My boyfriend is the greatest for surprising me with tickets.

I used to be an avid classical and jazz concert-goer when I was a student. Back then, I'd go alone most of the time--none of my friends were into the same kind of music I liked. Now, I have a default companion (who sometimes gets tickets at a discounted rate or even for free), there's really no excuse for me not to watch more often. Plus, I get little lessons about classical music whenever I watch with Abet. ("That's a fughetta, hear that?")

He's taking me to another concert this Saturday, whoopee!

--=-=--

I picked the cello up for the first time in months today. It felt like being reunited with an old friend. Since Joe left for Baguio, the instrument (her name's Jackie after cellist Jacqueline du Pre) has just been sitting forlornly in the little anteroom we have upstairs. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I touched it. I did a few scales and played a few notes of that Bach piece I was working on when I left off--and then I cried.

I missed Joe so bad. I missed my cello buddy. And I was saddened at the thought that he's not making music right now, something he loves to do.

Right now, he is being trained to be the best soldier he can be, something he loves even more.

And that makes it all okay.

--=-=--

Here's Joe the day he got his cello case in May 2007:


He loves that case. We went to a concert at CCP later that evening, just the two of us.

I hope there's a nice concert when he gets to come home after his first year *puhon*, I'm sure he misses concert-watching as well.