The I-Witness Docufest 2009

This year’s I-Witness Docufest was held at the Gateway Cineplex last       October 10 and 17.  I originally planned to attend the October 10        screening, but some furniture- hunting errands had to be done to  replace  what we lost in the floods of Typhoon Ondoy. The following  Saturday,  the 17th, I was sick and did not feel like watching.  Fortunately, my friend  Tina David, herself a fan of I-Witness,  invited  me early in the morning. I  was a bit more motivated, so off to  Gateway we went.

Eight documentaries were screened in three two-hour slots. We arrived in time to catch the first four,  which were screened from 11AM to 1PM. After that, grabbed some popcorn and lined up again for the for the screening of the next four, from 2PM to 4PM. From 5PM-7PM, the first set were shown again, but this time it was followed by an open forum. The winning documentary at the Student Docu was also featured. I wanted to watch again, just so I could get a chance to ask Howie Severino some questions about his documentary, Don’t English Me. When we stepped out of the cinema to line up again, however, the was already long and I thought we would’t be able to sit. “I’d just email Howie,” I told my friend.

Here are the documentaries featured this year:

AMBULANSIYANG DE PAA – Kara David travels to a remote town in Oriental Mindoro and witnesses the dismal state of healthcare in the area. With only hammocks for an “ambulance”, residents bring their sick from the mountains to the nearest health center.

LABORATORYO NI MANG DOMENG – Documentarist Jay Taruc follows the work of Mang Domeng, a man who makes a living by buying animals and killing them, in order to sell skeletal displays and stuffed animals to medical schools.

PAG-IBIG SA MAGKABILANG DAIGDIG – Sandra Aguinaldo shares the joy and anticipation of two Filipinas who have found their partners through the Internet, and shows how technology has opened the doors to interracial marriages. (My own cousin, in fact, met her husband through chat–help with grammar coming from me.)

DON’T ENGLISH ME! – On board his bike, Howie Severino travels the streets of Manila and discovers errors in English usage. This documentary elicited occasional laughter from the audience. I think, however, that the people whose errors were featured in this documentary are not as culpable as some of our professional writers. Their errors are exposed by the The Sh*t Detector.

HINGALO NI BUNSO – Known for her documentaries about children, Kara David delivers yet another heart-wrenching documentary about children suffering from tuberculosis and the vicious cycle of poverty and malnutrition.

KALABAW - What was intended to be a merry Carabao Festival turns tragic when one carabao runs amuck. I wonder what Howie Severino initially wanted to portray. Surely he did not predict that the carabao would go berserk? What was the original flow of the documentary, I wonder?

BOOK TO SCHOOL – Sandra Aguinaldo witnesses the joys and the hope brought to remote schools by a new supply of textbooks. She says that she traveled to help inspire the pupils in these schools, but ended up being inspired herself.

PAC-MOM – Jay Taruc veers away from his “immersion” style documentaries, and follows a day in the life of Dionisia Pacquiao, mother of Filipino boxing phenomenon Manny Pacquiao.

Watch out for GMA7’s newest I-Witness documentaries.

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Roadside Penguins

I saw this the other day, and I thought I’d take some pictures. Hey, it’s not very often penguins come to the Philippines.

Penguins enjoying the sun along Marcos Highway in Antipolo

Penguin balloons displayed in front of an auto repair shop in Antipolo

Going Greek In Tagaytay: Mano’s Greek Taverna

On the way home from a recent trip to Sonya’s Garden in Silang, Cavite, the white-and-blue façade of a restaurant caught my attention. It was getting dark, the restaurant was partially hidden by a large tree that stood by the road, and I was slumped in the passenger seat, as usual. I would have missed it if not for the glow of light illuminating the sign and the fact that I was starving. We did not avail the lunch buffet at Sonya’s; we only had their special spanish bread and pan de cocopandan (seriously, it had a buko-pandan filling). I was reminded of the Grecian houses in Mamma Mia! and that KC Conception-Richard Gutierrez movie. We decided to drop by.  

Inside Mano’s Greek Taverna, the ambiance was nice and warm, the mood appropriate for a Tagaytay dinner. The linens were the same Greek color. On the walls hung different pictures of the Grecian landscape. Even the back of the chair resemble the general shape of a Greek wedding dress–narrow on top and sloping wide at the bottom.

The menu was presented. The first pages of the menu were an introduction to Greek condiments and a history of Greek cuisine. Hmm. That was a nice touch, even original. The cookie in me was drawn to the Grecian cuisine literature. It was my first time to eat Greek. “What can you recommend?”  we asked, and the waitress offered Mousaka. That I had and a cup of coffee, and Foodie had the Salata (Greek Salad) and the Baklava.

Mousaka

Mousaka  was made with eggplants, zucchini, ground meat, grated cheese, bechamel sauce, and olive oil. It resembled a lasagna, but it was lighter. Although it had bechamel sauce, it had less body than a lasagna or eggplant parmigiana,which I prefer. The taste of the herb was stronger than the salt, which, again, I prefer. At P180, it was worth the try.

Salata (P120) was a traditional Greek salad, which was made of tomatoes, cucumber, black olives, onion, and feta cheese, on a bed of lettuce. If I recall correctly, the dressing was Thousand Island, although it did not taste like your commercial Thousand Island dressing.

Eating Baklava is an amazing experience. At Mano’s, at least. This nutty dessert is made from walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cinnamon, sugar and honey, baked in a Filo Pastry. I loved the cinnamon taste, the nuts, the subtle sweetness. I have to say that I had never tasted anything like it before.

Baklava

If you’re  planning to go to Tagaytay, a stop at Mano’s Greek Taverna is a great experience. It is along Calamba Road, Tagaytay City. Coming from Manila via Aguinaldo Highway, turn left at Olivarez Plaza or the rotunda and you’ll find the restaurant on the left side, a few minutes away. If you are coming from Manila via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), take the Santa Rosa exit, drive straight until you get to the Tagaytay City market place, which is the entrance to Tagaytay City. Turn right past the market and drive for about two kilometers. Look for the Hellenic Cuisine sign on the right side of the road.

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Noynoy Aquino Decides To Run

Senator Noynoy Aquino, only son of former President Cory Aquino and Senator Ninoy Aquino, has finally announced his decision to run for President in next year’s election. Good for him. Good for the Philippines. I hope.

Photo courtesy: darkscent_photos

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Repertory Philippines Presents Sweeney Todd

Call it a Halloween in December.

Repertory Philippines will be staging Sweeney Todd from November 14 to December 13 this year. Veteran stage actor Audie Gemora will play the character of Sweeney Todd, a man who returns to his London village after years in a penal colony, and opens his barbershop as the stage on which to exact his revenge on the judge that raped his wife.

Sweeney Todd was made into a film in 2007 by director Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. They were the same team that gave life to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The musical will be performed by The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, and will be conducted by renowned conductor Gerard Salonga.

I invite you to watch the musical. By watching the show, you will be able to support the less fortunate as we will be partnering with a charitable organization. Also, ticket holders will have a chance to enter Ascend for an “after party” in Bonifacio High Street for free. Ticket prices are P400, P700, P800 and P 1,000. (P400 and P700 are free seating while P800 and P1,000 are reserved seating).

Visit Repertory Philippines’ site for more details.

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A Mini-Catering Stint

Last June, I got hired to prepare appetizers for the 18th birthday celebration of a friend’s cousin. With a mother-and-daughter tandem as my team, we prepared four types of appetizers for 150 guests: Roasted Chicken Canapé, Bacon and Pesto Crostini, Grape and Cheese Mini Kebab, and Cream Cheese and Fruit Cookies. These were just in addition to the event’s main caterer, to be served in their cocktail area.

Ooh, the pressure! It was like an Iron Chef episode. I recalled our Breakfast Week in culinary school. Sabog ako. Hey, we had just four hours! And this was my first. To be honest, I didn’t think they looked very impressive at first, but when they were set up, they looked beautiful. Of course, they were yummy!  I became part of the team of event coordinators, too. It was weird.

Anyway, here are photos of the appetizers courtesy of Edz Sta. Ana. Thanks to Guj of Redsheep for the beautiful shots!

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