The "Reverse Pasalubong" - Beyond Borders and Guimaras Chocolates

Happy Independence Day!

I thought today was a good day to write about this. I think that the Department of Tourism is really doing something to help improve this nation. I was fortunate enough to meet a man who works under the DOT. Mr. Enchong Formoso taught me the concept of "Reverse Pasalubong" and it was brilliant! You see, there are A LOT of balikbayans. They come here bringing pasalubong from the US, the Middle East, the UK, etc. But when they go back there, what do they bring to their American friends? That's where "reverse pasalubong" comes in. 

Balikbayans have a lot of power if you think about it. They have a lot of power marketing our great country. Mr. Formoso let me try this unique Milk Chocolate called "Guimaras" and it's a chocolate filled with Philippine Mango. I'm sorry I wasn't able to take a personal photo but it was exquisite! You can get that at Duty Free Philippines. 

Anyway, this concept of reverse pasalubong gives us a chance to tell our balikbayan friends what to bring to whatever part of the world the Philippines has to offer. A few weeks ago, my friend Marga asked me if I could write something in the blog. It was her product/advocacy. It's interesting because I told her that apart from geeks, there were Moms and Girls who actually read this blog and this part is actually for the great Moms and lovely women who read my blog. (Thank you Moms and Ladies, I am humbled)

Marga gave me some products for my mom and their woven blankets from Ilocos! Marga is part of "Beyond Borders" and they make blankets, placemats, linens, and throws. Guys, sorry, I also don't know what throws are either... Hahaha. But anyway, Marga works with Ilocano women and they are preserving an old Filipino Tradition. She sent a really nice Yellow Blanket for my mom.

I was really amazed that Marga was helping out Ilocano women and preserving an old Filipino Tradition. Here was a friend from school living out an advocacy. I'm really proud of her for doing this for the Philippines. 

Here's the press release from Beyond Borders.

Beyond Borders was born out three Filipinas' pride in their culture and its traditions and a sincere desire to preserve them. With an eye-catching product line handmade by Ilocano women and men on antique looms, Beyond Borders makes preserving tradition surprisingly modern.

"Abel" in Ilocano translates to "weave", and it is a craft that has been passed down orally to today's weavers by their elders. Younger generations have been more reluctant to sit at the loom because weaving takes patience and skill, and they are convinced they can earn more hunting for jobs in the city. But, with every item sold, Beyond Borders and its growing customer base prove them wrong! There is a future in keeping crafts alive.

Today, we are focused on raising awareness about the beauty and durability of Abel. We strive to design and innovate products that appeal to the urban markets while maintaining the integrity of traditional hand-weaving. Each product by Beyond Borders is a piece of the Filipino heritage. By supporting the brand and owning the products, you are doing your part to help us get closer to eternally preserving our Filipino tradition of Abel weaving.

Here's the THROW! Marga sent one for me. Now I know what it is. Haha! Thanks Margs! Check out http://www.facebook.com/beyondbordersphilippines for more information.

If you are a balikbayan reading this blog, thanks for taking time! I highly recommend that you have a pasalubong for your friends when you go back to whatever part of the world you're going back to. You really have the power to bring tourists here in the Philippines. I suggest products from Beyond Borders and Guimaras chocolates.

Have any other ideas for reverse pasalubong? :)

CUE: Modern Barbecue

Here I am trying out new things again. I went to CUE: MODERN BARBECUE at the new wing of Bonifacio High Street and all I can say that this is your "cue" to try it out. If you're a meat eater, head on to Cue AS SOON AS YOU CAN!

What should you order? Here's a portion of the menu for you to see. There are loads of choices! The appetizers are already to die for! 

                                      

While you're waiting or still checking out the menu, you get POPCORN! It has a special Barbecue powder that's tangy and a bit spicy which is excellent.

Now here are my recommendations. I'm not a food expert. I'm not a food blogger but just trust me on this one because it is just superb! The CUE Bone Marrow and Steak Tacos. They're to die for! It's very indulgent but it's just the best taco I've ever tasted my entire life. I'm sorry but it's true. Ubod nang sarap talaga ng tacos na to!

It has other fillings you can put like corn and this special pesto/herby type sauce that's just excellent! 

If there's one thing you'll order, it's gotta be the steak tacos!

The House Burger with Sweet Potato Fries! In all honesty, this CUE House Burger can give the other popular burgers in the Philippines a run for its money. Why? The cheese and special sauce inside was AMAZING. No need for ketchup... This House Burger gets it DONE!

The Sweet Potato Fries... KAMOTE FRIES! C'mon, let's be real. The Kamote fries are actually pretty tasty too! It has balanced saltiness and sweetness that's really a great marriage inside the mouth. You know how you don't finish your fries at times? Well.. You'll finish these for sure.

My other recommendations.

BEEF BELLY. Cue's version of the Beef Belly is quite nice when it comes to the blend of flavors. It's just right! It's extremely indulgent so this is best shared with friends. This also comes with Horse Radish on the side.

The Chili Monggo. CUE has a twist to the Chili! We usually have chili with the normal beans right? This one I'll recommend to those who like it really spicy. I'll be honest that I only took one spoon of this because I couldn't handle the spice. But hey, it was a good twist!

So there. Now you know where to eat this weekend! :) Cue: Modern Barbecue is on the lower level of the building across Kabisera in Bonifacio High Street.

The Milla in Manila Experience

I've been fortunate to meet a lot of comic book people from the international scene because of Comic-Con and National Book Store. I've met Hickman, Quesada, Loeb, even Liefeld in San Diego. I met David Lloyd and CB Cebulski here courtesy of NBS. But the one guy I really had the chance to talk to and discuss fanboy things was Mark Millar. THE Mark Millar.

Shame on you if you don't know him. But for the sake of information, he's one of the best comic book writers/ creators in history. He wrote and created WANTED, KICK-ASS, CHOSEN, SUPERIOR, NEMESIS, THE SECRET SERVICE and SUPERCROOKS. For Marvel, he wrote the best selling CIVIL WAR and THE ULTIMATES just to name a few. 

He signed my Chosen book

The man is a genuine nice guy and he's a true fanboy. You can discuss ANYTHING with him. ANYTHING. 

To be honest, I felt like a groupie when he was here. I hung out with him, Leinil Yu, and the kind people of National Book Store. 

I was invited to a dinner for him Friday along with Jonty and a number Filipino Artists like Harvey, Carlo, Jason, Heubert and Ian. The man sat next to me at dinner and that's when I found out how extra cool he was! He knows so much about movies plus he definitely knows his comics. Para siyang kabarkada mo lang. Seriously. He's like another fanboy in the group and finding out that he's down to earth makes him so much cooler, credible, and respectable. But what struck me the most was how polite he was. He'd never forget to say thanks to a waiter or say please. Such great manners! Was he funny? I laughed so many times at his stories and ideas. Too bad I can't divulge on the topics we discussed. 

Saturday was the day of the interview, Jonty and I visited the NBS Glorietta 5 branch to interview him for "These Aren't the Droids You're Looking For" column (Out Friday in The Philippine STAR, YOUNG STAR Section) We got to ask all the nerdy questions we could ask and he even told us about Hollywood stuff you don't get to hear everyday. I brought a copy of Trouble #1 which was the first Millar book I read. Being a Spidey fan, I just had to have it signed. He told me that I was the first one to have him sign a Trouble #1. After that I went to Komikon to moderate some panels. But my interview ended late so I need to say thanks to Tony Tuason of Flipgeeks for covering for me. 

Surprise! Surprise! What KOMIKON fans didn't know was that there was a preview of The Milla in Manila! Mark Millar visited Komikon for a special guest appearance!

Who's that guy in the lower right? :) 

Sunday was the BIG DAY. Mr. Millar had been so jet lagged the whole weekend plus he had tons of interviews. Yet, the professionalism he showed was just amazing. He signed like 1000+ books and he signed for all those who went to the event. I was happy with the fan turn out! A lot of fans really went to the NBS event to see him! It was probably the most successful and biggest comic event in Manila. EVER. I stayed at the sidelines of the stage just relaxing. Yes I have hosted some NBS events but someone with more experience and just as geeky had to be the guy. That's why I was happy it was RJ Ledesma who did it! Before the signing started, I called Mr. Millar and said my goodbye. I wasn't sure when I'd see him again. I said thank you for everything and for visiting the Philippines. It was really such a privilege and blessing meeting and hanging out with the man himself. 

Happy Fanboy courtesy @nbsalert

Monster Crowd!

Fans raising their copies of Supercrooks #1

Fan Art courtesy of the awesome Apol Sta Maria

Thank you National Book Store for making this possible! I had the most awesome experience. Imagine a fanboy hanging out with one of his heroes? Man... I'll never forget it.

I don't know if Mr. Millar will ever stumble upon this small blog but Mr. Millar, MABUHAY KA! It was really such an honor :)

He was actually the one who thought of wearing my glasses

Mom's Philosophy

"You can always say things in a nice way"

Since it's Mother's Day this Sunday... this one's for you Mom

That phrase makes a difference. I've been working for almost 5 years now. My mom taught me that you can always say things in a nice way. I've never shouted or raised my voice at work or anywhere else. You can always treat the person you're talking to with respect even if you're already very angry. Everyone deserves respect...

I see that you can raise your credibility and professionalism because of that. If you need to get a message across, you can always say it positively or in a calm and collected way.

If you're still in school or starting out, try it. It makes a huge difference. Imagine being shouted at compared to someone speaking to you in a calm and collected way but just equally angry and disappointed.

Again, no matter what, treat anyone with respect. Oh, and if you have nothing nice to say, just keep quiet :)

Thanks for teaching me that Mom :) Happy Mother's Day!

The Avengers - A Celebration of Geek Life

No SPOILERS here I promise :)

In 2008, MARVEL released Jon Favreau's masterpiece that was Iron Man. Robert Downyey Jr. made it back to stardom when he played Tony Stark. He was awesome! It was in Iron Man where the MARVEL Studios logo debuted. :)

I saw my cousin Miko when it showed April 30 if I'm not mistaken. I was told "hintayin mo bonus scene. basta." It was in that movie where I really geeked out when Nick Fury appeared and mentioned "The Avenger Initiative"

MARVEL just said that they were building something HUGE! It was a whole plan for a big crossover movie that has never been done before. Sadly, even if DC Comics could do it, they couldn't. They didn't see it coming. Being the Marvel Zombie that I am, I'm glad DC didn't do it. So anyway, the MARVEL then released in chronological order The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, THOR, and Captain America: The First Avenger. 

There were questions on who would direct the film and thank God it was JOSS WHEDON! He was the best choice!

Fast forward to April 25, 2012 and we got the greatest superhero movie of all time, MARVEL's The Avengers.

Jonty and I watch comic book movies together. It's a brotherly thing and I'm grateful that I have a really understanding girlfriend. Misha always lets us have our brotherly gimik.

MARVEL's The Avengers is probably THE MOST ANTICIPATED COMIC BOOK MOVIE of this century. The build up was great and I really tried to lower my expectations. It didn't work... BUT MAN DID IT DELIVER!!!

Having your brother next to you who's also a comic book geek is fantastic! 

The whole movie is a celebration of geek life! Earlier today, I talked to people at work who watched and we were giving ourselves High-Fives! Hahaha! It's just a fantastic movie filled with soooooooo many geek out moments!!! One would really cry in joy with what MARVEL showed. It's just f*#%in phenomenal!!! AMAZEBALLS!!! HOLY SHIT!!! COWABUNGA!!! Seriously, when do guys do that? In basketball games? Not in movies! This was a first for me! Everyone was just really really happy! 

There were kids in the showing last night and surprisingly none of them were annoying like "Who's that Daddy?" There were no side comments in my showing too! There was just respect for the fellow geek!

The movie does NOT disappoint!!!

If you're the type who says "Nah, I'll wait till it dies down...". SHAME ON YOU. This movie is just super super awesome!!!

I'm still on an Avengers high!!!

Yes, I stood at THE ACTUAL HELLICARRIER set piece. This was in San Diego last year :) Hahaha! :P

Celtic Love

image courtesy of Yahoo! Sports

At the start of the season, my boys have been dealing with old legs, new team mates, heart operations, back-to-back-to-back games, trade rumors, and teams with faster legs.

I just wanted my beloved Celtics to have one last push for another banner. With the way they're playing now, I really don't know what happened, but hell yeah are they playing fantastic basketball!

Playoffs are about 2 weeks from now and I don't know if my Celtics will get the Atlantic Division title. It's still too early at this point but I'm happy that they're peaking at the right time. 

They seem to handle the Heat well but it's the Bulls I'm worried about because Thibodeau was Doc's assistant during the glory days of the BIG 3. 

I'm just glad that they're playing amazing basketball!

This particular era of Celtic Basketball will always be near and dear to me. I watched the 2008 Championship Run when my Lola was still alive. She was able to see one more Celtic title before she left this world and I'll forever be grateful to Doc, The Truth, Ray-Ray, Perk, Rondo, and KG for that. It was even against the damn Lake Show!

I love this team!

#iamaceltic

Shirts for the Pinoy Geek! - ELECTROMAGNETIC TENTACLE

I think one of the most difficult things to do in life is to make people laugh. It takes a lot of wit and you need to be clever. You can't be corny whatsoever! One of the things you can't take away from Pinoys are the Humor Shirts. What's better for me is that when it has a really Geeky Twist!

There's a group of people who cater to these Filipino Geeks who crave for these humor tees! ELECTROMAGNETIC TENTACLE is the brand that will give you that geeky goodness with a Filipino Twist!

The first shirt that I found so cool, amusing, and entertaining at the same time was this shirt that had SPOCK from Star Trek in a Vulcanizing Shop! He was all dirty with tires and he was doing the "Live Long and Prosper" hand gesture! 

What else made me laugh? The Cobra Commander in a long dress with a rolling pin ready to pound! It was the Cobra “Kummander”! Ghost Rider in a Pedicab! Aquaman at a Fishball stand and talking to the fishballs! WITTY SHIRTS INDEED!

Electromagnetic Tentacle is consisted of people, sorry, geeks who work at ad agencies by day and T Shirt Designers after work!

Last Christmas, they had a shirt of Green Lantern holding a Parol!!! C’mon, is that genius or what? Other popular shirts consist of The Angry Birds being in a Sabong! Manny Pacquiao in 8-Bit Glory from the 80s game Punchout! . Iron Man's costume scattered in a kariton! But my personal favorite being the Spider-Man fan that I am is a shirt called Spiderfight. You know how Pinoys get a barbecue stick and let spiders fight on it? Well, they made a shirt with Spider-Man and Venom fighting and crawling in a barbecue stick!

Just recently they released new shirts which is already their 3rd line or also known as The 3rd Mutations! The line has the Angry Birds in a sabong which they say has gone through 3 reprints already! They have Lion-O as a street vendor, shouting “TaHOOOOOOOOO! “ and they have The Panday wielding the sword of Voltes V. 

November 19, they released The 4th Mutations at the KOMIKON at the Pasig Bayanihan Center. These featured Leonidas kicking with a slipper screaming “This is SPARTAN”, He-Man as a Shrimp called “He-Pon”, Galactus with barbecued planets, Spawn next to a Fork, Balisongs as Lightsabers which has a Jedi and Sith version, and the Beatles walking down Abbey Road with John Lennon turning back and saying “Yokona!” 

I’m certain that these guys have more shirts on the way. They already have a huge following among the Pinoy Geeks and they’ll only get stronger! Why don’t you get a friend a shirt? Electromagnetic Tentacle T-Shirts can be found online and you can visit their Facebook page by searching for Electromagnetic Tentacle or you can go straight to their website www.electromagnetictentacle.com