Due to our very tight schedule, for the first night in the city we opted for a hostel as we might be on the road come nightfall.

Clean, spanking brand-new kind of feeling to the rooms and place - the dorm bunks the four of us occupied were spacious and well-designed. You have your own cabinet with lock (inside are the towel and blanket for your use) and a rack for hanging clothes. While that may be common with other dorm rooms, what I appreciated was the designer's regard for roominess.

The common bath and toilets are big enough to be comfortable when doing your ablutions. Unlike others I've come across before, they bundle the shower and toilet into one cubicle and you can even dance inside if you want to. The drains are working so I like this design rather than going out after a shower and going to the toilet to finish your business :-)

The cubicle has a hook, a shelf for putting up your things - really thought out for the harried backpacker who will also appreciate the hairdryer and clean washbasin area.

You must leave your shoes below before going up the stairs (no elevator) - contributing to the overall cleanliness of the place. The people were welcoming and gave us a cold drink upon arrival - thoughtful as we were somewhat parched.

In the lobby area is a table where you can have your breakfast - which we sadly had to skip the first day, but we did manage to taste on our last day in Yangon. It is bundled with your stay, and while it varies, it was a welcome treat to be able to taste it on our last day. By the side, a stack of longyis for the males and females are up for sale, along with cold drinks etc.

They have wifi, though its not the fastest in the world, you will be able to post on its provided speed. The aircon was good enough for the cool temperature lover like me, though be careful for those staying in dorm rooms, it might freeze the occupants of the top beds if you do not take that into consideration when you set it up.

Reading light and night light available, power outlet to charge your gadgets only 1 outlet per person) while you snooze and you are all set. Ah, probably what I will suggest is that they add a mirror to the back of the door of the rooms so one does not have to pop to the bathing area.

The single room we took for our last day in Yangon had a balcony overlooking the street, so that is an option if you don't want to rub shoulders with others. The 4-bed dormroom we had earlier had no view.

Noticed the surrounding area was great for photowalk - we passed by a vegetable market and stalls on the streets, and unless I miss my guess, local food would be available very near to the hostel as the locals go about their business on the streets.

The Scwedagon Pagoda is around 20 minutes walking distance.

Word of caution - during rainy season, it might be challenging staying here - one of the guests we talked to said it was flooded in front of the hostel the day before our second visit.


11 Myaynigone Zay Street • Sanchaung Township • Yangon, Myanmar
T +95 9 250903363 • E contact@pickledteahostel.com
http://www.pickledteahostel.com/

Stayed: August 27, 2015 and September 1, 2015

The man called "Heneral Articulo Uno" - a review of Heneral Luna.

Sipping piping-hot native chocolate, a friend in Cebu mentioned not having watched “Heneral Luna”, a Filipino film which has recently been much-praised and much-touted in the Philippine film industry and by fellow-Filipinos. I expressed curiosity and made arrangements to accompany my friend the following day. I also managed to bring my mom along even if she is not overly fond of Filipino films. I told the latter we would be seeing some “bigote” (mustache) action. Hehe!

I cannot remember when I veered away from historical dramas and biographies. It has been ages since I’ve sat down in a movie theater or in front of the idiot box to see any Filipino or Tagalog films or television series.

The quality of the plethora of Philippine movies advertised in the yearly film festivals, as well as the heap of soap operas dished out with no discrimination on our TV screens - such “entertainment” to me, was at best, only a momentary distraction from the nitty-gritty of real life and far too bland as a mishmash of whatever the producers, writers or directors could think of at that time to spit out to the accepting public.

Taking a chance on the film in this review - it has turned out to be different from what I had expected.

I had read very few reviews on this film beforehand - information about the film was poured like a raging flood on the internet by enthusiastic countrymen who seemed to have been rejuvenated by a film about an honest-to-goodness Filipino hero - a leader to look up to in these trying days when it seems nothing has changed.

Generally speaking…the poor are well, still poor, the working class sends its breadwinners abroad, the rich are getting richer and a graph showing how many leaders are mostly known for their foibles than their true accomplishments would not be curving downwards - not anytime soon anyway.
We are still indeed our own worst enemy - and after all this time,

Skipping the film’s synopsis on the internet, I preferred to quietly sit and softly sift through the movie’s flowing scenes with a clean slate – armed only with vague memories dug up from afternoons of Philippine History lessons in high school.

Did I enjoy watching the movie - in it's totality, in its depiction of Heneral Antonio Luna and the other major characters who had defined a momentous part of Philippine history?

Creative liberties being taken by the producers aside, I can answer unequivocally - yes.

The humor which was injected into certain acts in the film was certainly Filipino. Something familiar. Something that the public would usually resonate to.
It was not a dry, urbane, morose retelling of how Luna persuaded *cough threatened? cough* people to his cause, steadfastly directed his military troops and faithful men, snatched clandestine moments with his beautiful Red Cross ladylove, dealt with President Aguinaldo and those he deemed as traitors to the nation.

It was a well-crafted series of scenes depicting Antonio Luna as a Filipino man - a human being like the rest of us, with feet of clay but striving manfully to be true to his own personal beliefs about what was good and just for his Motherland. He was portrayed as fiery, prone to curses (puñeta!) and loving his mother and this country with almost equal fervor – ready to die, ready to spill his own blood. In this day and age where more people are ever-ready to spill the other persons' blood for their own selfish betterment, who cannot help but be awed by this portrayal of a man with his nationalistic fervor and honest reactions, by his seeming nobility of spirit, by his trimmed mustache quivering in indignation against the perceived insult and injury to the Filipino people?

Do I think it is worth an Oscar award? That it would win an Oscar?
No.

It cannot be denied that the quality and caliber of this film is light years away from most of the Filipino canned, formulaic films we’ve been subjected to all these years.

Indeed, the direction of how the beautiful cinematography, ingenuous, well-thought-out script and theater-worthy acting were meld into an almost seamless tapestry of a riveting story - the Filipino audience will be elated to see at long last such “quality” standards making its presence felt in a Filipino film.

While its talented and familiar actors are certainly more than equal to the task of bringing to life one of our more colorful heroes and other players in this defining era of the our country’s history, I think back to the award-winning films I’ve seen, and regrettably, I do not feel that vicious “tug” on my heart and psyche that makes me jump to my feet and shout with glee - "It’s a shoo-in for Oscar night!" In short, competition is tough on this arena.

An important lesson I learned during business school is that, it doesn’t matter how or what you think, what matters is how your professor thinks. In the same way, it is the target audience for a movie which must be pleased, whose taste buds must be satisfied with gusto. The same way with the reviewers of such film festivals and contests.

While quite Filipino in its depiction of how my countrymen would react in situations (that train scene image where the temperamental General whipped the hangers-on out of the train will remain with me for some time!) such as a war in the late 1800s, or life these days for the modern Filipino, I had this niggling impression that a film camera was trained at the scenes of a theater production.

I felt that it had a theatrical bent, but was restrained from going full-blast as it was handled as a film and not an on stage production.

A historical story, a biopic film, which would have been typically given a serious tone and treatment, except that it must also appeal to a Filipino audience which unfortunately had been fed on a surfeit of dramas, canned shows, foreign films imported from abroad. It must beguile, it must enchant and it must not go overboard with black and white portrayals of the leaders of the revolution and war.

This is not to say that this film has not valiantly attempted to entertain as well as educate the almost-fried and dried palate of the Filipino movie viewers.

That this film, proudly and unashamedly, determinedly tackled Heneral Antonio Luna’s story to bring to the big screen - a biography of a larger-than-life hero but still seemingly distant figure who usually is relegated these days to decorate street names or staid history books not even probably taken seriously by the average Filipino student – that in itself is a feat that Heneral Luna himself may laud with a snappy military salute.

That it has generated all this positive response about its presence is a factor that I sincerely hope would mean better or superlative quality films being made by our talented filmmakers in the future – a fervent wish and long-held cherished dream that one day the majority of our films will garner its own share of critical and financial acclaim on a global scale.

Maybe Heneral "Articulo Uno" Luna’s ghost may rise up and decry my opinion (screaming puñeta! into my ear) but surely he cannot cite Articulo Uno at me for my article on one of the films depicting his life and role in our history :-)

Review: Hotel 1001 Malam

I highly recommend this if you are touring Yogyakarta and do not want to just stay at the usual hotel but want to be closer to the busy life of the locals. This is the second hotel we stayed at during our visit - the first one we had chosen due to its proximity to Borobodur, but for a city tour and photowalk exploring the market and other attractions, this is a good place to start.

Location - in the heart of the backpackers' district it may be, and as such its within walking distance to some tourist spots you might like to just explore by walking about, or maybe enjoy the dining experience of the restaurants across or near the lodgings. Department stores are also quite near.

If you are a first time visitor and just venture here on your own, you may not easily find this place, because its located in an inner street leading off from the main road. However, once you find it, you will appreciate where its situated - not too near the outside street to be so noisy so its an oasis of peace should you wish for some rest, and at the same time if you want to have a night out then its safe coming back.

Interiors - I really appreciated the way they have designed and furnished the hotel. Attention to detail can be seen with the art on the walls, interesting books, and the varied Javanese-style decorations. Its also very clean and I didn't have any problems with the hot water shower even if we were on the second floor. 

Service - The staff are accommodating and service-oriented. I didn't feel bad about being left behind (as my group had earlier flights) and enjoyed my stay for the rest of the day. There is no tv though in the room..but well, if you are in Yogya as a tourist, why indulge in tv?

I didn't try their tour packages, but I think their airport transfer service was much appreciated by my companion who had to leave very early in the morning. I also took the service when it was my turn and it was quickly arranged.

There is a limited choice of breakfast, but its quite healthy and promptly served. This is a definitely a good find and a place to return to should I visit Yogyakarta again.

Room tip: I prefer to have rooms at the balcony instead of on the first floor because I like lounging around on a higher elevation.

Bookmark to Self: Alton Brown's Scones Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup cream
1 egg
Handful dried currants or dried cranberries
Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well. Cut in butter and shortening. In a separate bowl, combine cream with beaten egg then add to dry ingredients. Stir in fruit. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll dough out and cut into biscuit size rounds. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown.

Alton Brown's Scones

Bookmark to Self: How to Grow Ginger

How to Grow Ginger

Bookmark to Self: How to Grow Turmeric

Growing Turmeric

Review: Pinto Art Museum

Antipolo for me is way far off...but the expansive, beautiful gardens and exhibits of Philippine contemporary art was worth the long trip from Makati City.

My first thought was - wow! I never thought something like this existed in Antipolo. 

Art galleries are spread around the country, but "Pinto Art Museum" took me back to the last time I had visited an outdoor museum (that was in Japan ages ago). I had enjoyed it so much but didn't think there was anything back in my country which could have the same kind of thrust. This is still not of the level of what I had experienced in that other one, but it does not make it less enjoyable and it is all the more unique and precious because it is Filipino.

The verdant and green gardens would surely be enjoyed by children with their energetic scampering around. A big rocking horse, unusual sundial, even a shabby-chic bed can be seen when you first enter the grounds and situated near the gallery shop which, during the time we were here, made me gape in astonishment - it featured works which reminded me of the decor I find in the old Catholic churches back in my hometown - harking all the way back to the Spanish-colonial era. Small wonder as the artist was known to have a hand in restoring some churches in Bohol.

There's a smattering of mission-style buildings on the grounds - and its white outlines against the flowering shrubs and other art installations gives it a look which makes you think - surely you must be in another country?

The display of Philippine contemporary art, which encompasses Dr. Joven Cuanang's collection
and other for sale items will take some time to go over. If you breeze through it, you may not notice or appreciate just-around-the-corner whimsical exhibits. One room which startled me featured gentle murmuring voices of women - appropriately titled "Usapang Babae" (Women Talk) and not only was it amusing but the room was cool - a good respite from the heat which does plague the country during this time.

There was this room which made me think of a night spent in a zen-like bamboo grove in Japan - complete with water plopping daintily into water basins filled with round smooth pebbles. All very soothing and smelling of green leaves.

Aside from paintings and sculptures which make you pause, the architecture of the buildings housing the collection is delightful. You might see some bamboo on the ceilings, a wooden bench which totally belongs to the "art" theme and despite the huge space, wheelchair-bound visitors do not have to worry about the stairs from one room to another as there's a ramp.

There's also a cafe inside though it was closed during our visit. If you come here during weekends, this art museum would be probably more crowded...but aside from the visitor which might like to see art, its also now and then populated with those interested in having a prenup-photoshoot or even possibly a picnic.

I could wax ecstatic about this museum situated in the Silangan Gardens - even if I felt I didn't get to see all of it a s we were in a rush with other matters, I certainly would like to visit this again.

"Pinto" means door in Filipino.

- 18th March 2013, Antipolo City, Philippines