Weekend Report: Useless Tofu Adobo

Some good-old weekend report...

I had the temerity to cook adobo for Lara Stone last Saturday. We met at the supermarket in Silom and we got some tofu in lieu of chicken or pork because Lara is a vegetarian. I could have ran to the nearby Filipino store for Silver Swan soy sauce but we did not have time for it.

Instead I used some Thailand-made soy sauce, which was too light for my taste. I ended up pouring a whole bottle of soy sauce into the pan of diced tofu. Of course we know how salty that would get. I poured out some of the soy sauce from the pan and added loads of sugar, which helped little in the salty situation I was caught up in.

But that was not the only cooking emergency that evening. The red rice we were cooking in the rice cooker had too much water, it was nearly porridge-like. I had to scoop out some of the water while it was boiling.

I don't know why I braved cooking for him that evening when I know very well that I'm not exactly a kitchen diva. I don't even like food, period. I tried to be the hero of course by refusing Lara's offer to help in the kitchen (what does he know about Filipino food, aber?). Instead, I left him on the couch watching a football game between The Netherlands and Japan. The result of the match surely made Lara happy.

Back to dinner. I served the dinner with trepidation and I even warned Lara that it was not how I wanted the adobo to taste like. But Lara was kind enough to eat the adobo tofu. He said in fact that it wasn't as bad as I proclaimed it was. And we all know he was just being polite.

I swear the tofu was uber salty. I even ended up dousing it with copious amounts of vinegar, which all the more made the adobo taste despicable. The rice was good though and we ate most of it and left the salty adobo alone.

Time to say goodbye to my dream of becoming a housewife.

The evening progressed to us watching 500 Days of Summer. It was a choice between Cinema Paradiso and the romantic comedy. Obviously we chose the right film. Hahaha.

I always wake up an hour or two earlier than Lara. Yesterday I took that time to read the first chapter of Miguel Syjuco's Ilustrado, which my sister gave me for my birthday.

When Lara woke up we had breakfast, after which he started massive cleaning of his apartment while I sat on the floor sorting out DVDs. The cleaning took the most part of the morning and we eventually treated ourselves to some laps in the pool at about noontime. I'm proud to report that I've significantly improved my freestyle. London 2012 here I come!

We took a ride to Little India in the afternoon to get some fabrics to drape his couch with. We decided to use three colors of fabric to give the living room a much-needed burst of color. I've never done fabric shopping before and it was quite a delight to rummage through rolls and rolls of dusty cotton.

Lara, I discovered does not like purple. I don't get it; tell me what's wrong with purple, aber?

Orgasmic DP Tees

We all know that I'm the biggest fan of Fuchsiaboy; well, despite having been dethroned as BFF Number 1. That's life, you know. But I'm still very loyal to Her Royal Highness and he knows very well that my life would be completely meaningless without him. What to do, aber?

In my recent trip to reaffirm my allegiance to the Queen of Siem Reap (and Beyond), I snagged a couple of Don Protasio (DP) t-shirts from his very own boutique, Poetry.

I have been saving every penny just to buy some of his super expensive items. Hermes isdatchyu? Gosh, I haven't been eating for three months now. Fortunately, through the uber benevolent heart of Fuchsiaboy, he gave me "friendly" prices.

I finally have my Bird Tees. God knows I've long been praying to have one of these tees. They're pretty much THE signature DP print, chai mai? The fabric is called micromodal, supposedly a material commonly used for underwear. They're sensuously soft and light, and just perfect for the summer.

The other shirt I got is also made of micromodal. I found this on the women's rack. You know me, I'm not intimidated to wear women's clothes, something that was imbibed by no less than HRH Fuchsiaboy ITSELF. Donita, you cannot accuse me of not learning from you, non?

The shirt drapes beautifully all the way to the thigh. It is also asymmetrical, with a twisted seaming. I fell in love with it the first time I donned it, I practically went berserk inside the dressing room.  

Danggit, Bai!

I arrived from Cebu last Friday evening, hence, a travel report is in order, chai mai? I know it's rather late but the weekend was busy as hell, with too many things to do (chief of which was buying a new bed... fucking FINALLY!) and catch up with friends and all.

There's really nothing much to say about the conference, except that it went well in general. I also met a few former colleagues from Manila, and that for me was the highlight of the event.

Oh, a few notes on the hotel. It's lovely but I had higher expectations from such an overpriced resort. I was largely underwhelmed by the facilities, to be honest, although the service was very warm, I have to note. I'm not supposed to complain anyway coz I did not pay for the accommodations.

Evenings, after the meetings, were spent with the family of course. My mom looks way better than when I last saw her last December. She decided to change treatments and the effects are showing. She could walk properly now and her spirit is considerably upbeat. I cannot be more elated.

My brother, on the other hand, is moving to Manille in about a couple of months. Should be exciting for him. It'd be his first time to live with my sister, who is not easy as a housemate, having lived with her for some years my self. Kidding, dahling! My sister is a gem (rolls eyes clockwise). Well, she really is (rolls eyes counter-clockwise)!

I also met a couple of cousins from my mom's side and of course Mansing.

And then I swapped updates with BFF Nikki and Philmar. We even managed to terrorize the hotel with hours and hours of camwhoring. Of course.

The next day, I was scheduled to meet again my mom and brother but they were like late so I had so much free time I decided to buy one shirt. And then the shirts just piled until at the end of the day I also snagged a pair of jeans from Bleach Catastrophe (which was on sale) and a pair of sandals for the summer, among other things. I swear I did not plan to shop, but of course we all know how impulsive I am with these things. Now I have to live on subsistence level for the rest of the month.

Anyhoot, before we left for BKK, my boss asked me to take him to the statue of Lapu-lapu, which is like three minutes by car from the hotel. Lapu-lapu is supposedly Las Islas Filipinas' first national hero after killing Magellan in the battle of Mactan. But what they did not mention in the history books is that Lapu-lapu went to the gym! Damn, those pecs!

We left for Bangkok last Friday, via Manille, where I met BFF Meredel at the airport. She's as divine as ever! We only had about an hour to spare before my flight took off. So we quickly updated each other on who's getting married among our classmates from the university. Gosh, there had been hordes of them getting hitched, and more to follow I learned!

Guess who got a safety pin pendant?
Oh, I brought some danggit from Cebu, what else, aber? I invited Liwayway and Bubbles to my house last Sunday. The kitchen and the office lobby smelled of dried fish the moment we started frying them, which we then dipped in vinegar. What else is there to do but eat with our hands, di ba?

We also had some calamansi juice, dried mangoes, and otap!!! It was a perfect Pinoy brunch. Liwayway also brought some white wine, hence, we were on the table for hours.

Liwayway's Birthday

Obligatory weekend report... if it's not too late yet.

Last Sunday was the 20th birthday of uber girl friend Ms Liwayway... one more year and she can legally drink alcohol.

But wait, doesn't she look 17? I swear, the concierge at the cinema still asks for her ID whenever we watch R-18 movies. I'm sooo not joking. I wish Liwayway would one day tell me what her beauty secret is.

But really, I have an idea. Liwayway consistently has the most positive disposition. I have many friends who are naturally sunny but she is simply on top of the list. And she has this child-like exuberance that's totally infectious. Don't we just wish there are more of her around us?

Let's go back to the weekend... Liwayway brought Bubbles and me to a restaurant near Asok. The place is called Crepes and Company (I'm not exactly certain) and it's set in a small, pretty garden brimming with... plants, what else?

Fortunately, Liwayway reserved a table outdoor, which was probably hard to get on a Sunday. The place is packed, I tell you. And there were gazillions of these little human-looking creatures running and screaming and crying all over the place. What do you call them again?

Otherwise, the restaurant was a very pleasant escape. It felt like we were not in the middle of the madness of Sukhumvit.

The crepes of course were the highlight of the afternoon (well, except for the company, needless to say). I don't really remember what we ordered; I guess I had something called Casablanca or some title of a black and white film.

And while Liwayway and I had another set of crepes for dessert, Bubbles dug deep into his ginormous serving of banana split. I crossed my self and prayed to the Virgin Mother when I saw that heap of sugar landing in front of Bubbles.

Apres lunch Bubbles and I went to Central World for some window shopping. I love window shopping with him coz he always stops me whenever I attempt to buy something (although I did insist on buying a polka dot bag last Sunday).

And then we stopped by Siam Square to visit a couple of galleries. At White Space, one of my favorite galleries in town, we found this exhibit of paintings wherein the artist used his own blood as medium. I love it!!!

So there that's my weekend report (looking straight at you, Gibo...).

I'm seriously occupied at the office this week and for the rest of the month so my posts would either be very brief or sporadic. I'm on Twitter though and that's where my whining and campiness will be posted for the meantime. My account is @GirardPhilip.

Also, I'm looking forward to the visit of La Fuchsiaboy this Friday... straight from Las Islas Filipinas where he presented his latest collection.

I'm expecting yet another shopping marathon this weekend (at least for Fuchsiaboy).

No. I'm not going to spend... that's my mantra for this month. I'm like saving for this two-week trip in December and that's where all my energy and money are going.

The Materialist

Following the trend set by Fuchsiaboy, the grand dame of Siem Reap, I now come out with my latest edition of Fashion Diary.

Gosh, it has been a long time since I posted about my clothes, di ba? So please, I shall indulge in torso-whoring today, OK mai?

As I might have mentioned quite a number of times lately, I have been on a shopping mania of sorts. Although perhaps for many people it's not really like going overboard but for my personal standards I think I really went all out the past few months.

OK, blame the mid-year sales, girls. Every time I see clothes on sale I feel a deep sympathy for them. It's like those are the unwanted pieces. I therefore know I'm saving these clothes from feeling that the world has turned its back on them.

Kill me now if it's a sin to be kind to clothes.

Anyhoot, let's start, shall we?

First is this off-white shirt that I got from a second-hand shop of women clothes in Siam Square. Now look at the details of those buttons, aren't they the cutest?

I also got this black piece of a blouse from the same second-hand shop. I usually prefer slimmer tops but I got attracted to the neck detail of this item that I had to make an exception.

Now, the next piece gave me multiple orgasms when I found it in Suan Lum Night Bazaar last June. Check out that flap in the front and of course the square cut-out on the left shoulder. Who would not buy such a statement piece, aber?

No, I'm not going to name the shop because I don't want every moneyboy in Silom to be wearing the same item. Harharhar.

When Fuchsiaboy visited Bangkok I brought him to the same shop where he eventually bought a shirt with built-in scarves. Now, Donita, when are you going to show it to us?

I also went with Fuchsiaboy when I bought the next item. We had to go all the way to an off-center boutique cum interior decoration shop in Sukhumvit (no, I will not mention the shop again... bleh!).

[Note to Donita: Marsey, wag mong i-mention sa comment section ang mga brands ha. In my bitchy opinion, medyo crass ang mag drop ng brands (oh, that rule only applies to me).]

Only Donita wanted to get some stuff from Alchemist but when I checked the racks of the other brands and I found this quirky little item with an extra collar in the left seam. I swear I felt my ovaries quiver.

I wouldn't have been able to afford the shirt on regular days but thank God they were on sale. I got it for such a ridiculously cheap price that I would be fucking foolish not to buy it at all.

An oh, Donita, here's that piece I told you about last week.

This is a brand I've long wanted to have as part of my collection of Thai labels. When the said label went on sale last week I knew it was my ONLY chance to own an item from them so I had no choice but to buy this piece at half the price.

I really had strong reservations that it's see-through (fuck, I could not still afford the more decent shirts even if they were on sale). See-through is soooooo call boy in QC circle, di ba mga bayot?

Anyway, I wore a singlet in the photo below coz I don't have the right flaunting my utong around this blog. With the singlet, girls, what do you think?

The brand is really known to be so over-the-top and this item in particular has all these beading details that makes it uber gay I could easily pass off as a back-up dancer to those kathoey shows.

I seriously wonder if I can pull it off in some occasion in the future. Otherwise I'd just hang it on my wall as decoration (thanks Donita for the advice).

Let's go to accesories, shall we, girls?

Below are two medal-like thingies I found in Platinum. I've been eyeing these accesories for quite some time now and I knew then I would have to get my hands on these before the rest of the fashion-forward Bangkokians start wearing them.

Check out how the bayot wore the "medals" together with the black thingie with an extra collar.

Lastly, I give a big shout-out and thanks to Donita (as if he has not already been mentioned like a thousand times in this post alone) for the tassle neck piece that you gave me. I hope I'm giving it justice by wearing it with a gray sweater and pek-pek shorts. I actually had this look just today.

Oh, one last piece of advice, bitches. Pek-pek shorts is the way to go in the next few months. Now do more lunges, squats, and leg raises for me.

Carry on...

Summer Style

BangCock is sooooo deep into the summer season. We have around 35 degrees nearly everyday since March and the unbelievable humidity is draining the hell out of me.

On weekends I simply refuse to leave my building until at least four in the afternoon, and even then the heat can still cause buckets of sweat to drip from my frail body. Choz!

I hate summer, I really do. But wait, it's going to get worse now that we just stepped into April. Can I sleep through summer, please? And if I can, wake me up when the rains come, will you?

Now if there's anything cute about summer is that I have the chance to reinvent my daily wardrobe. It's ironic that I'm into this black (and sometimes gray) phase when we should all be wearing colors for the season. But I've already explained before why I'm back to black.

Fortunately, I invested in flimsy black t-shirts, which can still be appropriate for BangCock's sweltering heat.

I feel sooooo liberated now that I'm wearing predominantly black. Uniform anyone? I don't have the daily dilemma of thinking hard over what to wear. And I can even don the same set of shirts week after week without anyone noticing it.

You wanna take a peek of my summer looks?

Well, I'm doing a lot of the rolling of the pants thing. I truly love its casual effect, especially when worn with my faux-leather sneakers.

I'm also experimenting with a black hat lately, which seems practical in shielding the face from harmful UV rays, di ba?

Oh, and please take note of the bag in the picture below. I got it from Chatuchak last December and it says LOWCLASS. So me, non?

Lookie, lookie Fuchsiaboy... I'm wearing the super diaphanous black tee from Giordano Concepts that you sent me. But because it's practically a baby tee, I layered it with my striped, moneyboy shirt (right Bangkok Bitch?).

Oh, also notice the shorts? I'm cutting many of my old jeans and trousers to make them more summer-appropriate.
May I also show you my first Playhound t-shirt? Playhound is a relatively popular brand in Thailand, mainly among young people. But as a minimum-wage earner, I've always found their prices too steep.

Fortunately, they had a sale last January (or was that February, Kiks?) so I bought this cute shirt with Playhound's signature Mickey Mouse prints. I realized later on that it is actually a girl's tee, and I could not be more pleased!

Another relatively new acquisition is this Greyhound shirt. Greyhound is the older sister of Playhound, and of course more pricey. They also had a sale last Jan/Feb and God knows that it was my only chance to buy anything from them, hence this black shirt. I bought it mainly for collection purposes.

I plan to slowly collect more stuff from Thai designers and fashion houses. I'm crazy over their clothes. Makes me want to sell my body everytime I covet any of their items coz even if they are locally made they are still Mahalia Jackson.

I really, really want a piece from Theatre, Headquarters, Baking Soda, Tube Gallery, ANR, and all those other shops in Siam Centre.

But wait, I also NEED a piece from WWA (see their blog here), that sensational avant garde clothing store in Siam Square that Fuchsiaboy and I want to raid. But dahling, one shirt is the cost of a roundtrip ticket to Las Islas Filipinas... and you know me, I choose an edgy shirt over seeing my family, chai mai?

Now who do I need to blow around here who'd give me all the money for those clothes?

A Bubbly Weekend

Saturday afternoon, ferosha Bubbles and I took a cab to Pratunam...

... and we ended up inside the vast and labyrinthine Platinum mall...

... where Bubbles tried on a few pants. But alas, none of them fit him. We all know how small the sizes are in most Thai markets, chai mai? Meanwhile, I bought three black shirts.

We moved to Central World where we found lomo cameras sold outside the mall.

We drank outside the mall, soaked in the nice, warm weather, and appreciated how the setting sun cast a beautiful glow on the surrounding buildings.

Inside the mall was a lion dance show for the Chinese New Year.

While watching the show the paparazzi caught us...

... also while Bubbles was shopping.

And more paparazzi shots while having coffee where we also met some Filipino tourists.

We went outside again for dinner while watching an international music festival. Wonderful performances!

But the paparazzi was all over the place.

So we went back inside Central World for some post-dinner coffee.

But the paparazzi was unstoppable.

We fled them by running to Lang Suan, that string of bars at the edge of Lumphini Park. We were there as well the previous evening. It had been more than a year since Bubbles and I were at Lang Suan. And we thought we needed to check out the place again.

Although the boys there are gorgeous, perhaps the hottest in any gay bar in the entire BangCock area (and there are many), the music is just bloody horrendous. Oh, don't let me explain further. The music is simply not my type. Period. So for that sole reason, we avoided going to Lang Suan for the longest time and opted for Soi 2 instead.

But fortunately last Friday we ended up in one Lang Suan bar that plays decent remixes and house music. Now why didn't we find this much earlier? And for that, I think I'm going to be a Lang Suan regular.

I also like Lang Suan coz the people are more relaxed, none of the stuck-up bitches in most Silom bars. And the Lang Suan crowd looks more... uhmmm... expensive. May breeding kumbaga.

Furthermore, the men go there with a pack of friends to go drinking and dancing, and sleaze is not part of the agenda it seems. None of the prancing and snaring that one sees in other bars in you know where. Very, very laid back indeed.

And lastly, they have way better fashion sense than in any gay area in BangCock, noh!

But the bars in Lang Suan close promptly at 2 a.m. (some even earlier). So last Saturday after Lang Suan, Bubbles and I hopped to nearby Silom. Deciding to stay away from THE bar, we instead checked out the other bars in Soi 2. Lo and behold, the we ended up bumping into the same Lang Suan crowd (more or less). Couldn't complain, dahling.

The evening (or early morning) ended with Bubbles and I hanging outside Soi 2, watching a parade of men leaving the bars/clubs. Goodness, I lost count of the many well-dressed bayots! Some of them were just perfect for a shot in a street-style blog, I swear. I was practically squealing at the magnificence of what some bayots were wearing. Oh, I'm soooo inspired!