A Foreign Feeling

First off, let me just say that Japan is a dream. I do not live in Tokyo with its streets bursting with people and color. I live in Okayama, where the skyline is consistently green and blue (now subtly changing to orange and gray as fall prepares to land). It has a city with lively businesses and warm restaurants. But it does not seem preoccupied with trying to become the next big capital. It goes about its own pace, trams shuttling people on a strict schedule still, but with the residents having the distinct air of living in a routine that they do not mind continuing. People are never late here, but they are never in a hurry, either. They just move on along. This is especially true in the inaka, Japan’s version of the rural, where the rice paddies meld with the smooth cemented roads and pockets of supermarkets and drugstores. I am smack dab in the middle of this geographic limbo. Work is from eight to four, but what you do after is entirely up to you, the energy you have left, and the amount of trees you are willing to drive by in order to get somewhere.

Every morning, I wake up here in a daze of disbelief. It is not the kind of disbelief where I have to slap myself to ascertain reality, not the kind of disbelief where I jump up and down my worn yellow sofa bed at the sheer blessedness of being here. It is the kind where I half-expect to hear my dorm mates’ faint snores before I open my eyes or feel the toasty heat of sunlight on my legs from the window above my bed in my parents’ house. I absentmindedly tell myself, every morning, “You are not home.” And this unintentional mantra, I suppose, has dictated what I have been and am still feeling about being in this unfamiliar land.

 For others, it may seem grim that I do not seem unequivocally ecstatic to be living in a first world country when my third world origins simply pale in comparison (even by the quality of tap water alone). I hear their curious voices ask if there is anything wrong with my apartment, colleagues, students, or me, because surely, I should acknowledge the absolute good fortune of being one of the chosen ones. But then, do I really need to be that thrilled to appreciate this new world? I think the quiet calm of discovering who I am in the midst of work, travel, and nothing-doing coats my Japanese experience in a fuzzy glow, a foreign feeling, that will linger in my heart long after I leave.

 *This article was submitted for the JET Programme Voices column. Results pending.

The Fourth Saturday: Ongpin

I just realized that I should not have restricted this project to Saturdays because recently, my trips have not exactly been on that certain day. An example would be this particular outing on a Thursday. My mom and I are preparing for my graduation and we wanted to look around for some jewelry. Mama said that they had excellent gold jewelry in Ongpin, loads better than the overpriced junk they sell in malls, so even though I had work that night, I did not sleep, and we headed straight for Manila.

At this point, three things have become clear to me: 1. It was a really short trip; 2. I did not take enough pictures; and 3. That place was freaking awesome.

Manila seems so unexplored to me. Even though it is one of the busiest places I've ever been to, the city contains so many nooks and crannies that I can hardly fathom how people go around oblivious to the wonder all around them. The place is an eclectic mix of the old and the new with its aged, crumbly buildings and newly built highrises, fat tangled cords of electric wire and clomping calesas, Chinese billboards and lofty churches; I wish I had eyes at the back and sides of my head so that I could have taken everything in. I'm pretty sure I looked like a tourist, what with all the oohs and aahs I emitted while we walked the narrow streets of Ongpin. I'm kind of embarrassed to know that despite living in the capital for my entire life, I have gone to Ongpin only three times, and this last one was the longest I've spent there and the time I was most aware of where I was.

We went to two churches and sat through two masses (I felt so holy lol). We bought fruit (that was so affordable and exquisitely ripe), we went to lamp shops to scout for perfect lighting for the new house (50% off! I thought I was going to go insane!), and we went to eat at what I think is the first and most authentic Hap Chan branch in Manila (I need to research this, but judging from how everything tasted, I don't think my assumptions are that far off).

The mango sago wasn't as good as it looked, though

Finally, we window-shopped for jewelry. I was not expecting to find jewelry stores at every street. They lined Ongpin as though the Philippines was a gold mine. From asking around and talking to my mother, I learned a couple of things. The first is that "commercial gold" is fancy sales talk for "fake" or at least "nearly fake." The second is that genuine opal jewelry that had diamonds the size of a nucleus costs 68,000php. I lingered at the store where they had that opal set I so desperately wanted and felt like a kid at Toy Kingdom who constantly pointed at the doll house I was dying to take home. My mother said we were going to go back for it. But I'm pretty sure that if ever we did, I would have to pay for it lol. It's all right, though.. I believe that you have to work hardest for the things you want the most.

The First Saturday: Taste of Heaven and Bowl & Brew

I'm starting a new project for 2014. Every Saturday, I'm going to try out something new: an experience, a restaurant, a boyfriend (lol no), and will blog about it to document the things I've tried out in the span of a year. This not only helps me remember the wonderful places I've been to and the equally wonderful people I've been with, but will also appear as search results on Google, thus aiding me in my quest to gain more page views. Hue hue hue.

So here's my entry for the first Saturday day of 2014. On this date, I went to two new places in Teacher's Village: A Taste of Heaven and Bowl & Brew.

Appropriately named, I must say

A Taste of Heaven is a milkshake place located at #71 Maginhawa. It's pretty small and seats about 15-20 people at most. Some of my friends have been there and said that their milkshakes were worth a try, and since I was craving milkshakes but didn't feel like being around too many people, I decided to read a book there.

Trying to take a picture of the menu and failing

Their shakes are not that expensive. The classics cost 80PHP while the premium ones cost 130PHP. I tried a mid-priced shake called Peach Banana Cobbler and it was really refreshing and not too sweet. I also ordered TLC (Tenderly Loved Chicken), which came with a side of fries. I don't know what kind of loving went into that chicken but it tasted good.

 Also the guy who made this was pretty cute. 

They also had a "Choose and Shake" menu where you get to choose what to put in your milkshake from a range of chocolates (M&Ms, Reese's, Snickers, etc.). I'm planning to try this one out next time. Yes, there will be a next time because I forgot to slip TLC guy my number.

Bowl & Brew, on the other hand, is another small eatery along Maginhawa. My friend and I chanced upon it when we left Pino because I wanted to walk around after drinking a glass of flavored beer (which you should also definitely try out. Go for Peach). We really didn't plan on going in but the place was too orange to miss.

"Thou shall not resist me," said the sign to us

You could see the snazzy interior from the outside, but being inside was a totally different experience. Everything was so eye-catching that I needed about 50 more eyes to appreciate everything. I mean, there was a bowl galaxy on the ceiling, for crying out loud.

ORRRAAAANGEEEE

Decoration or Time-Space Warp?

When we got there, the staff was having dinner while watching MMK and seemed oddly surprised that two weirdos walked through the door. They quickly gave us a menu and since the sign mentioned "Lucban Specialties," we decided to have a Lucban Longganisa Sandwich. The sign also said "Coffee and More," so we also ordered an Espresso (which the staff called Expresso and turned out to be unavailable so my friend just went for an Americano), and a Latte Machiatto.

Still orange

I have a sweet tooth so I went for the desserts and asked the staff what the cakes on display were called. The one I asked did not know. One of the other girls said "Tiramisu." I pointed to the chocolate cake beside the tiramisu. The girls looked at each other and laughed sheepishly. I joked, "So ano to, something something chocolate something?" [So what's this, something something chocolate something?] And one of the girls said, "Yes, Ma'am." So I didn't order it. Lol.

Our order arrived and although the serving was smaller than expected, the longganisa was pretty good. The bread didn't seem like a good match for it, though, and was a bit hard to chew.

Yep, we just got this. No tissue, no plates, no utensils. I guess coz we didn't order those.

Our coffee also arrived. At least my friend's coffee did. What got served to me was literally just milk with froth on top. My friend pointed it out to the staff and they apologized profusely. They replaced my coffee with something that more closely resembled a latte, but even that fell short. My friend's Americano looked like what you'd get when you poured hot water into a mug with coffee dregs at the bottom. It was sad. It was so sad I couldn't even take a picture of it.

We didn't stay long because apart from the excruciating show on TV, the colors were just too much. We went back out into the night... and was welcomed by a dog on a roof barking at a cat on the pavement. Apparently, our WTF quota had not been reached.

To be fair, I think we caught Bowl & Brew on a bad day. The big boss was not around and when he did come in, he was nice and took our picture to post on their Facebook page (which, unfortunately, I cannot find). I don't know if I'm willing to give this resto another shot, but if someone out there wants to, let me know if you also experience hallucinations right after.