The Wutz Up in the Philippines!

By: Eden Lorren Pabalan

Ahhh rats!!!

“Welcome to Egypt!” is the greeting of Egyptian rats of all sizes, shapes and ages to anyone who wants to try vacationing in the country.Yes, rats. I think the population of rats in Egypt  are outnumbering the human population. And let me introduce to you the family of King Rats whom I met in Cairo.

There are many stories I can say about the King Rat and his family. While we have caught most of King Rat’s family (Grandpa rat, mama rat and 3 teenagers), it took us nearly a month to finally catch King Rat. In an exaggerated way, I think King Rat can maul a person down with its size. We are still catching some of the relatives and we hear them quite frequently when waking up in the middle of the night to go to the kitchen as we are dying of thirst. Of course King Rat cannot maul a human down, but he measures at around 15 inches in reality. Well, That is only the introduction. Here are some interesting “tails” about rats in Cairo.

The Vegetarian Glue

Jeff was the one who started off the whole rat frenzy. He bought a trap back in October when he realized that someone (or something) was eating his apples. For a few days in a row, he had come home to half eaten apples, and he was the only one living in his apartment. Jeff had left other types of food out-bread, cheese, nuts, and the other thing that the rat would eat was apples. He came to the conclusion that this little bastard was a vegetarian.

He went on a serious hunt for a rat trap and couldn’t find one anywhere. Each place he went to had never heard of a rat trap before; they had only heard of “rat glue”. Apparently you are supposed to take this rat glue and put it in corners of the kitchen (or whatever room the rat has made his new home). The rat then steps in the glue and ventures off… and then like Spiderman he scales the walls and ceiling and becomes Super Rat… until he gets stuck and cannot move. Jeff didn’t end up purchasing this amazing product because he couldn’t quite figure out what to do with the rat when his feet became glued to the wall… would he take a pot or pan and smash the thing until he was dead? Would he capture it and hope that the rat didn’t bite him and give him rabies? Jeff finally found a rat trap and caught the rat a few days later.  We decided to be the rat champions and invite as many rats in as possible, but we began to have what was the start of a Rat Epidemic. More rats than we ever thought we would see in one apartment! We have now caught something around six rats. It was an adventure.

Splish-Splash I was takin’ a bath…

Dad awoke one night around 2am, when he heard a “Splish-splash…splish-splash” sound while he was sleeping. He got up and tip-toed cautiously over to the bathroom. The “splish-splash, splish-splash” sound is getting annoying. He looked in the bathtub and found nothing; then he peeked into the bowl of the toilet. There he was…. a rat about the size of a small puppy, splashing around in the toilet bowl. Unsure of whether to flush it (as it may clog the toilet and how sickkkk would that be to have Egyptian toilet water spilling up and running all over your bathroom floor) or try to kill it. He just slammed the lid of the toilet, put a heavy weight on the top of the lid and went back to bed. In the morning, when I got up to go to the bathroom, I opened the lid and thank heavens the rat was gone. He must have swam down the toilet and found his way out somehow. But it was only us who thought he was gone. Later that day, I went into the kitchen to get a drink and once again, King Rat was staring at me while sitting on the stove. Now I know I was pretty damn quick as I grabbed the pan that was beside me and ran over to him to give him a good smack- but he jumped up! (4meters or so) and chewed a whole threw the screen window and was out free again. I am still very nervous every time I go to the bathroom because I’m afraid that some rat is going to jump out of the toilet and bite me!

Subway Sammies

Subway is my favourite sandwich in the world. Maadi, the district in Cairo I live in, just opened one the other day. My girlfriend Jenn and I were walking home from her place one afternoon and saw that it was their “grand opening” and there was a buy one get one free promo. So we got a footlong Veggie (and then one free), and it ended up being 50 pounds as we were forced to buy a drink, cookie and bag of chips in order to get the promotion. Frustrated, we took the subs home and put them on the kitchen counter. We started chatting in the living room and a few hours later we were hungry for Subway. I went into the kitchen and saw that the freaking King Rat was eating our subways. The whole area was a mess of vegetables and plastic bag scattered from a hungry rat eagerly chewing his way through to eat our subs. how angry I was so angry when I saw this hairy black rat look back at me with his yellow little beady eyes and a big piece of sub in his mouth. I screamed and threw a pan at him, but that hole in the screen is his escape route and he quickly evacuated within moments of seeing me.

Shut up and Drive, drive, drive

“Probably an accident”, I said, shuddering at the memory of the watermelon truck accident I had just been a victim in. Our bus was barely moving as we were stuck in a traffic jam. Nobody wears seat belts or helmets and road deaths kill far more people than Islamic extremists have ever done. The number of cars that break down a day is uncountable; overcrowded buses drive into the Nile, bricks fall off semis in the middle of the freeway, tomato boxes roll off the top of a cargo truck and land in the middle of the freeway, speeding, poorly maintained roads, and a total disregard for both the law and personal safety make Egypt’s roads the most dangerous in Africa. This is part of the driving test system. I have a good friend who is an Egyptian and we were chatting the other day about the rules of the road and drivers’ licenses. She told me what are the news with regards to the way one goes about to receive a driver’s license which (surprisingly) you need to drive here.  The practical test in Cairo consists of a short drive a few metres forward, then in reverse. She told me that when she took the test there were so many cars waiting in line, that after a couple of hours, the examiner took pity of them and issued everyone in the cars a “pass”without actually seeing any of them drive at all!!! After one got his license, there were a few things that he will do such as paying documents and writing paperwork. Finally, came a check of the vehicle’s road test.  The road test meant an inspection of the car boot to see whether was a fire extinguisher inside, since a law had recently been passed stipulating that all vehicles need to be equipped with one. Whether your car had lights, brakes, mirrors or indeed anything besides your four wheels and a fire extinguisher truly had no importance.

Policemen wander aimlessly back and forth crossing the street and patrolling. Really, they are traffic patrol police, but are wearing different uniforms and are much busier than policemen, as policemen usually just hang out on a street corner in their little box, sleeping with their guns on their laps, texting/chatting on their mobile phones or eating mushy cheese and pita with their other partner who is working just as hard as he is. The guys aren’t really trying to control the traffic and are only looking like crazy musical conductors as they wave their batons chaotically and attempt to impose some sort of order. For a man who is paid a monthly salary of around 10 US bucks, (which probably includes room and board too), these guys are overly brave and hard-working. The health consequences of extreme exposure to traffic all day long can kill anyone. I read about a survey of Egyptian traffic policemen conducted by the faculty of medicine of Cairo ’s Ain Shoms University found those levels of lead and other heavy metal toxins in their blood were all above average. Additionally, an estimated 10-25,000 people die each year in Egypt from particles and lead in the air and pollution costs kids who grow up in Cairo 4.25 IQ points. Good stuff I read here.

In the thick of the controversy on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s supposed lavish dinners in her recent United States trip, an official from the Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday said there are no standards on what constitutes a lavish lifestyle for a public official.

“Sa batas, di sinabi ang amount o value, so contextual po yun in terms of society…Walang standard po, pero titignan natin ‘yong sweldo po kung kaya,” said Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni in an interview on GMA News’ Unang Hirit.

(There is no mention in the law of the amount or value, so it’s contextual in terms of society … There is no standard, but we will look into whether a public official’s salary can afford such lifestyle.)

Read more..

TODAY’S lifestyle dictates healthy eating, just as it is tolerated to eat “rich” once in a while, especially if the menu is as exquisite as this diner recently had.

Le Bistro

Streetside, Forbes Tower, Fraser Place, Valero cor. H.V. de la Costa, Salcedo Village, Makati City; tel. 4031841.

This is a new venture of partners who used to be actively involved with a popular brand of coffee. Le Bistro is a resto that serves café food and drinks, light meals, coffee and cocktails/refreshments.

Read more…

A certain charm imbues century-old houses. One would initially remark their look of defiance, having survived possible catastrophes either natural or otherwise. Next would be how, in their architecture and design, these houses have frozen time: the imposing door, the august hallway, the large rooms opening into a view of courtyard, the pieces of furniture harking back to the old days of “calesas,” women in their “ternos,” and the long silences of the afternoons un-interrupted by work or soap opera. Inevitably, one would notice the history contained in the houses’ space, that ineffable sense conveying how people lived during a certain time, the values and aspirations they upheld, and the culture that governed them.

I have seen and stepped into such houses, beginning with the handful I visited in Negros Occidental, Cebu and later Vigan. So well-preserved, these houses echo their former glory, evoking a sense of nostalgia and also a sense of pride for their brand of architecture where every component was dutifully carved, planed, sculpted, polished and built by human hands. If you position yourself in the center of a room and close your eyes, you may hear the creaking of the wood, feel the soft breeze due to efficient ventilation and smell the unmistakable odor of history itself.

Read more…

MANILA, Philippines – New dramatic works that are “topical but freshly imagined”—that was our plea two years ago at the end of our omnibus review of that season’s Virgin Labfest.

We meant plays that examined society as much as the self in contemporary light, stripped of easy sloganeering or default flag-waving. Stories that combined public urgency with private griefs in ways that avoided the simplistic Manichean comforts of tidy talking points or grim propaganda.

Read more…

Why you should be wary of insomnia.

While you may think continuous sleepless nights are harmless to your mental wellbeing, think again. More research shows that insomnia is directly associated with and is a symptom of anxiety, depression, and mood affective disorders causing one an impaired quality of life. Hence, doctors suggest that any person having trouble sleeping take heed because this isn’t a matter that should be taken so lightly.

Defining insomnia

Insomnia is not sleep deprivation, says former president of the Philippine Psychiatric Association (PPA) Dr. Felicitas Soriano. She explains that sleep deprivation is when one could sleep but is not allowed to, as in a new mother who is sleepy but could not go to bed because she needs to feed her baby in the middle of the night. On the other hand, insomnia happens when one still cannot sleep despite his or her having an adequate opportunity to do so.

Read more…

PEÑABLANCA, Cagayan, Philippines — Despite its searing hot weather, Cagayan province is home to some of the coolest adventure destinations in the country.

With over 300 known caves (97 of which have been documented while only 37 have been explored in the past three decades) and countless river systems, this northern province is a must-go-to place for adventure and travel junkies.

Tucked away in the mountains of the unassuming town of Peñablanca, a 30-minute drive from Cagayan’s capital Tuguegarao City, is Callao Cave, one of the province’s most popular.

Read more…

There is an ‘army’ of followers waiting for a bold menswear designer, argues Jerome Lorico.

If you think men’s fashion is all about rehashing past trends or tweaking conservative styles, then you haven’t seen modern menswear by new and upcoming designers like Jerome Lorico. At the recently concluded Philippine Fashion Week, Lorico, a nascent name in the industry, showcased a cerebral collection, aptly titled “Stitch,” that explored the body’s process of healing. With slashed sleeves and perforated fabrics, his Holiday 2009 collection mimicked human skin and framework and resulted in wearable pieces of art.

Here, the designer talks about his creative process and the directions menswear is taking in the country:

Manila Bulletin: What is your inspiration for the collection?

Read more…

The road to a healthy, glowing complexion is as easy as 1,2,3 says Filipina icon Lea Salonga.

As much as many women find it very necessary to pamper themselves, go to salons and get facials in spas every week, truth of the matter is, they simply can’t, as their ever-so-hectic schedules and their tight budgets won’t let them. But however tough the times are and  demanding work could be, there is no escaping the apparent that women need their dose of beauty and confidence pick-me-uppers. Why? Nowadays, it’s more shameful to go in public with a wrinkled and pockmarked skin than to make a major fashion faux pas—and many have taken notice.

Achieving such perfectly clear, healthy, and smooth skin may seem unattainable especially to ordinary women who can’t afford to break the bank with ludicrously exorbitant professional anti-aging skin treatments. But at a recent Avon event at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza, performer and Filipina icon Lea Salonga begged to disagree.

Read more…

MANILA, Philippines—There’s more to barbecue than the classic “toyomansi” (calamansi and soy sauce) with sugar and black pepper.

Celebrity Chef Robert Rainford suggests experimenting with herbs and spices to “elevate your food.”

Rainford’s grill churns out classic as well as exotic fare – from Jerk Chicken, a nod to his Jamaican heritage, to chicken marinated in coffee and cinnamon.

Read more…