It's More Fun in the Philippines!

Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love where I live. But when thinking of a tropical holiday there’s no other choice for me but the Philippines.

The Philippines has suffered from bad press for the longest time. I don’t care to detail them here. You can read about them everywhere else. As a consequence, the country did not appeal as a holiday destination. The number of tourist arrivals lagged behind that of other countries.

The Department of Tourism (@DOTPhilippines) of the Philippines launched a new campaign to entice tourists to travel to that part of the world. It’s about time! I think it’s imperative! It’s high time to tell the world, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

According to the DOT’s Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr:

“Our strategy is simple: while other countries invite you to observe, Filipinos can promise a more heartfelt and interesting experience. Wherever you go, whatever you do in the country, it’s the Filipinos that will complete your vacation and will make your holiday unforgettable.”

I absolutely agree! There are good food and nice beaches all around the world but “It is More Fun in the Philippines” because of the people.

I like it.

I believe in it.

I am getting involved.

This new campaign is not without its detractors. ‘Copycat’ accusations are rife. The Swiss apparently used the same slogan back in 1951. Yup, 61 years ago!

And what’s with this misplaced nostalgia for the ‘WOW Philippines’ campaign? Did it actually succeed?

In support of this new initiative I’ve edited some of my travel photos to the Philippines. Here’s the first set of them.

A change of name…

I don’t know why I never thought of “Beancounter” as the name for my blog. I am a bean counter, after all, by profession. And, I think, somehow, that name has some food connotation.

So, after over a hundred posts, 102 to be exact, I’ve decided to have a name change.

To those who are here for the first time, WELCOME!

To those who have been here before…WELCOME as well! :)

Sleep deprived

What would be ideal is for my new daughter to sleep through the night. But at the moment that is a bit too much to ask. Eia is barely a month old and still settling in. But her sleeping pattern is impacting on us, her parents, negatively.

For the past few weeks my wife and I have been sleep deprived. We are getting a lot less than what’s considered “healthy”. Coincidentally, the results of the study linking the common cold and sleep deprivation came out today (Sleep the Key to Cold Prevention). According to the study 8-hour sleepers are less likely to get sick than those who slept less.

Yesterday, I did not get to bed till 5.30 in the morning. I had to reset my alarm clock to 7.30 to allow me at least two hours of sleep. I still did not get my two hours. And I was also late for work!

My wife is in no better position. Being the mother, she probably slept less (and worked more).

The last thing we want is to get sick! What are we to do?!

I’ve devised a plan that we are trying out for the first time in our career as parents. We’ll be taking shifts in looking after our little angel. The plan is for Cherry to go to bed by 9pm leaving me to look after Eia till about 2am. That’ll give her about 5 hours of rest time. She would then takeover from 2am onwards with the possibility of catching some Z’s during the day. I said possibly because having 3 other children to look after does not normally allow for this.

5 hours is nowhere near ideal but it is still better than 4, or 3, or 2, or 1, or no sleep at all.

To keep me company during these nights I’ve got a line up of DVDs to watch and a laptop for blogging. I am actually writing this while I’m on my first shift.

7 days with HTC Touch Pro

It took me more than half a year to finally decide on what new phone to get. During that time a lot of new technology have been introduced including the new iPhone. If you've read a previous post you'll know I'm not a fan of Apple products. I was actually waiting for a new Nokia product but something better came up.

My Nokia N73 is still working fine. But with the amount of blogging that I do I need a phone that would be able to better support this new hobby of mine.

And so, after quite a long search, I finally decided on getting HTC's Touch Pro. It's got the TouchFLO 3D technology (that gives you touch control over the device) but the biggest attraction to me was the phone’s full QWERTY keyboard. As a matter of fact I am writing this post using my new phone! Even with this feature my N73 appears to be bulkier.

From time to time I would come up with an idea for a post when it is not convenient to turn on my laptop. It could be the beginning sentences of a post or a perfect ending to a post that would suddenly pop up in my head and disappear just as quickly. Writing down notes on paper is not one of my strengths. It was never an option. And because HTC Touch Pro is a Windows-Mobile device I could go straight into Word to jot down my thoughts for editing later. How cool is that? Well, I think it is!

It's only been seven days into our relationship and hopefully it would continue to work out between us (for the next 24 months at least!).

Who wrote this?

An attribute of good blogs, according to 43 Folders is:
Good blogs have a voice. Who wrote this? What is their name? What can I figure out about who they are that they have never overtly told me? What’s their personality like and what do they have to contribute — even when it’s “just” curation. What tics and foibles fascinate make me about this blog and the person who makes it? Most importantly: what obsesses this person?
In the quest to make mine a reasonably good one I’ve answered some questions that’ll give readers of this blog some idea of who I am. At the risk of defeating the purpose entirely by telling you “overtly” things about me I’ll give it a go anyway:

What I love most about cooking…it is an art form that can literally be consumed.

What I least like about it is…the cleaning up after.

The best meal I’ve ever had was…at Trang’s in West End. The food is always excellent!

The worst meal I’ve ever had was…at the Holiday Inn in Darwin, the worst nasi goreng ever.

My interest in food began…at a very young age. I grew up at my grandparents’ place where everyone cooks.

The first thing I cooked was…lumpiang shanghai (Filipino spring rolls).

The foodies I admire are…Maeve O’Mara (for her highly informative shows and being culturally sensitive), Jamie Oliver (for his passion to get everybody on board), Doreen Fernandez (for shedding light on Filipino cuisine), Marketman (for inspiring me to write my own blog), and Anthony Bourdain (for having No Reservations).

My guiltiest pleasure is…KFC original recipe and Krispy Kreme original glazed donuts.

I'm very bad at…writing down notes.

The word that best describes me is…a learner.

Three things people might not know about me are…1) I don’t mind airline food; 2) I don’t like long drives; 3) I love fashion.

Someone who makes me laugh…is my wife.

Five years from now…I’ll be a father of four kids ages 15, 11, 9 and 5 and a husband to one.

My worst fashion moment…freshman at UP, I wore cycling shorts to class. Yuk!

You would not catch me wearing…crocs! They belong only in hospitals! Ugly things!

If there were five people, living or dead, I could invite to dinner, they would be…Ai AI de las Alas (Filipina comedienne), Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Ennio Morricone, Doreen Fernandez, Marketman (of Marketmanila).

As a child I was…extremely shy.

My first job was…forgettable. I stayed only for a month.

You wouldn’t know it but I’m no good at…doing quick sums without a calculator.

When I was a child, I wanted to be…a doctor. Typical!

The best invention is…TV.

If I were a movie actor, the character I love to have played is…Salvatore in Cinema Paradiso.

I wish I hadn’t…held back.

If only I could…make everybody happy.

The celebrity I most fancy is...Monica Bellucci.

My favourite smell is...freshly baked bread.

My best career decision was...going into mining.

The best advice my parents gave me was...study hard.

The thing that keeps me awake at night is... doesn’t apply. I sleep well.

A book that means a lot to me is...the Holy Bible.

A movie that has stayed with me is...Cinema Paradiso.

A song that resonates for me is...Cinema Paradiso soundtrack. It’s all music but very moving.

My secret skill (that is now no longer a secret is)...I’m very good at parking.

My earliest memory is...being taken to the doctor to get a shot.

I don't like talking about...real estate and the stock market.

At home I cook...all the time.

It's not fashionable but I love...Spam.

What I don't find amusing is...vegetarianism.

I'm always being asked...by other people about what to wear.

At the moment I'm reading...re-reading The Mad Tea Party by Clinton Palanca.

I often wonder...what life would have been like if I have brothers and sisters.

11 years...

It’s times like these when I wish I was a more creative person.

We’ll be married for 11 years tomorrow! Yeheyyyy! All thanks go to God who continues to mould us. And of course, to my longsuffering wife who chooses to stick with me.

How do you say to your spouse that you love them more and more even after 11 years? That is why I am in awe of artists! They are able to express something like love in a hundred different ways. It could be a play of words or a stroke of hand or a choice of colour or whatever else…that somehow heightens the intensity of the message! Bravo to them!

And since I am neither very “handy” nor very “artistic” the next best thing is to “find” the right gift. And it’s times like these that I also thank God for the internet. Searching for the right gift just became easier. The internet has also exponentially increased my borders.

Flowers and chocolates have been done to death. We’ve also had the special dinners and times away from home.

One thing I know though is that Cherry loves cherries. She loves it more than chocolates. So I ended up ordering her some from interstate.

There are lots of sites offering fresh cherries but Cherries Online stood out among the rest and here’s the reason why:
Red Diamond Cherries - our signature brand - “Fresh diamonds you can eat” - an exclusive variety to the Gaudion Family. This is a new, large, luscious Cherry full of delicious flavour. Crunchy and sweet, each Cherry is deep red in appearance and at least 30-32mm in diameter. The beautifully packaged fruit is hand selected and is the perfect gift for that special someone... Red Diamonds are truly the most exquisite Cherries you will taste in the world today.

I think I’ll make this a tradition from now…

One gift given one day a year does not even come close to expressing how much I appreciate her... There are more to come but they'll just be between her and me.

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!

Top 10 Emerging Food Destinations

Philippine cuisine has always been relegated to the “bizarre” shelf of the world food supermarket. That is why it excites me a lot whenever my home country’s dishes are viewed in a more favourable light.



In an article last week in the Courier Mail about “Top 10 Emerging Food Destinations” the Philippines was number 1 on the list! A special mention was made about “sinigang” as a dish not to be missed (I’ll feature this dish in a future post).


The list was inspired by a poll conducted by online travel site Expedia (Australia). In the midst of the “obesity epidemic” in the land down under there is also a “growing sophisticated interest in food” (and not just eating – there’s a big difference).

Filipino food is not all about “balut”-
“Malay, Spanish and Chinese influence is obvious in many dishes and the unique and often surprising combinations of flavours make Filipino food striking and interesting. Fresh seafood is a prominent ingredient, often served uncooked, in vinaigrette. Coconut is also regularly used to create exotic savoury and sweet dishes, ranging from meat and vegetable dishes to luscious rice puddings.”

In my own little way I try to be an ambassador of our much maligned food.

I wanted to be an American…yesterday!

There are a lot of significant world events that have happened in my lifetime but none more meaningful than what took place in the United States of America…yesterday!

For a moment, as I hear Barack Obama graciously accept the mandate given to him by the American people, I wanted to be an American! I was envious I was not one of the people who put him in office. I was jealous of the fact that I was not there in person to hear him speak! I wanted to be a part of his victory speech.


Although Barack is not my president for some peculiar reason his appointment meant a lot to a coloured person like me living in society similar to that of the US. This, I find difficult to put in words.


When Barack said:
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to -- it belongs to you.
I wanted to be part of that “you”.


And then he ended with these words:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
And that is also my hope.


Yes you can! And you did! Congratulations to all Americans!

The lost art...of cooking

I’ve read an interesting article (A Fat Society of Able Cooks by Jane Fynes-Clinton) in the Courier Mail a few days ago discussing the lost art (the author calls it a “skill” but I prefer “art”) of cooking. The author also highlighted Jamie Oliver’s crusade to change society’s attitude towards food. Jamie Oliver recently launched a book in conjunction with a new TV series called Ministry of Food. In the show, he laments what he calls “a new form of poverty caused by a generation that lacks the basic life skills to feed their families”.

The other remarkable point the article made (that I totally agree with) is how there are “increasing number of people who don't know how to cook at all - and many are loud and proud of it.” I’m sure all of us have met these people. Lacking the skill to cook is a disability in my book but for some it is a badge of honour.

Please follow the link and do not be shy with your comments.

What Makes a Good Blog?

I don't know. But one blogger tried to answer this by coming up with a list of 9 characteristics of a good blog. It's quite an interesting read. Click here, 43 Folders.

In praise of my N73

I was never an Apple fan. I think Apple is better at marketing rather than what it should be good at. And because of this, Apple has created a whole lot of zombies who are blindly devoted to the brand. You know what I’m talking about! It is just mind boggling. A documentary (macHEADS) has been made about it. They’ll defend it like their lives depend on it! Snap out of it macheads!

The release of the 3G iPhone is a good example of this “phenomenon”. Unless you’ve been living like a hermit in the past couple of months you wouldn’t have missed the news snippets from around the world showing throngs of people queuing (some for days) just to be the first owners of this Apple product. And it was a crap product at that! Just follow the link to find out more before you get duped by its shiny advertisement. It costs too much to acquire and it costs even more to maintain. And it has a lot of flaws. Why people want it beats me!

The same could not be said, though, about my Nokia N73. No, I am not a Nokia employee. Nor am I a Nokia devotee. I just think Nokia N73 is an excellent product.

My 24 month mobile phone contract is going to expire in a couple of week’s time. It is the perfect time for me to reflect on my two years with my trusted Nokia N73 before I replace it with hopefully a better product. And no, I am not getting an iPhone.

My Nokia N73 has serviced me well in the past two years. Apart from the normal mobile phone features, the Nokia N73 comes with a 3.2 mega pixel camera armed with the world famous Carl Zeiss optic lens. 99% of the photos on this blog were taken using my N73. They’re not great photos I know. They were never meant to be. They were taken using a phone, just in case you’ve forgotten.

I probably should invest in a good camera if I’m serious about blogging. But at the moment my N73 does the job!

My Day 2008!

Apart from Australia and New Zealand, I do not know of any other country that celebrates Father’s Day in September, and on the first Sunday of the month at that.

I do not know if it is for commercial reasons (to bump up retail sales in the first quarter of the Australian financial year) or social reasons (September seems to be lacking in any “holidays”). It’s just interesting to know that Australia (and New Zealand) is not in sync with the rest of the world on this one. If you know of any other countries not celebrating in June please do not hesitate to comment.

This year Father’s Day was on the same day as the Bridge to Brisbane marathon. It just meant that I was a bit tired to get into the spirit of it all. But thanks to a dose of Redbull I managed to last the day!

The marathon started at around 7am that day. Before 9am I was already home ready for “my day”. The kids we’re all so excited. They were even more excited than me.

Yes, it was a full day! Straight after the run we went to our favourite Pancakes at the Manor for breakfast (I’ll write more about this pancake place in a future post)

Next, we headed to Brisbane’s West End for a satisfying Vietnamese lunch. My favourite is Trang’s at 59 Hardgrave Road. Unfortunately they have no website. They are too busy making great tasting Vietnamese food to be bothered with anything else.

For dinner we had Domino’s Puff Pizzas. They brought back their pizzas using puff pastry as the base. Talk about decadent!

Apart from the yummy food, I've received gifts as well (one still in raincheck).

My son made a bookmark (because I love reading) that says Best Dad Ever (idea from a song Best Day Ever by Spongebob). On it he drew coffee and tea (two of my favourite beverages). It’s a bit weird though that he put “To: Elmer (Dad)”. Well, he’s 10 years old now. We might be calling each other on a first name basis soon…NOT! But thank you very much Kiko! You know your dad so well!



My older daughter had prepared a supposedly “secret gift” for me from school. But like her dad, who couldn’t keep a secret gift a secret for too long, she told me a few days before Father’s day what it was. I did ask her what her secret was (jokingly, of course) and she blurted it out without any hesitation. When her siblings teased her about not knowing how to keep secrets she cried and then blamed me for asking her. Bad daddy! Oh…the innocence of childhood. Thanks a lot Chichay!



My youngest (to date) is not in school yet. So instead of making me something she picked out something from the shops. She asked mom to buy her favourite chocolate for me. Thank you so much Yaya!

And her other contribution? She picked out the card they were to give me. Why did she pick that particular card? No, not because I look like an athlete (I loke more like an Iron Chef rather than an Iron Man). And no, it’s got nothing to do with the Olympics at all. It’s all about the song that plays when you open the card. And it goes something like this:”You’re the world’s greatest dad, yes you really really are. The best dad that there has ever been…You’re the world’s best dad, indeed!”

I hope I don’t disappoint. You kids really made dad’s day!

Now, start planning my birthday!

It's a girl!

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.

How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!

He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

Psalm 127:3-5


I’m sure David knew what he was talking about when he wrote that psalm!

first profile photo of our new baby girl...13 weeks (was she sucking her thumb?)

We are indeed having our fourth child in about 22 week’s time. We’ve known for a very long time but I think it is more appropriate for me to write about her now that I can post some of her first photos.

first photo of her feet...18 weeks

Just in case any of my other three kids read this blog sometime in the future I would like to say, please don’t get jealous. To Kiko, I think blogging wasn’t hot then yet. It wasn’t as easy to create your own page back then. To Chichay and Yaya, please forgive daddy as he was too busy then to take time to write anything at all when you were still in your mom’s womb. Just remember I love you all!

her four chambered beating heart...18 weeks

The technology has greatly improved which made it much easier for not so tech savvy dads like me to start our own page.

I just would like to say how blessed I am to be gifted with another child! Praise God indeed!

more defined facial features...profile photo at 18 weeks

Now, what should we name her?

Foggy Brisbane Morning

I find fog fascinating. To be more specific, I find a foggy morning in Brisbane really fascinating. It doesn’t very much happen in the Philippines where I originally come from (if at all). That is why when it occurs I try to enjoy its brief appearing as much as I can. I can’t help but feel disappointed once it’s gone. I always wish it would last longer.

i took a picture...it lasts longer

A foggy Brisbane morning makes me feel like I’ve been transported to another place. Seeing my surroundings covered in some cloudlike element changes the whole feel of where I live. The landscape seems more mysterious (thanks to my diet of Hollywood thrillers), mysterious and calming at the same time. It’s just plain weird! I’m just weird!

compare and contrast (foggy)

compare and contrast (not foggy)

Running in Brisbane

I feel quite blessed to have my workplace in an area that is quite conducive to fitness. My office building is located near the Brisbane River. And along the riverside there is a bikeway/walkway that goes for kilometres right through to the various inner city suburbs of Brisbane.

View from the 3rd level parking lot

The track to the city

The gym used to be IT for me when it comes to fitness. My former workplace was flexible enough to allow me to have 2 hour lunch breaks. I used these times to go to the gym. Specifically, to attend group fitness classes. The gym was also only 10 minutes walk from my office building. 2 hours was more than enough for me to do my thing.

My gym bag and gear next to my plastic bamboo plant

But since I moved workplaces I have found it quite difficult to visit the gym. Not only is the gym far from where I work now but also I haven’t got as much spare time as I used to.

You might ask, why not do it early in the morning before work? I am not really a morning person, you see. So getting up too early to visit the gym is never going to happen. I might do it for a week or so but it will not be sustainable.

Why not after work, you ask? All I want to do is go home to my family after work. I spend too much time at work already. To add an hour or so of gym time to that is just not ideal. I prepare dinner most days. I can’t ask my family to wait an extra hour just because…

Lunch time is my only time to exercise. The answer then is to use what I’ve got, where I am! I’ve quit the gym! I have been running regularly since the beginning of this year. Again, thank God for the perfect location for this kind of fitness regime. I run approximately 8 kilometres at least 3 times a week. Being a neophyte, it takes me an hour to complete the course. Last week that was reduced to just 58 minutes. We’ll see how I go this week.

Walkway to the bike/walk track from the other side of the river. I do my stretches here.

My boss has graciously given me his old heart rate monitor to help me programme my running better. My new workplace also has a fitness check programme that regularly monitors the physical fitness of all employees. Some people might view it as a bit intrusive but I think otherwise. This program encourages me even more to do better at work.

Sign on the track showing distance to the two different directions you could take.

Closer

Sunset at Fannie Bay, Darwin NT

I’ve travelled recently to the Philippines to attend my Grandad’s funeral. He was in his 80’s. I sort of expected it and was gearing my self up for it but you are just never prepared. It still seemed too sudden.

And just before I left another sad news hit us. One of my wife’s closest friends was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. We’ve always heard of people getting cancer. But no one we know. No one close to our hearts. And no one young like our friend.

She just turned 40. She’s got two young boys, one is 8 and the other is 4. She’s got husband who is very supportive and lots and lots of friends who’ve tried to help in whatever way possible.

She’s three scraping procedures done. Mastectomy is not the only option one has nowadays. She had to have three procedures as the first two were not successful in getting rid of all the cancer cells.

Now, she’s undergoing chemotherapy. This process she has found to be much more difficult.

Am I at that age now when death and disease seem to be a lot closer? Now that I am in my 30’s my elders are much older as well.

In Psalm 90:10a it says:

The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength;

My Grandad was 82.

Whatever it is...

I have been subscribing to Pastor Greg Laurie's daily devotion for quite some time now. In this blog I will be expressing my thoughts regarding the devotions. It is not meant to preach to other people but more preaching to myself as I try to understand and make sense of what I have read and how it applies to my personal life.

Title: "A Work In Progress"
Key Verse: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end" Eccl 4:1

Below is a direct quote from Pastor Laurie:
You, too, are a work in progress. God is doing a work in your life. When it is done, He will show you. If it is not done yet, be patient. God sees the end from the beginning. We can't see what it is, but God can. That is important to remember....
For us, what it means specifically to us on a day-to-day basis, time will tell. Whatever it is, it is good, because God is in control of it.

I think man's aim should be to be more godly as days pass by. I do not think we will ever reach perfection in this life. Pero ang dapat hinahangad ng bawat isa is to be better people. To be godly people. To be people that is doing God's work. Not necessarily "working in the church" but more being godly in whatever role God has given one.

I go out everyday not to work in a church but rather go to a "normal" office like most people. My challenge is, on a daily basis, how to do God's will in the environment God has put me in.

And I do fail. A LOT! It is encouraging to read today's devotion and understand that I am a work in progress. God is not done with me yet. This does not give me a licence to sin. NO WAY! But more to encourage me to keep pressing forward. Not to throw in the towel and accept that i am a failure.

God is not done with me yet.

Here's a question for anyone who might happen to read this blog:

What does "He has put eternity in their hearts" mean?

Ano ba ang laman ng isip ko of late?

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" Proverbs 23:7

I've always thought Descartes was the first to have this idea when he quoted "Cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am). How wrong I was. It has been written in the Bible by the wise King Solomon way before Descartes time.

What does it actually mean to me?

What we all should be aiming in life, I believe, is to be better people. Better than who we were yesterday. Or even just a minute ago. We educate our selves. We search. We travel. All, I hope, would result in making us better people.

Pero sa maraming pagkakataon, people become worse as they get older. People become cynical, ungrateful, hateful... more sinful.

How do we change that? How can we go against the flow?

"...bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5

That says it all.