Body Rock

The other day, it crossed my mind how the word heart is used in so many songs. That got me thinking about other songs mentioning body parts. Here goes, from top to bottom...

(Click on the title to listen to the song.)

Kahit Maputi na Ang Buhok Ko. A classic Sharon Cuneta song penned by Rey Valera. It speaks of a love that will outlast graying hair, wrinkles and arthritis.

I've Got You Under My Skin. A Frank Sinatra standard.

Head Over Heels. A Tears for Fears original.

Whenever I See Your Smiling Face. This is a James Taylor original but the song reminds me more of Side A (and Joey G) and how we were crazy for them during internship.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. Another standard, this time from The Platters.

Dancing Cheek to Cheek. I love the beat of this song.

Put Your Head on My Shoulder. I first heard this song, the Leif Garrett version, as S1 and I rummaged through Tennis Ace's music collection back in the '70s.

I Left my Heart in San Francisco. An ode to the city by the bay.

Hawak Kamay. The most popular song that came out of Pinoy Dream Academy.

On Bended Knee. From Boyz II Men.

Legs. A Hagibis classic. This reminds me of a crazy time in fellowship training as this was a favorite of my batch.

Footloose. This launched Kevin Bacon and was very popular while I was in high school. I remember being impressed with batchmates who knew the moves.

Can you think of other songs or body parts?

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This is my 13th contribution to Thursday Thirteen. My previous entries were

• How Do I Love Thee?
• Thirteen and One Ways to Enjoy Coconut
• The Soundtrack of My Life
• Toy Stories
• Thirteen for One
• A Productive Summer
• Memorable Meals Elsewhere
• The Tiangge Guide
• Why Ilocos Rocks
• Where I've Been
• Em & M's
• Movie Theater Etiquette

thursday thirteen, music, songs, body parts

Speed Racer

Although I saw the trailer of Speed Racer many times, the only thing I knew was that it was going to be about racing. It was good that the trailer did not give much away as the audience, me included, remained interested. And the film offered much, much more.

Speed Racer tells the story of a young racer whose talent attracts many in the game, big business included. He is forced to choose between family and a corporation who desperately wanted to sign him up. When he did, all hell break loose.


The movie began with a kaleidoscope of colors and remained so save for a few scenes. The few scenes that were in shades of black and white were done so to convey a feeling of darkness and gloom. But the rest were just a delight to the senses, a moving palette, so to speak.

The actors portrayed their roles well. Emile Hirsch was fantastic as Speed Racer. John Goodman and Susan Sarandon were great as the parents. It was easy to hate the character Royalton as Roger Allam portrayed him as cunning and devious. And for someone like me who has only seen Rain in shampoo ads, he was a revelation. It was particularly refreshing to see Christina Ricci acting normal and dressed in full colors too. In her other movies or appearances, one cannot help but remember her role in the Addams Family. In this film, she finally shed Wednesday.

What I like most about the movie are the adrenaline-pumping races, the visual effects, the action, etc. And there's more than two in the film. The movie is not all action though. There's some comedy, romance and drama. Lessons on parenting, family, choices, etc are dispensed throughout the film.

Speed Racer is a gem of a movie that I'm sure will be appreciated by all, young or old. I think this is the best movie I've seen this year and in a long time.

speed racer, movie, racing, christina ricci, emile hirsch, john goodman, susan sarandon

Photo from this site.

Summer Coolers

On my way to the Rustan's Lifestyle Workshop this afternoon, I was mulling what the items for demonstration would be. Since it was called Summer Coolers, I figured that the workshop would be all about shakes. Well, I was wrong.

Three items were demonstrated by Chef Trixie and Bryan. These were the Chai Tea Milkshake (which I'm sure Toni and Mari would love!), Watermelon-Brie Salad and Egg Salad Sandwich with Avocado and Watercress. All seemed easy to do.


Lia Bernardo was back as emcee. She announced that the next workshop, Kids Kuisine, would be at the 3rd floor and will feature a chocolate fondue. A true kiddie treat.

The equipment used for the workshop came from the Disney line of Ariete. Popcorn maker. Toaster. Waffle maker. Etc. All items are available at Rustan's. When Chef Bryan cut the sandwich in half, the child next to me groaned, Oh no, he's slicing the hidden Mickey.

The demonstration was over in a little over 30 minutes. After all, as the organizers said, summer is best spent outdoors than in the kitchen. Hence, the choice of dishes that are fairly easy to do. And believe me, there's more to summer coolers than just shakes.

Of Angels and Phantoms

This post has little to do with medical school or the training that came after that. Nonetheless, I'm submitting it still to The Blog Rounds 9th edition: Mentors, Tormentors hosted by MegaMom. I had no intentions to join this round until I read Manggy's contribution. Suddenly, a flood of memories came rushing in.

I was never the studious type yet always got good grades. When I transferred schools in second year high school, I was pretty confident. After all, I had aced the interview (surprising Mom with words she didn't know was in my vocabulary), did very well on the required summer course of speed reading and was one of only 5 who were accepted as transferees.

Then came my first music class and a surprise quiz. It was only a 5-item quiz but it felt like one of the longest moments in my then academic life. The questions pertained to things I'd never heard of in my life.

Zero. Zilch. 0.

That's what I got and I felt so bad. I'd never scored that poorly on a test. The music teacher called me when she'd seen my score and asked what my problem was. I told her I knew nothing about the things she asked. She understood but could do nothing about it.

But since that time, she took special interest in me; dropping reassurances after each exam, commending me on my progress, encouraging me to sing more loudly. She was my angel of music.

Yet I didn't give as much of myself. Instead of singing out loud, my singing was barely audible, almost lipsynched my way through music class. You see, someone had said that I sing two octaves lower knocking my confidence way, way down.

After that, I'd never been confident singing out loud. Singing in public became my phantom. While going on rounds alone while in training, I remember instances I would sing in the corridors but only when I'm sure no one's around. And while there were occasions to sing with a group while in training, for inter-hospital competitions, I chose instead to be in charge of props except during caroling.

After high school, I never got in touch with my music teacher. I'd learned sometime ago that she had passed away. I'd forgotten the other teachers I've had but not her. I will always remember the school with her in it. Perhaps the best way to pay her tribute is to start singing with confidence.

And we should show our appreciation more often. After all, teaching is one profession where one invests a lot of time and energy and yet the compensation is low.

music, phantom, angel of music, mentors tormentors, blog rounds

Annabel Lee Cafe

Each time I walked past Annabel Lee Cafe at the Promenade, a staff member would invite me inside. I always said no because their offerings were more on the expensive side.

Nobody approached me yesterday yet I entered the restaurant for the first time. You see, I noticed that they've changed the menu and the choices were now more affordable.

I was not thinking straight when I ordered the Burger Steaks (PHP 170). I merely looked at the items below PHP 200 and did not read the fine print. After I'd placed the order, I perused the menu to see what else was available. When I looked at the entry for my order, it was then that I noticed the fine print, 2 steaks served with rich gravy, plain rice and fried egg. It was then that it hit me. I shouldn't have ordered this as I had just had egg. Well, I couldn't change the order anymore. But the moment I bit into the patty, I instantly became a fan. The burger was not typical at all; it oozed with the flavors of herbs and spices, particularly rosemary. It's always nice to pick something very traditional you can almost taste it; yet when you do you discover new flavors and marvel at the inventiveness of the chef. It was so good I ended up finishing the rest of the items on my plate while making a mental note to come back for the others on the menu. The Iced Tea (PHP 75, 24 oz), served cold, complemented the dish well.

If the rest of their dishes are as good as this one, they rightfully deserve the recognition from Philippine Tatler as one of the top 100 restaurants in the country.

And kudos to the management too for making the menu more affordable.

annabel lee cafe, promenade, burger steaks

What Happens in Vegas

What Happens in Vegas is a romantic comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz as two strangers who get married while intoxicated in Las Vegas. How they manage to get out of the marriage and fall in love is what the rest of the movie is all about.

Both Kutcher and Diaz are competent actors and do particularly well in comedies. Diaz has long played the quirky one and is good at being that in this film. Kutcher, as usual, plays the happy go lucky guy.


The movie questions the validity of decisions made while intoxicated or without much thinking preceding it. It raises the point of having to stand by decisions and not to take the easy way out. Also, it seemed to say that sometimes the best decisions are those made not by thorough analysis but by gut feel.

What about you? Have you made impulsive decisions you regretted later?

what happens in vegas, movie, ashton kutcher, cameron diaz

Photo from this site.

Treadmill x 45 minutes x 264 calories

Gumbo

My day started very early last Tuesday and I had done so many things already when I headed out for the convention. So when I got to Mall of Asia, I decided I'd reward myself with a nice brunch. I had no restaurant in mind but figured I would eat somewhere I've never eaten at before or one I've never blogged about.

Mall of Asia offers many dining choices from the inexpensive to the uber expensive. I would have settled for Don Henrico's, a place I haven't been to in a long time, except that their servings are huge. I walked into Tagaytay Highlands Steakhouse but walked away when I saw the menu with Manggy's words ("when I'm by myself I set the limit at P250") ringing in my head.

And then I saw Gumbo. I've always been interested having read that they serve cajun cuisine, a favorite when I was at Cleveland. Last year, I was invited to a birthday lunch here but unfortunately had to work. I learned today that that was too bad.


I had the Grilled Pork Chop (PHP 225, petite), tender pork chops, marinated with special seasoning and spices and grilled to perfection. The dish comes with 2 side dishes of the diner's choice. I opted for cajun rice and corn on the cob as I've been craving for the latter for about a week's time. I say missing last year's birthday bash was too bad because the dish that I had last Tuesday was one of the best I've tasted. The pork was very tender and flavorful; it had very little fat and the serving size was just right for one. The week-long wait to have corn on the cob was worth it because the corn served me was just heavenly. It was sweet, soft and juicy and the ear of corn was perfect from top to bottom . I also loved the cajun rice but couldn't help but think how my yang chow rice loving family could appreciate this.

I paired the dish with Bottomless Lemon Iced Tea (PHP 70) which was very good. It was served cold, the lemon taste was prominent and the refills were served even without my asking.

They served me complimentary fresh bread which came with garlic and olive oil. The bread was good but I like the ones of Italianni's and Bizu better.

The good thing about Gumbo is that they serve dishes in different serving sizes. It was the petite choice which pulled me in. The fact that it was priced appropriately and not very expensive made it sweeter.

As it was brunch and the place had just opened, I had the restaurant to myself. Though it had an outdoor seating area, I opted to dine inside because of the heat and was seated in a table near the window with a view of Manila Bay. The staff were very attentive and the place very clean. It has a restroom on site.

This is definitely a restaurant to come back to. I learned that an invitation to dine at this place should not be passed up.

gumbo, mall of asia, grilled porkchop, corn on the cob, cajun rice, lemon iced tea