Boracay Food Shoot

Tals texted me one afternoon asking if I would like to be her photographer for a food shoot in Boracay. Hmmm... spend 8 hours at work or extend my vacation leave by a day and spend it in Bora eating?

I arrived from a family trip to Phuket on a Monday (yes, I know, blog still pending), went home, unpacked then repacked for my Tuesday flight to the island. Somewhere in between I also experienced slight bouts of worry, given that this gig was going to be my very FIRST food shoot EVER. Cue freak out.

I arrived early in the morning and by lunch, was ready to be an "epic epicurean."

We ate our way through bamboo baskets of dimsum at Mongkok and then managed to find room for the pannacotta at Aria. The incredibly addicting aroma of the pizza and the pasta tempted us to practice a low-grade form of bulimia but we overcame the urge. Instead, we had the food wrapped and ate it later on for dinner.

Oh, and somewhere in between this we had coffee, beer and a couple of mango daquiris. Hahaha.
All in one day. Food coma much? I think I spent the whole of Wednesday digesting everything.

Anyway, the photos came out last weekend in the Saturday Super section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Ever the wordsmith, Tals decided to call the entitled "Boracious." Hehe.

Having said that... zees ees za food at Aria... the product of my first food shoot:

Clockwise from left: pannacotta al cicollato, seafood pesto pizza/tagliatelle with asparagus and prosciutto, the cigarillo (spelling?).

Other food shots are on my pbase gallery. Take the leap by clicking this.

Manila Weekend

April 7-9. 2006

I was supposed to go up to Pagudpud for the weekend to check out our friends' new resort. Then the plan changed to catching a late bus to La Union instead. And then that became a no-go as week's worth of just feeling blah caught up with me.

Bottom line: spent the weekend in the city, which I realize I'd not done in a really long time.

Friday Night:
Jay, Binky and I had dinner and ended up hanging out at Jay's... which is another thing we'd not been able to do in a really long time. The last time I was over, he didnt even have a bed yet. There was just the mattress on the floor. College-style. Anyway.

While Jay made me copies of Putomayo albums, Binky and I watched cable, reminisced about um, our younger years and waited for Cybil to show up. We hung out a little bit. I even tried to shoot Barclay (Jay's dog) playing with a white tabo but basically got snapshots instead of properly-lit photos. Buti na lang cute si Barclay. Haha.

Then I went home, read a little bit and then finally fell asleep wondering if Kim, Aya and them were going to score waves in La Union*.

Saturday:

Footzone's front door. Binky and I spent an hour and a half in pure reflexological bliss as trained therapists worked over our feet, scalps and everything in between. And all for just P400!

Yes! During the last full show of Rent at Greenbelt 3's Cinemas Singing Is Allowed! Unfortunately, Regine and I watched an earlier show so we had to do all our singing up in our heads. Hahaha. It was fun though to finally see most of the original Broadway cast doing the movie version of Larson's play.

Sunday:

I dont have photos from Sunday because we spent most of it either eating really seafood at Red Crab (Crab Lillian... yummy!) or being lazy in front of the television set (hello, ETC and AXN weekend reruns).

So there, a weekend in the city.

*note: The La Union trippers did score good rides... proof maybe that the Luzon North Swell isn't quite as over as we thought?

The Traveling Tabo Project

Who knew that an innocent blog about a converaation that Millie and I had on YM would lead to this? For the record, I sure as hell didn't. And I dont think Millie did either. But here we are, in the midst of the organically growing Tabo Project. And as much as I still cant wrap my head around the idea that we accidentally started this, I am really pleased about it. It's just taken a life of its own, fueled by a collective creative spirit of old friends and almost strangers. Almost as if there is this natural progression.

Still lost? Have no idea what I am talking about? To clue yourself in, keep reading. If anything, you'll learn the meaning of the word diaspora.

This random conversation and an innocent blog gives birth to the project that, in Ali's words, will soon symbolise the Filipino diaspora.


Mag Tabo Ay Di Biro is care of 'sus, where links are first collected for convenience.


Then there's Thread that Spawned "The Project"


And then Ali decided to make it official with the Traveling Tabo Troupe.


101 Uses for the Tabo spearheaded by Karlo where one learns that that tabo is not just for the bathroom after all.


The Diaspora continues to HK care of Joni


Millie gets in on the action in Australia and takes the project to the streets.


Sid takes more tabo shots.

Keep yourselves updated on the Tabo Project! Or leave me a message and get in on the action!