Classy New Year's Eve Dinner At Abaca Cebu

Here's a really cool and expensive way to spend the New Year Holiday. Why don't you treat yourself to this lavishly expensive and classy dinner at Abaca Restaurant. I've posted the menu below for those who are interested.




There are a number of other establishments offering New Year countdown packages and dinner specials like Marriot and Waterfront Hotel I bet. These should include dinner, a show and fireworks too. Be prepared to shell out nothing less than a thousand or two though per person.

Christmas In Cebu

Christmas in Cebu is heavy traffic and crowded malls. But aside from that, there are a multitude of festivities going on for people who are looking for a good time. I've already enumerated some pretty good places to hold a party.

Mall hours during Christmas in Cebu is very typical. Mostly commercial malls like SM City Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu will be open. They will close early on the 24th and open late on the 25th but nevertheless they will be open. SM is even holding a cool movie marathon. One for kids (shows include the latest Harry Potter film - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Fantastic 4, Night at the Museum and Eragon) and also one for adults featuring blockbuster films like Die Hard 4, Blood Diamond, Ocean's 13 and 300. So if you've missed those films, you can still go see them in SM City Cebu Cinemas from December 19 to 24.

Places To Party In Cebu

Well Christmas is just around the corner and everybody is scrambling to get from one party to another. It will be a little late to get into the more popular locations specially for bigger groups, but here are some places I recommend as cool party places in Cebu.

1. Mr. A - just up in Busay the food and drinks are affordable PLUS the view is to die for
2. Sand trap - this place is usually for members only but it's a nice place to hang out (usually haven for foreigners), but there's a pool and good food as well
   
3. MB Tavern - pizza's good, they've got beer and stuff too at affordable rates
4. Loft - I hear this is the place to be if you want to be seen in the "social" scene (typically not my type - expensive there too)
   
5. Lantaw Garden - up in Marco Polo, I have yet to get details on this place and when I do I'll be sure to let you know. But from what I remember when Marco Polo hotel was still Cebu Plaza hotel, this wasn't so bad (also with a great view of the city)
6. Cafe Orchidia - also near Marco Polo, I haven't tasted the food here but I have had a few drinks and it wasn't so bad. The place is cozy
7. The Port - at Waterfront Cebu is a good place to eat with their eat-all-you-can buffet. Sometimes though there are be a LOT of people to watch out
8. Paseo - if you jive with the younger crowd, this is also one of the more popular hang outs in the city

(Image from photo.net.ph by Blogalicous)

US Bank Notes Worth $3 Trillion Found In Argao Cebu

US banknotes amounting to $3 trillion that were recovered in barangay Talaga, Argao town two months ago. According to the Philippines Star, the US Secret Service confirmed them to be counterfeits.

Here's a little history from that same article:

In October, a resident in Talaga, Argao recovered a chest left behind a banana grove by a Caucasian-looking man.

The chest, which is 27.3 inches long, 10 inches wide and 14.4 inches in height, has the markings of Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland, Ohio. On top of the markings was an engraved seal of the United States.

The opened compartments contained seven film clichés, 12 bank certificates, 12 redemption act certificates, 12 treasury certificates, 12 inventory lists, 12 gold reserve act certificates, 11 insurance certificates and 12 gold bullion certificates.

The fourth compartment contained 200 pieces of US federal bond interest coupons, with each coupon stating it was worth $1 billion.

And here's an update from Sunstar News:

The US Embassy also requested PRO 7 to burn the notes, or to send these to the US consular agent’s office in Cebu for destruction.

“On behalf of all US federal agencies involved, we thank you for your professionalism and timely response in handling this sensitive matter. I look forward to personally meeting you and your staff in the near future,” the letter said.

The Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), particularly operatives of the Argao Police Station, recovered the bonds last Oct. 12, after a Caucasian man abandoned the trunk in a banana grove in Sitio Prenza, Barangay Talaga, Argao.

Samples of the bank notes were sent to the US Embassy for analysis, although the police and US Honorary Consul John Domingo earlier pointed to signs the recovered documents were bogus.

Efforts to identify and locate the person who dropped the trunk in Argao town are also ongoing. Police have yet to find out what he intended to do with the bonds or how he produced them.

The recovery of the counterfeit bonds earned the provincial police office an award from the Department of Interior and Local Government last month.

(image from ABS-CBN News)

SM City Cebu North Wing Now Open

We got to visit SM City Cebu Northwing over the weekend. The entrance was indeed grand. There were many new shops like Power Books, Diego and Espada. Although most of them are already in Ayala Center's new renovated area as well. SM North Wing was not to be outdone. They held ABS-CBN's "Deal or No Deal" there. The place was just crawling with people. It was even more crowded than normal.

I think it's going to be great there once all the shops are open. The spaciousness is just refreshing. Kids can run around while parents can shop. It won't just be a place to shop but a place to hang out as well.

Manila Peninsula Stand-Off: The Philippines Political War - Just The Facts

The political war in the Philippines rages on, and just when I thought the political state would ease up a bit after the so-called former president Joseph Estrada was apparently "pardoned." Instead yet ANOTHER coup d'etat occurs.

This incidence has attracted an international following - image to the right care of New York Times. They NYT article called the event the "Hotel Stand-off in Manila." The image shows government soldiers preparing to enter the Peninsula Hotel in Manila, which was said to be "besieged" by rebel soldiers. The hotel had been taken over earlier by dissident military officers who demanded that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo resign.

I call it just plain sensationalism. I just came home from the office and I'm trying to piece this thing together. I do not wish to concern myself with political events such as this because I often find it a waste of my time. But seeing that I was just in Manila yesterday, I'm also a little perturbed.

Anyway in an attempt to get my mind around what just happened here's a summary of JUST THE FACTS from different news sources:

Apparently this "Hotel Stand off In Manila" Or "Manila Coup" as dubbed by BBC news started with a hearing of Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 to the coup trial of Senator Antonio Trillanes and other junior officers allegedly involved in the botched July 2003 mutiny at the Oakwood Premier (now Ascott Hotel) in Makati City according to ABS-CBN News at 11:03 am Nov-28. The major personalities -- Sen. Antonio Trillanes and Army Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim marched out of Makati courtroom and joined civilians and uniformed military personnel armed with M-16 and M-14 rifles. The soldiers, some of whom were carrying Magdalo flags, marched along Makati Avenue towards the Ninoy Aquino Monument at the corner of Paseo de Roxas and Ayala Avenue in a report posted 30 minutes later.

At approximately 12noon, the reportedly "rebel" website catches the media's attention. The website calls on all Filipinos to withdraw support from the incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

At the same time an updated report mentions that the soldiers who marched along Makati Avenue had entered the Manila Peninsula Hotel. Reports said the group were holed up at the hotel's second floor, which has been transformed into a command center. There has been no mention if this was done in a decent or indecent manner.

At 12:51 pm Philippine time it is reported that an unarmed ranking police official entered the Manila Peninsula Hotel to negotiate with a group of rebel soldiers. By this time the Philippines national police (PNP) is said to be in full alert.

By 1:50 pm, another article on ABC-CBN news says that the "rebel" troops "stormed" the luxury Manila hotel. Stormed is very different from entered. People were going in and out of the Peninsula Hotel freely but a guest said he had been stopped by men with machine guns from going up to the second floor, where Lim and others were said to be planning their next move.



A report posted at 2:41 pm Director Geary Barias, National Capital Region Police Office director, said authorities have also asked all of the civilians inside the hotel to leave the building and that President Arroyo ordered the Philippine National Police to arrest rebel soldiers. Apparently they were given a 2:30 pm deadline to evacuate guests inside the hotel.



A few minutes later an article notes that the Philippine military is rushing around 1,500 troops to the capital Manila to crush a mutiny by rebel soldiers who have taken over a luxury hotel, a military spokesman said. He said at least three battalions of infantry, or about 1,500 soldiers, were on their way to the Makati business district of Manila where around 30 armed soldiers were holed up in the Peninsula Hotel. At the same time guests of Manila Peninsula hotel are evacuated to a bus that took them to Shangrila hotel just across the street.

According to Inquirer.net the Peninsula management said 310 out of the 497 rooms were occupied before Thursday's drama began. About 200 guests led the massive check-out, lining up in the reception area with hastily packed bags. Some carried their clothes in plastic bags.

Nearing 4pm, at least 50 Special Weapons and Tactics commandos wearing gas masks lined up outside the Manila Pensinsula hotel in Makati City to enforce the arrest of rebel soldiers after rebel soldiers refused to accept warrants for their arrest.

An hour later, tear gas canisters are fired into or lobbed at the hotel lobby of the Manila Peninsula and then a few minutes later a volley of gunfire. There is no mention, who made these shots, although Inquirer

Finally a military armored personnel carrier rammed through the main entrance of the Manila Peninsula Hotel. This is shortly followed by the dramatic surrender of coup d'etat leaders at around 6:30pm.

Inquirer.net update quoted him saying "We're going out for the sake of the safety of everybody, for your sake because we cannot live with our conscience if some of you get hurt or get killed in the crossfire," said Trillanes, addressing the media. He could have thought about that a few hours ago don't you think?

As the teargas filled the lobby, members of the rebel group herded journalists to the meeting room where civil society groups and Arroyo critics had gathered. Reporters and the renegade soldiers made makeshift facemasks of the hotel tablecloths to protect themselves from the teargas. The hotel corridors were a mess, with lamps and tables overturned during the commotion.

Media men who covered the takeover of Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City were also arrested, the news mentioned that they were taken in for "questioning."

It is now 8pm and apparently a curfew is about to befall the Manila area as well as surrounding regions as government forces attempt to hunt down more "rebels."

Dining In Cebu: Abaca Boutique Resort

Rumored to charge 2000 pesos per plate, Abaca boutique resort is said to be one of the most delicious culinary experiences you can have in Cebu City. Located in Punta Engano, Mactan Island, the place is home to chef Jack Hyatt. Apparently trained by none other than Wolfgang Puck (chef to the Hollywood starts).

They have their own website and a resort that's under renovation right now but should be good and expensive. For my taste though it should be worth a try.

Another Typhoon To Hit The Philippines

CNN News reported just today (Nov-23) that the Philippine government has raised the possibility that Mitag -- or Mina, as it's called in the Philippines -- could strike as a super-typhoon, a storm equivalent to a Category 4 or Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Currently, the storm is just shy of a Category 3 storm.

Flood-ravaged regions in the nation are already struggling to recover from a typhoon that hit just four days earlier: Tropical Storm Hagibis which is now heading toward Vietnam.

At midday, Mitag was packing 175 kilometer per hour (109 mile per hour) winds, with gusts of 210 kph (131 mph), according to The Associated Press.

It was poised to hit the southern portion of Luzon, the northernmost of the Philippines' island groups, sometime this weekend, forecasters said. Winds could reach a Category 4 strength of 213 kph (132 mph) early Sunday, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.

More than 194,000 people have fled or been evacuated to temporary shelters, AP quoted disaster officials as saying.

Earlier, at 2:20 a.m. (5:20 p.m. ET), Mitag was about 645 kilometers (400 miles) east of Manila, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.

Work And Discrimination In Cebu

It's tough working in Cebu. Although I do believe that the opportunities are here and the potential to earn is available. They are pretty hard to find. Just in the last few years, a plethora of call centers and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies have blossomed and are catering to the employment needs of thousand of Cebuanos.

I can't complain. I work in an American company and am paid quite well. Don't get me wrong though, I don't feel that I owe this company anything. I have worked like a dog all these years that I've worked here. I have worked day shift, night shift, swing shift - all hours of the day and night. I have contributed enough hours to last for the next year I think.

One of the primary difficulties I think would be the cultural differences. Some foreign bosses don't trust their employees and most foreign bosses think that local employees (especially if you have offices in other parts of the world) are inferior to other nationalities.

This is of course untrue and very offensive. Discrimination is clear even here in Cebu. It's a bittersweet experience though, having all these foreign companies in Cebu. Bitter in that we all have to work for these people. And on the other had sweet because so many people need these jobs. One thing though I keep in mind is a line from the movie "Maid In Manhattan." The butler said, "Although we serve these people, we are not their servants."

Storm In Cebu - Cuts Power & Water Supply

Everyone in Cebu was caught surprised yesterday. I was just in the office working, when people started to gasp as they looked out the window. The winds were so strong that tress were uprooted. In the afternoon around 3pm, the radio said we were at signal number 1, by the time I tried to get home, the streets were flooded and it was signal # 2. I didn't even know until the day after that the storm was named Lando according to the local newspaper.

A lot of people ended up walking along the Banilad road because of the heavy traffic. People go nuts when it rains. Maybe also from panic. A lot of people were injured I heard as billboards fell.

I live in the uptown area and it took us until the next day to have electricity turned back on. Apparently a lot of posts were damaged. Water is another dilemma as well. It will probably take until the end of the week for us to have regular water supply again. Our apartment looked like a refugee camp with lots of trees along the road - no water & electricity.

(image from Sunstar.com.ph)

Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Play in SM

Very seldom are there big production plays in Cebu, last one I saw was Little Mermaid by the Trumpets. It was very good I must say and so I'm planning to see Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah that's playing in SM City Cebu Cinema 1.

It's supposedly a satire on Darna. Instead of the typical Filipina heroine who swallows a stone to become her super heroine self and save the world, Zsa Zsa Zaturnah's alter ego is a gay hair stylist who does pretty much the same thing, only this time in flaming red hair. Playing the lead role will be singer-comedienne K Brosas who has already made several television appearances.

This play is presented by Tanghalang Pilipino & Elite Productions. Nov 16,17,18 3pm & 8pm @ SM Cebu Cinema 1 if you're interested too. You can read more about this play from Tanghalang Pilipino's Art Director - Dennis Marasigan's blog.

Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah has a website under construction too.

(image from Sinag-arts.org)

Midmonth Pre-Christmas Sales In SM & Ayala

Unless you've been living under a rock recently, you wouldn't miss the big sales going on in Ayala Center Cebu and SM City Cebu. It's from today (Nov-16) until Sunday. All roads are leading to both Ayala and SM. I should know, I was in Ayala today and it was overflowing with people. Primarily wanting to siphon people's payroll which should have just been received a few days ago.