Deokkbokki for You and Me.

DEOKKBOKKI is a popular street snack in Korea. Deokkbokki is basically two-inch long rice sticks cooked in gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) with some cabbage and fish cakes. The basic ingredients also include slices of fish cake, leeks, onions and sometimes whole boiled eggs. You can find it almost anywhere there is a food cart. Most food sellers have a hot plate of deokkbokki in its fiery red sauce, simmering away, with both kids and young adults buying a cup or two as a quick snack.

A Terra-fic Dinner

(The night I Tikim-ed alone)

A FAMILY event brought me to Iloilo lately and, needing a break, I didn't think twice about accepting Gingging Kho's invitation to dine at her family's Mediterranean restaurant Terra.

Evrhoy's long journey has found its season

IT TAKES time to develop the skills of every human living. Much as it takes long hours and rigid training to become an Olympic athlete, it also takes years of self-discipline to become an accomplished pianist. Indeed, it is a journey to transform a gift into a skill, and the skill into achievement.

In the case of Evrhoy D. Coja, such journey has found its season when he took the stage last April 8, 2011 and graduate as the only one with honors from the 2011 batch of engineering students of the Technological University of the Philippines - Visayas.

Jacob with the Power Rangers

MOMMY Tata Fregil-Lacson was just so busy attending to the Power Rangers party of Jacob F. Lacson as Daddy Philip Lacson welcomes the guests of Jacob, Tata and her own buddies and closer friends in the Rotary Club of Bacolod South.

Party Perks of the Borres couple ably prepared and organized the party fun and the place was so colorful with decors and colorful balloons, plus the ice cream cart and cotton candy and the playground fun that Party Perks have organized complete with tents, clowns and videoke.

Mi Amiga at the 18th Panaad sa Negros Festival

ALL eyes on me when I walk in

No question that this girl's a 10 Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful 2x. -- from the song "Pretty Girl Rock" as sung by Keri Hilson

Summer getaway to Guimaras Island

LAST April 2, I attended an outreach program conducted by my high school batchmates led by Mrs Rose Peñafiel and Susan Agustin at the Home for Girls in Iloilo City. Blessed with blue skies and fair weather, my two girls and I set sail on board a SuperCat ferryboat for our first travel sortie for summer 2011. We availed of Supercat’s round trip summer promo of P400 per person which provides aircon accommodation for tourists travelling in first class. It was smooth sailing all the way, without the choppy waves which characterized my previous trips.

Life before the Internet

THE people of my generation have it easy – email, social networking, mobile phones, instant messaging, fax, etc… In my opinion, these modern conveniences have made the world collectively softer. But back in the old days, well – let’s say they had to wait for a hell of a long time for their mail to arrive.

Team Tikim on Top (Dinner at the Chalet)

I KNOW it's a tough job but somebody's got to do it. And I mean Team Tikim's taste test of eight special dishes presented by the Chalet's Chef Pancho Bringas and Asst. Exec. Sous Chef George Gorriceta.

With L'Fisher Marketing Executive extraordinaire Imelda Tinsay-Bringas organizing this Tikim, we were assured of a superb late afternoon meal at the Chalet's now famous roofdeck which afforded us an exciting view of Bacolod City's main district.

Dancing with Joval

WE ARE creatures with many passions. We are drawn to many things. From the interior, we have apostolates that differ. Some like medical missions, some like soup kitchens, others go for visiting prisons and the elderly and the sick and a thousand other choices.

Even our prayer life varies. Some are contemplatives while some go for the more emotional and expressive form of prayer. It doesn’t mean that because we differ in infatuation and enthusiasm that we are any better than the rest. It always boils down to choices and what suits our core and being.

Sensorium: Art Exhibit of Allison Wong David

THE Metropolitan Museum of Manila brings Sensorium: The Interconnectedness of and Everyone and Everything.

The exhibit, in cooperation with SM City Bacolod, features the contemporary works of contemporary artist Ms. Allison Wong David. The exhibit reflects on the communication aspect of human sensory experiences. It encourages the viewers to reflect and be aware of the expressed, subtle or hidden signals and information that they transmit, receive, and respond to in the course of interacting.

Pajeon (Korean Veggie Pancakes)

WELCOME to my weekly column where I will share with you, the joys of Korean and international cuisine cooking. First of all, let me introduce myself. I am a Filipina who is a mother of two boys, currently residing in the Peach Capital of Korea (Janghowon). Oh, I am also married to an American (who is also a very good cook, being a former US restaurant manager), hence my unusual surname.

A visit to a Hindu temple

RIGHT across our hotel, Grand Chancellor, in Singapore is a Hindu Temple, Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali.

Daring collision

WHEN a collision happens, would it be a loud blast, a heavy thug, a sharp crash, or just a plain smash? But what if the fender-bender elements are not man and machine, or machine and machine but art and engineering? Would that make a big difference?

Hey, Brew! (Team Tikim visits Bogsbrew)

WHO knew? If a teetotaler like me has no business trying out beer, then what was I doing in the newly built antiseptic brewery of Architect Bugoy Hagad?

Set on a 10-hectare piece of wooded land in Fortune Towne, the brewery is a small white structure - the new home of local beer brand Bogsbrew. He and his wife own and manage Art Energy, an architectural/interior design firm and furniture manufacturing company. So, if you know where Art Energy's factory is, you'll know where Bogsbrew brewery is located.

Handog para sa Batch 2011 - Baw Tanda

"PARANG kailan lang, ang mga pangarap ko'y kay hirap abutin." So goes the first line of the song "Handog" by Filipino folk singer Florante de Leon back in the 1980s. This very familiar tune again pervades the airways, but this time with the lyrics spoofed into a graduation parody by the wacky DJs of Campus Radio Bacolod namely Papa Marco and Papa Benjo. Lyrics were arranged by the radio comedy king himself Papa Dino of Talk to Papa radio program.

The Magic of Islam

THE common stereotypes and mental images associated with Muslims and Islam include one or more of the following: terrorism, religious conservatism, political unrest, backwardness, and probably camels. Now, to set the record straight - the Muslims really don't like terrorism. It gives them a bad name, just like how Stalinism seems to give all the Russians a bad name (when in fact Stalin is from Georgia). Truth be told, Islam has contributed a lot more to us than we think we know.

17th Sugar Tee Inv'l Golf tourney: Helping attain the golf workers' dreams

A TOTAL of 244 golfers from Negros Occidental and other parts of the country participated in the 17th Sugar Tee Invitational Golf Tournament held March 11-13, 2011 at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club (NOGCC), Bacolod City.

Acies

ANNUALLY, the legionaries come together to make a promise to Our Lady and we call it the Acies. Being a legionary for more than 25 years, I have embraced the word acies with no real comprehension of the word. So, finally, I decided to google the word and it had these meanings.

A trip to Nature's

IT WAS quite a rainy Wednesday morning when we trooped to Nature's Village Resort in Talisay City. More than just wanting to bring my students to see structures, interior design and landscaping, I was also aiming at bringing them closer to one fine place in the neighborhood that they should be very proud of.

Moreover, the invitation from Ms. Michelle Salon of the Resort's Marketing Staff for our student-writers to come and visit Nature's had been long standing. So when the opportunity came last Wednesday, off we took the route to Nature's.

All Together - The RamDiz Singers

We're all in this together And it shows when we stand Hand in hand Make our dreams come true.

- from High School Musical

Graduation!

WHEN we were practicing for our graduation rites, our director told us not to do anything stupid to ruin the solemnity of the event (such as coming to the graduation rites in jeans or grabbing the mic and making a long speech like you just received the Oscar) - or the consequences would be dire. He said nothing about printed media.

Gov. Joseph G. Marañon: The Legacy Lives On

TODAY would have marked the 77the birthday of former Negros Occidental Governor Joseph G. Marañon. He ranks among the most loved leaders the province ever had. His legacy, anchored on his accomplishments and his no-nonsense political will, lives on in the hearts of Negrenses.

The impact of Marañon’s programs in the province is unparalleled. Foremost among these is the upgrading of district hospitals and the construction of the new provincial hospital in Silay.

The sun will rise again in Japan

WHEN we were in school and studying geography, we had to memorize also the tag lines of the different countries. Japan was called the Land of the Rising Sun, just as much as the Philippines was known as the Pearl of the Orient but it seems we have lost that esteem.

With the devastation and the distressing news surrounding Japan these days, we look with compassion, sympathy and awe at the disaster that has wrought Japan and we admire the Japanese for their discipline, their resiliency and their resolve.

A Day at The Ruins

IF YOU'VE been a resident of Bacolod City for the past five years, then you will surely agree with me that the place where everybody is raring to go is The Ruins in nearby Talisay City. I first came to know about this newest tourist attraction from the write-ups of my fellow feature writers in Sun.Star Weekend Bacolod Edition. Miss Luci Lizares Yunque wrote about it in the May 11 to 17, 2008 issue followed by Miss Betsy Gazo, who wrote about an event that was held there in the May 16 to 22, 2010 issue.

When Summer Days are here

WITH summer 'round the bend, there will be predictably many summer workshops to keep the young ones busy during their vacation.

Personally, I am partial to the Negros Museum's offerings this year. This is quite an improvement on their old list. This summer, they will be offering the usual Basic Drawing, Painting and Sculpture (Mondays to Fridays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.), Digital Photography (Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.), and Play Art for Kids (3-5 years old, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Mondays to Fridays). The good news is that there are many workshops for the older kids and adults!

Burnout - A tale of procrastination

THERE was once a little boy with big dreams (before you start assuming, he's not me). He wanted to be a professional game designer - something that nearly every little 21st century boy aspires to be one day. He excelled in computers at his high school - when hey involved DOTA - just like every other average Filipino teenage male. And then he came to college - he wasn't head of his class; that position was given to the teacher's pet who memorized every lecture word for word.

'UK's on Fridays'

"DIRI nayon, diri nayon!" "Bag-o bukad, bag-o bukad!" "Tatlo cien, tatlo cien! "(In this corner, in this corner!).(Newly-opened, newly opened!) ("Three for one hundred, three for one hundred!")

Lent and Mother Marie Eugenie

THE Season of Lent was ushered in with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. We go to Church to have the mark of the ashes to remind us that from dust we are, unto dust we shall return. Lent is the season for prayer and penance, for fasting and abstinence and alms giving.

A day at the Universal Studio and Sentosa Island

MY LAST trip to Singapore was a long, long time ago. There were no theme parks, no night safari rainforests open to the public but it was already pristine then. We were there for over three weeks on our first visit since my Mom had an acupuncture treatment for her pinched nerve when needles healing pains were not yet in vogue to the world. Orchard Road was limited in skyscrapers and tourists were minimal. We went back for a follow treatment and her pain miraculously never recurred.

When I'm Up All Night

SURPRISINGLY, the animated Walt Disney-Pixar flick Up had made me do some profound thinking since I first watched it. I have seen it for quite a number of times because first, it is a funny movie; second, the cartoonists did a splendid job creating and giving life to the characters; third, the plot is exciting and unpredictable; and fourth, messages that are all innocuously disguised as kid stuff are actually timeless and close to my heart.