Goodbye, Bob's Crab Shack...Hello, Juancho's !!!

It was one afternoon when my girlfriend and I craved for some yummy crabs. It was a unanimous decision to go to the place which introduced us to tasty crab selections--- Bob’s Crab Shack in BF Paranaque! Last time we visited the place was few months ago. So off we went to Bob’s famous crab shack.

We looked for that familiar signage which actually spells ‘delicious and tasty crabs’. We were already planning which dishes to order. And we could almost taste the food. But, to our surprise, 'the crab shack' was no longer there. Literally, my girlfriend almost cried after we found out, or should I say, after we didn’t find the good-old crab shack which was famous for their buttered alimango and tortang alimango.

Instead of the familiar name, there we saw a banner which showed an unfamiliar name. “Who the hell is Juancho?”, is what we first uttered upon seeing it. At one point we thought we got lost. But we were certain it's the right place. Even the establishments beside the what we used to know as Bob's Crab Shack were there. "Are my eyes be playing tricks on me again?", i thought.

Later we found out that the said establishment is now managed by someone else. Bob gave it up to some guy. You guessed it--- Juancho.

So, initially frustrated in not getting what we went there for, we considered other places to eat and vent our building frustration there. But, like it's a blessing, a familiar face from inside the restaurant called us and asked us to get inside and eat there. She was one of the waiters who used to work at Bob's. She convinced us to eat there after telling us that nothing really changed in the menu. Juancho decided to keep the same old but delectable dishes on the menu and will just add more exciting and must-try options.

And then our tummies were filled again.

Same food. Same taste. Same place. But this time with a little twist.

old place with new furniture

fresh and relaxing ambiance

the wait was worth it...

nah...forget about the cholesterol...

My Toothache Episode

I experience excruciating pain every time my tooth, actually two of them, would choose to ‘tease’ me with such agony. The pain is not only unbearable but it’s at the same time frustratingly annoying. Apparently, most of the time I go through this loathed moment was during times when I’m stressed or busy. So you could just imagine how it aggravates every tough situation.

Okay, so I don’t like going to the dentist but now the condition already called for it. I guess it’s time to suck it in and go though this pathetic ‘phobia’ in dentists. As I remember it, I only visited a dentist a few times during my childhood.

So I went to see a dentist last year in December. Surprisingly, I never felt that comfortable with a dentist before. I remember comparing a dentist as to that of a monster during when I was just a kid. I got my teeth thoroughly cleaned and had some temporary pasta on some of my ‘busy grinders’, everything my HMO card covered. I must say it relieved of the pain after that visit, so I thought.

Just when I thought I was over this painful episode, the agony went on after a few weeks of relief. Now this time my dentist didn’t see any reason or cause just by looking at my teeth. She suggested I had to have the teeth x-rayed—specifically, a panoramic x-ray. Not until I get this panoramic x-ray done, will my teeth be extracted. Did I mention I’m scared of dentists and tooth extraction?

So left with no other better option, I shed a few bucks (Php800) and the x-ray done just earlier today. The procedure was cool. It was like getting an MRI-- though I haven’t gotten one--only the machine ‘checked’ my teeth and not the entire body. But, man, I was surprise when the nurse (was she really a nurse?) asked me if I have any appliance inside my mouth! So I was like, “is that even possible?!”. Probably, she was referring to dentures and braces or anything foreign ‘installed’ in my mouth. But appliances? Wow, I can just imagine how spacious one’s mouth can be.

With the x-ray done, I called up my dentist’s clinic and set up an appointment with her this weekend. My dentist’s secretary even jokingly asked me, “sure ka na ba dyan, sir? (are you sure about that, sir?)”. After mustering all my wits, I told her I’m sure. Now it’s a done deal. I’m going to the dentist this weekend and face the unknown.

Starwars Got Queen Amidala Dancing

I happen to pass by this place somewhere in Las Pinas one afternoon which caught my attention. I just really felt like sharing this picture here.

I have nothing against the place itself but upon seeing this signboard some funny (at least to me) questions sprung out from my playing mind.

Do they feature Queen Amidala of Starwars as one of their dancers? Wait, isn't that Anakin Skywalker wearing a disguise? Probably, he just saw Amidala and just trying to avoid the press.

I'm not really A die-hard follower of Starwars but I did find the movie's special effect cool and amazing enough to watch. The Starwars Trilogy was believed as one of the best sci-fi movie there is.

Whatever is the real story here, I hope it won't spell trouble.

May the force be with you!

Don't Sweat It All

The car won’t start. What an unfortunate thing to start the day!

We were about to leave for a court hearing one morning when the trouble came about. And did I just mention we where all dressed up and all for the episode? Well, actually, it was my girlfriend who was. But that’s beside the point which was; we had to give it a push to jumpstart this baby-- I meant the car. The ‘gentleman’ in me suggested that I leave her out of the task at hand and besides, it would have raised her brows if I mistakenly asked her to give me a hand.

So there I was; summoning all my strength to give the car a hell of a push. At least, that was the whole idea. But, not to my surprise though, the car didn’t budge. Okay, so it probably moved an inch but it was still a futile and pathetic showcase of masculinity. At that moment it really didn’t dawn on me how lame and useless I was in that instance. I was so into the pushing that I didn’t bother how others, including my girlfriend, would see me. Or was I just not minding it?

So with my so-called-pride wolfed down, I solicited some help. No, not from my girlfriend, of course, but from the oh-so-willing kanto manongs who probably just had their pandesal and kape. Only two manongs yielded to my prodding (alright, so I used my Pussy-Boots-Charm. Bite me!). The next thing I know, we were working our muscles to give the car the push it needed. We’ve almost covered the entire village still pressing on and getting more than the work out we needed but still no sign of life from the car.

We later found out that it got something to do with and empty car battery. The sad part is it never crossed my mind the whole time I was dripping in sweat.

Moral of this untoward anecdote: when faced with a somewhat tough problem, try to think first and asses the mess at hand. Don’t just randomly try all the solutions that come to mind to get you out of it. You might just be wasting significant time in the process. Muscling your way through all the troubles in life might not be a good idea after all.

Sometimes the answer to the problem is not as Herculean as we think it is. Life may be hard but it doesn’t mean every answer should be. It might just be under your nose. In this case, the answer was just under the hood.

Happy Birthday, Baby Sister !!!

I haven’t gotten over the sad fact that my father’s birthday escaped me.

But it’s as if it was not enough, history just hit me with a straight on the face again. It didn’t just catch me off-guard and unable to grasp some air but it floored me hard. I remember I vowed not to be in the same situation again after the first occasion. Were my efforts to avoid this put to naught? Or were there any in the first place?

I forgot about my baby sister's birthday this time. Being the nice and wonderful kid she is, she didn't even complain about it.

Not even a lame excuse I can come up right now. I should be ashamed of myself. Actually, I believe I am.

For whatever it's worth, I'll try to make it up to her.

Finding Love Out Of Phonebooks

Just as promises are made to be broken, myths are conceived to be challenged and busted.

I was toggling from one channel to the other in search of something worth watching one afternoon (I realized it's almost becoming an uncontrollable habit now). My girlfriend was in the kitchen; busy recreating the adobo recipe one of the staff from her work gave away. With all the shows to choose from, it seemed almost impossible to stick to one channel these days especially if you have cable. Even to stick to at least a particular channel for a good couple of minutes appeared difficult. I remember I didn’t have such a problem when the tube used to just show the local channels. There were not many options then. Either you’re a Kapamilya or Kapuso.

Eventually, I had to choose one. I settled for the Mythbusters. They were always in search of myths to bust (I guess you don't need me telling you that just by reading the tiitle of their show). That time they were trying to prove wrong, or otherwise, the myth about phonebooks and how tough they are to rip apart by pulling them from opposite directions.

What they did was alternately put a page of one phone book on top of another page of the other phone book. It was like shuffling a deck of cards. Then they just ‘scotch-taped’ the covers to keep the pages from being flown away once they're being tested (the phonebooks, I mean). But get this; the pages were not glued to each other. At first, they pulled it from opposite directions using mere human force; it was pathetic. Then they tried more human force; it was shameful. So they thought two cars pulling the phonebooks would surely shatter the stubborn phonebooks’ new found self-worth. But the unbeatable duo-- referring to the phonebooks-- was again able to get out of the ordeal unscathed. Pretty neat, huh?

Like I was, the hosts were amazed and excited at the same time knowing how two sets of phonebooks could withstand such force. But they were not as convinced as to start a fan club for some unpopular books. They gave the credit to friction which gave these books the ‘super-strength’. The friction apparently was so strong that it seemed to resist any force applied against it to separate the pages. It was just as amazing as it was informative.

Love can be considered as the ‘friction’ that keeps two people from being separated by other outside forces deemed to be more powerful (here's another proof of my poor transition). A couple who really have the said ‘friction’ can withstand so much that those who care for them (including those pretending to care) sometimes can’t understand why. But some people just can help but be ‘villains’ to the couple. Then the poor love birds that are ‘under the influence of friction’ are deemed stupid, blind or even pathetic by others. The sad reality is, most of the time, the forces just won’t stop challenging the bond to its limits. They just can’t somehow resist the excitement of proving that such reality of love is as strong between our poor couple who are ‘friction-ated’.

So for those who believe they have what it takes to stand their ground in the name of love, better think twice. Standing your ground against all odds could also be unrewarding, you know. Before you brave through the meanest storm, climb the steepest mountain, or just simply face the ridicule and wrath of your man’s wife, know first if it’s worth it. They won’t be considerate; am not just talking about the wife here but also the others who find it their business to middle between you and your love.

So I say good luck to you lovebirds!