Dan Brown's Inferno: More of the Usual Stuff

Dan Brown's latest book, Inferno, has everything his fans would expect from him: a nice setting, clues and codes hidden in works of art, conspiracy theories, you get the drift.  After all, this is another story centered on Robert Langdon, Harvard professor and symbologist.

The story begins with Langdon waking up in a hospital not knowing where he is and without any  recollection of the last two days.  He narrowly escapes an attempt on his life , thanks to a female doctor, Sienna Brooks.  But even with this memory loss, he was able to unlid a sinister plot by a mad scientist to unleash a virus (codenamed Inferno) that will "thin the herd", the herd being us humans.  How did he do it? By interpreting hidden codes and symbols in Inferno of the Divine Comedy by Dante. And yes,  with a little help from his eidetic memory.  

Just like any of Brown's novel, this one is filled with details like the height of the building, the make of a car, motorcycle or plane and even the brand of clothes Langdon was wearing.  For example, everybody he met thought that changing from a Harris Tweed to a Brioni suit made Langdon look more Italian.   If anything, the way he described Florence and Istanbul would make Brown a great TLC travel show host.  There is even a tour now of the Hagia Sophia in Turkey based on the book.

The book is quite a page turner, I stayed up until 1AM just to find out if the virus will be released.      However, somewhere in the last 14 chapters of the book, everything collapsed.  Just like the house of cards that one of the characters keeps on talking about (change one card and the entire thing will shift and fall).  The frenetic story telling came to a drag and twists after twists were revealed.  Personally, the revelations only confirmed what I have suspected since the first few chapters.  Maybe it was my desire to prove my self right that kept me reading up to this point. When they were confirmed, my reading energy just dropped.

Dan Brown wrote this book with his built-in audience (aka loyal readers) in mind.  Critics be damned, the book is a hit everywhere!  It even got a publicity boost right here in our country when a government official reacted on Sienna Brook's telling herself that her stay in Manila was like running through the gates of hell.  A minor twist in the story which at most,  is amusing.

Inferno by Dan Brown is available in Kindle edition from amazon.com.

Bourne Legacy Official Theatrical Trailer

I just got a look at the official theatrical trailer of Bourne Legacy starring Jeremy Renner.  This is the film that was shot here earlier this year and got local government officials pumped up over the "benefits" the country will get from the experience.

One can get from the trailer that there was this project that created an elite force and Jason Bourne is just one of them.  One agent happened to be this new character played by Renner. What the trailer did not say is why he is in Manila.  

The streets of Manila looked so glossy and yet the chaos cannot be denied. And honestly, I never thought I would see a public utility jeepney involved in a car chase scene of a Hollywood movie! The movie opens in August.  In the meantime, take a look at the trailer below (from youtube.com).

Revisiting Historic Paco Park

I joined the photo walk of my camera club this weekend at the Paco Park in Manila.  It's been a while since I last visited the place and it was nice to see it again.  Aside from that, we celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of our parents there three years ago so it's a memorable place for me personally.

Paco Park also has a place in our country's history.  Our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal was buried there for a while after his execution.  The three martyred priests named GomBurZa were also interred there.

I was around 9 in the morning when we got there and the park was relatively quiet and almost empty except from a few visitors.  We have it almost to ourselves except that there were some construction going on.  Some areas were being dugged up while some of the walls were being reinforced.

Here are some of the photos I took during our photo walk.

Mango Kreme Cake from Krispy Kreme

I passed by the Krispy Kreme store at the SM City North EDSA Annex this afternoon and I couldn't resist buying half a dozen donuts.  I bought three pieces of my favorite Original Glazed and another three of the Mango Kreme Cake.

They call it the "official doughnut of summer" perhaps because one of its ingredients is ripe mango.  The doughnut is topped with cream, nuts and bits of ripe mangoes.  Like any variant of Krispy Kreme, this one is soft and sweet. It has a slight hint of cinnamon but I cannot pinpoint whether it's from the doughnut or the cream.  The mango in this batch has a little tartness but it complements the sweetness of the cream.  Anyway, I like it and I think I will get more of this when I pass by a Krispy Kreme branch again.

CYMA at Trinoma Mall

We finally had a chance to try the Greek specialty restaurant, CYMA last week when my brother celebrated his birthday.  We had lunch at the Trinoma Branch of this Greek restaurant last Sunday.  My sister-in-law and I have already decided on what to order even before we went there so there was no problem on what to get once we got there.

We got one serving of their Hummus and pita bread.  I have tried hummus before but the one from Cyma was really nice. It was a really nice way to start our adventure to Greek cuisine.  I just wish that they have more pita bread per serving since theirs were really soft and really good.

For the main entree, I ordered one of Cyma's specialties, lamb chops.  I asked for the shoulder loin chops  grilled medium-rare.  I also opted for the Greek roasted potatoes instead of the rice stuffed bell peppers.  I actually prepared my self for the peculiar taste of lamb (ango in Tagalog), so was curious why my chops didn't come with the usual mint sauce.  No need for mint because the meat actually tasted fantastic, aside from being juicy and tender.  I would get another of this when I come back to Cyma.

My sister in law ordered the Pork Tenderloin Souvlaki  (Greek Kebabs).  The skewered pork came with vegetables and a generous serving of pita bread.  I tasted some of it and I promised myself that I will get some of those too when I come back.  The meat was so tender, juicy, and seasoned so well but not over powering.  It's good that there was enough pita bread that we used to finish off the hummus we ordered earlier.

My brother ordered the Greek beef stew, ribs stifado.  What I like about the dish, aside from the really soft beef, was the sauce!  I could put it on top of a cup of rice and I would be a very happy eater.  For our father, we ordered another Cyma specialty, the Psari Fournou.  It's salmon baked in parchment paper with lots of dill, fennel and I suspect a generous amount of olive oil. I also love this dish and would get it on another visit to the place.

For dessert we went for one of the more popular of Cyma's offerings, the  Flaming mangoes.  It is not a flambe but before the server puts it in your table, they will set it on fire and the restaurant crew will cheer OPA! in unison.  Unfortunately, that day they only have one order left so we had to choose another dessert.  We chose the Skolatina which was recommended by our server.  We really don't know what we're getting but we were all happy with it.  It's a molten chocolate cake with chestnut sauce and vanilla ice cream on the side.  I have to admit that I liked this one better than the Flaming Mangoes.  I don't know maybe because the mangoes were on the sour side.

I am sure by now that you know how I truly enjoyed the food at Cyma.  But I am also happy to tell you that the price is very affordable.  For the service and the good food, it's also worth it.

Revisiting My Old Friend, Quiapo

On my way home from a seminar, I passed by a place I frequently go to before. The name of the place is almost synonymous to that of Manila.  Say the name and the listener will readily conjure an image of market stalls, streets crowded with people, in other words,  a bedlam.  I am talking about Quiapo, the old downtown situated smack in the middle of Manila.

Quiapo is also home to perhaps one of the most revered icons in the Philippines, the Black Nazarene. The church where it is at is right in the center of the district.  One could not come to Quiapo and not visit the Poong Nazareno to say even just a little prayer. That was my purpose that afternoon, to say thanks to Him for helping my father recover from his recent health problems.

Aside from the noise of the traffic outside, it was relatively silent inside the church.  I sat a few seats from the back of the church, giving me a good view of the altar.  At the centermost altar, the image of the dark Christ on his knees and carrying the cross rose above us all.

After saying my prayers I silently sat on the pew but then I started looking around the church.    At two in the afternoon on an ordinary weekday,  there were still a lot people inside the church.  Most of them have their head bowed in prayer. I could just guess what they were praying for.  Perhaps the young girl in school uniform was asking for assistance in her assignment or exams.  The young couple in front of me could be praying for a baby or a job, and the elderly woman on the opposite pew may be just like me, praying for good health.

I was about to leave the church when I was attracted by two elderly ladies walking on their knees towards the altar while praying the Rosary.  I watched them for another few minutes because it's been a while since I last saw something like it, may be decades. It was an old practice of people showing penance and subservience to the will of the Lord.  I was mildly surprised that in an age where people attend mass in malls or over the Internet, such piety still exists.  

On my way out of the church, I saw those women who, for a fee, would pray the entire Rosary for anyone who needs a prayer but is too busy to do so.  It is something I do not agree with and I really wonder why the church officials in Quiapo would even allow such practice inside their domain.

Once outside the church, I was instantly drawn to one particular street in the area: Villalobos.  This narrow street is usually filled with vendors selling all kinds of stuff.  If you're looking for low priced vegetables and other food stuff, you can find it here.  Some of the hawkers sell their wares in containers called bilao in the middle of the street, while others have semi-permanent stalls made of wood.  Farther down the street were stores selling kitchen tools such as pots and pans.

That afternoon I went looking for smoked fish or tinapa but I was told that it was still too warily and the delivery has not arrived yet.  I decided to walk down the street to see if I could get something else.  There were fruits like mangoes, papaya, melons that were priced lower than in supermarkets.  The smell of good stuff mixed with the odor of fresh fish and other fresh things.  

As I walked farther, I saw some shellfish I liked a lot.  I was about to buy some when the vendors started bundling their wares and running in all directions.  It turned out that a group of policemen arrived to clear the streets of illegal vendors.  I think some of the vendors were informed in advance of the raid because they left even before the police arrived Those who were caught had their stuff confiscated and hauled to a waiting van.  In minutes, the street was clear except for those who have permanent stalls.

I finally decided to leave and walked towards where the jeepney wait for passengers.  I passed by old stores where we used to buy stuff like clothes and shoes.  Some of the stores were already closed while the others were converted into something else.  That's how my afternoon in Quiapo ended and somehow it was like visiting a friend who has aged a bit but the rest remained the same.

Taxi Drivers

I take the taxi everyday to work. It's not because I wanted to but because I have to so that I won't be late for work. It's additional cost on my part but at least I get to work on time. Aside from that I don't have to take at least two jeepney rides to reach the workplace.

It's so convenient. I just get in the cab, tell the driver where to go and I could sit back and relax as my cab goes through the early morning rush hour.

Filipino taxi drivers are a class of their own. They are proud of what they can do with their taxis. If you tell them you need to get to a place pronto, they'll go through all sorts of places to avoid the notorious Manila traffic jams so you could reach your destination at the time you wanted to with more minutes to spare to fix your hair.

Just this morning, I had an experience wsith what could be a cab driver from hell. I was running late for an appointment and I didn't want to keep my colleagues waiting. So I got into his taxi and told him to get me to Makati by all means. Boy did he take my word seriously. If it weren't against the law, he could have ran over half of the traffic aides in the road. He was cutting here and there; if he saw space between two cars, he took advantage of it to put his taxi ahead of everybody. When we reached our destination, he was sneering at me as if he won a gold medal in the olympics. I must have been so shaken that when the people I was supposed to meet saw me, they all said that I looked like I saw a ghost.

Another characteristic of a Filipino taxi driver I find amusing is that they are very opinionated. With only the radio as their company almost the whole day, most them are up-to-date with the current events in the country. Do you think they passively listen to the radio? You are dead wrong. Don't get them started and they would give their take on all issues: from the rice shortage, to the different crimes in the country, up to the performance of the President. Name it, and they know a thing or two about these issues. They could be wrong at times, but the fact that they know about these issues is certainly impressive.

Then there are taxi drivers who choose to be silent throughout the trip. They'll just drive you to your destination and when you get there, they'll take your payment, thank you and off they go.

My most memorable taxi ride was the one I took with a good friend. In the middle of our trip, Mr. Taxi Driver started pouring his heart out, telling us about how he was left by his wife (actually a live-in partner). The woman ran away with his best friend and left him with their children, and dig this HER children to take care of. He was thinking of just driving the taxi off a bridge to end it all. My companion talked to him, giving him advice about how important it is to live and, with the help of God things would just come to pass and get better. I just silently listened to their exchange, half amused and half afraid that he would drive his taxi off a bridge or a fly-over with us onboard.

What would my commute be without the taxi? It would be boring I think. That's why I cheer the Filipino taxi driver for making life a bit more interesting.