Puto-maya

Puto-maya is one of the most favorite morning snacks among Filipinos. It is made of sticky rice, coconut milk, strips of ginger (for a nice aroma), salt, and white sugar. This is usually eaten with ripe mangoes and hot chocolate.

Pineapples for sale

A man carrying a big basket full of ripe pineapples selling it house to house.

Between life and death in construction works

See those three tiny dots? They are men working on one of the buildings in Cebu I.T. Park (specifically the Skyrise building). When I saw this view, I couldn't help myself, but stopped out of awe and curiosity. These people who worked in the construction industry doing dangerous tasks such as this are quite exceptional to me. They are the ones who do risky works and yet one of those who received the lowest compensation. One time, when the jeepney where I was on passed by this building, I intently looked to see the safety gears used by these working men. I saw a rope being tied on their waists anchored from the top of the building. These small sticks in parallel (most probably made of bamboo) hold their weight as they are suspended with a rope.

As you can see on the third picture, there were also men working at the bottom part of the building.

Public Utility Jeepneys

Jeepneys are the most common public transportation in PH. Fixed fare is administered for every corresponding distance. PUJ's in big cities like Cebu and Manila have a fair matrix posted inside the vehicle for commuter's reference on how much they have to pay for fare depending on the distance of their destination. By the time I post this, the minimum jeepney fare in Cebu is 8Php.

Spaghetti wires

All sorts of wires. What you see is very common in PH setting. These are wires of telephone lines, internet and cable connections. Electric wires are elevated and separated from the others.

Lumpia wrapper

Lumpia wrappers are made of flour, eggs, salt, water. Aside from using these to make lumpia, we also use the wrappers to make banana toron: saba (plantains) banana wrapped in lumpia wrappers and fried with melted brown sugar.

Crunchy lumpia

Lumpia is a famous dish in Filipino parties. It is usually stuffed with ground pork, veggies (carrots, potatoes, bean sprouts, etc.) and spices. It is served with sweet and sour sauce. It is best eaten when hot and crunchy.

Chorizo

Chorizo is made of ground pork with spices wrapped in pig's intestine. Sold by dozen.

Jackfruit

Popularly known as "langka" or "nangka," this fruit has a sweet smelling odor and very sweet taste when ripe. A popular ingredient for halo-halo.

Fresh veggies!

Fresh veggies are always the best. Most Filipinos prefer to buy veggies and fruits in public markets than in the mall's supermarket because the products in public markets are much fresher and cheaper.

Grated coconuts

Freshly grated coconut is sold by kilo. This man is using a special kind of machine that uses electricity to grate the coconut. Expertise is needed in this operation or someone might get his hands cut without knowledge and mastery on how to do it.

Plantains

"Saba" in tagalog and "kardaba" in Visayan. We cook this kind of banana in different ways: steamed (eaten with bagoong), fried and coated with melted brown sugar or wrapped in a lumpia wrapper, caramelized, and more.

Irresistible Tuyo (Dried Fish)

Wow, the most famous appetizer among Filipinos: dried fish! Called "tuyo" in tagalog and "bulad or buwad" in Visayan. Dried fish comes in a variety of fishes. These are the third class kind and the cheapest.

For sale: native chickens

Alive chickens are quite common in public markets for sale. These ones are native chickens and are costlier than dressed white leghorns.

Tray of eggs

Chicken eggs are priced according to sizes. This one costs 4.50Php a piece. There are smaller sizes which cost 10Php for 3 pieces. Not bad, huh?

Sweet bananas

In Visayan dialect we call this kind of banana "lakatan." The color is light orange and is very sweet. It can be eaten even if the peel is still a little bit of greenish.

World class mangoes

The Philippines is known to have the best mangoes in the world. I have not tried mangoes from other countries yet, but, I would say that my country produced the most delectable mangoes. During mango season, per kilo only costs 40 to 45Php.

Famous lechon

Lechon is the most popular dish in Filipino parties/gatherings/feasts. It is a whole pig slowly roasted over a pile of charcoal. The hollow stomach is stuffed with different spices like lemon grass, chives, and such making every part of the meat tastier. The skin is crunchy which everyone are crazy about. Lechon are sold in whole or by kilo. It is available in mall's food courts or wet markets.

Dressed chickens

Fresh dressed chicken in wet markets. Body parts (wings, breasts, thighs, heads, etc.) are separated according to its kind. A whole chicken is also available, depending on the customer's preference. Per kilo is 130Php.

Bamboo shoots with pork

Bamboo shoot is one of Filipinos' typical ingredient on dishes. This dish is cooked with slices of pork with spices.

Patience is virtue

This is the typical sight you will find on jeepney terminals in shopping malls -- a long queue of commuters on their way home from work, school, or from window shopping.

Working With Death

I was dumbstruck seeing this view from afar as I was walking to enter the vicinity of Ayala Mall (Cebu). These are men working outside the building painting the gigantic wall. I was too curious if they had a harness that will save them in case their feet slipped off from a small platform holding their weight. I wonder what the net is for. It should be a safety tool? I also saw a few men climbing up using a hanging ladder. I don't think I saw a harness on their waist as they were going up. Too brave or too foolish to risk their lives? I don't think this system is safe enough for these workers. Not much safety devices are provided. I don't want to hear one day that someone fell off and broke his bones from doing this painting job because of the company's negligence. God forbids!

How about you, would you dare do this? :D

Sampayan Kung Saan-saan!

This sighting is very common in my country specially in areas where the common Filipinos live. It is the most practical way to get clothes dry after laundry. It conserves so much energy from using an electric dryer. Can I do this in the US? LOL. ;-)

Broiled Corns

I saw these broiled corns near the market. This reminds me of home. Every corn harvest, my siblings and I would put fresh corns on hot charcoal and waited until it's cooked. We found our simple pleasure munching this burned sweet corns. I will miss this food pleasure.

Each corn costs 5Php. It was still hot when I took my bites. Yummy!

Soupy White Clams with Malunggay (Horse raddish/Moringa)

I got this fresh white clams in the public market for 40Php. It is sold by a plastic container and not by kilo. I think I got more than 20 pieces of these clams for 40 pesos. I have to brush it with a soft-bristle brush to take away the moss that stuck on the shell before putting it in the pot with boiling water. Spices and seasonings I put to taste were: ginger, onion, tomatoes, chili (the elongated one), chives, knorr fish cube, and salt. Malunggay is added for more nutrients. My kuya's wife liked it so much :-)

Tiny Shrimps with Eggs

I got 1/4 of a kilo of this tiny shrimps in the market for 10Php. I washed it thoroughly before putting in spices like tomatoes, onions, garlic (finely chopped) and put seasonings to taste. Mixed two eggs and a little bit of flour to make it stick together when frying. Dipped it with soy sauce and calamansi for sauce. I wished I took a picture of the raw shrimps. This kind of shrimp are the ones used in making "bagoong alamang" which is a famous Filipino dish appetizer.

Sumptuous Seaweed Appetizer

This is a kind of seaweed which is quite popular among Filipinos. In Visayan term, we call it "lato." I really don't know what is the tagalog term for this seaweed (sorry). I get rid of the wilted parts by patiently pruning it. I also wash this with tap water a few times to get rid of unwanted stuffs that stuck on the weeds. I ate this with vinegar made from pure coconut water and a bit of salt. It's slimy, yet yummy. Great appetizer!

Creamy Avocado

Very simple but yummy dessert. Just dice avocado, mixed with milk, cream and brown sugar. Refrigerate.

Grilled-Fried Talong (Eggplant) with Eggs

Another favorite of mine. It's grilled talong (eggplant), peeled and stuffed with tomatoes and onions. I put a pinch of black pepper and salt. Dipped it in egg and fried. I combined soy sauce and calamansi for the sauce. Tasty! I cooked this one along with tinolang manok for my kuya's wife, a few hours after she gave birth.

Yummy Sotanghon (Glass Noodles) with Canned Sardines

One of my favorite foods. This one is quite cheap. It's made of sotanghon, canned sardines, and spices (onion & garlic). You can also add veggies like string beans, carrots, chayote or cabbage.

61 Days Left

Two months and a day. That is the number of days left for me until I leave my dear country. I have lived here for almost 34 years. I can't believe I will be leaving her so soon. I will surely miss a lot of stuffs. Most of all, the people around: my family, my friends, my neighbors, people in my Charismatic community, strangers.

Oh, the innocent smiles of the children is flashing at the back of my mind. These are the children in our neighborhood who run excitedly towards me the moment they get a sight of me and then kiss my hand (pagmamano/kissing the hands of elders). How can I forget them? They will forever be etched in my heart.

Tomorrow, another leaf falls from the 61 leaves.