Market! Market! flyover [Sunday Bridges]

@ mirandablue

One of the methods implemented by the government to curb the high volume of vehicles in the streets of Metro Manila during peak-hours is the Number Coding Scheme.  Vehicles are prohibited in the streets for a certain day in a week, specifically on Mondays, vehicles with plate numbers ending in 1 and 2 are not allowed from 7 am to 7 pm; 3 and 4 on Tuesdays, 5 and 6 on Wednesdays and so on until Friday.   I had an appointment one Friday afternoon early this month and my car wasn't allowed to be in the streets that day.  So I took a cab and had the chance to take some photos along the way.  This is one of the flyovers along C5 Road that connects traffic to Bonifacio Global City, an upscale business and residential area.  The cab driver gave me some curious glances when he noticed I was taking photos.:p

@ mirandablue

the other end of the flyover

Posted for Sunday Bridges

The Nutcracker at the Fiesta Market [My World and Ruby Tuesday]

@ mirandablue

The Fiesta Market is an outdoor market area of Market! Market!, a mall in Global City, Taguig.  It has regional food stalls where I go when I have cravings for native delicacies like kwakoy, mango tart, lengua de gato and other favorites like dried squid, roasted coffee from Bukidnon, and Vigan empanada.  It has the freshness of a Sunday street market where you can find fresh vegetables and fruits, flowers and seafoods.   There is also a hawker's area where you can sample various Filipino food--from pork BBQ to halo-halo, lechon, fish kinilaw, pancit habhab and dinuguan.  Fiesta Market also has  a well-stocked rice vendor and wine stores.  

Separated by a fountain is Market! Market!'s Christmas display---The Nutcracker.   This  attracts kids an adults alike.  Standing beside a bunch of kids, I was as fascinated by a life- size Clara dancing with her prince, with larger-than-life rotating nutcracker and a host of animated characters.

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

 

Posted for Ruby Tuesday and My World-Tuesday

Food Friday: spring rolls

The humble lumpia (spring rolls) ingeniously fried with sesame seeds. These crunchy spring rolls are filled with shredded pork, shrimps, bean sprouts, mushrooms, bell pepper, cabbage and carrots, with sweet and spicy vinegar dip. It's from North Park, Market! Market!

Lumpia was brought over by Chinese immigrants to the Philippines, and is popular all over Southeast Asia. Cha gio, or Vietnamese spring rolls, runbing in Taiwan, popiah in Singapore and Malaysia, also called lumpia in Indonesia is usually eaten during the Spring Festival in China, hence the name. Lumpia in the Philippines has evolved into lumpiang sariwa or fresh spring rolls, lumpiang hubad literally means naked spring rolls---it is basically an unwrapped lumpiang sariwa (without the crepe); lumpiang shanghai with sweet and sour sauce affirms the Chinese influence, lumpiang gulay consists of bean sprouts and other vegetables, and lumpiang ubod made from coconut julienne.

Posted for Food Friday

Weekend Snapshot: Fiesta Market

This is my favorite part of Market! Market!...the Fiesta Market where delicacies from different provinces are being sold. When I'm craving for ibos (sticky rice wrapped in coconut leaves and cooked in coconut milk), there's no need to call an aunt in Bacolod to request a dozen ibos to be sent airport to airport. Pili nuts from Bicol, native coffee from Bukidnon, piyaya from Bacolod, sukang iloco from Ilocos, tinapa from Bataan, danggit from Cebu and many more---you can find them all here. I went to Fiesta Market yesterday looking for a bottle of sinamak, an Ilonggo sauce of fermented coconut vinegar with red chili peppers, ginger and garlic. I found the sinamak and went home with a shopping bag full of goodies---all fattening!

native kakanin from Laguna

delicacies from Bicolandia

my favorite stall---Ilonggo delicacies

weekend shoppers

Posted for Weekend Snapshot

Lasang Pinoy: Media Noche

My family is not traditional, and for years now, I spend New Year's eve at the Ayala Avenue New Year's party countdown with friends, cousins and nephews. I start preparing for media noche in the afternoon then leave for the New Year's party after dinner. By 2 am, we are all back home, still excited by the fireworks, hungry, and a little drunk. So when the neighbors are already sleeping, we are having our media noche around 2:30 am.

A cousin requested Carbonara so it's in my media noche spread. It's creamy and tasty, topped with bacon bits, and served with an egg omelet (just the yolk). My mother cooked her signature Valenciana, but it all disappeared before I could take some pictures! I also made fruit salad and experimented on a new beef dish. More photos in the coming weeks.:D

One of Filipino customs in celebrating the New Year is the 12 rounded fruits for media noche. The rounded fruits, said to symbolize money, are suppose to bring prosperity for the New Year. No, I didn't buy 12 rounded fruits but it was interesting to see the fruits available in the market. Here are some photos I took at the Market-Market fruits section.

all rounded fruits---our talisman for the New Year :D

imported pomegranate

dragonfruit and green apples

apples galore!

watermelon and pomelo

More scrumptious Media Noche at spiCes

Manic Monday: Tree

Mo's word for today is "Tree"

This festive scene greets shoppers of Market, Market!, a mall in Global City, Taguig. The larger than life toy soldier, gifts, snowmen, Christmas trees with candy cane ornaments and colorful lights amaze children of all ages.

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days, that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, that can transport the sailor and the traveler, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!

~ Charles Dickens

Posted for Manic Monday.