Monthly Archives: October 2012

The Burnt Offering

“The smell of gas was there, and of burning chops when he opened the door. He said, “I’ve got some chops going.” ~ Patrick White, The Eye of the Storm. What do I miss most in Manila? From our 32 … Continue reading

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Dining with the Winemakers

The Wine Depot Toast Club and the New World Hotel, Makati were offering an eight course dinner with matching wines, and the opportunity to meet a plethora of winemakers from Australia and New Zealand, Chile and America, Germany, France and … Continue reading

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Planting Your Own Garden

At Toastmasters recently, I was given an interesting table topic about forging your own destiny. It provided inspiration for my final speech: Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone else to bring you … Continue reading

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Passionate about Pampanga

It was a dawn gathering, outside Starbucks, in Makati. Armed with coffees and cameras, we climbed aboard a minivan and headed north, past rice fields and lakes full of water hyacinths, sugar cane and wild grasses. Our tour guide, Bryan … Continue reading

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Maltese Cuisine

Part 2 Malta, like it’s nearest neighbour Sicily, has an indigenous cuisine that  has been heavily flavoured by Italy and North Africa, but has also been seasoned by the various foreign powers who have raided or relocated to Malta over … Continue reading

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Pinot 101

As you have probably realized by now, I really enjoy dining at Enderun College’s Restaurant 101, and there has been a number of lunches, dinners, wine tastings and coffee mornings over the past two years. A recent visit for a … Continue reading

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Nights in Malta

Part One: Malta: island of knights and castles, Italian painters and British phone boxes, bays and boats and beaches, cliffs and torrijiet (Maltese towers), flea markets, fine lace and fenkata. It was a whirlwind tour in the heat of the summer.  … Continue reading

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