Bridgeway

It was our first visit to the Sky Garden at the refurbished SM North EDSA, an additional destination for mall rats like the wife and me. We had some healthy lunch at Pixie’s, a place in the garden that specializes in inihaw na bangus.


From the garden, I took this photo of the EDSA weekend noonday traffic as vehicles take a smooth turn towards the Muñoz and Balintawak area. But when I checked my shot I noticed some details that needed some elaboration.

Most noticeable is the Eurotel, very likely so-called because the owners or operators possibly have some affinity with the colors of Italy, red, white and green. Or with the Iglesia ni Cristo which has adopted the same color scheme as its own. I suppose it is more of the first because its nomenclature suggests that it offers some kind of service based on European standards.

It is probably barely noticeable but at the middle of the picture are rusting steel bars which are supposed to be part of the structures for the expansion of the MRT line from its North Avenue end to the Balintawak area where it will “connect” with the old LRT line which runs all the way to Baclaran.

I have written another piece about this unfinished structure using another photo, taken from another angle, which shows how it slows down the flow of traffic towards the Cubao area. Is it possible that some debate is still raging whether there is any way to get SM North EDSA directly accessible from the MRT line, similar to the access available to TriNoma? The Landmark MRT station is just a few hundred meters away from the SM complex, however, making the possibility of another station quite unthinkable. But the unthinkable is not necessarily impossible.

The Sky Garden is of course easily accessible to pedestrians at several points through Chairman BF’s pedestrian bridgeways which adorn the entire intersection of EDSA and North Avenue. But it is easy to presume that more customer traffic can be generated if the Sky Garden is also directly accessible from the MRT line.

If such debate is really on-going, how do you think will it end?

Floating Hotel

It is docked at the bay area at the side of the Tent City of the Manila Hotel. I don’t really remember how long it has been stationed at that area but I took notice about a year ago when I attended a conference at the Tent City.

The big ship is the Floating Hotel and Restaurant, something that graced the pages of the dailies at the time of its entry into a Philippine port. It is a large ship, actually, and I guess its charges, both for food and billeting, will be boosted by the inevitable “ambience” which is sometimes more expensive than the taste and comfort that we pay for.

When I saw it, I simply marveled in awe because there is just probably no way that I can afford its amenities on government salary. I took the photo sometime ago from the uppermost floor of the new Philippine Ports Authority building along Bonifacio Drive. The tall structure on the left is of course the Manila Hotel high rise while the low buildings on the foreground are the usual port area warehouses cum office spaces.

The floating hotel is barely visible, although the ship’s smoke stack (with black and white paint) towers above the horizon. I have no way of determining whether the ship is making any money or not, or whether it is also a casino of some sort.

Maybe it’s a good place where our shipboard bound cooks, messmen, deck and cabin stewards and even housekeeping personnel can receive hands-on training. It is possible that the ship is not permanently docked at pier side but also make short rounds at the Manila Bay especially in the late sunset hours. Such short rounds by the bay may be the best and most fitting ambience that people will be most willing to pay for.

Of course I won’t be surprised if the floating hotel and restaurant also offers short cruise trips for honeymooners. If it does maybe the wife and I can go for another honeymoon.

Carjacking

Here's another item from my email inbox that may save us a lot of trouble.

"Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public parking area. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home, it was a receipt for gas. Luckily my friend told me not to stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the car. Then we received this email yesterday:

"WARNING FROM POLICE - THIS APPLIES TO BOTH WOMEN AND MEN:
BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE -- NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)

"Heads up everyone! Please, keep this circulating. ... You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside... You start the engine and shift into Reverse. When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window. So, you shift into Park, unlock your doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car. And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car. So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!

"BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED

"If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women.. A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents and you certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands."

Asparagus

I got this from my inbox sent by a colleague. It is supposed to be from an article,entitled, `Asparagus for cancer ' printed in Cancer News Journal, December 1979.

Richard R.Vensal, D.D.S. discovered that asparagus might cure cancer. He has accumulated a number of favorable case histories.

Case No. 1,
A man with an almost hopeless case of Hodgkin ' s disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of strenuous exercise.

Case No. 2,
A successful businessman 68 years old who suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years. After years of medical treatments, including radiation without improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3 months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumor had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.


Case No. 3,
A man who had lung cancer. On March 5th 1971, he was put on the operating table where they found lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable. The surgeon sewed him up and declared his case hopeless. On April 5th he heard about the asparagus therapy and immediately started taking it. By August, x-ray pictures revealed that all signs of the cancer had disappeared.

Case No. 4,
A woman who was troubled for a number of years with skin cancer. She finally developed different skin cancers which were diagnosed by asking specialist as advanced. Within 3 months after starting on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin looked fine and no more skin lesions. This woman reported that the asparagus therapy also cured her kidney disease, which started in 1949. She had over 10 operations for kidney stones, and was receiving government disability payments for an inoperable, terminal, kidney condition. She attributes the cure of this kidney trouble entirely to the asparagus.

`The elements of Material Medica ' , edited in 1854 by a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania , stated that asparagus was used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of asparagus in dissolving stones.

For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked before using, and therefore canned asparagus is just as good as fresh.

PROCEDURE:
1) Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy it make a puree, and store in the refrigerator.

2) Give the patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening.

Patients usually show some improvement in 2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases.

Fact or fiction?

Pastillas

If you have been to Iba in Zambales, you probably did not miss this sight – the pastillas stalls along the detour road back to Manila. Juliet’s is not actually a favorite but it offered the best shot from the car.

These roadside joints offer a wide variety of pastries and sweets but I am not really sure if these are all home-made in Iba or elsewhere. Many of the sweets and cookies and candies displayed appear to be the same products that one finds in the stalls at the Market!Market! or in SM Hypermart.

Of course, there’s going to be a lot of difference if these same things are given as “pasalubong” coming from a place four or five hours away from the metropolis for expecting city folks.

Juliet’s emphasizes the fact that it is D’original, as many others have done. Naalala ko tuloy yong bilihan ng buko pie sa Los Baños – The Original. While there are many other pretenders like the ubiquitous Collete’s or the Divinia’s, people still insist on lining up for “the original” buko pie, whether the price, or the better taste, real or imagined, makes all the difference.

Iba folks like Juliet have somehow found a niche market of a sort. We have been to Zambales for short summer trips a number of times and we always make it a point to add to the daily sales of these pastillas joints, not so much from the business side of it but more on the pleasure that their sweets give us.

They are probably really not uniquely Zambales products but one gets a feeling that there is some sort of a different sensation that they produce in the palate.

"Normal"

I parked at the SM Manila parking building and took a leisurely stroll to the MARINA office located some two big street blocks away to attend a meeting. I passed by the Philippine Normal University (PNU) and snapped this photo which is worth a thousand words.

For one, more than a century old na pala ang university, matanda pa sa University of the Philippines. The “eternal” flame of education, as expected, is enshrined in its gates, signifying, perhaps, the necessity of lifelong learning.

I am told that in the old days the university used to be called the Philippine Normal School (PNS), until someone suggested and everyone else probably agreed that it should be called Philippine Normal College (PNC). That’s the time when my sister (panganay among my siblings) went to the institution with the intention of becoming a Ma’am.

Unfortunately, she did not make it to any classroom for reasons that I no longer remember.

Then some other bright guys thought that it’s time to call it Philippine Normal University. So the name used consistently is Philippine Normal.

Even in my younger years, I have been puzzled by the use of “normal” in its nomenclature. Ordinarily, I would have thought that there is such a thing as “abnormal” college, but I guess that’s not the intended meaning of the word “normal”.

I will just leave it at that. If someone comes up with some answers, I will learn something new.

St. Luke's at the Fort

It may be opening its doors soon – perhaps only to those who can afford. That’s the new St. Luke’s Medical Center at the Fort which boasts of the most modern medical facilities and equipment, even surpassing many of the hospitals in the US of A.

Well and good, but it is almost certain that the fees that will be charged from patients will also rival those which are charged in the better American Hospitals, maybe even more.

Such is the reality that confronts people now, many of whom can simply afford public hospital wards, in many cases, charity wards.

Some weeks ago, my 87 years young mom suffered a stroke and was rushed to the Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center along EDSA where she spent three whole days in a small windowless private room. When it was time to go, we had to shell out something like P36,000 for the room, board, laboratory expenses, etc., etc.

By a stroke of luck, my doctor niece was able to get the services of other colleagues for Jolibee hamburgers, so professional fees were not included in the bill except the guy who worked on the anesthesia.

It is no wonder that many have resorted to herbal concoctions to relieve their pains or malady. This is not to say that herbal remedies do not work. Not at all. This is just the way we react to the reality of huge expenses the moment we get admitted to a hospital especially on extended stay for intensive care or prolonged illness.