Million People March at Ayala
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On October 5, 2013
Corruption in the Philippines is getting worse and worse. A lot of my fellow countrymen are just so fed up already. In a span of a few weeks, we already had 2 rallies: one in Luneta and another in Edsa. What is the call for action? Simply this: We want corruption to STOP!
Earlier, I was tasked to speak at the Million People March at Ayala. Being an ordinary employee, they wanted me to share my thoughts about what’s happening in our government particularly the hottest topic of today: Pork Barrel.
I read the main calls of Million People March and the Scrap Pork Network:
- “SCRAP THE PORK BARREL SYSTEM. We define pork barrel as all state funds subject to discretionary use and/or allocation by officials in all branches and in all levels of the government. We urge all Filipinos to push hard for the scrapping of the pork barrel system, and at the same time, to continue the discourse on the best alternative to take its place — an alternative that will fully serve the interests of our people as a whole, and will ensure that public money is strictly and absolutely for the use and benefit of all Filipinos, and not just the greedy few.
- ACCOUNT FOR ALL PORK SPENT. We challenge all government officials, officers and employees who received, allocated, or otherwise made use of these discretionary funds to publicly make an accounting of the same. We call on all Filipinos to demand such action from all levels of government and to maintain utmost vigilance until these public servants have accounted for all of the pork, down to the last centavo. We encourage fellow Filipinos to launch and share their initiatives to press for transparency in all levels of government and in all kinds of government transactions.
- INVESTIGATE AND PUNISH THOSE WHO MISUSE PORK. The pork barrel scandal goes beyond the Napoles scam. We Filipinos must sustain our demand on the government to show its determination to prosecute and punish not only its political enemies but also its own allies and appointees involved in the misuse of discretionary funds. We must continue letting our voices be heard until the guilty are convicted with finality and jailed, to serve as examples to those who may want to follow in their footsteps, that public money must be used solely and exclusively for the benefit and in the best interests of the Filipino people.
Here’s what I have to say and what I shared during the rally today:
Photo by Noemi Dado
My name is Roch and I’m an ordinary employee working in Makati City. I work very hard every single day and I pay my taxes in full and always on time. It’s just saddening that most of our hard-earned money goes to select few in the government who chose to be corrupt.
There are only 3 things that I want to happen:
- Fight & Stop Corruption – This is way beyond pork barrel. For me, this is all about corruption. We have to stop it! We have to stop voting for politicians who are only there for the money. This is too much already. We are so fed up! Let’s fight for this evil deed to stop!
- Demand Accountability – I want the corrupt politicians to be prosecuted! Right now, pogi, sexy & tanda are being investigated. If they will be proven guilty, then they should face the consequences! This is not only for the opposition but also for admin officials. I do not care if every single one in government goes to jail. If they are proven guilty, then they should be punished! No one should get away with corruption! We should hold those thieves accountable!
- Full Transparency – Last but definitely not the least, I want to have visibility on government funds. I want all the filipinos to see where every single cent of our taxes go.
I talked all those for 3 minutes using the Filipino language. Honestly, I never thought that I could be emotional on stage. Initially, I thought I would be boring and would be sweet while talking. Apparently, my anger and my frustration with what’s happening came out.
That said, I still believe that we are going to the right direction. Our president, Benigno Aquino III, definitely is keeping his promise to fight corruption and to lead the way for “matuwid na daan.”
I have hope for a better Philippines. I remain positive and I will continue to use social media to let the government know that we are watching and we do care.
Relik New Lunch Specials at Php 199
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On September 8, 2013
I’ve written about Relik Tapas Bar and Lounge already. I mentioned how it changed my outlook about bars. Places like Relik Bar while popular at night time, do serve delish food during daytime too!
Relik Tapas Bar and Lounge used to have the Php 350 lunch sets that include a main dish, soup, and salad. I guess after more than a year of operations, they realised that some people prefer to spend only minimal amount on meals. Just last month, Relik launched their new lunch specials that include free iced tea! And now, they’re offering it at Php 199! I got to try some Relik’s lunch offerings a few weeks ago. I must admit, I liked them all. However, my favorite has got to be the Chorizo pasta just because they didn’t scrimp on the main ingredient.
- Cheesy Tomato Pork Belly
24 hours sous vide port topped with tomato cheese fondue and baked in the oven.
Who wouldn’t want to eat several pieces of uber-tender pork belly? I certainly want it! Relik made a twist by putting tomato and cheese on top of it (usually restaurants use mushroom sauce)! Served with fries. I would probably request for Relik to change it the side dish to rice. Other than that, well-done dish!
- Relik Solomillo
Photo from Relik’s FB Page
Grilled sirloin steak with garlic rice and buttered vegetables.
The steak wasn’t available during the time that I was sampling the lunch specials. I saw the photo in Relik’s Facebook page. Look at how big that steak was! The next time I try to eat lunch at the Fort, I will order this one.
- Pesto Fish Fillet
Photo from Relik’s FB Page
Poached dory drizzled with home made pesto sauce with a side of grilled potato hash.
For health conscious people, the pesto fish fillet is the lunch special to order. I wasn’t able to try this too but I will most likely order this as I have a special fondness to fish. Mostly because I want to lose weight 🙂
- Chorizo Chorizo Pasta
Spaghetti with an olio based sauce and two types of Spanish chorizo
For pasta lovers, Relik offers the chorizo pasta. If you like Italian pasta, then you will love this as they put garlic, olive sauce, parsley & parmesan cheese. What made me like this dish is the generous amount of spanish chorizo. Every forkful of this chorizo pasta was just heavenly!
- Boneless Fried Chicken
With honey tomato fondue and chorizo fried rice.
One of my friends ordered this for the second time because the chicken tasted really good especially when it was freshly served. The skin was crispy, chicken wasn’t too oily, and we didn’t need to do much work as Relik already removed the bones for us!
So there, if your office is located inside Bonifacio Global City, you have one more option for lunch! Try out Relik’s new lunch specials at Php 199 with complimentary iced tea. They are available mondays to fridays, 11:30AM to 2:30PM.
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Relik Tapas Bar and Lounge
Lunch: M-F, 11:30am to 2:30pm, Dinner & Cocktails: daily, 5:30pm onwards
2nd floor, Commercenter Building, 31st Ave cor. 4th St. Bonifacio Global City, 1200 Taguig, Philippines
+63-2-6248251 & +639175298333
The Conjuring Movie Review
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On September 8, 2013
I told myself that I won’t watch any horror movies anymore after Evil Dead. But what do I know? I couldn’t say no to a friend especially when that person made a cute little plea. I guess some people do really have that strong sense of commitment of not watching The Conjuring after hearing so many feedback that it was so damn scary. My friend didn’t have anyone to watch the film with. I watched the film out of friendship. I knew that I will end up having sleepless nights if The Conjuring end up to be a good horror flick. Hayyy…. the things I do for my friends 🙂
The Conjuring is based on a true story. The Warrens (played by Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga) are paranormal investigators. They came to help the Perron couple (Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor) & their 5 kids who are experiencing disturbing events in their new home in Harrisville, Rhode Island. This was way back 1971. The Conjuring is a classic story of ghosts and demons. The different scary scenes are things that can really happen in our lives (or the film made us imagine that those eerie things might actually happen!). Haunted house type of horror isn’t something new but what separates the Conjuring from the rest of the horror flicks is that the film didn’t overdo it. There were no gory stuff at all. The filmmakers executed the movie perfectly!
The Conjuring already scared the heck out of me even from the first ten minutes of the movie. The scare continued scene per scene until the end of the movie. Yes, I could have gotten myself a heart attack. I screamed and jumped from my seat several times. It was embarrassing!
The Conjuring stays with you for a while. In fact, after 1.5 weeks, I continue to sleep when the sun is already up, my bedroom lights open, and TV open. I wonder when I can get over it.
So if you end up being curious about the Conjuring, you are warned. The movie is too good, too well-acted, and story well-played. Watching it inside a moviehouse will make it more horrific. Watch at your own risk and oh, better go to the washroom first because I don’t think you’d ever want to leave your seat and go to the washroom all alone.
Let’s play hide-and-seek *creepy*!
My Rating for The Conjuring: 5 out of 5 stars
Adonit Jot Mini
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On September 2, 2013
I had the Adonit Jot Mini for quite some time. Drawing is definitely not my forte but I felt the need to have a stylus because there are times that I would want to draw on the screen in order to make a point. It would be nice to have a stylus ready whenever I need one.
Adonit is a famous brand for stylus which started as a kickstarter campaign. Apart from successfully making the project a reality, the product did prove that it works! The Jot Mini is one of my most prized iPad accessory that I bring with me every single day. It’s useful and a must-have for iPad users.
Adonit Jot Mini is a pure stylus. I realized I might want to get another stylus model of Adonit as I want to bring only one pen with me. A stylus that will also double as a real pen. But of course, some people would want to prefer it separate.
The Adonit Jot Mini is a good buy with a price point of Php 950. It’s a premium product and you will definitely feel that the Jot Mini is high quality when you get to hold and use it.
The Size, Make & Look
As the name says, the Jot Mini is pretty tiny with only 4-inches in length. The stylus is compact which is perfect for people who are always on the go. The Jot Mini is thin and fits perfectly on small bags or tiny pockets.
Adonit Jot Mini might not resemble the size of a real pen but I believe it’s as comfortable and as useful as the full-sized pen. It’s made of aluminium and comes in a variety of colors (red, green, purple, & turquoise). Of course, I had to choose red because (surprise!) it’s my favorite colour 🙂
Protective Cap
The protective cap which screws on either end of the Jot Mini is pure genius! I tend to lose the cap of my pen especially after using it since I had to set it aside. With Jot Mini, I do not have to worry about losing the cap anymore.
It’s not just preventing misplacing the cap but protecting the stylus tip when not in use as well. Lastly, screwing the cap at the back of the Adonit Jot Mini gives extra length to the stylus which makes it easier for us to write or draw.
Mobile Clip
Men usually put their pens on their shirt while women put them on their lanyards. I, on the other hand, puts my pen inside the bag.
The Adonit Jot Mini has a curved cut at the back of the stylus. The cut serves as a clip where you can put the stylus on your shirt pocket or on lanyards. I don’t use this feature much as I’m afraid that it might fall off but it’s a nice feature to have nevertheless.
I use it sometimes when I have to use the stylus for a long time so I clip it on my pocket temporarily.
Fine-Point Stylus
The iPad is a touchscreen device. We use our finger to navigate through the screen.
Adonit had to create a stylus that would simulate a finger. At the same time, the stylus had to work as a pen. In result, Adonit styluses like the Jot Mini has clear plastic disc at its tip. The disc is thick enough to register a touch on the screen. At the middle of the disc is a metal pointed tip which serves as the pen. Since the disc is transparent, we’ll be able to see how we use the stylus (pen stokes). That means using the Jot Mini on the iPad is similar to how we use pen and paper. It’s not exactly the same experience but definitely close.
I appreciate the accuracy and precision of Adonit Jot Mini. Just look at the image below. That’s a drawing made by a colleague during a wedding of a common friend.
Care & Maintenance
Since I got myself a screen protector already, I didn’t have to worry anymore about scratching my iPad screen. The Jot Mini is not dust-proof. One has to give much care for the accessory as dust will definitely pile up with constant use. If you don’t want to see scratches on your iPad screen due to dirt/dust, then it’s best to clean the Jot Mini often especial the tip.
The clear disc is snapped onto a ball tip at the end of the stylus so it is very easy to take it off and clean thoroughly. If ever an unfortunate accident happen and you ended up with a damaged disc, you can buy a replacement from Adonit ($6).
The Jot Mini is available at your favorite Apple reseller shops in Manila.
Recipe: Sauteed Mung Bean with Pork Crackling
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On August 26, 2013
I always crave for hot soup during rainy weather. Now being a total newbie in cooking, I decided to find a recipe that is easy to cook and consists of only a few ingredients. Munggo guisad0 (Mung Bean soup) is a dish that I haven’t eaten for a very long time. I think the last time I tried one was when I was still a little girl.
My kitchen has enough tools for me to cook a lot of things. I have to be brave and cook or else, I will never learn. So today, I cooked Mung Bean Soup with Pork Crackling (Munggo guisado w/ chicharon). Read More