HOME SWEET HOME

It's been a week since I came up to Baguio. I arrived at the last typhoon's tail end. Pine needles were strewn in the garage of my brother's townhouse. My brother had offered me to stay in his townhouse as his former renter, a Korean, had left two months ago and my brother had decided not to rent out the property anymore. I do have until November to use the place as a buyer will be moving in on December once full payment has been remitted. I think I shall come up more often before the sale is finalized.

The townhouse is located in Pacdal. My first day there I was awakened by the sound of the brook fronting the house. How nice for a change to hear water instead of tricycles. I also didn't realize how much I miss taking long, hot showers. I must've stood under the shower for 10 minutes my first morning. The steam misting the mirror. When I opened the bathroom door there was mist all over the living room as well. I thought it was due to my shower. I realized I had left the door and window on the second floor open, early morning fog crept inside the house.

The jeepney stop is a few meters from the gate so I have no trouble getting to town although I usually stop in front of Teacher's Camp and walk the rest of the way. That is how I will get my 30 minutes of brisk walking each day.

My first day here I had lunch at Mandarin Restaurant. I always make it a point to eat at Mandarin when I am in Baguio. My favorite on their menu is the Beef Tomato with Chinese Sausage. This is served with a bowl of hot corn and crab soup and a cup of rice. The beef is tender, the tomatoes plump, the chinese sausage not too sweet and the rest of the vegetables crisp. After, I usually take a pot of hot service tea. Burp.

Rehearsals for the play we are mounting for the Baguio Centennial is underway. I didn't know I'd miss the UP Auditorium so much. When I first went onstage again, I wanted to sing "I don't know why I'm frightened, I know my way around here...". One of my actors, Luchie Maranan, handed me three photos last Saturday. These were taken in 1997. We had a fashion show at the former PERK BAR at the top of Session Road. The bar was owned and operated by some friends from UP Baguio and it was there where we would usually go after rehearsals. Joining me in the fashion show were my lesbian friends -- and we all wore finds we got at the ukay-ukay.

Speaking of which, I only came up to Baguio with two pairs of pants, some t-shirts and two jackets. I went to the ukay-ukay last Saturday to look for my costume and also to buy some clothes suited for the cold, rainy weather up here this time of the year. I found some nice baby doll t-shirts, a bespoke white shirt, and a pair of wool, herringbone slacks that I am wearing as of this moment.

It is nice to be home. This morning I had breakfast at Mandarin again and had fresh fruit juice, a slice of fresh papaya, pork chop, chopsuey, garlic rice and hot chocolate. The papaya was of the red orange variety. Perfectly sweet and not at all over ripe. The tsokolate ah, (made from scratch and not powdered chocolate) I dribbled onto my garlic fried rice. The breaded porkchop was not what I had in mind. I thought they would serve me a whole chop with fat and bone and all -- instead, they breaded the pork pieces and fried them. The chopsuey was like my grandmother's. Crisp veggies in an oyster sauce base. The brocolli florets and cauliflower were crisp. Ditto the snow peas and mustard greens. There was also pork liver and button mushrooms. All these I ate with the chilli-garlic sauce I mixed with calamansi and soy. Bigger burp.

I think I will gain (wait) weight while up here.