Not another cake, please

THE INQUIRER recently came out with great lists of the yummiest cakes – both baked privately and commercially – in and around Metro Manila. The cakes are recommended by the experts in the field and were chosen from countless others.

One thing about cake is that it has a way of putting smile on people's faces. No matter where you stand in the social ladder. Even when slammed on somebody's face, like in the movies, it evokes laughter.

I can't think of anything bad to say about cake. For many, it's a comfort food. Something that makes you feel better when you like crap. It conjures happy times of birthdays and weddings. I haven't seen a cake served in funerals.

Back to the lists, a lot didn't make the cut, but I must say that those which landed in the lists rightfully deserved it.

Why? Because I tasted some of them. Actually, I ate a lot of them. A handful of them ended up in our ref at home. Some came in big styropore boxes with dry ice on them so it won't easily melt. Others in fancy containers that also looked delicious as the cakes in them.

I had them for breakfast. Desserts. And even as midnight snacks. When I go to the ref to get something else, I end up taking piece of it. It has become a way of life for us in the house for quite a time.

Pistachio Sans Rival. Pistachio Symphony. Concorde. Dark Hazelnut Crunch. Claycakes with Chocolate Sauce. Pastillas de Leche Cheesecake. Mango Charlotte. Most of them are layered with ice cream and topped by fresh fruits. But some of them can only be bought through advance orders, and for a hefty price.

But after about 15 to 20 slices, they begin to taste the same. The palate could barely distinguish one from the other, and their details are blurred by creamy sweetness.

When the whole slab of Polly's chocolate cake – undisputed heavyweight champ when it comes to cakes -- found its way to our home, even the girls appeared to have reached their saturation point.

That evening, Maxi excitedly took off the lid of the box, marvelled at the dark brown confection and quickly dug at its soft, moist, decadent side. She took a small piece on her mouth. Turned her back and left it alone.

The neighbors loved it as well.

Peking duck dinner in Beijing

ALL eyes are on Beijing Olympics currently unfolding in the Chinese capital. We have 15 athletes competing, and as of this writing three have already fallen by the wayside and more are expected to follow suit. From where I am sitting, it's the boxer and two taekwondojins who carry real chances at winning.

I had my first overseas assignment there back in 1995, to cover the Beijing Open Chess championships.

My task was primarily to chronicle the campaign of our lone bet there, then international master Nelson Mariano II who was hoping to catch a grandmaster norm. A chess player needs to secure at least three GM norms to become full-pledge grandmaster, and that tournament dangled precious GM norms.

Back then, it was very difficult to obtain Chinese visa, as it was just beginning to open up its market to the world and was still very much a socialist republic.

As it was, when we got to the Chinese soil, airport authorities in Guangzhou held me for more than an hour because they saw discrepancy in my visa. They never talked a single word in English back then so I didn't really understand what it was that was causing the delay.

What I knew back then is that my very first international trip was headed for disaster.

I told Nelson to go ahead and board the flight to Beijing because round one was to begin that same morning. But he chose to stay with me. Fortunately, after some calls were made from the embassy back home, I was allowed to go.

Still shaken, we went straight from the Beijing airport to the tournament venue clutching our luggage. Nelson readily walked toward his waiting opponent, offered a draw, then we both headed to the hotel to rest. Brilliant move.

I understand that a lot has happened between then and now in Beijing. But I remember the city to have wide highways; tall, gray buildings; In restaurants, there wasn't a single pancit canton in the menus.

While Nelson was playing, I would sneak out and check out the city. Back then, the streets were cluttered with people, ground-level trains and cable-operated buses. At the close of office hours everyday, a large portion of the streets would be filled with a sea of bicycle-riding public, some were even in dress and suits.

By mid-tournament, organizers arranged a trip to the Great Wall, whose nearest portion was still about two hours bus-ride from the city. There was a plea market around the area, where you can by silk items, ornaments and other souvenirs. I bought Vange a white night gown piece with a roaring dragon hand-painted on its back.

The Great Wall was true as advertised, stretching as far as the eyes can see. We walked through it along with the throng that came from all over the world. Some portions are wide as the streets below, some are like dark narrow alleys. There were flat stretches and uphill segments, the better for the imperial soldiers to spot creeping invaders back then. Then we repaired to a KFC outlet just near the premises.

After 12 rounds of the Swiss System tourney, Nelson finished fifth and secured a GM norm. We celebrated the feat by having a peking duck dinner.

Songs from Harrison Plaza

IF RIZAL Memorial Sports Complex has been second home for me the past few years, then Harrison Plaza – yes that old, tired-looking, third-class mall – has been my chill-out place of choice for about the same period of time.

And why not, it is decked by SM department store, and has Guess, Levi's outlets, and most importantly a plethora of unabashed vendors of pirated CDs, DVDs and MP3s. No wonder I felt at home in it in no time.

Some weeks ago, I rummaged through one of the stalls and found MP3s containing 100 songs that made the US Billboards for each year from 1970 to 1979 – my favorite era when it comes to music.

1,000 songs all in all, in 10 MP3 CDs. I didn't iTune all of them and just chose songs I liked best and still came up with about 250 of the songs I almost never hear being played nowadays. It was pure bliss. I went home that night with a renewed faith in humanity.

In high school, I used to scrimp on my meager lunch money to have my favorite songs recorded in a blank cassette tape which back then cost a whopping P5 per song.

One day tragedy happened and my precious tape got entangled under our malfunctioning player. I tried to salvage it by removing its crumpled remains. Unwound, then wound again it up again via pencil. But no matter how I painstakingly attempted to restore it, the songs in them never sounded the same.

Well back to the MP3s, it contained hits like Midnight Train to Georgia and Neither One of Us by Gladys Knight and Pips. Midnight Blue by Melissa Manchester. Mister Blue by Michael Franks. Certain Sadness by Astrud Gilberto. Living Together by Fire and Rain. I Don't Want You to Go by Lani Hall. Come in From the Rain and All of My Life by Diana Ross. Our Love is Stronger Far Than We by Esther Satterfield.

The whole stack of CDs also contained lesser hits by famous artists like Never Let Her Go by the Bread. Sometime by The Carpenters. Disney Girls by Captain and Tenille. There are so many of them, that I only recognize when I hear the intro.

I am listening to it even as I write this blog. It is my dayoff. Mavi and Maxi are already at sleep and I am just waiting for Vangie to pull over by the gate any minute.

I will open a can of beer once she arrives.