No Signal

I found my personal phone warm and drained of its charge early today. Thought it was a battery problem so I charged it again, only to find it in the same condition after a couple of hours. It also couldn't access the network even if other phones in the house on the same network can. I think that's how it keeps losing its charge, by having to search for the network automatically. Customer service thinks it might be a SIM problem if things don't improve in 24 hours and that I'm a candidate for a replacement especially after other SIMs worked on the phone and after learning that I've had that SIM for six years .

I'm getting a new SIM then. Fortunately, because I'm a post-paid subscriber, I'm getting the same number. I did think about the liberty of a new number, that somehow I can rid my contacts of undesirables, but the benefits of having the same number far outweigh that.

Do you change numbers all the time?

Rice

The food item I miss most when traveling out of the country is rice. I guess most Filipinos feel the same way.

Plain Rice. There are many ways to cook plain rice. Some like it moist, the others dry. Most prefer it with a trace of pandan. Others specifically go for the tutong. I like mine just right, with a hint of pandan; no tutong please!

Garlic Rice. The best companion to longanisa, tocino or tapa or what makes a Filipino breakfast.

Java Rice. Best together with barbecue.

Brown Rice. Although touted as healthy, the taste is a turn-off for me and that makes me eat less of it.

Fried Rice. The Chinese call it yang chow; the Japanese call it yakimeshi. Whatever name it's called, it's a winner; in limited amounts of course!

Paella. Not exactly a big fan of the dish until I tried the one at Casa Armas, still the best paella for me!

When I trained in the US and stayed in a hotel for 2 months, Filipino friends in the area would give me cooked rice when I visited their homes and that kept me happy for days.

How do you like your rice?

Caffeine

When I told Zara about my migraine, she suggested I try drinking a cup of coffee. She said it works for her and that some anti-migraine drugs have caffeine as one of its components. So I did, but it only kept me up at night.

Frenchy says I shouldn't have followed Zara's advice because I'm not a regular coffee drinker. I avoid it most of the time though as I once got palpitations with brewed coffee. I do get a regular dose of caffeine from soda though and maybe, tea.

Now I'm giving up all forms of caffeine to prevent migraine. I'm sure it can be done as I once gave up Diet Coke for close to 2 years, only to resume it in February this year.

Are you caffeinated or decaf?

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This is my contribution to Aloha Friday.

Healthy Mamon Faceoff

In this age where many are demanding healthier options, two local bakeshops rice to the challenge and produce low calorie alternatives.

Let's see how they do with the mamon.

Red Ribbon's No Sugar Added Mamon (PHP 24) is softer, fluffier and tastes better than Goldilocks' Sugar-Free Mamon (PHP 23). Problem is, you don't actually know how much you're getting because unlike Goldilocks', Red Ribbon has no nutrition label attached to its product. Goldilocks' Sugar-Free Mamon is about 160 calories. If the Red Ribbon one tastes better, then maybe it's because it's more packed in calories. Price wise, there's about a peso difference between the two.

I think Red Ribbon can improve their product by affixing a nutrition label.

Raffles

Every time our favorite mall runs a raffle, Zara and I kid each other that one of us is winning the grand prize. We haven't won anything but we continue to hope, filling one raffle stub after another or making sure our purchases meet the minimum requirement for a ticket.

Do you participate in raffles or don't bother at all?

Craving

Don't you just sometimes wish you were eating a certain food item?

For the last few weeks, I've been craving for barbecue. I tried it at Bar-B-Queen and at a restaurant Zara and I frequent but at both times was not satisfied. Today, I couldn't put off the craving much longer even if I wanted to hunt for Ice Age's Buck in those Happy Meals. I went to Reyes Barbecue and was instantly satisfied. Until the next craving, that is.

I wonder what sets off cravings. Hormones could be a factor, especially since cravings figure prominently in pregnancy. For me, what occasionally sets off a craving is a well written article about a certain food item. If the author can set off a craving or at least a desire to hunt that restaurant down, I believe he did a very good job writing that article.

What are you craving for at the moment?

Movie Soundtracks

One of the things that make a movie is its soundtrack.

My earliest exposure to the movie soundtrack was through the TV movie Sunshine, a story about a cancer-stricken young woman whose illness force her to leave a husband and daughter behind. I love the songs, most of them by John Denver.

When he migrated to the US, Tennis Ace left his stack of cassette tapes with S1 and I. The album of Saturday Night Fever was among them and it was through this that we discovered John Travolta and the Bee Gees. Later we would sing along to Can You Read My Mind from Superman and Looking Through the Eyes of Love from Ice Castles.

Although movie musicals have the richest repertoire, I think they're in a separate category if they are already established musicals from the theatre. Soundtracks developed specifically for film are somewhat different. And movie themes are as iconic of the movie as its characters. A few come to mind: Superman, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter.

My recent favorites are the soundtracks from Ally McBeal, My Best Friend's Wedding, Dying Young, Beauty and the Beast and of course, Music and Lyrics.

Do you have a favorite movie soundtrack?