AIM - A Melting Pot of Asian Cultures...

23rd and 24th of February 2010 marked the International Flag Raising Day and the International Cultural Nite at AIM. Early in the morning of 23rd, Mifu & Raheel went to AIM to witness the flag raising ceremony. Student representing nearly 15 countries participated. Donned in their traditional best, the flag bearers looked dignified and proud to represent their respective nations.
A band played the national anthems of each country as the flags were being hoisted. Since most of Mifu’s classmates were from various Asian countries besides the Philippines, Raheel got a chance to take photos with them in their traditional attires!
On the evening of 24th Feb, the Zen Garden at AIM wore a different look. A brightly lit up stage welcomes all for the International Cultural Nite. We reached the venue at around 6.15pm and found the last minute preparations going on the stage. Some boys in martial arts uniform moved about near the stage rehearsing their steps & Raheel was excited to see them.
The anchors for the evening were an Indian named Pritish & a Filipino girl, Kat. Both of them are MBA students and smoothly conducted the show without any hitch. In a quick welcome address, one of the professors humorously said that no one should expect cancellation of classes on the next day!
The show finally kicked off with a Judo demonstration by some students from a martial arts academy. Next came a Taekwondo demo by an AIM student. He delighted the gathering with some impressive kicks.
Once the martial arts segment was over, it was time for the Indian segment of the evening. Amidst applause & whistles (majority of AIM’s students are Indians) two sisters doing their MBA took their places on the stage for a classical dance performance. They did a Kathak recital from the movie ‘Taal’. Then followed a dance medley from Bollywood movies, old & new. The Indian students did quite a good job as they grooved to the popular filmy numbers! A Marathi folk dance as well a Bhangra dance added to the festive mood. A couple of wannabe singers belted out few Hindi songs while we helped ourselves to dinner. The Indian segment closed with a performance on A.R. Rehman’s Vande Mataram. The Indians at AIM did an impressive job indeed.
Next in line was Indonesia. There was a graceful dance recital by two MBA students which was followed songs by another two Indonesians. The anchor announced that a Pakistani item follow soon. All eyes fixed on the stage as Hafeez, Mifu’s classmate from Peshawar, moved forward. He sang a Pashtun folk song and soon most of the people were dancing to it! The MDM batch cheered Hafeez throughout since he is the only student from Pakistan. A Vietnamese song followed next and the singer was dressed in a gorgeous costume.
The Filipino segment began with one student in traditional Igorot costume sang a local number. Then entered a colorful troupe of Filipino dancers and musicians. The tribal dances that were performed resembled the Naga & Mizo dances of NE India! The musicians played melodious Spanish tunes while the female dancers in beautiful costumes moved gracefully. We got a chance to experience the diverse culture within the Philippines through the various dance performances.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the finale of the evening turned out to a fashion show! The first student-model was an Indian with a well toned body carrying a bamboo torch and wearing a silk dhoti and a silk stole. He was followed by a train of other models dressed in traditional costumes. All posed elegantly on stage and looked very much professional! After the traditional round, came the western wear. It was quite impressive as well. A stylish way to conclude the cultural nite indeed.
The event was memorable for all the students at AIM, I guess. The evening of 24th Feb brought alive the amazing cultural diversity of Asia under a single roof.

Hen. Pio del Pilar School...

Even while I was getting ready for my trip to Manila, Mifu had been contemplating about enrolling Raheel in a school there. Luckily, one of Mifu’s MDM classmates has some connections at the Makati DepEd (Education Department) and she helped us. She recommended an elementary school where it was possible to enroll Raheel.
I brought all the necessary certificates of Raheel from Guwahati. Just before the Christmas break, we visited the Pio Del Pilar School to meet the Principal. The ride took us nearly 10 to 15 minutes by a jeepney. It was quite convenient and the jeepney stops right in front of the school! No problem with the communication, I thought.
The Principal, Dr. Leticia Rosales gave us a warm reception. She showed keen interest in enrolling Raheel as a guest pupil in the kindergarten section of her school. Since Christmas was round the corner, Dr. Rosales asked us to meet her in the first week of January when the school would re-open after the holidays. She suggested that an approval letter from the Makati DepEd would make things more official. So the next day, Mifu accompanied his classmate Ms. Dals to get an approval from the secretary of Education for the enrollment of Raheel in a local school.
Classes at Pio Del Pilar resumed on 4th Jan 2010. We reached school around 11.45 and went to see the Principal. She called one of her Kindergarten teacher Ms. Luciano. Raheel is to be accommodated in her class as a guest pupil. At 12.30pm, the afternoon session began and all of us walked to Raheel’s new class. There were about 20 children between 5 – 6 years. The Principal explained to the kids that they would have a new friend from India in the class.
Raheel said a shy’ hello’ to his new classmates and they replied “hi Raheel” in chorus. We came out of the room while Ms. Luciano began to sing some rhymes to the children. Though we didn’t eat our lunch before leaving for school, I had packed tiffin for Raheel just to be on the safe side. And it worked! Both Mifu & I roamed about within the school premises, exploring the surrounding. What struck us was that despite being a government run school, each classroom had an AC. The building is a four storied one with an assembly area on the ground floor, equipped with announcement room and everything. Raheel’s class is on the ground floor. Moreover, meals (soups, macaroni or noodles), dry snack & fruit juices make rounds in all the rooms daily. Students can buy these at subsidized rates.
The Principal’s office surprised us. It is quite luxurious so to speak. Plush sofas with satin cushions, a huge dining table and expensive decorative pieces adorned the room! Impressive indeed!! We wondered about the dilapidated situation of govt. schools of Axom. Lessons to be learnt from here. Another interesting thing is that the teachers have different colored uniforms for the six days of the week! That made teaching more fun, I guess.
So began Raheel’s new learning experience in the Philippines.

Fireworks bring in 2010!!

On the last day of 2009, we decided to visit the Chinatown of Manila. The place is known as Binondo and is almost 45 minutes drive from Makati. The Chisti family also accompanied us. On reaching Binondo, the first thing which struck us was the crowded street! Leaving the cab, we walked through the narrow lanes of Chinatown. There were many shops that lined up on the pavement of Ongpi Street selling Chinese toys, electronic goods & feng shui items. The bigger shops sold beautiful Chinese crockery, towels, blankets, etc. The prices were quite high though and so I dropped the idea of shopping!
Our next stop was the old church dedicated to the first Philippine saint, Lorenzo Ruiz. It was a massive structure with beautiful paintings adorning the domed ceiling. There was even a wedding in progress when we went inside.
We headed for a restaurant as it was already lunch hour. I ordered Pancit Canton (noodles) with beef satay while Mifu opted for Beef ampalaya with rice. When we enquired about ampalaya, the waitress informed that it’s a green vegetable. Mifu looked awful when his dish was finally served. It turned out to be a preparation of beef in ampalaya (bitter gourd or karela) gravy!! So I had to share my pancit canton with Mifu since he detested karela. When I tasted it, it wasn’t all that bad.
After lunch, we drove down to the Manila Zoo as the kids were showing signs of boredom in Chinatown. Interestingly, there weren’t too many animals there. An elephant, a couple of huge pythons, some colorful macaws, monkeys and different species of birds were all that made up Manila zoo! The kids enjoyed the play area more than watching the few animals while we sipped coffee near the artificial lake at the zoo. By 6 o’clock, we rode a jeepney back home. We already had a plan to meet the Chistis for dinner at their place.
Having enjoyed a hearty meal, not to forget the ready- to- eat turkey which Zahid ka had bought, all of us took a walk towards the Greenbelt complex to find out if any special New Year programme was on. To our surprise, the place looked deserted except for a few young people loitering about. Mifu suggested that we go back to our building as we were told that there would be fireworks at midnight. The Chistis came along as well & all of us moved up to the terrace garden on the 30th floor! Many people living in our building were already at the terrace waiting for the firework display. And what a sight it was. Simply brilliant! The Manila sky lit up with amazing displays of crackling firework exactly as the clock struck 12 & it went on for almost an hour. People on the terrace cheered and greeted each other. Later we came back to our unit and Mifu logged on Skype to wish folks in Guwahati.. Though this New Year eve was a different experience, yet we did miss the family get together, Ma’s pulao and the bonfire back home!!

INCREDIBLE INTRAMUROS...

As the Christmas vacation was on & the AIM classes were off, we tried to make the most of it. On 27th Dec, we and the Chisti family visited Intramuros in old Manila. Intramuros is a Spanish word meaning a city inside walls (intra=within & muros=murals or walls).It is the ancient ‘Walled City’ of Manila!
Legend has it that Raja Sulayman, a native chieftain, ruled over the Filipino communities who lived along the banks of the Pasig River. The settlement was protected by palisades and forts. One of those was called Maynilad (later known as Manila). The place became a busy trade centre for Asian goods. However, the Spanish invasion shattered the settlement. The fort was burnt twice, once by the Spaniards & later by the natives before they left the area to the foreigners. In 1571, the Spanish conqueror Miguel Lopez di Legazpi founded the city of Manila on the site of the old settlement. High stone walls & bulwarks were constructed to defend the city from the Chinese & the Japanese pirates. The walls enclosed a pentagonal area of nearly 64 hectares. There were residences, churches, palaces schools & govt. buildings within the walled city. Entry could be made only through gates with drawbridges that were closed before midnight.
Intramuros thus became the political, cultural, educational, religious as well as commercial centre of Spain in the Far East. Several other European powers were driven off Philippine waters while the walls protected the city. In 1762, the British invasion of Intramuros damaged the walls and valuable properties were looted. In 1898, the Americans arrived in the Philippines and the Spanish surrendered Intramuros after a mock battle. The Filipinos began a new lifestyle under the new colonial rulers. A major portion of the walls including two gates were destroyed to make way for roads in Intramuros.
With the outbreak of WW II, Intramuros fell into Japanese hands. Fort Santiago became a terror chamber where Japanese army tortured & killed hundreds of innocent civilians. For three years, fear & death loomed over Intramuros. In 1945, the Americans liberated the Philippines from the Japs. During the 8 day siege, thousands lost their lives & Intramuros too received its death blow. Artillery shells reduced most of the buildings & walls into ashes.
The USA recognized Philippines as an independent nation in 1946, but Intramuros was already a dead city. It became a wasteland occupied by squatters & warehouse owners. The city never sprung back to life. In 1979, a Presidential decree created the Intramuros Administration to restore &develop the walled city as a historic site & tourist destination.
The major attractions inside Intramuros include the San Augustine Church & Convent (oldest in Philippines), the Manila cathedral, Fort Santiago (site of the original settlement of Raja Sulaiman), Plaza de Roma, Plaza San Luis complex among others. The Casa Manila Museum takes one back to the Spanish era. The museum depicts the interior décor, furniture & clothes used by Filipinos during the Spanish period. The luxurious Filipino lifestyle in Intramuros between the 17th and 19th centuries is well preserved in Casa Manila Museum.
Having walked back in time through the cobbled streets of the amazing walled city, we tried a Calesa ride. The Calesa is a horse drawn carriage like a Tonga, and was a common mode of transport in Intramuros during the olden days. A half hour Calesa ride helped us to see most parts of Intramuros which would not have been possible by taking a walk! The visit was a memorable experience. Intramuros is, indeed, a priceless treasure of the Filipino people.

EATING PINOY ISHTYLE !!

The trip to Calapan introduced Mifu & me to authentic Filipino cuisine. Breakfast at both the resorts where we had stayed consisted of a choice between hot fluffy pancakes served with honey & butter or the local favorite, Daing na Bangus. The second option is a typical Filipino breakfast meal that has garlic rice, a fried bangus (sea fish) and a poached egg. It is quite filling and we that was our breakfast for most of the days. Of course, the pancakes were yummy as well!
Though I’m known for my dislike of fish back home, yet I relished most of the fish preparations which I tasted at Calapan. Maybe the taste of the sea fish made all the difference! The Tilapia (another sea fish) was a popular one among the team members. It’s usually fried whole & garnished with stir fried vegetables.
While dining at a local eating joint in Calapan, I got adventurous and tried crispy squid rings which weren’t bad. Having caught a glimpse of squids at a supermarket in Makati (they look like tiny octopuses!) I tried not to think of them as it would have certainly spoiled my dinner.
Garlic rice is a hot favorite of the Filipino people. After tasting it, both I & Mifu began to relish it. So it’s always garlic rice that we order whenever we eat out! An interesting Pinoy delicacy is the Balut. It is basically boiled duck egg with a half developed embryo inside. The locals say that the embryo made the egg all the tastier!! Except Chola, Hafeez and the two of us, the rest of the gang relished the Balut at the resort.
We also tasted Bibingka which is a local rice cake baked with milk and topped with butter & grated coconut. Sweet banana chips are another popular snack & Calapan produces a lot of these. When we returned, all of us brought back many packets of the chips made in Calapan.
While Mifu & I experimented with the various Pinoy delicacies, Raheel, as always, stuck to his rice, bread & Maggie noodles menu!!

JINGLE BELLS IN MAKATI

On the 9th of Dec’09, Christmas was celebrated at AIM’s Zen Garden. We went there in the evening dressed very casually. However, most people were well attired for the occasion. There was even a DJ playing foot tapping numbers and set the mood for the Christmas party. Soon someone announced that a traditional costume competition would take place. All those who dressed in their traditional attire were called upon stage. Had I known earlier, I could have put on my mekhela-chadar and joined the contest! Interestingly both the male as well as the female winners were Indians. The beautifully draped sari of the Indian lady & the Barong worn by an Indian student must have impressed the judges.
One Indian student belted out ‘Musu musu hasee....’ to everyone’s delight. Later a Filipino band kept the crowd entertained with popular English numbers.
Christmas is beautiful in Makati. All shops & malls were lit up for the occasion. The Greenbelt mall complex was decked up with white Christmas trees. There were fireworks every Friday at Greenbelt 3 park throughout December. The mad rush of Christmas shoppers kept me amused! The Filipinos spent money like there’s no tomorrow!! After all it’s a Catholic country & X-mas is the main festival.
We went to the Mall of Asia at Pasay city with the Chisti family on 23rd Dec. MoA is one of Asia’s biggest malls & it really is huge. It was bedecked beautifully for Christmas too. A big C’mas tree stood outside, near the ocean walkway. The ocean drive near the mall makes the place even nicer. We spent a long time there and came home late, having taken dinner at the mall’s food court.
On 24th, we invited the Chisti family over for dinner. It was to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary which was on 25th Dec. Simi presented me a lovely Chinese tea set which was a nice surprise! After dinner, we decided to take a walk hoping to catch a glimpse of midnight mass going on at the nearby chapel in Greenbelt 3. To our surprise the streets of Makati wore a deserted look. A couple of security guards informed us that the C’mas mass would take place the next morning and not midnight as we expected. So we returned home quite dejected.
A yummy chocolate mousse cake from hubby dear greeted me on 25th morning! Later in the day, few phone calls came from folks back home to wish us. We had a Skype contact with Ma who happened to be at Mumbai during that time. In the evening we headed to SM mall as Raheel was promised that we would take him to Toy Kingdom. Having spent quite some time at the mall, we ended the day with a delicious dinner at the Persian Grill restaurant!

RO-RO TO CALAPAN !!

During the last part of November Mifu’s study team consisting of 7 members were supposed to visit for their RAA (rapid area analysis). The place chosen for the study was Calapan city. It’s a sea-side town located in Oriental Mindoro. The study tour was for 1 week.
Mifu wasn’t sure if I & Raheel could accompany the team. After consulting the team members it was decided that I could join the trip! I was delighted as it would be my first visit to a Filipino city outside Manila. Since Calapan is situated on a different island, we had to travel by the ferry as well. Early on the morning of 30th Nov, the team members met at the lobby of AIM. Chola & Gucci (Mifu’s team mates) brought their SUVs that would take us to Calapan. The group split into two & got into the vehicles. While Gucci had a driver, Chola car was driven by Titan (another Filipino team mate). We were in Chola’s Land Rover.
The drive to the port of Batangas took about 2 ½ hours. By 11.30 we reached Batangas & all agreed to have an early lunch before boarding the ferry. After a hearty meal in a Max’s Burger outlet, we were on our way to the port. Incidentally, Batangas port is one of the busiest in the Phils. Very soon we boarded a Ro-Ro for a 2 ½ hour sail to Calapan city! RO-RO is short for Roll on-Roll off. It’s basically a big ferry which can carry cars & small trucks as well. The upper deck has a spacious AC passenger lounge with television and even a mini snack bar.
The RO-RO lifted anchor at 2pm from Batangas. We made ourselves comfortable in the lounge. But as the ferry began its smooth sail, none of us could resist the temptation of climbing up to the second level of the ferry to get a feel of the cool sea breeze. Pictures were taken and video recordings were done by most of the team members to capture the lovely seascape of the Phils! Margaret, the 1year old daughter of Gucci, became the star attraction of our journey. She was accompanying her dad to Calapan which happens to be her grandparents’ home. Little Margaret moved about fearlessly & kept all of us in amusement. The sea wind soon made everyone sleepy & so most of us tried to doze off for a while.
After almost 2 hours, we caught the first glimpse of Calapan at a distance. As the RO-RO made its way towards the port, we noticed small boys not more than 11 or 12 years swimming near the ferry. They called upon the passengers who were looking down at the waters to throw coins. The boys were quite expert divers & had the swiftness to search the coins from under water in no time!! However, once the coins are thrown those become the property of the young divers! Chola almost emptied her coin purse to relish the expertise of those amazing boys.
We headed for the Anahaw Island Resort after disembarking. The resort was located in the outskirts of Calapan city. There was a private beach & the atmosphere was serene. Both Raheel & I were excited as we could enjoy the beach which was so close by! Having checked in at the cozy bamboo cottages of Anahaw, we took an early dinner. The resort’s restaurant was just by the sea & one gets a real feel of the waves lashing so close.
The next seven days were grueling for the study team. They left for work after an early breakfast and returned late in the evenings. Raheel & I had a good time at the beach meanwhile. Though Raheel wasn’t too enthusiastic to get into the water yet he gradually went ahead on seeing the other kids having such a great time. I enquired about the city market from the hotel staff & was informed that it was only a 10 minute drive by a tricycle. So we called a tricycle (remember the one used in the movie Sholay?) and soon we headed for downtown Calapan. Raheel was too amused to ride the tricycle. It is the most convenient way to move around the place & is also quite cheap! The market place was big considering the size of the city. There were roadside vendors selling local products, even Chinese toys & accessories. We discovered the only department store of Calapan & did some window shopping! There were wholesale shops selling toys, bags & even casual wear. In fact the place turned out to be quite a less expensive shopping delight.
Near the market stood the majestic Calapan Cathedral. A short walk took us to the City Plaza. It has a nice park with a small fort & a fountain. The park is dedicated to Jose Rizal, one of Philippines’ national heroes. Moving around Calapan city market was fun & all for just 10 pesos to reach there!
Having stayed at Anahaw for 4 nights, it was decided that we shift to another resort called Parang Beach Resort. So we moved to Parang on day 5. The independent cottages of the resort are neat & cozy. Here too there’s a provision to dine outside while enjoying the sea breeze & the lashing of the waves. This resort, however, is a little farther from downtown Calapan & it cost me 20 pesos to ride a tricycle from there.
Ms. Remi, mom-in-law of Gucci, invited all of us for dinner at her farmhouse while at Calapan. Her late husband was the ex- governor of Calapan. The farmhouse is a sprawling one with many fruit trees & a big vegetable garden as well. The food was obviously lip-smacking! Gucci’s wife is a chef at a hotel in Manila & she took the pain of coming to Calapan especially for the dinner hosted by her mother.
The day 7, being a Sunday, the team decided to take a trip to Puerto Galera. It is a two hour drive from Calapan. Puerto Galera is a beautiful town with lovely white sand beaches. After arriving there we met the members of another MDM team who were doing their RAA in Puerto Galera. We headed for the famous white beach at once & had a good time there. Later lunch was served at the guest house where the other team had put up. Chicken Adobo & sea fish were devoured hungrily by all!! Having relaxed for a while, our team thought of taking a boat ride in the sea. It was indeed an awesome experience. The breeze was strong & the landscape breathtaking! Taking us at a great speed for almost half an hour, the boat slowed down as it approached a small island. In fact it was a perfect spot for snorkeling & diving. The swimmers in the team volunteered to get a view of the marine life & put on the snorkeling gear quickly. The non-swimmers like me & some others remained on the boat & admired the beauty around us. Some 20 minutes later the swimmers were back & said that the underwater view was simply amazing with coral reefs, colorful fish & marine vegetation. The non-swimmers sulked as a life time chance was missed! We got back to the white beach by 4.30pm & went to the guest house to freshen up. By 5pm, we were heading back to Calapan as the next was going to the last day of work for the team.
In the afternoon of 8th Dec, we bid goodbye to the little city of Calapan. Boarding the RO-RO from the port we sailed back to Batangas & reached Manila around 7.30 in the evening. A memorable trip to a beautiful island city of the Philippines!