Alert Level 2 Adventure: Family Lunch-Out at Ramen Nagi of Nuvali Park

Going to Nuvali meant that we had to eat. So, as a birthday treat to the birthday girl, we dined in our favorite Japanese restaurant…

…Ramen Nagi!

Our family likes Ramen Nagi because of their tasty and authentic(?) Japanese noodles.

It's been ages since the last time we dined in Ramen Nagi, so we decided to order three large bowls of Wonder Chasu King and Butao King.  

Wonder Chasu King (upper right) and the others are Butao King.

The kids like them of course because they are way better than the Lucky Me noodles at home.

Chicken Karaage.

We also ordered the Chicken Karaage, which the kids didn't like that much. Well, for me, it is just OK. Maybe we will not order this again if we return to Ramen Nagi.

We also ordered this dish, the name of which I cannot remember:

Ordering three large bowls was a mistake since the kids didn't eat much because they are full already. So Daddy had to eat all the left-overs since we were not allowed to take them home.

I was so full afterwards that I had difficulty walking. I guess we overdid it since it was our first time to have a nice dine-out after more than two years of lockdown.

We bought Ramen Nagi's frozen and cook-at-home ramen once during lockdown since we missed eating their delicious noodles. It was a disappointment since it didn't taste as good as the ramen prepared in Ramen Nagi restaurant.

Now that many restrictions have been lifted, we can go to Ramen Nagi anytime and not have to content ourselves with their frozen take-home ramen.

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Alert Level 2 Adventure: Family Bonding in Nuvali Park (Santa Rosa, Laguna)

Now that the COVID restrictions are slowly being removed by the government, the Ahab Family finally got the chance to have the long-awaited family bonding outside of the house. Unfortunately, beach resorts in Nasugbu still have some restrictions and Tagaytay is too crowded during weekends.

So, we decided to have our family bonding (and birthday celebration of My Beloved Wife) in Nuvali Park of Santa Rosa, Laguna.

It has been ages since we last visited Nuvali. Then pandemonium pandemic came and we were not able to visit the place for almost three years.

And so we grabbed the chance and went to Nuvali when Laguna was placed under Alert Level 2.

This is the first time Samien, our bunso, visited Nuvali. He was very delighted by the wide open space!

Samuel, our eldest, and Samantha, our only princess, enjoyed running on the grass and then climbing up the "hill".

I envy these little ones who found happiness in simple things such as the wide open space of Nuvali.

The kids are famished after running under the sun. So for lunch, we brought them to Ramen Nagi, which is one of our favorite Nuvali restaurants.

The kids' favorite place in Nuvali is the playground. Sadly, the place was cordoned off in the name "health and safety protocols".

Our kids are persistent so they still tried the slide, monkey bars, spring horse despite the cordon.

The lockdowns shut down many shops in Nuvali. The store of expensive ice cream near the playground is gone. Other shops on the second floor are empty and were invaded by stray cats.

A few hours before dusk, our family went to the grassland for a picnic. We were not the only ones who set up a picnic in the area. There were families sitting on the grass or doing some stroll. Dog-owners were also there to walk their dogs.

Finally, before going home, we went to Nuvali Lake to look at koi fishes.

Feeding the koi fishes is the most popular activity in Nuvali. Our little ones enjoyed watching scores of kois fighting over the feed thrown at them.

This is the first time that our Bunso saw these fishes and he was delighted in watching them.

Our visit to Nuvali Park was a truly fun experience for all of us. The kids were finally freed from the lockdowns and the many restrictions. I do hope that the situation improves so that we can visit other places this summer vacation.

Read about our previous visit to Nuvali Park in 2016.

End of the Month Roundup: February 2022

February is dubbed by many as the "Love Month". Little they know that the man whose name became synonymous with "love" was actually beheaded in the name of "Divine Love".

(Source: Confessions of a Funeral Director)

I felt being beheaded too this month. The demands for my service kicked into high gear and pestered me throughout the month. I guess the holiday lull is over for our clients. And so they arr back asking us for urgent this-and-that.

Personal Notes

1. The Level 1 Boss who suddenly disappeared last month has reappeared. He dropped the Atomic Bomb by filing his resignation. He will not be with us next year.

I am amazed with his bravery to resign to pursue the path that he desires. I, sometimes, think of doing that, especially when the pressure is high and I am so exhausted. Those times when usual mood is anger. But then practicality steps in. I cannot just throw everything away to chase the star. I have a family to take care of!

2. A subordinate told me of her decision to retire early 3 years from now. The reason for the early retirement is that she found…love.

The conversation with her unexpectedly became personal. I was actually touched that my subordinates trusts me enough that they are open to share their personal life with me.

3. I am feeling the exhaustion again in the last week of February. I guess this is common whenever a month ends.

4. I was so angry with MetroBank last year because they did not waive their Annual Fee. I paid around 5 thousand pesos and decided to ditch their card. I called MetroBank and told them to cancel my card. In the end they phonebanker convinced me to just change my credit card to that with no annual fee. #BankWinsAgain

5. I was surprised that a friend (wala na sa opisina ngayon) supports a presidential candidate who is from a corrupt family. That friend is very vocal against corruption and yet…ambot!

6. A subordinate suddenly had to go back to their home province because his mother had a stroke. Sadly, some of the co-workers mocked his being “deaf” and inattentive because they did not know what he is going through.

In Other News…

February is the start of the campaign period. So my FB friends and contacts, my neighbors, my co-workers are battling it out. This is the mood of the Philippines this month:

(Source: Muzeo)

UKRAINE vs RUSSIA is the trending topic in the last days of the month, eclipsing even the election issues in the Philippines.

It is another history unfolding before my very eyes and may mean the beginning of a global conflict. At the back of my mind are thoughts of how the family survive this just in case the new Axis Powers and Allied Forces slug it out with another World War. Life will be difficult even if the Philippines will go neutral

What is happening now is that oil prices will skyrocket and followed by the prices of basic goods. Mas uunti yung mabibili ng sweldo ko. :-( 

Another incident of impunity and “what are we power for” act. A police officer died just because of the “private time” of the PNP Chief. Nakakasuka na ang kawalan ng honor at morality ng mga nakakataas sa gobyerno.

Interesting Reads

This post from La Grande Armee of Memes & Francophile Themes narrates the situation in Prussia before their war with Napoleon Bonaparte. The Prussians, including the high bureaucrats and royal family, have “great thirst for war” and a “certain hope of victory”. The Prussians’ thirst was quenched but the result is devastation and plenty of defeat at the hands of the Grande Armee.

“The insolent braggarts will soon learn that our arms are in good order!”

Napoleon’s reaction to Prussian soldiers sharpening their sabres at the steps of French embassy. 

A Damaged Culture - This article from The Atlantic speaks about the reason why People Power 1 failed. The problem is not only about Marcos but Cory Aquino not ushering in the reforms that the Philippines direly needs. In the end, she just put back to power the old oligarchs that were displaced by Marcos.

...it is hard to believe that replacing Marcos with Aquino, desirable as it doubtless is, will do much besides stanching the flow of crony profits out of the country. In a sociological sense the elevation of Corazon Aquino through the EDSA revolution should probably be seen not as a revolution but as the restoration of the old order. Marcos’s rise represented the triumph of the nouveau riche. He was, of course, an Ilocano, from the tough, frugal Ilocos region, in the northwest corner of Luzon. Many of those whom he enriched were also outsiders to the old-money, old-family elite that had long dominated the country's politics...

Images of the Month

Not all unity is good. (Source: Ιωσε Κάρλος Ραπαδας)

Unity is not a virtue. Not all unity is good. Even the demons are united to destroy the Son of Man.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the talk of the town, nay even the whole world. A nation attacked by a superpower. The art from Tarantadong Kalbo pretty much sums up the Goliath and David struggle between the two nations.

(Source: WW II in the Philippines)

During the Battle of Bataan in World War 2, brave Igorots sat on top of American tanks to cut off dense foliage blocking the tanks way and also served as “eyes” and guides of the tank crews.

Quotes of the Month

Dictators are like boils, superficial manifestations of an inner rottenness.  They would never have come to the surface if there had not been the proper conditions in the world from which they came.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen

 

Soviet power, unlike that of Hitlerite Germany, is neither schematic nor adventuristic. It does not work by fixed plans. It does not take unnecessary risks. Impervious to logic of reason, and it is highly sensitive to logic of force. For this reason it can easily withdraw — and usually does — when strong resistance is encountered at any point. 

George Kennan, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, 1946.

Words of Wisdom

You will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this is something that must happen, but the end will not be yet. For nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

- Matthew 14:6-7

When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do one’s faults when one speaks. As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace, so in tribulation is the test of the just. The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had; so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind. Praise no one before he speaks, for it is then that people are tested.

- Sirach 27:4-7

My Thoughts for this Month

Ukraine's experience should be warning to the Philippines. We cannot overly rely to our allies, including those with defense treaty, for the defense of the country. 

We must improve our defensive capabilities: more and better armaments, improvement of military doctrine, shaping up of our soldiers, instilling the sense of patritiosm to the people, and the REMOVAL OF MANCHURIAN LEADERS AND QUISLINGS IN THE GOVERNMENT.

Doing this will make our allies respect us and make potential enemies think twice before attacking us.

Blog Posts in February 2022

I posted about the Evolution Park of Marikina Heights. This park is the one with statues of cows and a monument dedicated to the Filipino soldiers of PEFTOK.

I also posted in the blog my original post about that lazy and cowardly presidential candidate - Philippine Politics: On Cowardly and Lazy Presidential Candidates.

Finally, I posted about my reactions to Violet Evergarden: The Movie.

Here are my post in Pinoy Informer:

Jollibee Party Package 2022: Virtual Party 

Who are the Jollibee Characters?

Mcdo Party Package for 2022 (Party Box)

Anime of the Month

I watched two animes this month, namely, Komi Can’t Communicate and The Classroom of the Elite.

(Source: Wordery)

Komi Can’t Communicate is about a high school girl named Komi, who despite being idolized by her classmates, has difficulty speaking with other people due to anxiety. She got an unexpected assist from a social-outcast classmate Tadano, who is the only person who noticed her difficulties. Tadano became Komi’s very first friend (and maybe more than a friend). The goal of the anime is for Tadano to help Komi gain 100 friends during high school.

(Source: TheBestGameTips)

This anime is over-the-top hilarious and reminds me of my other favorite…”High School Rumble”. Although “Komi Can’t Communicate” has less outrageous and unbelievable scenes than High School Rumble.

It is a refreshing anime that also tackles the concerns of people having social anxiety. I can relate to this anime since I had “social anxiety” starting high school that worsened in college. I wrote somewhere in this blog that I was a loner in college and had no barkada.It actually came to a point that I tried to start a conversation with anyone who happened to be with me at the table in CASAA (the popular canteen in UP Diliman that was burned a long time ago). Well, That sounds creepy but that was how I coped with loneliness or the fact that I didn’t have a buddy during those years. 

Another anime that I binged this month is Classroom of the Elite.

(Source: Amazon)

This is a like Death Note in a high school setting. The plot is about the lowest-ranked high school class trying to outwit other classes to go up the rankings. The main character is Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, who uses his classmates and other people as pawns for his own (not yet stated) goal.

I binged watch this anime so at least it got me interested. I liked the cutthroat competition and the fact that what’s on the surface of each is a just a veneer of their corruption inside (particularly Kikyō Kushida)

(Source: Wallpaper Abyss)

I found this anime quite distressing because of this monologue of the MC in the last episode:

I’ve never once thought of you as an ally. Not you. Not Kushida. Not Hirata. All people are nothing but tools. It doesn’t matter how its done. It doesn’t matter what needs to be sacrificed. In this world, winning is everything. As long as I win in the end…That’s all that matters. – Ayanokouji Kiyotaka

I am familiar with manipulation and people pretending to be good but deep inside they just wanted some favors and benefits. Each one wears a mask to hide something for we do not really trust other people, especially those outside of the family. I know this since I wear a mask too.

Meanwhile, in One Piece Big Mom finally met her defeat at the hands of Law and Kid.

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