Jay Ignacio

Jay Ignacio http://jayignacio.multiply.com/ What will you find here? Updates, stories, snippets of my colorful past (and occasionally its toxic residues), food and travel shots, DaPulis memorabilia and Evenstar Project audio. Feel free to explore. Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:42:19 -0000 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:59:35 -0000 Jay Ignacio http://multiply.com/mu/jayignacio/logo http://jayignacio.multiply.com/ 100 100 Where Did My Brain Go? http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/165/Where_Did_My_Brain_Go It's been a while since I blogged. Though I have time to do so, I just haven't had much to write about. This Multiply page was meant to be my "practice pad" for creative writing or just simple story telling; a means to hone my writing skills and develop a style of my own. But it isn't only the writing that has gone in to the backburner. Aside from the few minutes a week that I fiddle with my guitars and the occasional experimental cooking at home, my creativity has practically ground to a halt. I blame the left hemisphere. I have been working on a totally new skill for a year now and it will surely take a few more to get good at it, especially now that the global financial crisis is throwing all systems out of whack. I never took any Finance courses for this. I simply jumped right in to trading, learning what I could from books about Technical Analysis and business articles. Though I am being mentored by someone with 30 years of experience, he is not here all the time to guide me... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/165/Where_Did_My_Brain_Go Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:59:35 -0000 A Year Ago Today http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/164/A_Year_Ago_Today It's been a year and the traditional mourning period is at its "official" end, but a death in the family is something one can never really get over. We may have moved on emotionally, but the memory remains. I recall the painful circumstances that nearly drove me insane, freezing in China's worst winter in 50 years, all of a sudden being in charge, trying to detach myself from the situation in order to get all of us home, having had to go through a series formalities with both the hospital and the Chinese government whose language I didn't speak, being at the mercy of the totally inept, insensitive assholes at the Philippine Consulate in Guangzhou, and nearly missing our flight home due to the equally inept, insensitive asshole Cebu Pacific ground crew. Probably the worst thing my Tito Joel and Ate Emma had to deal with was the 12 extra days of just waiting for Chinese New Year to end. But fortunately there are a lot of good memories of my mom to make up for all the painful ones. I thank ... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/164/A_Year_Ago_Today Sat, 7 Feb 2009 18:44:24 -0000 A "Hero" In Our Midst http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/163/A_Hero_In_Our_Midst <img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SWt58AoKCsQAADyXxME1/RTI-SPIT.jpg?et=%2BfspEQcNYyWkOxhqTjcX4Q&nmid=0">This photo was taken in early June 2004 when five of us S.P.I.T. members performed at the Two Roads Theater in LA. We jammed with a Fil-Am improv troupe called Room To Improv and had a really amazing gig with them. We exchanged ideas, learned from each other and bonded over food, over stories of the motherland and of growing up Pinoy in America and sang Broadway tunes while one of them played the piano. Two members of Room To Improv are now married and when they came over to Manila a few nights ago, we did a little bit of catching up and talked about how the rest of the gang was doing. It turns out that some of the RTI members are doing pretty well for themselves. Especially that dude in blue behind me winking his eye (pardon the resolution but you may have to zoom in a bit). Does he look familiar? If you watch Heroes all the time you'd probably recognize him. Yup, you got it: Hiro Nakamura's best friend Ando - James Kyson Lee in real life. What a lucky guy! It' funny that all this time... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/163/A_Hero_In_Our_Midst Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:22:35 -0000 FPN-P (July, August, December 2008) http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/113/FPN-P_July_August_December_2008 For FPN-P members. Photos I never got to post before. July at the Dalisay residence for the Mel and Joey shoot. August at my place on my birthday. December at Dome, Shangri-La Mall. http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/113/FPN-P_July_August_December_2008 Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:23:57 -0000 "Bolpen Na Naman?" http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/162/Bolpen_Na_Naman <a href="/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a><a href="http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/113/4"><img class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/4/photos/113/300x300/4/DSCN0486.jpg?et=TGA6QtEAKu3ln,7Bjm8d2A&nmid=156589071" border="0"></a><a href="http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a><a href="/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a><a href="http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a><a href="http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a><a href="/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a><a href="http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a><a href="/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a><a href="http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/113/12"></a><a href="http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a><a href="/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a><a href="/photos/hi-res/113/12"></a><a href="http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/113/4"></a>Can one have too many pens? Sure! The more the “manyer”! And when you have a gathering of pen collectors at least once a month like we do at FPN-P, the desire to collect just gets stronger. In these meetings we ogle at, learn from, sympathize with, reinforce and motivate each other – a veritable Fountainpenners Anonymous. <a href="http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/113/12"><img class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/4/photos/113/300x300/12/PCH-3802.jpg?et=XTj5R824kjsVffclAPOhFw&nmid=156589071" border="0"></a> I started out with my late father’s pens, none of which he ever used. I knew nothing about them except that they were Parkers, and with a little Googling  I learned that they were model 75s produced during the mid-‘70s to early ‘80s; that there were x-number of variants on this and that part of the instrument; and that those who own them also love to use certain other models in the periphery. It’s a lot like that list of recommendations you’ll find in Amazon where, at the bottom of the item that you’re looking at, they will show what other people who bought that item also ended up buying. And so with pens, one needs paper. But not just any paper! Fountain pen... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/162/Bolpen_Na_Naman Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:32:12 -0000 Wolsghaaan! http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/112/Wolsghaaan Reunion 2008, Eastwood http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/112/Wolsghaaan Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:47:08 -0000 Expanding Musical Horizons (With Great Difficulty) http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/161/Expanding_Musical_Horizons_With_Great_Difficulty <img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/STpz7AoKCsQAAEKvRKU1/JayGino.JPG?et=AChTi6rZRaaO47r6keRwKg&nmid=0"> I just got home from another recording session with Gino Cruz; this time it was for a song that will be included in Rachel Ann Go's new album due some time next year. For someone who's never had experience playing the music of Willie Cruz, Ryan Cayabyab, Vehnee Saturno and other such stalwarts of Metropop, it was a very humbling experience to say the least. I taught myself how to play the guitar back when I was eleven years old and never took any formal lessons. I merely learned by watching music videos (like observing where Jeff Beck's fingers landed on the fretboard or how Robert Smith plucked and strummed) or by listening to the most basic New Wave melodies and simulating them on a cheap Cebuano guitar. The Jingle Magazine Chord Chart (the only other kind of centerfold I ever enjoyed) supplemented my limited knowledge, and later on in the early '90s I got to watch some instructional videos by the likes of Brad Gillis, Reb Beach, Eric Johnson and Paul Gilbert. In the year 200... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/161/Expanding_Musical_Horizons_With_Great_Difficulty Sat, 6 Dec 2008 11:58:56 -0000 I Call Them "Obamavaianas" http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/111/I_Call_Them_Obamavaianas http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/111/I_Call_Them_Obamavaianas Tue, 2 Dec 2008 05:26:14 -0000 www.looxis.com http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/110/www.looxis.com_ At select locations around the US, they will take a 3d image of you and laser-engrave inside a solid block of glass. But you can also send them a photo and they'll three-dee-fy it for you. http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/110/www.looxis.com_ Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:04:42 -0000 Bogtsi with the Yasutomes - Nov 25-26, 2008 http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/109/Bogtsi_with_the_Yasutomes_-_Nov_25-26_2008 My cousin Lou and her husband Kraygg Yasutome are foodies. Kraygg takes his food research as seriously as he takes his IT job, and when he entertains at their home in San Jose, CA, he can give any big name chef a run for his money. Two weeks ago we met up in Stella Alpina, a restaurant in Burlingame that specializes in Northern Italian cooking. Before going to the restaurant, Ate Lou and Kraygg downloaded the menu off the website and studied it carefully on order to plan our feast that evening. That was an exceptional dinner and the spectacular dish of that evening was the home-made white truffle-stuffed gnocchi cooked in sage butter. When we got to talking about the best Filipino food, of course I was all praises for Cafe Juanita's menu and we agreed to have dinner there on their trip to Manila this week. And so we were at my favorite Filipino restaurant last night and we all enjoyed ourselves. They truly enjoyed the simple traditional Pinoy dishes we ordered as well as the i... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/109/Bogtsi_with_the_Yasutomes_-_Nov_25-26_2008 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:54:25 -0000 Her Name is "M" http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/108/Her_Name_is_M Martin HD-28v I ran out of Tolkien names for this one and so I borrowed from Ian Fleming. Astig naman si Judy Dench. Atsaka, Martin starts with? Korek! :) Krrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaang! http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/108/Her_Name_is_M Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:22:41 -0000 Food Tripping USA http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/107/Food_Tripping_USA Everything I ate in 2 months. (the ones I got to photograph, at least) http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/107/Food_Tripping_USA Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:48:38 -0000 YouTube Live '08 http://jayignacio.multiply.com/video/item/19/YouTube_Live_08 It happened yesterday at 8am, Manila time. YouTube staged its first live streaming event at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco featuring mostly its Bay Area celebrities like the Mythbusters Adam and Jamie, Will.i.am, Chad Vader, Soulja Boy and Akon to name a few. With three live streams simulcast, you could view what was happening On Stage, Backstage and Off Stage for the full experience. Read about it here: <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?</a> and here: f=/c/a/2008/11/23/BAT614AE79.DTLhttp://www.nowpublic.com/world/youtube-launched-first-live-stream-event-san-francisco-saturday-22nd-november-2008-fort-mason-center-san-francisco The best part was when Freddie Wong, the dude who made himself popular by uploading his Guitar Hero skills played a few bars of Joe Satriani's "Satch Boogie", then introduced the real guitar hero Joe Satriani himself. After which another YouTube celeb named FunTwo jammed with him onstage for a couple of songs. Yes, YouTube was mad... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/video/item/19/YouTube_Live_08 Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:28:27 -0000 Ethiopian Food http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/158/Ethiopian_Food <img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SR1nRAoKCsQAAD5iF-A1/DSCN2189.JPG?et=wTXXy7kcgNUK2whwl7vCgQ&nmid=0">Growing up in the '80s, the jarring images of the famine in Ethiopia which came courtesy of Bob Geldof's and Quincy Jones's music videos and fundraising efforts comprised what limited knowledge I had of that part of the world. Fast forward to 2008 when I saw quite a number of Ethiopian restaurants around California and was rather intrigued. A country that I associated with famine has a cuisine! I was told by some friends that Ethiopian food was the worst they ever had, and I had a really awful impression of what they ate when they described a kind of sour soggy bread that went with everything they ordered. Maybe Ethiopian food didn't quite work as a hangover cure for my dear friends, but everything just sounded really disgusting as they described them all in detail. And then, while spending a weekend in San Jose, I was taken to a place called Zeni Ethiopian Cuisine. I remembered what the other dudes told me and was rather hesitant until the voice in my head insisted, "Don't knock it u... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/158/Ethiopian_Food Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:06:40 -0000 The Sandwich and The Sharks http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/106/The_Sandwich_and_The_Sharks <a href="http://poorhousebistro.allappetite.com/">http://poorhousebistro.allappetite.com/</a> Winner ang kinain ko. Winner din ang mga Pating. Tambak ang Calgary Flames 6-1. Ang saya ng http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/106/The_Sandwich_and_The_Sharks Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:35:23 -0000 Ode To The Taco Truck http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/157/Ode_To_The_Taco_Truck Orale, orale,I'm a hungry boy today.I want to eat, I want to eat,I'm craving for some serious meat. I need something that can give much bang for my buck,Oh, how wonderful that very close by is a taco truck!<img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SR1QswoKCsQAADq14vk1/DSCN2244.JPG?et=NX2qhfqL4tfD5UKoXvkFrw&nmid=0"> With my burrito costing only four and feefty seyng,I got really full for less than fay' dollars, meyng!<img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SR1RBgoKCsQAAGISlrQ1/DSCN2245.JPG?et=ar%2BUOVb%2BniyPfG%2CQ7hYG4w&nmid=0"> I poot some salsa verde on my super beeg burrito,And poured the spicier red on my side order of taco.The carnitas were good, especially with cilantro,So much flavor going around when you order con todo.<img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SR1RVgoKCsQAAG4hyas1/DSCN2250.JPG?et=QhVl4AOGTwKLDD%2Bl1mlNRQ&nmid=0">Oh, what joy. Oh, what bliss, What a gift from heaven the taco truck is!If I could eat there everyday, I surely would.Animals, yes, animals ees a food. http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/157/Ode_To_The_Taco_Truck Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:23:19 -0000 Making H.O.P.I.A. in the U.S.A. http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/105/Making_H.O.P.I.A._in_the_U.S.A. I spent a couple of nights in Benicia to see my friends Tanya, Miggy and their newborn son Vito. It was great bonding with them over so much food and endless conversation, but I must say that one of the highlights was when Tanya's mom showed me how she made hopia, http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/105/Making_H.O.P.I.A._in_the_U.S.A. Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:37:43 -0000 I Had The Feeling http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/156/I_Had_The_Feeling <img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SRFClwoKCo0AAC44r8o1/DSCN2147.JPG?et=y%2BMwSLsqkeWCe376qxdxGw&nmid=0">That it would be a historic day. I walked around this Burlingame neighborhood to see if anything was going on. It was quiet, laid back and uneventful around here, pretty much business as usual except for a few who turned up to cast their ballots. I knew I was witnessing something special.<img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SRFCwgoKCo0AADZ9Da81/DSCN2150.JPG?et=TXdrU%2Cm%2B%2CVFzsYZ39goyig&nmid=0"> Whom among the Founding Fathers - slave owners themselves - would have thought that a colored man would be sitting in the White House as President of the United States? It may have taken over 260 years to get here but I applaud this nation for what it has achieved today.<img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SRFC9goKCo0AAD@PVh81/DSCN2146.JPG?et=ooekDoC96Og0lwhTe9xdww&nmid=0"> http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/156/I_Had_The_Feeling Wed, 5 Nov 2008 06:55:40 -0000 For the Love of Nacho http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/155/For_the_Love_of_Nacho <img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SRERcAoKCo0AAF31NQY1/lucha-libre-15.jpg?et=9IHVdzIqZ8UDJI4h%2B%2Coxrw&nmid=0">Before leaving for San Francisco last September, I thought I'd get a visa for Mexico... just in case. My favorite travel agent whom I shall hide under the initials "TM" informed me that I didn't need an appointment and that I could just walk in to the Embassy of Mexico in Dasmariñas Village. So I went there one morning with all the necessary documents, confident that things will go without a hitch. Upon arriving at the EDSA gate of the said village, the guard naturally asked where we were headed. I told him where, then my driver handed over his license and the guard wrote the details on to his log book . Then the guard asked for my passport. I found his request utterly stupid and rather out of line, it was too early in the morning that I did not want to get in to any argument, so I handed it to him. He listed the details as well and then informed me that I would not be allowed entry because I was not on the list of people who had an appointment. I explained that I was not required to mak... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/155/For_the_Love_of_Nacho Wed, 5 Nov 2008 03:22:56 -0000 Jamaica Market http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/104/Jamaica_Market I met Mariana Vasconcelos in Florence when we were both students - she at Lorenzo de Medici and I at Apicius. She has been living there since 2004 and now works as an art restorer, working mostly on churches around Italy and India. Currently she is on a 1-year break and is spending it in her native Mexico City. Due to my limited time in her country we were only able to meet up briefly and she took me to see her favorite market called Jamaica (pronounced the Spanish way). I can't remember the names of all the fruits and veggies we saw but a lot of them have Pinoy equivalents. I bought myself a few blocks of chocolate, a stick frother and a few spices. I can't wait to replicate the dishes I got to try here. http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/104/Jamaica_Market Tue, 4 Nov 2008 23:21:30 -0000 Mexican Food http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/103/Mexican_Food_ http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/103/Mexican_Food_ Tue, 4 Nov 2008 23:08:46 -0000 Walking Around Mexico City http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/102/Walking_Around_Mexico_City http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/102/Walking_Around_Mexico_City Tue, 4 Nov 2008 22:41:25 -0000 The Aztec Ruins: Tlatelolco, Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/101/The_Aztec_Ruins_Tlatelolco_Teotihuacan_and_Tenochtitlan The most compelling reason for my trip to Mexico City was to see the ancient Aztec ruins. Mesoamerican civilisations were founded on magic, mystery and death. What could be more http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/101/The_Aztec_Ruins_Tlatelolco_Teotihuacan_and_Tenochtitlan Tue, 4 Nov 2008 22:13:01 -0000 Day of the Dead Celebrations 2008 - Mexico City http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/100/Day_of_the_Dead_Celebrations_2008_-_Mexico_City http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/100/Day_of_the_Dead_Celebrations_2008_-_Mexico_City Tue, 4 Nov 2008 21:38:09 -0000 A Slice or the Whole Pie? http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/154/A_Slice_or_the_Whole_Pie <img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SQd4VQoKCo0AAEKmGEM1/DSCN1025.JPG?et=MIjwM5KMBFINLV%2Bt%2CH%2Cdcw&nmid=0">New York, to me, is no big apple but rather a thin circular crust with tomato sauce and cheese. I wanted to have as much as I could during my 9 days in Manhattan, and I wanted to find New York's best. But with so many of them all over the city, how does one even begin a taste test?To narrow down my search, I thought I'd go for the top three - those that have been labeled "Number One" by the folks that matter. <img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SQd3-woKCo0AAEADfe01/DSCN1030.JPG?et=nRBh9cTagTFpPW0AA0thYA&nmid=0"> First stop was Bleecker Street Pizza, voted "Best Pizza In New York" by the Food Network. When I learned that the gentleman from Sicily who operates this place uses the real deal San Marzano tomatoes, I got very excited. From outside it looked like your usual street corner take-away place, but when I saw those pizza slices on the counter I knew I was in for something special.<img border="0" class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.jayignacio.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SQd4lQoKCo0AAEMCHZg1/DSCN1032.JPG?et=alNg5YfNOVfB1uLxnVmk3w&nmid=0"> A habit I acquired in culinary school is to eat the pizza from the other end of the slice first; that way I get to taste the crust before the toppings start to mask its essence. Bleecker Street Pizza mak... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/journal/item/154/A_Slice_or_the_Whole_Pie Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:52:04 -0000 Willy Wonka Was ... http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/99/Willy_Wonka_Was_... not there. No chocolate rivers, candied flowers nor Oompah Loompahs, but we did experience the best Chocolate in the USA. http://jayignacio.multiply.com/photos/album/99/Willy_Wonka_Was_... Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:44:39 -0000