I Like Iloilo!

Some places you’ll visit will impress you for any one or several of these reasons: the people, historical landmarks, natural beauty of the place, recreational activities, and of course, food.

Other than its centuries-old churches, I liked Iloilo for its food and pasalubong, the delicacies you can bring home with you to give to your loved ones. When I visited Iloilo City, I knew I should eat the real La Paz Batchoy—by real I mean not just the instant noodles sold in supermarkets and sari-sari store. This was my chance to savor the popular noodle and soup dish where it originated—right here in La Paz, Iloilo.

Our host first treated us to a hot bowl of La Paz Batchoy at Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy. It was there that I learned that La Paz Batchoy takes on different forms—noodles actually. You can have it served with your choice of noodles—meke, miswa, sotanghon or bihon. I ordered meke batchoy and my senses had a feast! The aroma of kaldo--the shrimp and chicken broth flavored by garlic--wafted throughout the restaurant making me drool with hunger. The colorful display of yellow round noodles swimming in shrimp and chicken stock, garnished with pork organs (liver, kidneys), crushed pork cracklings, green onion spring, brown toasted garlic, and strips of beef loin made the dish look more palatable. And true enough, its salty-sweet, flavor-rich hot soup made my first day in Iloilo a treat.

Before leaving Iloilo, we tried batchoy again for breakfast, this time, at Deco’s Original La Paz Batchoy. I tried miswa batchoy with another local pride—pre-war pandesal. The pre-war pandesal is a petite bread and the shop’s cashier said it’s so called because that’s how bread in the area looked like before the war. The bowl of batchoy and pre-war pandesal satisfied once again my stomach and senses.

Within the same building is the Deco’s Pasalubong Shop where you can buy a wide range of sweets and other delicacies—piaya, butterscotch, biscocho, barquillos, broas, polvoron, and even dried fish, chili sauce and mango catsup. What’s nice about Deco’s is that they have a complimentary box to pack your goodies. This is especially helpful for travelers like us who will bring home the pasalubong to our loved ones back home.

One of the joys of traveling is savoring the local cuisine and bringing a part of it back home. In Iloilo, you’ll always enjoy food, and buy delicacies for your loved ones back home.

“That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 3:13

A Happy Hairdresser

I came early to the parlor to avoid the influx of customers wanting to be served and pampered. True enough, I was instantly accommodated by one of the parlor’s hairdressers. He was big, but his bulky body was cloaked in blue blazer. His one-length hair flowed down to his nape, and yes it was colored too. His face was covered with foundation, and his lips painted in red.

When I told him how I want my hair to be done, he quickly nodded and asked no question. I doubted at first if he was really listening, but then I figured he must be an expert already after trimming thousands of tresses.

We didn’t talk much at first. Well, I’m not much of a talker really when I’m in a parlor, but I try to say something to be polite to the hairdresser. So when he and the other hairdressers chattered about Manny Pacquiao’s coming fight with Margarito, I took that opportunity to make a comment and strike a conversation with him. He then asked about my children and I obliged. He said he’d like to shape my eyebrows, but I refused (I don’t shave nor pluck my eyebrows). Later though, I changed my mind and let him mow my brow.

When he finished cutting my hair, I honestly like the way it turned out. So I said, “You did a good job! I like my hair.”

I saw him blushed, obviously surprised at the compliment. For a second, he was speechless and his eyes turned a bit red. Then he murmured something like “I’m not really good.” I know he was embarrassed by the comment, like many people are, when they are complimented. Maybe they couldn’t believe they were really good because they rarely hear it from the people that matter.

According to Maslow, one of man’s needs is the need for self-esteem--the need to be a unique individual with self-respect and to enjoy general esteem from others. How many hairdressers, taxi drivers, bank tellers, customer service agents, janitors, vendors and other people who serve us have we appreciated, much less greeted? These people who help us, who make life easier and happier for us, especially those who do well, also seek our affirmation.

I went out of the parlor satisfied with my new hairstyle (and shaved eyebrows). But I knew I left one happy hairdresser back there.

Beautiful Blessings

As soon as I woke up that morning, I immediately went to the mirror and checked on my eyebags. I slept early the night before so I could avoid having deep circles under my eyes. But the orbital horror remains. They looked even bigger. No matter how early I sleep or what cream I apply, the bags sag. But just as I was about to sink deep into frustration, a thought perked me up: You still have eyes that make you see, read, and gaze at God’s creation. Shouldn’t you be thankful?

I realized it was a reminder from God. Sometimes I focus on the ugly and the negative that I fail to see the beautiful and the positive. So that morning, instead of dwelling on the sagging bags, I thanked God for my useful eyes. It’s often difficult, but I realize it’s possible to choose to thank God for His beautiful blessings and for the positive things that come along our way.

What do we thank God for? I made here a simple list. Try to fill in the details for every item on the list. Hopefully, by the time we finish our list, we all end up realizing how blessed we are and how good God is.

Thank God for:

1. People and things you already have and enjoy.

2. Things you don’t have, like a disease or a debt (if you don’t have any debt, you have much to be thankful for!).

3. Past events in your life, especially those that brought good memories. But thank God also for the lessons learned even from mistakes and unpleasant trials.

4. His good plans for your life. This may take a while for most of us to accept. It’s easier for us to fear the future or to doubt God’s good intentions. But a loving God promised this: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) God promised to carry these good plans to those who would dare trust and wait on Him.

"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?"

-William A. Ward