Hiram Grange and the Chosen One
Hiram Grange and the Chosen One
One of the most action-packed books I read last year was Kevin Lucia’s Hiram Grange and the Chosen One .
The book is fourth in a series revolving around anti-hero Hiram Grange, a rake with a dubious past and an even more dubious way of dealing with his adversaries.
Hiram’s adventures find him in Belfast, more emotionally scarred than usual. He saves, then later teams up with a seemingly normal woman named Therese who he later finds has supernatural ties. The story involves, among other things, fairies and tentacles, the latter a tricky thing to include in a story, but fun once done correctly, as it is here.
With the few exceptions of a few dropped clues from where conclusions are easily drawn, the book pretty much stands on its own. It’s a thin volume and a fast read, the kind that does not make you want to put it down. Though it is said that Hiram does not like to use magic, the combination of his unpracticed art, plus the more physical persuasion that his father’s Webley and Pritchard bayonet provides, makes him deadly, though not invincible.
Each of the books in The Scandalous Adventures of Hiram Grange series is written by a different author. Kevin Lucia, who wrote this one, deftly crafts words to suit action and emotion.
Hiram Grange is a hard man to love, especially since, like most lone wolves (John Constantine comes to mind), the people who grow close to him invariably end up dead. As a character, however, he is an interesting read. Much like a car crash, but in a good way. The more tortured the soul, the more interesting the adventures. And Hiram has enough angst to fuel many a sequel.
3 January, 2011 04:02
Trying to blog through my phone. I have no internet, so I’m trying it via MMS. It is not going as well as I had hoped, as the pictures keep getting formatted below the text, as below. Also, I’m not sure how to post a title. Hopefully, I will get better at this.
I love Chateau 1771′s Coffee Pie. It feels like butter in the mouth, but tastes like coffee heaven. I have seen people take a bite of this and almost cry. Okay, an exagerration. But I did see someone take a bite of this then promptly buy one whole pie to take home.
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Low Brow > Seriousness/ High Art
Had to kill time in between meetings today so I passed by a Booksale. It’s been a while since I’d been to one. I’ve been purposely avoiding them since I tend to spend a lot of money on books that I have no time to read.
Anyways, I went in and was going to purchase a book of poetry by Charles Simic and The Best American Science Writing 2008 when I chanced upon the books I eventually did buy, which were The Case for Ghosts: An Objective Look at the Paranormal by J. Allan Danelek, which debunks supernatural phenomena (my excuse is it’s research) and Life’s Little Annoyances: True Tales of People Who Just Can’t Take It Anymore by Ian Urbina, which is a book of anecdotes of people who passive-aggressively got back at the little things (or people) that annoyed them, like telemarketers, loud cellphone talkers, even weird coffee shop lingo.
I guess this proves that bathroom reading material trumps intellectual exercise, at least in my case.
Quezon Cafe
Maginhawa St. In Teacher’s Village, Quezon City, has, for sometime now, been a mecca for small, reasonably-priced restaurants that serve excellent fare. One of these is Cafe Quezon, a quaint little cafe that serves specialties from the province it is named after.
Though Cafe Quezon serves conventional coffee shop dishes (at unconventional coffeeshop prices) like Carrot, Mushroom and Tomato soups (Php45 each), Breaded Prawn in Fettucine Alfredo (Php125) and Blueberry, Espresso and Peanutbutter cheesecakes (Php45), it is their authentic Quezon delicacies that differentiate them from the crowd.
Longganisa Lucban
The Longganisa Lucban (Php85, Php95 – pasta, Php135 – pizza) is cooked crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a good mix of meat and fat. This is best paired with another Quezon specialty, Pancit Habhab (Php75), so named because of the way it is eaten – brought straight to the mouth via banana leaf. Cafe Quezon’s version has a good ratio of noodles to laman (filling). The whole thing is quite salty, as it traditionally is, tasting best when eaten with a little Suka sa Sasa (native cocnut vinegar), which dilutes the saltiness and gives it a sour edge.
The cafe also has a host of native dessertd like Dinuldol (fried mashed banana – Php50), served sprinkled with powdered sugar, the soft, sweet insides a rich contrast to the slightly oily outside, which has its own hint of sweetness. The dessert is comforting and is the sort of thing that would be welcome on a rainy afternoon.
Caramel Pilipit
There is also the Caramel Pilipit (local churros – Php70), a chewy pastry that tastes like a cross between a donut, bicho bicho and puto. The desserts go well with a cup of coffee (Php45).
Another drink to try is the Pandan Iced Tea (glass – Php40, carafe – Php 85), an iced drink with a strong pandan flavor and pandan jelly at the bottom. The drink is quite sweet so a little goes a long way.
Dona Aurora
If you’re in the mood for something more homey, try the Dona Aurora (stuffed egg meatballs – Php65), a sweet-savory ball of ground meat stuffed with a hard-boiled egg. The Dona Aurora is a family recipe of the owner’s and is fast becoming a Quezon staple. It is the kind of meat dish you can imagine being served during special occasions and is great as ulam, the egg white’s neutrality adding a surprising depth to the dish.
All the dishes in Cafe Quezon are served on banana leaves, adding to the authenticity of the eating experience.
Aside from the good food, the Cafe features a cozy interior and free WiFi, making it the perfect place to while away a lazy afternoon.
Cafe Quezon
179 Maginhawa St.
Sikatuna Village, QC
928-8534
Cafe 1771
Cafe 1771 is a more laid back version of its older sibling, Chateau 1771. Located in the old Chateau site in El Pueblo, Ortigas, the cafe has the look and feel of a chic French apartment, filled with books and cozy armchairs and charming prints. Its got the kind of bathroom that you wouldn’t mind living in too, just because its so cute.
Lamb Shoulder Chops
One of the restaurant’s specialties is the Lamb Shoulder Chops (Php550), which is “braised with tomatoes, beans, carrots and olives.” this heartwarming stew is best eaten with a Smashed Potato (which is like a large french fry crossed with a mashed potato), the meat tender and full of flavor, minus the gaminess associated with lamb.
Hand-Made Ravioli
A great source of comfort, especially on those blah days, is the Hand-Made Ravioli (Php450), “filled with oyster mushrooms and ricotta cheese, tossed in extra virgin olive oil and herbs.” It is what you expect a great pasta dish to be – savory but not in a heavy way, the pasta firm but yielding, the experience of eating it as much a psychic and emotional as a physical one. The ravioli is infused with the taste of cheese (at first I though I had written ‘change,’ though it could very well taste of that, too – a good change to your day), rounded out by basil. It is the kind of dish that makes you wish you could have been a child a little while longer.
Cafe 1771
El Pueblo
Ortigas Center
Pasig City
Rockeoke is back!
It’s time to unleash your inner rock star once again! Rockeoke has been back for a couple of Mondays now, having moved to Bowler in Makati. Good food, dreams fulfilled, friends who will hopefully still acknowledge you after your Air Supply solo. What more could you ask for?
“The Bridge” podcast on Pakinggan Pilipinas
An abridged podcast of “The Bridge,” my short story about a very special former first lady and a psychic child can be heard on Pakinggan Pilipinas, site that features podcasts of fiction written by Filipino authors.
I had that story in my head for more than a decade, ever since I heard an urban legend that involved the costruction of the San Juanico Bridge, which connects the islands of Samar and Leyte and is the longest bridge in the country. It wasn’t until 2005 that, urged by the need to submit to Vin Simbulan’s A Time for Dragons anthology, that I finally decided to write it.
The writing of the story was very special to me. I was working in a newsroom of a major TV station back then. We were a small, but tight-knit bunch. I was in my mid-twenties but I was a kid next to the seasoned veterans who had 30 years of hard news reporting under their belts. I remember distinctly, the day the story finally, after more than ten years of just sitting in my brain, came together in my head. I looked over at the cubicle across mine and asked the guy seated there, one of the older reporters who had lived through everything, and asked “When was the San Juanico built?” He answered, “1972″ (construction started in 1969 and completed in 1973, but 1972 is the year the story takes place).
For some reason, that date unlocked a door in my mind, and writing the story was easy. I had been preparing for it for more than 10 years, after all. And yes, I wrote it during work hours. But my boss didn’t mind.
“The Bridge” would go on to win a Philippine Graphic/Literature award, and I remember Neil Gaiman repeating throughout the evening when we were having dinner with him how much he loved the story. It is a memory that always warms my heart.
The story is read by the bedroom-voiced Nikki Alfar, and I am so glad to have gotten her as a reader. If you’ve read “The Bridge,” I hope you liked it. If you haven’t, you can try out the lite version via this podcast. I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks very much to Elyss Punsalan of Pakinggan Pilipinas for featuring “The Bridge.”
Wabi Sabi
I can honestly say that at this point in time, Wabi Sabi is probably my favorite restaurant in the metro. I like it so much I will go out of my way to eat there, even if it is located in an area that is rather inconvenient, at least for me.
Wabi Sabi only has six items on its menu, all of them under Php150, none of them containing any meat, all of them making you think that maybe going veg isn’t such a bad option after all.
The Lemongrass Iced Tea (Php40) is refreshing and freshly made, easily diluted if you find it too sweet.
Potstickers
Whet you appetite with Potstickers (Php45) and Veggie Cracklings (Php40), the potstickers fried dumplings that are crunchy on the outside, the skin breaking open to reveal savory soft filling. It is served with a sweet sauce whose recipe is a big secret. The cracklings (which can also be bought at the restaurant’s grocery area) are – and I know I’m going to get flack for this – better than chciharon. Essentially bits of fried vegemeat that you can dip in vinegar, the cracklings may not be a healthy snack, but it is a guilt-free (in terms of animals killed) one.
Bahn Mi
A must-try is the Bahn Mi (whole – Php150, half – Php75), a Vietnemese street food which, in this case, is filled with barbequed vegemeat, some vegetables and a little mayonnaise. The Vietnamese bread that holds it together is baked fresh everyday. What really makes the sandwich is the barbeque sauce, which you are encouraged to use lots of. The sandwich is sweet-savory, and if you ask any Wabi Sabi regular to describe it to you, you will invariably get the same response: “It doesn’t taste like there’s no meat in it!”
There is an ongoing debate as to which of Wabi Sabi’s two noodle dishes is better, the Shoyu Ramen or the Viet Pho (Php95). The ramen contains bean and strips that have a saucy sweetness to them, and is heavier than the pho, which is light but filling, topped with vegetable cracklings and containing mushroom stems, which look and taste kind of like chicken.
Judging by the pictures on the wall (there’s an ongoing ramen vs. pho contest) the ramen seems to be winning. Me, I’m partial to the pho. And though I don’t usually eat a lot, a perfect meal for me would be a bowl of pho and half a bahn mi, maybe some potstickers if I had someone to share them with.
Like I said, Wabi Sabi may not be in the most convenient of locations, but it is worth wandering off the beaten track for.
Wabi Sabi
The Collective
7274 Malugay St., Makati
Uno October Issue Out
Uno magazine’s “Self-Help” issue is out this October, with the lovely Solenn Heussaff on the cover, her bandaged fists slightly reminiscent of those Japanese manga characters in seductive poses, usually tearing their wrist wraps off with their teeth.
I’ve got three articles in it. One on sisig (which should be our national dish, really), one on National Artist Eddie Romero’s Blood Island series and a third on why I think that Fight Club is the ultimate self-help book.
If I had to give away all my books and keep only two, they would be the Bible and Fight Club.
Copies available in all discerning newsstands.
The Great Hyatt Getaway
Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila recently celebrated its sixth anniversary with the launch of “The Great Hyatt Getaway” raffle promotion.
Until 15 December 2010, guests can earn one raffle ticket for every PHP1,000 they spend in the hotel’s dining outlets*, on local residents’ rate room bookings, the Girls’ Night Out package and selected spa treatments at Club Oasis.
Amazing relaxation and vacation-of-a-lifetime packages await, starting with a spa party for six people at Club Oasis for the winner of the sixth prize. Next is a weekend stay for six people in a City Bayview guestroom with daily buffet breakfast. The fourth prize winner can luxuriate in the Presidential Suite for six nights, and enjoy such exclusive privileges as dedicated 24-hour butler service, a chauffeured limousine, daily buffet breakfast for two and a party for 10 people in the Music Bar.
True to its name, the top three prizes are nothing less than grand**. The third prize winner will fly to Thailand for a three-night stay at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, plus another three nights at the pristine Hyatt Regency Hua Hin. Second prize is a China holiday, with a three-night stay at both Grand Hyatt Hong Kong and Grand Hyatt Macau.
The Grand Prize winner can indulge in an incredible three nights at Grand Hyatt Singapore, a three-night ocean cruise to selected South East Asian cities, plus two pieces of Samsonite Horizon luggage and a sophisticated Olympus EPL1-SLR camera to capture this memorable experience. All prizes include a home entertainment system. The six lucky winners will be revealed on 17 December 2010.
For more information, please call the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila at 245 1234.
*Participating dining outlets are Market Café, Li Li, The Fireplace, Lobby Lounge, Pastry Boutique, The Music Bar and Pool Bar.
**The Great Hyatt Getaway vacation packages include air fare for two people. Passports, documentation requirements and departure travel taxes are not included in the offer.
horror author, third world minimalist, writer at large
