I finally tasted it after a few weeks of just looking curiously at the posters in a nearby 7-11 store.
What can I say. Yummy!
So far I've tasted almond. There's two more flavors : chocolate truffle and classic chocolate
But it is being sold around worldwide for several years now.
Magnum is an ice cream brand owned by the British/Dutch Unilever company, and sold as part of the Heartbrand line of products in most countries. It was originally made by Frisko in Aarhus, Denmark. The original 1987 Magnum (later rebranded as Magnum Classic) consisted of a thick bar of vanilla ice cream on a stick, covered with white or dark chocolate, with a weight of 86 grams (120 ml). In 1994 the company also started selling Magnum ice cream cones, and in 2002 an ice cream sandwich.
Launched in 1989, Magnum was the first chocolate covered ice cream for pleasure seekers. Today, Magnum is one of the world’s leading ice cream brands, selling 1 billion units annually worldwide, and is the biggest brand of Unilever ice creams.
I think the local ice cream industry has some competition. I have been hearing our nearby 7-11 has been running out of supplies by late afternoon and summer is just peaking.
I think this would be my best alternative to milk tea. Since my tummy is lactose intolerant, well, most of the time. I can stil take ice cream and halo halo. But with cheese I get uncomfortable. It's been in the world market for sometime and now it's right here in our own drinking country. Yes, we love to drink don't we.
You can find them in one particular donut and coffee shop. A famous chicken fastfood, a foreign franchise, was where I first discovered it.
It's a bit pricey compared to your usual bottled sago/gulaman but it is all worth it.
Arnel Pineda's Heart of Rock Concert (Live @ Rockville 2-14-12)
Watching Arnel perform live in another acoustic setup that night was like watching Jeremy Lin make those shots one after another or Babe Ruth or Pele making homerun after homerun. It was like the Pacman
doing his rapid punches. And I mean one after the other. Save for the two slow and rather obscure songs that served as a break for my nerves and that of the audience, the thrill I felt that night for every song he sang was like watching an Ateneo-LaSalle basketball championship as they battle it out in a do-or-die game. If I can describe it in one word, it would be 'Pinsanity', with apologies to the guy who came up with the word Linsanity.
I was never more amazed than that night. This must be my third review and I hope I don't bore you with my superlatives. That night he displayed mad, mad vocals. And as I would often say, this was better than the last one, even as I feel that the last gig was a hard one to top.
Starting off slow with another great rendition of that famous duet of Olivia Newton-John and Bryan Adams' "Best of Me", which he did in an earlier gig last December, Arnel showed full control and confidence like he always did.
With my slr and my point and shoot camera which I occasionally used, I was holding back screams and omg's about a dozen times. When he started out with the lines " I have climbed the highest mountains" my brain almost exploded. I was screaming inside, scrambled to take video, missing a few seconds of the beginning as a result. I thought I would lose it. Are you kidding me? This is my 2nd favorite U2 song! Even Bono would admit that this is one of the more vocally challenging songs in their catalogue. Yet he nailed it and spared no notes in the adlibs. His falsettos and improvisations were perfectly placed. Bravo, bravo, bravo. You can hear the audience reaction afterwards.
Hearing a well-rested, happy soon-to-be daddy of first daughter was absolutely phenomenal. That night, not only did Arnel prove to have the strongest set of lungs a performer can have - even with his size - he also had the courage to take on songs quite different from the genre that people are used to hearing from him.
Arnel also made sure he did not divert much from a song's arrangement just to suit his comfort zone. There is always that danger in doing covers when the performance becomes more about the singer rather than the song. In Arnel's case, he stayed close to them and enhanced certain notes only to add his personal touch but without overdoing it. Like how he ended Adele's award winning song "Rolling in the Deep." That is what you call respect for the original artist.
Talking about singing songs which I thought were outside his genre, Arnel went on to sing that classic southern rock favorite Creedence Clearwater's ditty "Have You Ever Seen the Rain." Another favorite of mine as well as my husband.
Another big surprise was when he did a mind-blowing version of Richard Harris' cover of MacArthur Park. Who would've thought! How about singing "The Prayer" next time?
But this song, gave me even more goosebumps. Nazareth's "Love Hurts." Crowd was delighted as you can hear.
Now there are bands whose music I didn't really care much about at that time it became popular. This was one of those songs I ignored back then simply because it reminded me of noisy drunken neighbors and loud jukeboxes from smoke filled bars that I abhor. But when Arnel sang it that night, it was like love at first sight. Just awesome. As soon as someone uploaded the entire song on youtube, I immediately converted it to mp3 and listened to it for God knows how many times for the next few days. Arnel has that uncanny ability to make me fall in love with songs I didn't care much about, until he sings them. Just exactly what he did with his rendition of Journey songs.
There were also the mainstays on his playlist like Air Supply's "Making Love out of Nothing at All", Bryan Adams' "You Don't Have to Say the Words", Styx' "Don't Stop Me Now"
He also sang a couple of Pinoy songs of his band (Ammo or Zoo). The new arrangement of "Ewan Ko Ba" was really cute and so was he as he performed it.
Then there's a new one written by Monet Cajipe called "Hindi Mo Lang Alam" I hope he gets to record this one, too.
It seems that an AP concert will not be complete without a song by Sting. That night he played the less popular but perhaps fitting for the occasion "Shape of My Heart". This is a beautiful, haunting song. However the only drawback for me is , the venue being a bar, the noise emanating from the surroundings which makes me wish that someday I'd like to see him perform in an auditorium or theatre sans noise from moving chairs, dishes and people looking for seats or chatting about their good ol' days or the traffic. If it is even possible at this venue, how about making an arrangement where serving food would stop once the performance starts. But that would be the OC in me.
I am among those who just want to listen to his voice, including the nuances, the cracks whether intentional or otherwise, if any, the breathing, occasional jokes he throws into the audience. Arnel has that tendency to talk fast and in a lower tone, that a few times I have to revisit the video on youtube to listen to what he said. And that is why, when rewatching them I would rather play the songs with my headphone on rather than turn on the speakers.
As the show drew closer to the finish line, one would expect him to slow down and end the show with less vocally challenging songs. But the exact opposite happened. I could see the crowd was in awe as I was. Instead he sang the crowd favorite Heart's "Alone" as he alone can belt it other than the original singer Ann Wilson. And then looking like he's just starting to have fun, went on to belt another nerve-wracking version of Sweet Child of Mine. Bezzzusss! We thought he was going to blow off the roof. Looking at the people around me, I could see heads shaking in disbelief. Some had that look as if in awe. Speechless. People were already standing up by then and waited to let him finish his last song. There were still calls for encore after the third one but he's got to preserve that voice for the upcoming show in Nashville.
The original setlist included a two-song medley as tribute to the late Whitney Houston who died just the day before the Grammy awards night. Yes Whitney Houston songs. Boy doesn't just have big lungs but a brave heart. However, the audience had been demanding of songs they'd love to hear him perform again. He sang instead Air Supply's Making Love out of Nothing at All. I thought someone almost died as you can hear from this video. This was also the part where he proves to me how strong his lungs were. Everyone knows how difficult this song is, not just for the high notes but for sustaining that voice at that octave. Whew.
Indeed that night, I see a more mature, more confident Arnel - unstoppable, impeccable. I find myself at a loss for adjectives. For sure his four years of working with a team of pros, his big brothers with Journey and its management, certainly paid off. The setlist was an excellent proof that he can master any song in practically any genre that requires honest-to-goodness singing. Rap may be a different genre but I doubt it requires real singing. Which is why watching his gig is, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, 'like a box of chocolates. You'll never know what you'll get.'
Once again, Arnel delivered an unforgettable performance that lingers in the hearts and minds of his audience for days. It's no longer just Arnelitis of staying too long on youtube watching his videos on repeat, but watching him live and eagerly waiting for the next gig to happen to see what more surprises he can give, listening to his golden voice try out new songs whether covers or originals. It's a kind of madness that he creates among his listeners. I doubt if any walked out of the venue not being a fan after watching him perform live for the first time. And it's just a sitting-on-a-stool Arnel Pineda that they witnessed. Wait til they see him perform with the big boys, flying in the air with his now trademark Air-nels. I am waiting for my turn. A little of him that he has shown in that little stage and yet he drove us all mad. It's P-I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y. With such a truly unique and gifted artist, I hope the rest of the world that has yet to be won over will catch it.
Arnel Pineda sang "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". It's one of U2's greatest hits from it's no. 1 album Joshua Tree which is also my favorite U2 album. It's the best cover of this song I have heard so far. Bono would be so proud of him when he hears this.
Here's proof.
From another angle.
More on Arnel's amazing Valentine's concert later. I left the venue (his bar called Rockville) with my feet floating in the air so yes it took quite a while to settle down.
So what's a better alternative to the usual dried danggit? Why it's no less than danggit but prepared in another way. It's fresh danggit marinated in vinegar, ginger, pepper and garlic. It was served as breakfast during my trip to Palawan with friends. And since then I've been addicted. I searched everywhere for it and to my surprise, it is sold at the tiangge in Salcedo Village every Saturday. I am sure this is also sold at other organic markets in different places around the Metro. It's a must try. I swear you'll be addicted to it after tasting.
I forgot to take a photo of this delicacy so I searched the net for it.
Okay. First off. I'm not quite close to retiring yet. But that is exactly how I think of Palawan the very first time I visited the place less than a year ago with hubby and some friends. Both my husband and I were thinking about the same thing. We even got to talk to the tour guides and asked them how much the cost of property is, the availability of electricity (this is a remote island after all in a third world country!) and safe drinking water, health services... the staples you need when you grow old. Heck I wouldn't want to fetch water 200 meters away ya know in my advanced age! :) Not so much concern about breaking a hip but more concerned about not remembering how to get back. bwah!
Now here's some photos I took with my bff. I'd like to call him Konyo. No he's not a bratty friend or relative. He's actually a dslr, my good ol' reliable Nikon D40x.
The entrance to the underground river.*Click thumbnail photo to see larger pic.*
A friend took a photo of us on the boat.
A stalactite.
The best restaurant with the best view would be Badjao Seafront Resto. Well, food is just average. I don't really expect haute cuisine in a seafood restaurant by the sea. I'm fine it being cooked in a way 'au naturel' with little garnishings and spice. Like you just cooked them yourselves along the beach and added a little spice just for taste.
The hanging lamps were neatly adorned.
There's a picture hanging on the wall sa proof that it has been visited by royalty. No less than Prince Andrew, the Duke of York himself at that!
Then there are the cute tricycles for travelling to short and long distances.
We did ride one from the place we stayed to Lotus Garden Restaurant and back. It has great Asian food. The sushi buffet was yummy!
A visit to the crocodile farm is a must. I think it's the only one of its kind in the country.
Baby crocs at the nursery.
Some breath-taking views.
A short trip is definitely not enough. I got to visit only one side of this long island. It has to be Coron next time and hopefully soon.
Excellent, superb, electrifying, stupendous. I ran out of adjectives.
Wednesday is not your usual day for holding concerts but Arnel Pineda is flying to his next big gig that will reunite him with his Journey band mates after a year long break to trailblaze their way all around Europe and Latin America and several more cities in the U.S. of A for their latest world tour and to introduce their new cd.
Earlier husband and I took a quick burger snack a few establishments away from Rockville Bar before it opened just to fill up our hungry stomachs. But I found myself hardly finishing my sandwich. Not that it was bad. It was good but I just wanted to take a few bites and was antsy to run to Rockville. I was afraid we may not get seats as there were previous gigs where people had to be turned away. That night was one night I did not want to miss since it would be his last gig and last time he'd spend a night with his fans before he turns Journey mode. Indeed he made it extra special by singing songs the fans and followers listed on his fansite.
As everyone should know by now, Arnel Pineda can sing the phone book. After all he's been in the business for twenty seven years and has tried everything literally from A-Z. There was a mix of requests from the list that I read. From love songs, to kundimans, to classic rock and songs fans never heard him sing before -- at least not on youtube nor on any recorded media. Bridge Over Troubled Waters for one. Who would've thought. But more on that later.
The show started at half past nine with the Ammo Band. They did some real good classic rock songs I haven't heard any local live band perform. Mustang Sally? Whoa! Next time I get a chance to visit, can you guys please do Muddy Waters and Raspberry Beret? There must be five or six more songs that really impressed me a lot. Unfortunately, I didn't note them down. But for two songs, I do remember telling my husband I want Arnel to perform them too.
End of first set.
By this time I was already enjoying a glass of mai tai. I haven't drank anything with alcohol since two Christmases ago when sister brought home some real good wine. I also gorged on a plateful of deep fried chicken fingers. They were yummy and juicy. I also didn't expect it to be a generous serving for its price. For this alone, I give Rockville 5 stars! Even the pancit bijon is how I wanted it to be steamy with just the right amount of sauce and not dry. Again another generous serving. The waiters and waitresses were nice and quick to attend to you. They were also quite diligent in cleaning up the tables. I just noticed though that they were using their bare hands in removing soiled table napkins. I think it would be better if they had tiny tongs to pick them up instead. But that's just the OC part of me. I think we all have that in us.
It must be fifteen minutes already and I was again turning antsy until I overheard one lady at another table say Arnel will I start at 10:30. That would be ten more minutes to go. I took this time to check my camera and took one last visit to the bathroom. Speaking of my camera, when we arrived I and hubby took turns taking a few photos behind the logo and the photos of Arnel with Journey by the stairs. One waiter passing by overheard me telling my husband to take just a quick shot to save up on battery. He then told us "Yes, ma'am baka mamaya pag dating ni Sir Arnel maubusan kayo ng battery." (Yes ma'am you better save up on your battery so it won't run out when Sir Arnel starts) Hmm. I like this guy. I thanked him for reminding us. He knows for sure fans bring along cameras and videocams to preserve those precious performances. In a way I was glad cameras were still allowed and in a selfish way I feel lucky that the livestream was not yet functioning or else our cameras will not be allowed.
After a while I heard some noise coming from behind. Then I saw about three bouncers (at least that's what's written at the back of their shirts) coming in surrounding the man of the hour. I hear more wolf whistles as he goes nearer the stage.
Immediately what came to mind is the question of what is it about extraordinary people that makes them different from you and me. Earlier I saw the Ammo band play and I thought they were good. When Arnel stepped foot on the stage even while the spotlights were not yet turned on you can already feel the electricity in the air. Then the spotlights were turned on. Wearing white printed shirt over a white tee, he looked like some kind of deity. And by some coincidence, his first song was entitled "Heaven" by Bryan Adams.
I can never forget the visual. It gave me goosebumps actually. Awashed in bright spotlights, he looked radiant, almost luminous. Was it a sign of things to come I ask myself, that his star will shine even brighter in this tour with his musical heroes? It didn't take the entire show to finish to answer that question.
As soon as he segued to the second song More Than You'll Ever Know, you can tell he already had the crowd at the palm of his hands especially the women. Oh the women. You can hear them sigh, scream, swoon the entire night. They were having the most fun especially when Arnel sings the love songs like First Time which was a special request from the missus "or else he can't come home'' as Arnel announced.
Then came two U2 songs. First was One which segued to With or Without You.
I've always wanted to hear him sing this live in its entirety. I was delirious. Crowd sounded deilrious too. His rendition of With or Without You , my personal U2 favorite, this time was much better than the last time I saw him sing it. On you tube of course. How Arnel made me feel like I'm hearing this in an arena like the famous Irish boys in a small dim bar is only proof how his voice can bring you to places. I wouldn't want to hear anyone else sing this other than Bono himself.
Then he sang two hits from The Doors back to back.
For me this was one of the highlights of so many highlights of the show. Roadhouse Blues and Break On Through. Using the growly side of his voice, Arnel showed mastery of his gift. The only thing I wished that were there was Jon Cain's harmonica playing. I can imagine the J-boys do a cover of this song with everyone in the crowd singing and dancing wildly like they do whenever Loving Touching Squeezing is played. Now this was the first time for me to hear this song. A funny moment for me was when I misheard part of the lyrics of this song. Towards the bridge or chorus I thought I heard him sing "take off your blouse" only to find out when I googled the lyrics back home that he was singing "Give up your vows." It must be the mai tai.
When the song ended and segued to Break on Through, the energy and heat rose ten notches higher. Man, this number was hot, hot, hot. More than any other song on this show, here was where I saw the classic rocking Arnel, headbanging, jumping (the ceiling is too low for the famous Airnels though), twirling the mic stand, so completely into his zone. He seemed to have thrown everyone back to the sixties where wild parties and smoke-filled rooms were the order of the day. Except of course there was no smoke here at all. The only one sizzling other than the 'sisig' on peoples plates was Arnel himself. Also starring was the mic stand which took some extra beating from our rock stah. The performance was so infectious that you want to join the ride with him but at some point you just have to stop and allow him to have his moment and just be at the sidelines to watch how he gets into his zone. It was a thrill to watch him do this.
Fast forward to what I would call the triple whammy. Satisfaction, Stairway to Heaven and Bridge Over Troubled Waters. What more can you ask for. With Satisfaction he got the crowd singing along and raising their fists each time Arnel points the mic towards their direction to sing the last two words of the line "I can't get no!" He got the place shaking.
With Stairway to Heaven, he got everyone else, to use a twitter's words, trippy. He started the song with some light banter with Monet about interesting substances. Ahem. What more can I add but yet again another highlight of the show. Robert Plant and Arnel should jam before any of them completely forget the lyrics of that song.
And then came Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Wow.
It was nothing that I expected to be on his playlist. I learned later it was someone's favorite. Simon and Garfunkel are two of my and my husband's favorites. These two geniuses definitely has written some of the best songs that any generation can appreciate. To hear it sang live by Arnel no less made me excited as he started the first words "When you're weary..." Everyone was in awe. Again ladies were screaming their heads off. But Arnel made it into not just an "I'm singing this song because you requested it" moment. His show of emotions was something I did not expect. As ladies kept swooning he maintained a sober mood. As soon as he finished the words "When times get rough.." he took a short bow and gave out a quick smile. Soon his voice was starting to quiver and tears fell. From my angle I thought these were just sweat. After all he has been singing for more than an hour now without break and the kinds of songs he were singing were more than enough to drain one's energy in thirty minutes.
When the song ended, he mentioned something about the lines "When you're down and out. When you're on the street." Everyone should already know the story by now. As it is with Arnel there are just things that happen in our lives that you simply can't erase. You move on alright but the memory of the pain remains.
For his last encore song, Arnel sang Kenny Loggin's Forever.
This one I say you just have to be there and hear it live to be able to fully appreciate the magic in that voice. No camera or recorder can do justice to hearing his voice reverberate within the four walls and feel that passion coming out from him. It was heartfelt and beautiful and at the same time enchanting. What they say about drowning in one's voice.
Truth is there's something about how Arnel delivers each song he sings that sucks you into his realm. While this was meant to be in a way a fans' day being a Most Requested Song night where fans and followers throw in their favorites, it was in some sense a night where Arnel has proven what a truly gifted artist he is. I won't be surprised if the list was just given to him a day or two before and thus the presence of the lyric sheet. (Well I only said he can sing the phone book, not memorize it! lol) but he delivered each song and made sure that it gets the respect that is due the artist who wrote them. It could have been one big karaokefest with someone singing the lyrics of the songs but Arnel was not just doing that. He made sure he puts the right emotions to those songs and made his audience feel what is being conveyed in the lyrics. He made each song his own that you sometimes forget who the original artist was.
Was it a perfect night then? No and I don't expect that in this kind of setup where Arnel gets a list of songs probably just a day or two before the event. There could be songs he hasn't sang in ages and thus the need for a lyric sheet. However there are also pitfalls to singing with a visual aid which became pretty obvious when he sang 'One' where he almost skipped a line. He was quick though to correct himself. Arnel does some adlibbing as a way of adding his personal touch but again given the setup, there was the tendency to emphasize on the words he remembers but those that he didn't and had to read from the sheets sounded slurred. In some songs, in a manner of saying, he has to mind his p's and q's. To an OC listener (I sometimes am) it can be just a wee bit distracting. If there is something he had to improve on (which every artist should continually be on the lookout for), this would be it. At the same time I must say he has vastly improved. As for the band, they did well. Were excellent at some point especially when performing the blues where one does a lot of improvisation. I was pleasantly surprised by how they did the two Doors song. Same thing with U2's WOWY though I wished the bass part were given more emphasis because the bass riff is what that song is known for. Did I tell you I can be quite OC?
If there is one word that I can use to describe this night, it is enchanting. Truly I felt everyone left the show like they fell under his spell. It was not just your usual MRS night but a night that was like Arnel himself selecting the songs which he does best. And since six of the songs I requested were performed with two more I've been wanting to hear him sing, this would be a perfect playlist for me. If there were others that were not played it was simply because two hours was not enough. Indeed two hours is so short considering the repertoire of songs he can deliver well. Then there were some of us who not only requested two or three songs but even an entire playlist. I was one of those. :)
Lastly, if there is a word I can use to describe Arnel that night it is resplendent. He started the night by appearing onstage wearing his white shirt and with the bright spotlight reflecting on it, he appeared radiant. He ended it shining brighter even as the lights were turned off for he proved to each and everyone of us in that small room, that he truly is a star extraordinaire. I'm more than excited with what lies ahead of him in the very near future.
