Paella Pull-ups

February 2-5 2010

Because we work closely with our team Manila Philippines, it was about time that I head out there with my boss to do a little meet and great. Due to the safety precautions Deutsche Bank takes, they usually put you up in 5 star hotels like the Makati Shangri La. It didn't take long for you to physically see the security measures taken in Manila. Before you reach the hotel, armed guards stop the vehicle give a quick look and wave you through. At the door, security personal equipped with a bomb sniffing dog stop to check your bag. It's more reassuring than scary or cumbersome, however whatever reservations you may have drift away once a few feet into the lobby where your senses take in not only an elegant layout but a subtle but distinctive scent that calms you immediately. It sounds funny that I am writing about smell, but first, I'm not the only one who thinks this, and two, I am a believer that smell has a powerful affect on mood and emotion. Check out this link if you want to see why (scientifically) this is true. http://health.howstuffworks.com/smell3.htm

The next day, it was off to the Manila office. I have to say, Philippine hospitality is tops (so far). When I went to Brazil, they were really lovely, but I found Filipinos to be even better. Prior to the trip, I had expressed interest in staying for the weekend to check out some of the sites. Before long, I had an list of suggestions and an offer to coordinate the arrangements, right down to the tiniest detail "did I have food allergies?". This mentality also applied to the office, making sure that I was comfortable and had everything I needed.

While work is important, and it's the reason I'm here, it doesn't make for exciting entries. So, yada yada yada, dinner time. We went to a Philippine restaurant for dinner which was quite good. Filipinos love their pork, and it seems to be at every meal, even in the most unlikely places. I have never heard of a tofu dish with pork in it (Tokwa't Baboy), but a few nights later I came across just that. In addition to pork, there was a soup with a guava extract (Sinigang sa Bayabas) that was interesting, a very fancy whole fried fish, rice of course, and garlic veggies.

Back at the hotel, Hooi-Ming my boss, decided to get a massage. Thinking I could go for one myself, I went down to the spa to book some me time. I like massages, but it always takes me a little bit of time to get comfortable with the idea that a stranger is rubbing me all over. You are in a room with a robe and the masseuse tells you they will be back in a few minutes, do you just take your shirt off, your pants, everything, I don't know and everyplace is different (not that I have been to too many clearly). This one had a twist too because there was a shower, and I was asked if I wanted to shower first. Is that because they think I want to shower or is it that they want me to shower so they don't have to touch someone who isn't clean. Any how I think I got all the combos right took a quick shower, stripped down to my boxers and put a robe on. It was very enjoyable, with just the right pressure, none of that stuff that makes you want to say, "what the hell are you doing I'm on vacation not a stretching rack in a dungeon" but enough to work out the kinks.

Thursday was much like Wednesday, except we ate dinner at the Japanese restaurant in the Hotel. After dinner, Hooi-Ming and one of our Manila colleagues, Gerrica, decided to grab a drink at the hotel. There were two choices, the first was a somber looking fancy bar, and the other was the opposite, but not in a good way. It was full of the 50+ crowd who were dancing and singing to "Dancing Queen". After sitting down for a full 30 seconds, we make a move for the door. a 10 minute walk down the road we end up a thumping club that sounded like it had 50 more people in it than it really did. I didn't really care though because it was good to chat with Gerrica, and take advantage of the cheap San Miguel (light to be exact).

Friday - work stuff, then a special dinner at Gerrica's brother's restaurant Amalia's a spanish restaurant with divine paella. There were actually two kinds of Paella, one which I was familiar with and another with black rice (Paella Negra) which looked much more plain, but had a wonderful flavor with crispy bits of rice (not hard) which added a nice texture. Salty beef, wonderful garlic mushrooms, Oysters Florentine, and Sangria make a happy Justin. After being coerced by the group to finish all that was left on the table, I threw in the towel when I thought I actually may sustain permanent internal injuries (which would have been totally worth it).
The dilemma I faced next was that I wanted to go to the hotel gym to burn off a few hundred of the several thousand calories I just glutinously consumed, however I ate so much that this type of physical exertion seemed impossible. After returning to the hotel and 45 minutes of mindless drivel on TV, I headed to the gym to attempt some Paella pull ups. After all, I was headed to the beach the next day, and I didn't want the nick-name fatty chunk chunk to be less of a joke and more of a reality (I'll explain in a separate blog).