30 reasons to love summer

Summer is here again, and it’s a sizzler. While a lot of people I know dislike summer because of the unbearable heat (which is reaching record highs, according to the news), it happens to be one of my favorite seasons. Here, I give you 30 reasons why:

1) You can enjoy good halo-halo anywhere.It does not have to be anything fancy – you can make your own (after all, every Pinoy household has its own version). To get you started, stock up on a few bottles of halayang ube, nata de coco, garbanzos and macapuno (Milky Way in Pasong Tamo carries good macapuno), a gallon of your favorite flavor of ice cream and you have everything at the ready. You can also enjoy a no-fuss, honestly delicious glass of this perfect summer treat in one of those holes-in-the-wall, especially if you live in the province. Razon’s is legendary for their halo-halo. If you find yourself anywhere near Razon’s, do yourself a favor by indulging in at least one serving.

2) The summer heat is the perfect excuse to dig into a big bowl of ube ice cream, made even more mushy and yummy by mixing it with Sprite. Mmmm. You can make the resulting treat creamy or watery by adding either less or more Sprite.

3) Slices of butter and sugar toast. For a less sinful version, use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (available at PriceSmart), the yummiest cholesterol-free spread ever. There are many ways of making this treat, but at home we prepare it only one way: By spreading the butter generously on the bread, toasting it, and as a last step sprinkling brown sugar on it. Bite into it and the different textures that fill your mouth – the half-crispy, half-gooey, butter-soaked bread and the raw, grainy brown sugar – is as much a pleasure as the homey, delicious taste you will remember from way back when you were a little child sitting in your mother’s kitchen.

4) You tend to appreciate more of life’s little pleasures, the very same things you tend to overlook the rest of the year. Like what? The cool breeze that seems to come just when you think you can’t take the heat any longer. The shade that trees provide. The function of a big giveaway-from-the-bank umbrella. The cool air-conditioning each time you walk through the doors of a shopping mall. The wonderful invention that is the refrigerator. The blessedness of cold, clean drinking water and the ice cubes in any drink your heart fancies.

5) The refreshing feel of baby cologne splashed generously on the body when the weather gets too, too hot. For a cooler splash, put a bottle of your favorite cologne in the refrigerator.

6) Milkshakes. Any kind, any blend. As long as it tickles your fancy.

7) It is a great time to have outdoor barbecues with family and friends. Speaking of meat for the grill, let me share with you a good source of fresh, quality meats. Call Mike at 0918-904-8718. We just ordered rib-eye from him, cut half an inch thick and enjoyed fresh off the grill. Delicious. Aside from different cuts of beef, Mike also has pork, lamb, chicken and tuna.

8) The long days are a perfect excuse to stay in and catch up on your reading. For me, one of life’s simple joys is curling up with a good book. There is a charming bookstore tucked on the ground floor of The Podium called Ink and Stone. By this city’s standards, it is a very modestly-sized book shop but I enjoy going there because they carry a carefully chosen selection of hardcovers and paperbacks, aside from a sprinkling of novelty items like journals, charms, and beaded jewelry. Another plus is that the shopkeeper is actually familiar with the titles they carry, at times even recommending a good read based on personal experience. That does not happen too often anymore.

9) Salads. A good salad is a quick lunch or dinner fix. Some greens, roasted Portobello mushrooms, pine nuts and the only salad dressing I know how to prepare (strawberry or raspberry jam thinned out with olive oil and sprinkled with a little salt and pepper) and I’m happy. While you are at it, try to order the best Iberian chicken in town from Violet (call 0917-791-5505). Goes well with the salad, or you can eat it on its own if you wish.

10) King Crab House. Their king crab rice, spicy chili crab, and sotanghon crab – yummy, yummy, yummy. Please enjoy it with clean hands – that is half the fun right there. The best thing about it is that they deliver, too. Call 723-8821. Put the number on your speed dial if you have to. A little tip: Always ask for the male crabs, they have more meat and less of the deadly fat.

11) Dokito Frito at Andok’s. Yes, Andok’s will always be loved for their lechon manok, but now they also carry very tasty crispy fried chicken pieces with gravy.

12) Mango ice candy. As kids growing up in the province, we were taught by our yayas to make our own, with fresh mango juice and mashed pulp, sugar, and lots of fresh milk. It was a regular summer activity in our household.

13) Sineguelas cooled in the refrigerator, sprinkled with salt.

14) Staying in and watching American Idol and The Contender.

15) The hot weather is the perfect reason to wear white. It is also a great excuse to wear your man’s big white cotton shirts.

16) Longer, more languid bathing rituals. Stock up on The Body Shop’s Olive line. It is a most refreshing clean scent for summer.

17) 25,000 of your favorite songs stored in your iPod. I wonder how much better it can get.

18) Makeup-free days when your skin can really breathe.

19) Buttered corn on the cob.

20) Staying in and watching DVDs.

21) A good reflexology massage at Valle Verde Country Club. They have the most melt-into-total-bliss massage. The place is not fancy (it has the ambience of a sports clinic) but it is clean, quiet and comfortable. Call 632-1391 for reservations, as they are always packed.

22) Tank tops and flip-flops.

23) The beach. Although Boracay will always be a sentimental favorite, our country is rich with so many other beautiful beaches and resorts. I never realized just how many, though, until I got hold of a copy of Beaches of the Philippines, a special edition of Travel and Leisure magazine. It is amazing how much more there is to enjoy and discover within Philippine shores.

24) Fresh banana with swirls of honey.

25) More quality time with your child. The enthusiasm of a child is contagious – I feel blessed by their wide-eyed innocence and total appreciation of things, be it in something as trivial as cracking the shell of a hard-boiled egg to trying to catch small fish with their little hands.

26) Hot peanuts. I love the ones they fry with strips of fresh chili. I often get my fair share from the sidewalk vendors you will find at the end of Ortigas. There is a junction there going to Antipolo on the left, Binangonan on the right, and Tikling straight ahead. Richard always brings home a big bag of peanuts for Juliana and me as pasalubong.

27) Having a picnic and flying a kite. You would think nobody does that anymore in a busy city like Manila. Think again. The Fort is a good place for it, and there was a time when Richard, Juliana and I would often go there to do just that. Juliana would pack her Hello Kitty picnic basket with food and drinks and off we would go to the Fort with our dogs in tow.

28) Board games.

29) Dinner at Bellini’s. Five good reasons: gnocchi, pizza with arugula, chili oil, beef marsala, panacotta. Don’t forget the contadina, osso buco and orange cake. Oops, that is eight reasons already.

30) Breezy summer nights make a good backdrop for long walks around the village, either in solitude, alongside your dog, or hand in hand with the one who makes your heart race.

On Saturday, May 7, there will be a Philippine-Korean Suzuki Children’s Friendship Concert at The Fleur de Lis Auditorium, Saint Paul University, 680 Pedro Gil St., Malate, Manila. The concert is a toast to talent at its best. Fifty Korean violin and cello students will join 120 Filipino Suzuki violin and cello students in this ensemble concert. This would be a good venue to expose your child to music so he can learn to play an instrument at an early age and develop his talent.

For tickets, please call 724-0705 or 724-2543.