Nan da?

Credits go to Joy sensei who said that these would make good props for teaching the "Kore wa nan desu ka?" (What's this?) pattern. It's funny because I recently read somewhere that although that type of sentence pattern, such as "Sore wa hon desu ka?" (Is that a book?) Hai, kore wa hon desu (Yes, it is) Iie, kore wa hon ja arimasen, jisho desu (Nah, it's a dictionary) occurs frequently in grammar texts, they rarely get used in real life. I beg to disagree. There are lots of times we ask someone what a thing is, eventhough most of the time we already know perfectly well. Like, Is that a PSP? which often preludes to the questioner borrowing said object.

Anyway, back to the picture. Kore wa nan da to omoimasu ka? (What do you think it is?)

LRT ART

Art exhibition at Cubao LRT station.






There were a lot of really good stuff but I would say that I could relate to this one the most. It shows the rails traversing through nature. Some might think it's a protest against the destruction of the environment. But I get the feeling that the artist saw what I did, that modern progresses and nature can exist side by side. It was only when I look out the MRT that I realized Metro Manila is not a totally bad place. The number of trees are almost the same as the number of buildings.

Taho

Taho is hot soybean curd mixed with sago (jelly pearls) and caramelized syrup. It's usually served in plastic cups like this one for 10 pesos, but street vendors won't mind pouring it into your own cup or bowl if you brought one. It's commonly thought of as a breakfast item. One of the pleasant surprises that my Tita had when she stayed at the Crown Plaza, was that the predominantly Western styled breakfast buffet also served taho, but they were served in Marie Antoinette type glasses. However, nowadays one can spot vendors at any time of the day and in the most unexpected places, like Ayala, Makati.



Street vendors usually carry the makings in 2 steel canisters such as these, held together by a wide slat of bamboo on their shoulder. They usually troll neighborhoods at morning, crying, "TAhooooooo." Woe is the one who thinks trying it now and again is enough. The taho vendor will certainly be back under your window same time next morning, and will keep crying "TAhoooooo," for 10 minutes or more. And even if you don't buy this time, they'll be back again next morning.