Le Beau’s flight back to NJ was quick, albeit bittersweet, but one of the first things he told me when he got home was this movie, Boyhood. Filmed over the course of 12 years, Boyhood shows the ups and downs of growing up in the eyes of a child. With my weekend spoiled by an illness, I had some time to burn, and I must say the perspective was the perfect view.
Spoiler alert, spoiler alert, you have been warned.
It has been a while since I last posted a review here, so yesterday, when my friend Emma had a craving for something savory, I immediately thought of SALT. (Actually, she immediately thought of it, but we’re eating together, so it could have easily been me too.)
I’ve seen the rounds in the blogs for this little hole in the wall. Located at the corner of Fermina and Enriquez, it wasn’t that hard to find. From our office along Makati Avenue, we walked to the tricycle station by Polaris St. and simply said Fermina. The sign is right there, it’s impossible to miss.
(For those who are driving, turn at the corner of Howzat Gym and Bar along Kalayaan Avenue. The resto is on the third street to your left.)
This being a spontaneous run, please excuse the quality of photos. Not only were we rushing to finish a sumptuous lunch and squeezing in 15 minutes of quiet time, I only had my phone with me. All photos are watermarked (poorly, if I may add) in Fotor.
Simple exteriors and interiors, the place is quite inviting. I had to confirm to a friend if they’re open for lunch, and the only thing he replied is the place is his go-to for “value for money” food.
Forgot to take a photo of the exterior, but you get the gist. That small pocket room at the side looks like it can be reserved for big groups. But then, SALT looks like it was just put up at the back of a big house, so maybe you just come in early with a big group and occupy that space…?? I didn’t get to ask, I was starving.
Emma is not used to my blogging persona so she felt compelled to take photos too. Given the shakiness of my pictures, I desperately needed meat.
The T-Bone Steak (P190)
Naturally, I had the T-Bone Steak (P190). I read somewhere that they can’t get the doneness of this steak right. I asked for medium rare, being the proper carnivore that I am, but because the cut is not as thick, it was cooked closer to medium.
Don’t get me wrong though. The steak is ABSOLUTELY flavorful. I really took my time eating it, I loved every bite. They matched it with this barbecue sauce and a taste of potato salad. It was so good. Now I get what they say about value for money.
Beef Salpicao (P220)
Emma had the Beef Salpicao (P220) and it looked like sex on a plate. Hahaha. Truly! I immediately asked if they serve beer but unfortunately they don’t. (So I sometimes drink for lunch, why judge?)
How sexy is that oil touching the rice? DROOL ALL OVER. The beef was tender and well cooked, the garlic was tasteful but not overpowering. All it really needed was beer really.
I read somewhere that the resto only uses Batangas beef, and I approve of that. The first time I tasted that kind of meat was at a buffet. Cheers for homegrown food!
Our meals were so savory, there was only one way to end it.
Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (P110)
The Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (P110) can be shared by two. It has the right amount of sweetness and the cold dessert makes for a perfect match for the hot lunch sun. It also washes away the yummy oil taste from the meals. It truly is the perfect ending.
All in all, it was a great experience for us both. We walked out of SALT satisfied and satiated, and feeling the need to run 10km because we almost licked our plates clean. Too bad though for the other table; their orders were not available in the kitchen. But I have a feeling their best sellers are always in stock.
If you’re planning to drop by, here’s the menu of the place:
Drop a line if you’re dropping by soon! It’s so close to my office, I just might join you.
SALT
5887 Fermina St. corner Enriquez St., Poblacion, Makati
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 5:00 pm – 1:00 am, Sundays from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm, and 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Early this week, my mother was livid upon seeing two service charges — one for July, one for August — worth Php 300 each on her bank account. Fuming, she called the bank manager and asked what the service charge was for. She has monitored her funds closely and do not recall going below minimum balance. Then the manager told her she did, because last May 2014, they increased the minimum maintaining balance from Php 5,000 to Php 10,000.
Photo from Women and Money
This, my dear friends, is the reason why 73% of Filipinos are unbanked. At least for me.
But per BSP, who defines unbanked as regions with has no access to financial instruments such as ATMs, banks and quasi-banks, only 15% of the country is unbanked.
In the 2012 report of State of Financial inclusion, of the 611 unbanked municipalities, 395 have access to alternative financial services, while 216 do not have any access at all.
Then again, let’s not look at the macro scale. Let’s do some internal scanning. Look among your peers. How many of you have a bank account that is not slightly above maintaining balance? Or a time deposit? Or a life insurace policy? Or an investment portfolio?
I think — and this is purely my opinion, absolutely no intent to represent my bank/s — we need to make banking more affordable. We have lived in revolving credit for so long; we might be putting too little a premium on saved cash.
How many in your barangay/township can afford Php 10,000 just sitting in the bank? The minimum wage on average is just Php 450. Multiply that by 22 working days, estimated monthly wage of minimum earners is just Php 9,900. And this is just in the National Capital Region. That’s still Php 100 short of what is required to open an account at a universal bank.
What’s even more annoying is the measly 0.275% interest rate. No matter what you do, the service charge of falling below minimum maintaining balance will still be higher than the interest earnings of maintaining the balance. Where’s the benefit in that?
Of course, I would know. Because I work in a bank. I encounter cost-benefit of deposits, terms deposits, investments, rebuttals to “why should I deposit there” on a daily basis. But do they know? Do the Php 9,900 per month earners know?
Okay, you’ll say there are cooperatives, rural banks, and even quasi financial institutions that entertain lower account opening requirements, and lower maintaining balances. But are those just as stable? In the first quarter of 2013 alone, 6 rural banks have been padlocked and put under receivership. Where’s the security in that?
I don’t know. Maybe I’m just bitching because I feel my mom’s frustration. That’s Php 600 of her money that she will never get back only because her bank became more expensive to maintain. And she earns far more than Php 9,900 a month. If that fine is already burdensome for someone of her stature and position, I cannot even imagine the impact of that fine to a lower income earner.
Perhaps there should be more bank products that do not exclude the lower income class. How about a cash card that can be converted into a savings account the moment it hits a particular amount? How about rewarding customers with increasing interest rates the longer they stay with their bank? How about financial planning programs at the barangay level, translated into the vernacular, utilizing community jargon?
I say this with so much carelessness because I cannot even begin to comprehend the economical repercussion of what I’ve just said. The complexity can be overwhelming. It’s just… very tiring conforming to an elitist standard of financial soundness with a seemingly intentional exclusion of those who have limited opportunities in earning more.
Eh. All these thoughts over Php 600.
How did you move on from him?
Complete total silence. In and out. It’s been over a year, you know.
No communication whatsoever?
None. But it was a choice that I made. We both made, I think.
Did he try to win you back?
For a moment, but then when I look back, though it appears to some that he tried, he never really said anything.
How long did you suffer the feeling of pain?
Long. A bit of it is still with me today.
Are you bitter towards him? Is that normal?
Yes, it’s normal and yes, I’m still bitter. It was a long time that went to nothing. It felt like my youth was wasted.
Do you still love him?
Yes. The sad kind. The one that when I feel it, I become resentful and morose.
I’m going through the same. I’m trying to be okay though.
Just give yourself a good period to be sad.
We don’t have closure. I think I need that to let things go. To hear him say he’s sorry. Did you feel that way?
For me, I was hurt too much too long. I did not want to need anything from him, so that made it easier to not look for closure, or anything else from him, for that matter.
Will this sad, bitter feeling go away?
Of course. Give it time. All you need to move forward is in you. Unless you realize that, you will always be stuck in that space. You will always need something that he will not or cannot give. And you don’t want to be the kind of person who needs something from someone else to move forward.
It’s been three months. I find it too long. I’ve never been this bitter.
It’s been 16 months for me. I’m not as angry. But I am still bitter.
…
Don’t rush it. You might miss steps, making it harder to recover.
Thank you.
Thank you.
the salt of your skin 
