DO YOU EAT FLOWERS? I DO.

Apart from the home-based and online jobs that I have these days as a result of my self-serving job ad, I also have recently embarked on a micro retail enterprise that involves promoting dried green papaya "flower candies" from Dulce De Dingle.

Dried green papaya flower candies--or simply papaya candies--are traditional Ilonggo confections that originated in the municipality of Dingle in the province of Iloilo in Western Visayas and are considered as the trademark of the town.

This rare, local delicacy is made of unripe or green papaya pulp coated with sugar and formed into a flower or a rose. At the center of the "flower" or "rose," there is a delicious-looking yellow stuff called yema (a sweet concoction made of milk and eggs) that reaches down to the upper part of the “stem,” which is also made of dried green papaya.

Unlike pinasugbo, piaya, bande, bukayo, butterscotch, biscocho, and other common delicacies identified with the province and the city of Iloilo, green papaya flower candies are quite unknown and are always hard to find because production is based on pre-orders only. In fact, it is so rare that almost no local confectionery store sells it in Iloilo City.

Despite their lack of publicity, these candies are probably one of the oldest Ilonggo delicacies there is--dating back as far as the 1920s. This was according to my father, who is a good son of Dingle, where I also spent a part of my childhood.

Another factor behind their scarcity is, it takes nearly a week to prepare the freshly harvested papaya pulp because it has to be soaked first in water with lime powder for a few days, before placing it under the sun for at least a day to dry.

Also, there are times when supply of unripe or green papayas becomes a bit limited or more pricey than usual.

The "assembly" of the dried papaya pulp into a "flower" or "rose" is also very meticulous. It requires dexterity of fingers, patience, and creativity to finish even just one "flower."

Fashioned by the loving and hardworking hands of low-income housewives from the town of Dingle, green papaya flower candies feed nearly 20 families in this fourth-class municipality and help them send their children to school.

So, if in case you want to order this rare delicacy, please don't forget to appreciate first all the hard work that these people have put in before you make your first bite.

Shelf life of these candies is usually one month to two--but I'm sure a pack won't last for three days once you've tried them. They are addictively delicious!

Packs of Dulce De Dingle’s dried green papaya flower candies come in three sizes--packs of 25, 50, and 100--all in basket-shaped, golden yellow cellophane. The smallest pack (i.e., 25 pieces) costs P200.

However, if you’re outside or far away from Iloilo City, you’ll have to add P150 for courier/shipment and minimum order is two packs of 25. Otherwise, delivery is free.

Yes, I understand, P200 for just a pack of 25 candies is a bit steep especially these days, but, by buying the product, you will also be helping:

• Low-income families of the municipality of Dingle.

• Out-of-school youth, who spend their time making these candies instead of doing drugs or making babies.

• Working students, who try to earn in-between classes just to send themselves to school.

• Me. (Hehe.)

Also, Dulce De Dingle's green papaya flower candies are best for:

• Pasalubong, which is a plus because they are so unique you can’t find them just anywhere.

• Watching TV and/or DVD with the family. (Believe me, you'll be surprised at how fast these candies will disappear. Hopefully, you won't end up killing each other. Hehe. Kidding.)

• After-meal treat.

• Happy meal during bad days, LQs (lovers' quarrels), dysmenorrhea, job retrenchment (hopefully not), and the like--because they can be a good (and healthier) substitute for your favorite chocolates.

• Bribing your boss. (Try it to prove it. Hehe.)
  

• Saying "I Love You" to a girl (or boy)--because these candies are a good and creative substitute for the predictably boring bouquet of real flowers.

• Crazy “circus performances”--others who will see you eat these candies would actually think you’re eating real flowers. (Hehe.)

• Your health--they’re 100% natural, no harmful preservatives, nutritious--green papaya being a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium, papain (good for digestion), arginine (good for male fertility), and carpain (good for the heart), among others.

Interested? Please just refer to the business card above.

A BROKEN RIB OR A BRAIN INJURY FOR MANNY PACQUIAO--IF HE GETS CARELESS

Anything can happen.

If Manny Pacquiao gets careless against Ricky Hatton, he could end up getting a broken rib or, worse, a brain injury.

That may be way too extreme, but then again who says boxing is a gentle sport?

Fine, Pacquiao (48 wins, 3 defeats, 36 knockouts, 2 draws) has a much superior skill set compared to Hatton (45 wins, 1 defeat, 32 knockouts) to score the decisive victory that most people (including myself) look forward to, but an upset isn't too remote to happen.

Unlike the ones that Pacquiao has fought in the recent years, Hatton is no faded fighter, is at the prime of his career, is as old (or young) as the Filipino boxing champ, and--as a swarming brawler--is probably more aggressive.

Hatton certainly doesn't belong to the class of warriors that Pacquiao has fought and defeated--Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Oscar De La Hoya--but he does belong to the type of boxers that the latter rarely fights in the ring: half-wrestler, dirty, relentless, granite-chinned, and has Neanderthal-like punch strength.

This could possibly be Pacquiao's hardest fight yet.

On the other hand, my countryman has almost everything that any opponent should worry about.

Stamina-wise, Pacquiao is both a machine and a fitness specimen: he can be relentless up to the final round without signs of fatigue. Hatton--despite his notorious love for beer, oily food, and late-night parties--seems to have no problem with stamina either, but that remains to be seen.

In terms of footwork, the current pound-for-pound king is the hands-down winner. In fact, Pacquiao's best defensive weapon is, in my opinion, his baffling lateral movement. Every time his opponent punches, he's no longer there. This makes parrying and blocking no longer necessary and a waste of movement. Most of his opponents--with the exception of Marquez--could hardly lock on him as target. Hatton is also fast, but--against Pacquiao--he will appear like on slow motion on the television screen, just like David Diaz did.

In the same manner, Pacquiao is a god in the hand speed department. He connects even before his opponents can blink. Hatton may have watched all Pacquiao's fight videos and would've probably said his opponent doesn't move that quick, but I wouldn't be surprised if he'll have a change of opinion once when he's already on the receiving end of the Filipino's furious flurries come fight night.

Okay, Hatton may be the stronger puncher, but Pacquiao is definitely no patsy in the punching power department either. The Filipino champ's knockout record is a testament to this, and Hatton only has just more than a month to find out that the Philippines produces not only the world's best nurses and caregivers but also "warrior-babysitters" like Pacquiao--who sends boxers to sleep.

However, Pacquiao should avoid getting tagged by one of Hatton's power punches as he might not survive a difficult round. If he wobbles from one of the Briton's monster hooks in the middle of a round, it could be the end of Pacquiao's reign and winning streak.

Pacquiao should also avoid Hatton's infamous body shots by not getting trapped on the ropes and/or by getting in and out very quickly before the British boxer could hug him like Hulk Hogan. He should also watch out for some of Hatton's sneaky elbows while in a clinch.

Pacquiao usually has problems against good counterpunchers; and while Hatton is no counterpuncher, he is still and can always be dangerous.

With the identically aggressive styles of these hard-punching fighters, I think that whoever gets cut first will lose the fight. If Pacquiao gets a nasty cut first, half of the battle is won for the hungrier Hatton, who will naturally capitalize on the situation by mercilessly pounding his bloodied opponent all the more.

The intensity that these two boxing superstars bring into the scheduled match makes this impending War of the Worlds or Battle of East and West a potential fight of the year. And let's just hope that nobody really gets a broken rib or a brain injury after all.

The outcome of this fight is and will be very difficult to predict, but--just for discussion's sake--who do you think will win, and why?

HIRE ME!

As a "second courser" nursing student, my remaining last four semesters in school will be very light and easy. Starting June this year, I will only have two subjects every semester.

I now want to work again (and earn) during my free time, which is and will be a lot.

But since I am now in Iloilo City, where it is relatively hard to find non-8-to-5 jobs, I thought I should post this self-serving ad here.

So, if you need--or know someone who needs--the following, please just refer to my CV below:

• An advocacy/communications plan consultant/manager;

• A project/business concept developer;

• An IEC/promotional materials concept developer/designer;

• An advertorial, position paper, and advocacy writer;

• A press release writer (both for print and broadcast);

• A speech writer;

• A cartoonist and/or a book illustrator (for textbooks, children's books, IEC materials, and the like);

• A company/organization logo designer;

• A company/organizational/school publications adviser/consultant (e.g., annual reports, newsletters, briefs for special projects/major programs, media kits, et cetera);

• A proofreader (for dissertations, theses, research papers, manuscripts, IEC materials, important presentations, and others);

• A block-time radio program host/anchor (in Iloilo City); and/or

• A part-time college instructor for mass communications and/or English subjects (in Iloilo City, of course).

I prefer more output-based, short-term engagements--for obvious reasons.

CJ Panila CV