4 posts tagged “saturday”
For the third straight year, I have been celebrating Enzo's birthday with Tata and her family at their home in BF. This year was quite different though since Peewee is already in Dubai (missing you!) and I did not show up with a gift. (Wait. Tata, did I give Enzo his present last year? Shucks.)
Anyhoo, my trips to the South always conjure up memories of my not-so-distant youth, having spent my last two years of high school in one of those bratty academic institutions scattered around BF Homes. I also remember hanging out in BF as a kid, four years old to be exact, as that was the only happening place south of Makati at that time. Alabang was not yet the nouveau riche haven as everyone knows it now and had muddy, yes muddy, cinemas as the only source of entertainment.
Back to the present. Tata and I planned a week before to drink a little after the party and try one of those neighborhood bars along BF's main thoroughfare, Aguirre Avenue. (Last year, we hit Central together with Peewee, Paige, Gisele, and a couple of the twins' friends. You should try Central's Bad Boy concoction!) This year, after being entertained by Enzo's pitch perfect rendition of the Beatles's 'I Feel Fine', we drove to Sophie's Garden. The bar has a cozy, country-like atmosphere punctuated with touches of Zen. Affordable drinks. Their Long Island was just a little over two dollars.
We had a good time chatting over long island, margarita, daiquiri, and mudslide. As usual, and as directed by alcohol, we opened our Pandora's boxes and let out our demons. But not without laughing. I felt right at home, like our glory days at work.
The waiter told us it was closing time at around 2am. I figured he didn't need to tell us. Their pirated Kylie Homecoming DVD was already jumping and could not get past the fifth song, as if a sign telling us that they didn't want to entertain us anymore.
Right before parting ways, we thought of camwhoring in the middle of the road. Our photoshoot was traffic-stopping - in a literal sense.
I basked in my comfort zone that evening. The south is a place I am very familiar with, the company I kept knew me really well, and our rants and raves were like a song we've been singing all our lives.
Now back to reality.
This was my Saturday. I love eeet.
Met up with Capi at Serendra yesterday afternoon for some catching up. We had so much fun over Chicken Sandwich and Mango Bravo at Contis, under the 3pm sun and clouds of smoke. She confessed about her being a die-hard Britney fan, which prompted me to admit how much of a Mandy-phile I am. Turns out she is a Mandy fan herself. We raved about Mandy's Coverage CD and all the songs that were masterfully recreated in the album. We both love Moonshadow and plucked out lines from the Cat Stevens original. Now I have someone who really understands me. Hehe. We continued the afternoon fun in Fully Booked and drowned ourselves in books of every genre, laughing at how sexual teen novels have become and how the sex books were 'strategically' located in front of the Computer How-To section. There has got to be some Feng Shui going on. She got herself a Wild Hope CD, too.
Bumped into old friends, too. (Btw, B'ley, you stood me up!) There was Jasper, whom I met at the office some years ago, with his Thai and Dutch friends in tow. He's visiting from Bangkok on business. I really should catch up with that guy.
When Capi and I were browsing through the trashy novels over at A Different Bookstore, I saw thesismate and good friend Iris. She was looking for The Secret but was unsuccessful in her search. Speaking of The Secret, the book's selling like hotcakes, I swear. I am hooked myself. (Been helping me with my change in outlook and mind resetting.)
Soon after Iris left, fabulous Sass magically descended from her throne up in the clouds and scattered stardust everywhere. We all had dinner at the Chelsea Market and Restaurant. The conversation was like an open bar - freeflowing and anything goes, with punches of cheap humor and pop culture trivia. We equally laughed our lungs out and talked seriously about where our careers/studies were going. Capi wants to try out another company in another country. Sass wants to venture into Organizational Development. I want to make it in New York still as a training professional. We also talked about working conditions in the country and how working could be more fun if we 'Googled' everything. later on, our conversation shifted to the beauty of solitude and the growth that comes from aloneness. In between, we talked about long distance relationships, cancer, quarter-life crisis, quitting smoking, and Inday text jokes.
Oh, you all have to try out Chelsea! The menu is delightfully eclectic, much like the NYC district the resto was named after, the portions grand, and the prices surprisingly affordable. I ordered their Angus Beef Burger with Onion Rings, which turned out to be hefty and overwhelming. Capi's Marinara was good for three. Sass' Slow-cooked Norwegian Salmon over Mashed Potato was the first to be served. How's that for slow cooking? They were all deee-lish!!! Here's a pic of Chelsea's interior:
Capi got herself a Margarita after dinner and started talking about this place in Ortigas that serves three Frozen Margaritas for only 120 pesos. (That's roughly two dollars and a quarter.) Sidebar in El Pueblo!!! I know the place! I've been there before! As if the fun isn't over yet, we drove to Sidebar to cap the night. We had eight Frozen Margaritas each. You could just imagine how crazy we became!!! Sass and I were reenacting Filipino native dances and parlor games to the tune of California Dreaming and Pink Life. The best part was that we had to dramatize with a stiff upper lip and while seated on our bar stools. We left Capi in stitches.
Turns out that was not the night cap just yet. We drove to Sass' loft and relaxed to cold drinking water, the Zodiac, and Zen Tarot Card reading. Sass played 'hostess with the mostest' with aplomb for the 2nd time (at least for me).
Capi and I were gobsmacked at Sass' readings. Her cards were so precise in revealing our life's issues and resolutions - Capi's need to travel and my exciting adventure in introspection/reaching out. The very same things we talked about over snacks and dinner. Cosmic. Fabulous. Serendipitous.
We ended the fun at 3am. I cabbed back to Makati while Capi, half-asleep, drove back home.
Reij, you were the only one missing that night. If you ever bit your tongue Saturday morning DXB time, it should be because of us. :-) Thanks for bringing us together!
P.S. Photo credits go to http://anton.blogs.com for the Serendra and Chelsea pics. I will take my own pictures very soon.
Just days after my wonderful August, I was welcomed by a tough week at work and in life. I'm running a new material for a class of twenty-five tenured trainees (who have lots of issues with learning and tardiness, and attitude!!!). That's no biggie. I am used to it. It's learning a new skill (a more challenging one), studying for it, and transferring knowledge that's driving me crazy! (It's the studying part, really.) Tiring but all good.
On another end, four really good friends bade farewell and went to different parts of the world/country/city on the same week. Now that's a happy/sad moment. Can't write about that yet.
Oh well, after five days of mental and emotional gang-rape, I decided to make the most out of my Saturday and have fun.
I started my rest day hanging out with Arlene and Carla at the Saturday Market in Salcedo Village. The whole barbecue and rice combo is just getting old, so we decided to go gourmet and shell cash for a good chow. I ordered Spinach Canelonni (spellcheck?) and Potato Gratin from this French caterer (forgot the name) while the girls went for Croquettes and Eggplant Parmigiana from another stall. It rained all morning and the seats were damp, so we headed to the now famous 9J to eat our expensive breakfast. Then I discovered two cans of beer hiding behind my sodas. Carla and I drank while Arlene flipped through my old CDs. Being with them is therapeutic. Sometimes, you just want to be surrounded by people who love you. And both of them do. :-)
That evening, I partied and had a blast! Peter, my big boss/friend celebrated his 30th birthday and threw a bash at Cuisine. Fun fun fun! It was great to have seen and talked to my former boss and forever mentor Ann, as well as Rina, Tiny, Carla and the rest of the people at work. I love how we are ourselves outside the office. No pretenses, no layers. It was like we were all drugged last night. The mood was happpeh! And the drinks were all for free. Loves it.
Some more pics from the party c/o Pete's site:
When my favorite friends and I constellate,
it always turns into an alcoholiday.
[this is good]
