Out and about

The term is ending and my body is being battered again. It was Friday and I concluded that I needed to reward myself.

I was out and about after my last class which ended at 6 PM. I went to the nearest decent place I could think of, SM Mall of Asia.

I was in time to catch the fireworks. Despite having seen the shebang a dozen of times, it still excites me to an extent.

While waiting for the show, I took some requisite mall pictures.

After the fireworks, I immediately felt the hunger inside my stomach. My last food intake was the brunch I had at 9:30 AM. Since I'm trying to save dough to pay off my iPod nano, I got supper at everyone's favorite joint, Jollibee.

It's amazing how they have the guts to label themselves as fast-food when my food probably would not arrive if I didn't do a follow-up. And get this, I made the follow-up 10 minutes after I placed my order. I know Jollibee serves volumes of people but they sure can improve their service.

Their 39-ers was surprisingly good, and by good I meant it was plentiful enough to fill me up. My stomach has been empty for around 9 hours or so and I would gladly take whatever I could get. Be it shit like the lumpiang shanghai I got or not.

Feeling full and bloated, I decided I needed to take a walk. I discovered that the Bowling Center is opening on the 1st of May. That's good news! I also passed by Topman which is a must. A few meters ahead, a bunch of people were abuzzing. Apparently, the launching of Paris Hilton's Heiress perfume was downstairs.

There were a handful of well-dressed guests. I am guessing they are trying to be part of the who's who of high society based on the number of photogs clicking at them. Great! Skanks attending a skank's launching. I kid.

I saw a bunch of people huddling beside Marionnaud, and naturally I decided to check it out. I did not realize I was beside Tim Yap before doing his thing in front of the camera.

How could I possibly not notice him with that fuchsia ensemble and heavy clown-like makeup?! He was actually taller than what I expected.

I was this close to asking him for a photo, but the inner Proud Philip in me prevailed. So I settled with the stolen photo above. I left the area chuckling because my friends and I had this Tim Yap joke which I suddenly remembered. I chuckled, and left the site.

I was craving for blueberry cheesecake, and since my usual dessert haunt Chocolat does not have that, I went to Conlin's instead. They've got a small and cozy interior. While waiting, I drooled over the chairs. I want them for our house.

And looked at the paintings that they were actually selling.

I eventually decided to be seated outside. And this was how I accidentally discovered the most secluded, quiet, and peaceful area inside the Mall of Asia.

It was beside the IMAX Theater and has a great view of the Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, plus the parking lot. This is where I peacefully enjoyed my delicious blueberry cheesecake.

Having satisfied my craving, I went for another stroll and ended up in Powerbooks. It has been a while since I have read a comic book so it was very refreshing for me. It was getting late so I decided to make my way home.

But a crazy idea hit me - I wanted to get some drinks. No, not because I saw Tim Yap, nor because I got to read a few pages of a Dilbert comic book. But because I wanted to take my mind off the disastrous quiz I took that noon. Because I suddenly missed our org's party, and well, because I missed drinking alcohol.

Off I went to Mojito Bay, where else. I love Mojito Bay!

They offer cheap drinks and even better, give 50% discounts on selected drinks. Woohoo! They actually give discounts from 8 PM to midnight, unlike a place I know near school, which offers cheaper beers at noon.

I asked the waiter which drinks were on discounts, and he mistakenly included some drinks which I remembered were not included the last time I went here. Nevertheless, I ordered a new drink - blue pineapple shuffle. It was actually greenish.

Over at the other table were a handful of Chinese men with a bunch of whores, complete with a female pimp! It was actually my first time seeing this scenario, and I was really really amused. I would've taken a picture if I was drunk. Fortunately, I wasn't. Minutes later, one of the guys handed some cash to the pimp, right in front of me. I thought how a lucky bastard I was for witnessing this.

Thus, I ordered another drink. As I was suspicious of a discount-related error, I asked the female waitress again which drinks were discounted. Yes, the shuffle was not included. Here I was trying to save as much moolah as I can by going to Jollibee, only to blow it all over a cocktail. But I was feeling happy, so I ordered a mojito.

I really love that drink.

On the street downstairs is this band performing in front of a group of seated people. Apparently, the Mall of Asia is now offering a buffet dinner with a live band performance. I do not know if I like that idea, since the band that night was playing sucky music. Heck, I caught a few couples doing some ballroom dancing on the streets! In front of dozens of people. I could just smile at their nonchalance.

Feeling tipsy (and happy), I decided it was time to head home for good. But the waiters put all their attention on the Chinese men and their bimbos that it took me years(i.e. 30 minutes) just to get their attention.

I got my bill, but it did not include the mojito I ordered. For a split-second there I actually considered to keep my mouth shut and just pay for the shuffle, but being the good guy I really am, despite feeling just a bit tipsy, I paid for the two drinks.

I headed home, just in time for Pinoy Big Brother. I slept, I woke up with a mild hangover. I felt shit. All week long I lacked sleep.

Sometimes I wonder why I continue to drink alcohol despite feeling really shitty the next day with a stomachache, headache, and muscle pain.

Because I'm weird like that.

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This was the post I almost ended up not finishing

This is a very long and overly-late vacation post. Proceed with caution.

After the University Week and a couple of quizzes sucked the life out of me, my body desperately needed some R&R. So the family vacation came at the perfect time.

We headed off to Eagle Point Resort at Anilao, Batangas. Our (new-found) German friend Birgit came with us. She is in the country to work for a couple of months and is currently renting our condo unit. Birgit naturally wanted to check out the beaches (if possible, every week she said), so she tagged along.

The trip was a long and bumpy one. We were following detailed instruction on how to get to the resort. Unfortunately, it was innacurate.

I was getting restless, but after a good three-hour trip, we finally arrived.

Our loft was simple yet clean and spacious.

The balcony offered a magnificent view that I would never grow tired looking at.

We quickly unloaded our bags and took a boat ride to have lunch at Sepoc Island.

Sepoc Island was beautiful.

Being the overly-active family that we are, we hiked to the top of Sepoc Island. It barely took five minutes to reach the top.

We played frisbee,

snorkeled and kayaked as well.

But I made sure that I had some time to relax and enjoy the sun. After all, this is the part of the trip I was looking forward to the most.

Fun at Sepoc ended and we headed back to the main core. This beautiful sunset welcomed us.

There were several power outages during the night. The total darkness and eerily quiet atmosphere was really freaky. Good thing the power was back by the time Pinoy Big Brother was on. Yes, I'm a fan.

As we are leaving by noon, we had breakfast really early the next day.

I love how the restaurant offers a panoramic view of the sea. Such a sight to behold while dining.

We swam with baby sharks in the saltwater pool. It was pretty scary as the baby sharks were not so "baby" at all - they were big! But once you get the hang of it, it was a pretty memorable experience.

The swimming pools were very inviting and we obliged to the invitations.

Soon enough, we had to painfully say goodbye to this little resort we grew to love in under 24 hours.

Coming back to Manila, I was greeted with a lot of work to do. Doing this entry along took me around three weeks. And doing this blog entry made me relive the memories all over again.

I miss Eagle Point. I know I'll be back.

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Recharged

I left Manila like a living carcass and returned a renewed man.

If views like these cannot recharge me, I don't know what will.

More photos and blogging after I snap back to the reality of urban living.

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What A Night

I finally talked to my father again. That means our night ping pong sessions will resume once again.

Oh what joy!

My mouse broke, so I had to get it replaced. I went to Mall of Asia.

I took some pictures.

And some more.

I was supposed to buy my summer shirts today as well. But I found out the store has already moved on to a new collection, and they're all gone. I've been meaning to buy them since last year. Now, I'm paying the price for my procrastination.

Feeling upset, I headed to Chocolat, my favorite cake station, for comfort. I had a slice of NY Cheesecake and the requisite Cookies 'n' Cream milkshake.

It was heavenly.

The cheesecake was thick yet soft and creamy. But by the time I devoured half of it, I was full and sick of it already.

I must confess that I am was under a self-imposed starvation to make my body look decent for the summer.

As I was devouring my cake, the Friday night fireworks started and I totally missed it. The Top Dog was not feeling very top that night so I decided to head home.

I took the shuttle and continuing my mini-run of bad luck, the driver was totally reckless. He was a madman. I can count at least three incidents where we almost got hit/hit someone. This includes almost side-sweeping a poor old man on a bicycle.

But the first one was, uhm, the most memorable. It was less than five minutes after he started the van when he decided it was fun to beat a racing bus to turn a corner.

We were literally a feet from being bumped. The girls, all ten of them, just screamed at the top of their lungs. I think I set a personal record for repetitive cuss-firing that very moment. Pota. Good thing I was on the far side, or I would've been screaming like a rooster for dinner as well.

Imagine the emotional scar the girls on the near side would have to recover from. Bless them.

I looked up, and realized the van's ceiling looked like the interiors of a coffin.

Great. Just great.

While passing the beautiful World Light Expo, we saw their fireworks show. We were just a few meters away from the actual firing spot. It was that amazing I forgot to take photos.

That wonderful moment made me relax for a bit and smile at least.

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