friday is roadtrip day

i had just finished celmol class and was bumming around school when i saw the ls bookstore tarps. they looked like fun stuff [plus, i had time to kill and didn't really want to go through the immediate commute back home IN THAT HEAT], so i decided to check things out.

as i was scouring the aisles, looking for something spontaneously perfect, i got a message from my high school friend jules. she wanted to go greenhills and chill, and, being the spontaneous glory that i am, i obliged. on the condition that she would pick me up, of course. ;)

and then there were calls and confirmation messages and small talk, and finally, i was waiting for her to arrive. when i received the message that she had indeed reached my destination, she went, "i'm here na. ateneo med."

O. M. G. :))

i had specifically told her that i was in loyola, but i guess she didn't catch that. so we laughed it off, clarified things and i waited again.

i had purchased a pretty little lanyard and had edited it with a rubber attachment from my old one. and then, since i didn't have a book with me to distract me from the terrible heat, i plugged in my in-ears and blasted summer covers from my nano video as i took in the landscape of the gesu. i sat on one of those plastic benches at the front area of xavier hall and had my back turned against the road my dear friend was going to come from.

and then i felt a sudden, almost-bruising pain in my right shoulder. OUCH.

being the crazy dorks that we are, we fell into a high-pitched excited hug that always happens when we see each other. jules and i sat and marveled at the lifestyle changes we had just gone through since we celebrated mine and jen's birthdays last february. happy thoughts were shared, until we decided to get going.

there was a sudden shift in like when jules declared it was actually her burger day that day. she had been checking out burger place reviews online [like i said, dorky. ;p] and wanted to experience something new. so a trek to the burger project in maginhawa street was in order.

i remembered that quaint place we chilled at a weekend ago [if i'm not mistaken], van gogh is bipolar, and remembered that it was somewhere near there. since we were already in the spirit of new experiences, why not, right? :)

sadly, though, it was still closed [we were there at effing 12noon, hello!] so we just decided to burger away and head to katipunan for dessert. :)

in the semi-pileup that is midday traffic, we gabbed on and did some catching up as we passed a series of twists and turns [it was elliptical road, i think?] to get to teacher's village. after crazy laughter, too-much-heat headaches and re-exploring music from high school courtesy of julieta's old cds, this is the interesting sign that greeted us when we finally reached the finish line:

interesting ;)

it was exciting and such a fun experience, because we were both new to it. so we did the tiny clipboard thing, and then suddenly decided we would get one of those specialty burgers instead. now, let me introduce you to the Western Bacon Melt:

*drool*

check out all that angus goodness, slathered with just the right smokey-sweet barbecue sauce, bacon, melted cheese, tomatoes and breaded onion rings [surprisingly yummy!] on a sesame seed bun. given that it was a little too large-and-in-charge for our wonder-filled beings, we decided to split it and get a sloppy side of spicy buffalo wings with a tiny tub of ranch to balance it all out :)

*mmmmmmm*

and as soon as our plates hit the table, the signal gun was fired and it was time to devour our newly-discovered goodness. :) when i tried a bit of the saucy wings, though, something strangely familiar greeted me. i was trying to pinpoint that sauce it tasted like, but was so excited with the heat that i momentarily dismissed the thought.

and then it hit me: SUNSHINE!!! :D the buffalo wings had that thick jamaican pattie hot sauce which i loved and piled on my pattie when noc and i celebrated faith's birthday late last year [backtrack to that entry here].

*happy dancing* now, lemme add another recipe to my culinary agenda. :)

after that fat-infested hour, we decided to drive to UP before heading to the dessert place. we wanted to find a new and interesting place to kill time at, but ended up parking near palma and walking our satisfied asses off.

some unidentified object hit the car roof and julieta froze. when we got out of the car, i noticed the ginormous tree with oddly-shaped fruits hanging from its branches right above our parking space. as soon as i pointed that out, though, julieta panicked and quickly transferred slots.

better to be safe than sorry. LOL *parking memories*

it was a long time since i last explored UP [or since i EVER tried exploring it], and a lot has changed--at least that's what i think. the trees formed a sort of shed for everything on the road to be protected from the angry sun, and, i must admit, it looked pretty amazing. :) this is the sad photo julieta took that didn't quite justify how interesting it looked to me:

near the tennis court, i have NO idea what place this is. heehee :))

and because it was TOO hot, we decided to forgo riding the ikot and just walk around, experiencing the scenery. along the way, we discussed the actual location of the sunken garden--among other things--and, frustratingly, never really got that resolved. we weren't from there, so we gave a good laugh at how crazy the conversation might have sounded to people who overheard [or for those picnic-king authentics, as jules called them, by the sunken field, for that matter. lol].

after my geometric principles on walking [the shortest way between two points is a line--kudos to ate myls for teaching me that], and because my right ankle hurt really bad, complements of the sprain i've had since forever, we left UP and made a beeline for dessert heaven. but we didn't find gayuma [another craving] and went around in circles. and since we didn't want to move around the nooks and crannies of katipunan to get to the ateneo or even conti's and chill there, we went to the banapple katipunan on the other side to get julieta's sweet tooth satisfied. and because this was her first visit, i suggested a basic crowd-pleaser:

Banoffee pie :)

and because i was an almost regular, i deviated and got something equally mouth-watering:

Oreo Fudge Brownie Cheesecake <3 

we were too full of stories and food and everything else funny and wonderful, and we talked endlessly about everything under the sun [painfully literally. and figuratively]. and when i realized i had work that night and julieta had to dodge traffic going back home, we called it a day and it was the end of our adventure. :) so the search is on!!! :)

midnight mercato

weeeeee Off beat :)

just when i thought i was gonna spend another lazy leave day stuck at home, kuya sees me run off to the loo and bellows from his room, asking me if i had work that fateful friday night. of course, with a tiny smirk, i say "no, i don't" and await the next lines he'd throw. and then he asks if i wanted to go to the midnight mercato. my sleepy brain instantly went DUHHH and i coolly answered, "okay, in a minute" and made a beeline for the loo, quickly showered, and was nice and chill after a couple of minutes. :)

given that this was my maiden voyage to anything mercato centrale, i was definitely excited to see all the wonderful goodness that would kill me in more ways than one. and so the sojourn began with a flurry of crazy overtakes and ex-squeeze me moments until we got to the first destination: manang's chicken. :)

the line was looong, good Lord, and all we wanted to get were 2 glasses of freshly brewed pandan iced tea for the walk. so we waited -- ho-humm -- and finally got the iced tea and went on our way. kuya wanted me to scour the entirety of the tents before i made a decision, but lectured me on all the crispy-licious saucy goodness of manang's chicken.

okay, fine. so we're getting that. ;)

so we walked and squeezed in and did the whole nine yards. despite the almost workout that was finding a space to walk on, though, i still couldn't take that image out of my head:

ooey gooey giant cheese sticks from Off beat

since i originally thought they were mexican somethings, i wanted to get them badly. kuya hates mexican food [i have NO idea why], so that's a no. but i wanted them anyway, and being the good big brother that he is, we got them still ;)

a few minutes after, we realized they weren't actually mexican babies and found out they were giant cheese sticks. so kuya relaxed and i got my treat. :) there was a minute, though, when i semi-screamed at the poor boy preparing our cheese-infested goodness, because he was holding the ginormous mayo-filled squeeze bottle over the food. kuya let me go "WAAAAAIT!" and i asked what that white thing was. and because it was mayo [yechhh], it was definitely OUT of the question. :p

and as i waited and had fun checking out the sights, i got my Twilight moment [i tweaked the photo a bit so i'd look less pale and more human ;)]. and here's my lady-in-waiting photo:

as you can see, there were other things being served by these guys. and i checked them out while waiting for my delightful giants :) and, lo and behold, the things i DIDN'T eat: 

glazed doughnuts --obviously Krispy Kremes-- for bread [which i thought were bagels! ugh] and all the love inside. 

yikes to the BACON FAT that's slipping and sliding riiight there. #killmenow

i would eat this, ONLY without the bacon fat and with actual bagels for bread. *death*

moving on to the next victim.

burger patties that looked really inviting, sans the sliced BACON FAT that totally ruined everything for me.


can you say death by cholesterol? yechhh.

so, of of course, i didn't get that. ;) i just took my giant cheese sticks and we ran along. :)

we got another round of drinks-- fruit shakes this time --before the hard part of actually deciding on what to eat. kuya asked me to find seats while he queued for manang's chicken, and i asked him to get me the extra spicy sauce on the side [because he's not too much into intensely spicy things] instead. and so i went into the tent with the a/c [i reeked of grilled-ness already, thank you very much] and found a sweet spot and *finally* got to sit down. :) and when the manang's chicken arrived, yay! :D 'twas time to eat! :D

Happy Camper <3

sadly, though, the moist chocolate, vanilla-frosted muffins were sold out, so, boo-hoo to the dessert junkie. :( someday, when i return, i shall conquer that 9-piece box of vanilla frosted, moist chocolate muffins. *drool*

AND sooooo, i will definitely go back. ;) i'm feeling a little barx night out-slash-food frenzy soon. :D

moving forward

something old, something new, something borrowed... something... colorful? :D

clearly, i have not been paying attention to the signs--of life, that is. everything has been aching to show me how much more forward i should be moving, but hey, i'm effing turtle-paced. so, to cut to the chase, i just say my entirety needs an overhaul.

for starters, i had an amazingly hectic day yesterday. after a string of sleepless nights, i finally drag myself to a job fair to get my behind started with something i really should be doing already.

that 5-hour slumber prior to bastardizing my sanity did me good okay, and i donned my inner Miranda Priestley while i slipped my heels on. of course, while in that mindset i expected a day with slightly open streets and a few people here and there. randomness epitomized.

i experienced exactly the opposite, to say the least. pandemonium was more like it. mosh pit much. everywhere was a frikkin sardine can! UGH.

so, because i am naturally charming (;p), i called kuya and got myself a ticket to exhibitor haven. life is gooood :)

so i became the filinvest recruitment person on the side, while i trudged my way to those booths filled with people. DOUBLE UGH. but because i had to do it, i did the dirty work. i passed by and smiled at everyone, got myself enlisted, disposed of my papers and the rest, as they say, is sheer craziness. then i was supposed to get the NBI thing over and done with, too, there, but this lovely sign greeted me:

GAAAAAAAAAA.

post-pandemonium was definitely a sweeter experience, because i got to try orchard road's hainanese chicken rice for an uberlate lunch fiesta de kuya :) of course, after trying one bite from my plate and finishing his teh tarik, he dropped dead and made music on the ample-sized booth we sat in.

i didn't care. i was enjoying the wifi. :D

and my quickly craving was set aside because we went towards the direction of dairy queen. aha! strawberry cheesecake blizzard. i'm not complaining. *biiig smile*

as soon as i tasted the mouthwatering goodness, i started taking photos. LOL. takes me back to the times of strawberry-hunting with joy, jemmy, and bryan. laughtrip much. this time, though, i got all the strawberries... and the cheesecake. :D

so i needed more documentation.

who can blame me? i was happy and sugar-shocked. :)

and right before we drove home, i had to be the in-car contortionist to get that itouch from the trunk. and kuya documented that, too. weeeeee. and then, of course, i dropped dead a few minutes after we got home. tired much. :))

Dear John

Dear John,

It's been a lazy looong day. I woke up late this afternoon morning, and have only eaten puffed Cheetos and a chocolate-and-peanut butter sandwich since. I'm speechless, I'm tired, I want something new to happen. But since my lazy ass is home, I've been thinking. A LOT.

It's been crazy on Twitter the entire day. Hate, disbelief, love, discontent, hope and bashing are a few of the emotions people seemingly pour onto their tweets. Hate, being that of the Hong Kong Government to the Philippines. Disbelief at our Miss Universe contender's response to her final question. Love for Ma. Venus Raj, Miss Universe 2010 4th Runner-Up, coupled with contented messages of her feat--bringing recognition to our country is no easy task--flooded Tweetworld [at least mine]. Hope, that someday, yesterday's Quirino Grandstand bloodbath will just be a faint memory to and of Filipinos to the rest of the world. Bashing, of everyone who's anyone and anyone who's alive.

Makes me think, really. Do we really have all the answers? Most people who tweet think so. And then most of them suddenly change their minds when they are contradicted. Again, that is just SO Filipino. Not entirely, in defense of the rest of the Filipinos who stand up for what they know, but a lot of Filipinos are so. Might as well not tweet at all and wait for the idea you want to show up on AND THEN start tweeting. It's not like you're not allowed to say what's on your minds, but at least stick to your beliefs. That's all i'm saying.

Annoying, annoying.

Sheesh. Seemingly everything's been topsy-turvy lately. Not that i'm succumbing to bum-ness and regressing to what I swore I would not let myself go into, but there's just some great sadness disappointment to all of this. It's not incompetence, I know. It's just the TIMES.

So, John, okay. I'll stop whining now and be fine with everything. Speaking of which, i'm kinda craving for a Nonfat Grande White Chocolate Mocha and Banoffee Pie. And it really didn't help that as I was rummaging through my old files, I found this:

So, thank you , John, for making me realize I put myself on house arrest today. :)

Love, Jai