A night in Bulacan

It is possible to be thinking about two different things at the same time. I know I was doing it awhile ago while playing Dynomite. I was determining where to hit each egg given me to reduce the descending mass that threatens my game life. Then out of nowhere, my musings about what happened yesterday and events related to it were trickling in one by one. Now that’s multitasking.

Yesterday, my former SFC workmates and I had a dinner date at Guilbert’s in Plaridel, Bulacan. This came about because of a random thought one July evening as I was eating exorbitantly-costing (but it was somebody’s treat, so no reason for me to complain really) nachos with very little cheese sauce, some ground beef and tomatoes at a place called Homer’s as my companions and I whiled away the time before the 2:30 am live telecast of the semifinal matchup between Deutschland and España. In comparison to Homer’s, Guilbert’s taco salad has more nachos, lots of cheese (grated, covering the top of the nacho pile), with cabbage, beef and tomatoes completing the package and we (like four of us) could fill our stomachs with it and feel a bit full afterwards. And for half the price of Homer’s. So that random thought was tweeted and posted to facebook as a status message. And when one of my ex-workmates, Mayette, liked it, I commented that we should eat there next time. And so last night was the set date.

Last night was my fourth time there. For a Saturday night, it didn’t seem all that busy. I even thought we would be waiting a long time for our orders, but as it turns out, it was quite a slow night. We ordered the taco salad right away. It was served almost immediately and we promptly dug in. Somehow, it didn’t seem to be as much as how I imagined it before. And nobody commented that he/she was already quite full – probably because it was already around 8 and we were all positively hungry. I wanted to try the Sizzling Balut (recommended by many) this time, but nobody was keen to second that choice. So we had Tuna Bicol Express (which didn’t taste much like tuna, and it wasn’t so spicy or whitish as well), Laing (served inside a buko shell – quite milky, unremarkable taste) and Kangkong sa Lechon (which really was lechon sa kangkong – there were literally very few pork skin pieces on top of the kangkong cooked in some brown sauce). This Guilbert’s trip is perhaps the least remarkable of all if we’re talking about the food. My previous forays here all ended up with me thinking there are more surprises here when I come back another time. I guess the crowning glory would be the Tanduay Ice which Mayette insisted everybody have for at least one round, making Jay-r forego the buko juice he initially ordered, but which he eventually had after that one round. Tanduay Ice is really nice tasting but with a kick. First had a taste of it in Feb 8 also in Bulacan, on my second to the last day at work.

The five of us former Unit C housemates and Mark were supposed to be eating and celebrating today. But unfortunately, Pam, the sosyalera (a realization c/o Jay-r that was a point of, well, mirth), is unavailable because she’s working the night shift that week. It would’ve been a triple celebration because she just celebrated her birthday on the 20th, Jay-r was celebrating his today, the 25th, and Mark just got his separation pay which amounts to quite a lot, now that I think about it, although no figures were mentioned. Pam and Jay-r are both still working at SFC while Mayette was transferred to the sister company TOFC. Mark resigned beginning May so he had one month to go. Then Ces had to resign a week after and I followed the following week. So much for resigning early. He was the last one to exit even though he had planned to resign way before the thought even crossed my or Ces's minds.

All throughout dinner, we were just talking about SFC/TOFC stuff since we can’t help it (and which actually constituted the majority of our topics), competence, kinds of leadership styles, spas, Pam, Enchanted Kingdom, work plans, future directions interspersed with laughter, bathroom breaks (I’ve had four trips there due to two bottles of Tanduay Ice, following the first round with another bottle as its effect wore off), drunken banter and downright silly questions (Jay-r (while Ces was feeling his upper back): Ayan o, diba masakit?).

We stayed there till it was near closing and somebody was already exhibiting signs of drunkenness - all the way through the jeepney ride back to Malolos and at 7-Eleven where we had coffee (my first time to see and try this – they had French Vanilla, Banana Frost(?) and Cappuccino at half the price of what was available in the usual coffee shops) before heading home. Jay-r turned 22 (although it wasn’t supposed to be until 3AM), and eventually the drunkenness wore off, and we were lucky to find a van bound for Cubao at the unholy hour of 1 AM in a place like Malolos. So us three girls were south-bound and I eventually alighted at Road 20 at around 1:30 AM. There were quite a number of street lights on, so I decided to just walk back to the house, foregoing a tricycle ride. It was fine because it was already quite cool and I can handle clumps of people along the way anytime by just ignoring them.

(I just realize as I'm about to post this that I've got no good ending in mind. hehe. That's why the need for parentheses.)

thoughts on a busy week

I MISS PLAYING FUTBOL. Futsal (my current pe) is not the same. Futbol is also not the same when there’s no grass. Playing at the Sunken Garden is something else. It has something to do with my futbol experience. It’s been at least two months… Darn, injured foot. *feeling nostalgic after passing thru Sunken on the way home and it’s a nice weather for playing and ther’re kids taking advantage of the field*

I am like super busy, and I have like two mega exams next week, and a mega paper, and I have to be present at the Sikad AVP shoot tomorrow. Something’s gotta suffer. I got a feeling it’s the first long exam for Physics and the Spanish paper. Aarrgghh…

I should have started on my acad work last night, but yesterday being a Friday, it seemed such a shame to just head on home without getting a bit of fun with friends (of course, this afer holing up in the CHE lab for one five straight days (from 8 to 6 or 7 pm and returning home only to sleep). I was only thinking of eating out with friends (which I got to do for free with LIRA peeps), but then circumstances arose that led me to watching The Jerks (my first time to do so) at 70’s Bistro (my first time to be there), with beer, pizza, fries and cheese sticks, and for free to boot! My thanks to Macel for being the orchestrator last night. ‘Twas a great night. Great performers they are. And there were not very many smokers, so for the most part, we were breathing smoke-free air, or at least, only very little smoke. Alcohol does contribute to a fun experience. :D

day out with HS friends

today, i got together with my high school friends. i wasn't able to see them during the sembreak since i was stuck at the pilot food plant curing meat and such. the last time i saw these guys was probably before the start of the first sem classes. yes, it's been that long. since some of us are studying in metro manila, we only get to see each other during sembreaks, summer breaks or christmas breaks. however, most of us took to having summer classes so well, there you go.

this time around, we didn't proceed to city mall right away after meeting up at LNU, an act which we have invariably been doing ever since we started meeting up after our high school days. for a change, we went to quattro grill and restaurant, located beside the dagupan bus station in arellano. there were five of us who met up at school - ice, cookie, mafe, al and i. however, only four of us ended up going to quattro since al had a lunch outing with his family. it's been awhile since i saw this guy. ever the hardworking, success-driven marketing student (college does bring out the best in some people), i'm sure he'll soar to great heights when he graduates from college. although he tells me, he's planning to take up masteral studies first.

so there we were at quattro. when our orders arrived, ysa arrived. now, she's the only one among my high school batchmates whom i see in metro manila since the rest are studying in schools in manila while the both of us are studying in up diliman which is in qc. new hair. i liked it. i'd like to have a haircut which is not one of the usual layered or straight cuts i often get. anyhow, ice and i got sisig and nilasing ni hipon. the latter was quite interesting - ice even had a comment about the vinegar, something about it being stronger than usual. we also had bottomless tea. ysa didn't eat because she said she had a heavy breakfast. art arrived a little while later, having just come from comelec for the voter's registration. then jajo arrived sometime later. so there we were, we're complete.

we are the usual ones who meet up during these breaks. sometimes, some people would hang out with us like kris or al, but these two were not available this time. i'm not sure how we started to stick together, but we were good friends in high school. it's now after college that during get togethers, the seven of us would almost always be present.

so there at quattro, we had nice conversation, learning stuffs about ourselves and our other batchmates. the most surprising revelation of all was ice. i knew there was something when i asked her the question during a phone call i made this break. i didn't expect "it" to be that far along. but anyway, i was smiling (from ear to ear) the whole time i learned all about "it." i was really happy for her, and excited at the same time, since this friend of mine has finally got her own. anyway, she didn't let us in in many details, just a few good points. well, i'm intrigued, and i'm curious.

as for the rest of us, we're still in the same situations the last time we saw each other. art is still with lynn, for a whopping 1 year and 2 months already, mafe's still single, cookie's still a hit with the guys, ysa's had some things going, jajo's still on the lookout and on the action, and i'm still part of the nbsb club.

after this, cookie and mafe proceeded to zari-zari studio for pictures cookie had to get while the rest of them accompanied me to nepo mall because i had to return some vcds i borrowed at video city. then we went to the city mall - of course, where else would we end up? when we got there, we first proceeded to national bookstore. there we saw some ednasian batchmates: maricar, jennifer, glori anne, and i think the other one was named macris, a cousin of driggy's. then noel, my highschool thesis partner, came along and what a change. for one, well, he's nagkalaman and his face has gotten bigger. it's his birthday today.

we separated when the rest of us went to the worlds of fun to play some arcade games all the while waiting for mafe and cuks, while noel went to smoke with his cousin. well, that's the last we saw of him. to cap our stay at the worlds of fun, we rode the bump cars. unfortunately, i got on the car that was so slow so i didn't enjoy it that well. but sure, there were a lot of bumps as everyone made the most use of the bump cars. after that, we finally got to get some chairs for our group at the cafe near the internet shop. so we sat down to some chips, some more conversations, and picture-taking.

well, that ended the day. it was around 6pm and some of us had to leave already, so the group decided to leave altogether. after seeing cookie off, the rest of us rode a lingayen jeepney. ice and jajo got off at her place. the rest of us got off near the victory bus terminal. art's going home to caranglaan while mafe will be riding a bus to malasiqui. since m.h. del pilar st. was closed, ysa and i walked to jollibee to wait for a bonuan-bound jeep, this after she bought stuff at mercury drug and looking for a lotto betting station.

so there, the day ends. the next day we'll have like this will probably be in march already. by then, ice and art will have graduated from nursing school, and cookie from accounting school in st. scho. how fast time flies. in less than a week, i'll be back in up to face the rest of the semester, even though i'm not yet totally prepared to go back to school work, and the rest of the stuff that comes with staying in up. a number of my batchmates will be graduating by march 2007, this being our fourth years. they will then be facing the prospect of finding jobs in our country and eventually, abroad, that is, after passing their respective board or licensure exams. priorities, circle of friends, available time will change. it'll be a whole new experience.

the future is wide, full of the unexpected, just out there. but for now, we have the familiar faces we can go back to, and the memories we may hold on to for as long as we like, reminding us of where we have been and the people who have shaped us and been there for us, for our future selves.