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.)

work thoughts and then some

It's only been two weeks but I feel like I've been there a long time. Two weeks is enough to get used to the environment, the living conditions, especially if you have almost the same routine six days a week, 13-14 hours a day. I'm still quite lucky to have Sundays off. But once I do the regular stuff my co-staffers do, I won't be as lucky. Hopefully with the lean season (which won't be anytime soon, since Valentine's is coming up), most Sundays would be rest days. Since we're getting ready for that season of profit ('course!), pink, red chocolate trials and actual finished products (e.g. chocolate blocks) will abound, plus heart-shaped ones. There really is something about love that makes everybody spend so much time thinking what to buy and what to do and a lot of money to commemorate the day.


The setting is quite different from Quezon City, and even back in the province where we reside (in the same old city of Dagupan). Here, as I walk to work, I see green fields stretching out. I've never stayed in such a place before where agricultural crops are being grown on a large scale near where I am. The sky is visible, since there aren't many tall buildings where I am, although I hardly see it during the day since I am mostly indoors. I like the greenness of the fields. Reminds me of UP during rainy days, where the moisture makes everything so vivid.


Of course, there are certain drawbacks to this kind of job. But I'm done accepting the whole deal as soon as the new year started. Which is why I wasn't able to do much thinking about this coming year since I was anticipating this new direction in my life: getting a permanent job in my field. There are so many things to learn. Even with the almost 144 hours  I've spent in the office, I'm still nowhere close to knowing those things which would enable me to work smoothly and efficiently. Right now, I'm still gathering a lot of information. Nothing beats hands-on experience, but first I gotta understand the different processes and mechanisms in place. If only getting the information was easier. I do understand - everything's part of the learning process. So here's to more learning. I just hope to keep in mind Neil Gaiman's benediction for the new year, and which I have written in my planner as soon as I found the whole thing again awhile ago.

May your year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful. And don't forget to make some art - write or draw or build or sing as only you can. May your coming year be a wonderful thing, in which you'll dream both dangerously and outrageously. I hope you make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom int he world right now), I hope that you will, when you need to be, be wise and that you will always be kind. And I hope, that somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

shall i comfort you?

choi han seong (on the phone speaking to han yoo joo): they (referring to eun chan and han kyul) like each other
han yoo joo: should i comfort you?

--> grabe, panalong linya! ahaha. just bought a copy of coffee prince (pirated, whaddeyaexpect) last saturday and i've watched up to episode 10. it's been a really interesting story, and i can't say i'm not moved by the characters. there are love triangles, and one person in that triangle is involved in another triangle. most every character in the story is involved with someone romantically. and up to now, i still am maintaining that choi han seong is better for go eun chan. and what a revelation for him. initially, the cousins (choi han seong and han kyul) are into the same person (han yoo joo) but the former got her, while the latter has been loving unrequitedly. in the case of eun chan, both are in love with her, but han kyul has the keys to her heart. ah.. terrible. han yoo joo was so accomodating and understanding when she said that line above. heartbreaking moment...

***

it's my first time to apply as a student assistant and i start tomorrow. will be making a number of fruit juices for the study of ma'am acevedo. 8 am tomorrow, up to when the production finishes (around 5 batches per day or 100 pouches in all). this'll be my first non-academic FT-related activity ever. hopefully, i could still get to play on wednesday and friday. and on saturday and sunday, i'll be going on a climb (my first ever!) to mt. daguldol with ate joyce, ruby, mia and some other acquaintances of the sisters. i'm excited! of course, i'll have my pay from the SA job that i could spend. waha! that's so great. although my ankle is not. but anyhow, this is a great opportunity.