Places

What are great weekends made of?

It’s not who you want to spend Friday night with, it’s who you want to spend all day Saturday with. (Friends with Benefits)

We had our weekend all planned out. We were supposed to pay a visit to my grandfather who lives in Los Banos, Laguna in time for his birthday. Apparently, my cousin who was staying there acquired german measles so our trip got cancelled.

Not of even the tiniest bit of help was Smart Bro which was the reason why I didn’t have Internet since Friday night. I’m usually heavily dependent on Facebook, Twitter and Google for random trip ideas but since e-loading was experiencing downtime, I didn’t have a loyal sidekick this time.

With no concrete plans in mind, we were out of ideas but we have all the time. I popped in a DVD of Before Sunrise, something Joel hadn’t fully seen before. While watching the movie, I suggested we head off to Manila to catch MV Logos Hope, the travelling ship full of books for sale. I’ve heard about the MV Doulos coming over to the Philippines before but I never got the chance to give it a visit. This time, I wanted to experience what’s in store for me inside the new ship before it leaves. With the help of Yen, Joel and I were off to the South Harbor Pier in no time.

We arrived right after lunch, when there weren’t too many people yet. We enjoyed the sight of so many books and got overwhelmed by their affordable prices. (Thank God, the conversion rate was 1:1 so I didn’t have a headache how much I should spend. LOL.) On our way out, thanks to Yen’s advice, we treated ourselves to a cup of their vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

Since we were already in the area, we went to Luneta to pay Rizal a visit. It has been such a long time since I last went there – I couldn’t even exactly remember if I had already really been there before. We walked the block and found out there was a simple water and sound show at the park.

Afterwards, we capped the day with a night swim back at the condo and we also found it necessary to watch Before Sunset – just because.

I always feel this pressure of being a strong and independent icon of womanhood, and without making it look my whole life is revolving around some guy. But loving someone, and being loved means so much to me. We always make fun of it and stuff. But isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more? (Celine, Before Sunrise)

First night out of 2012

The nice thing about having a different work place aside from Makati is the bigger chances of stumbling upon interesting places – such as this one.

Our Friday night was a blast. Joel and I headed to Citizen Pub and Burger Bar at the City Golf Plaza to try something different. We ended up having their Crazy Burger (with the wasabi-mayo dressing) and Spaghetti with Osso Bucco meatballs. I’m not a wasabi burger fan but this one’s a winner. It wasn’t too tangy and the taste was just right, especially if you paired it with a bottle of beer. The pasta was delicious and it made me regret ordering iced tea. Would have loved to wash it down with beer! Next time.

The place was definitely interesting and it also had nice acoustics – so people could talk and listen to each other while enjoying their night out. It helped that their playlist included Tegan and Sara, Foo Fighters and U2. Would love to go back in broad daylight to take nice photos of the place, and spend another night out where I could stay up at the roof deck.

I first found out about Citizen while doing an ocular with Angge late last year at Reserve, another bar also at the City Golf block. Found our pictures:

Wanderlust

My wish for 2012 is to travel more, to go to places I haven’t been to… It doesn’t even need to be far-flung places. I’ve always been curious of my surroundings and I want to keep exploring, if only to learn more and experience more. I’ve always wondered about the old Manila, Chinatown – you get my drift.

Last year, I was lucky to have been able to take time off and relax. As I was browsing through my photos, couldn’t help but notice what I’ve been doing: taking shots of where my feet brought me.

2011

I think this all started in 2006, right after I stepped out of college. I relished my new-found freedom: after four years of studying, I was finally free to go places. Not that I wasn’t able to travel back in college – but we all know how it feels to breakaway from all that school-induced stress.

2006 (That last pair is Danny Seigle's - a gift from his girlfriend!)

I should do this more often, if only to instill in me that longing to travel far, go out of my way and enjoy life.

Help CDO and Iligan

I was in Cagayan de Oro about two weeks ago en route to Camiguin for work. Before heading back to Manila after hours of land and sea trip, we stopped by a couple of CDO hotspots for pasalubong. I was mentally keeping notes of the places I should re-visit once I get the chance to go back as a tourist.

There’s Vjandep for the yummy pastel, Sler’s for the delicious chicharon and the CDO ham, and the local fruitstands for the lanzones fresh from Camiguin. Of course, I was thinking of the white water rafting adventure, too. A CDO trip wouldn’t be complete without one.

A week ago, my friend Jenny also went to CDO for work. I couldn’t help but feel relieved knowing we were there before Sendong hit. However, as the death toll rises and as Christmas closes in, I couldn’t help but feel for the huge amount of loss of a city that’s brimming with so much promise and beauty.

Help CDO and Iligan!

Help our kababayans in CDO and Iligan. Here’s a comprehensive list of how you can help. For Globe and Smart subscribers:

Via Globe: Text RED < amount > to 2899. You may transfer P5, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500

Via Smart: Text RED < amount > to 4143. Valid donation amounts 10, 25, 50, 100

O kay tagal…

I was sent on an impromptu mission (mission?!) to UP last Thursday, and as always, it was a trip down memory lane. Going to UP has always been a breath of fresh air.

Funny though how this was the same feeling I used to get back when I was a kid – that feeling of belongingness, of knowing this is home.