September 2 at the Ayala Museum. Thanks to Ian for guiding us haha!
Got held up at work so unfortunately I missed a huge chunk of the event, but J and I got there in time to meet up with Charles, Jordan, Lyza, and Tin (who sassed the waiters at MCafe for being so goddamn slow). Met Eva for the first time, and forgot to tell her that I loved this poem of hers. Met Richard Bolisay for the first time (oo kailangan full name haha) and saw Gian again. And it was wonderful to see Andrea! So sabaw I forgot to ask for autographs. I would love to round up all of these lovely people in one corner of this city and just talk and drink – that would be nice, yes?
Read my poem, “Crime Scenes“. I was a member of a writing organization in college that regularly held poetry readings, but I’ve never read a poem before. Yep – never. So of course I was nervous and frightened but people said it was okay. Not too painful? Beautiful. I listened to Andrea’s recording of my reading (probably coming soon on YouTubenow on YouTube, thanks to Andrea and Kate) and boy, did I hate my voice haha. Next time I’ll just make someone else read my work.
I regret not being able to arrive earlier, though. Bitin! But at least I got the chance to stay, even for a short while.
Again, thanks to editors Joel and Khavn for letting me be a part of this.
Wednesday, met up with my high school friends in Sis restaurant in Dampa before moving to Starbucks in MOA for coffee, ice cream, and stories. In Dampa, you can buy fresh seafood from the wet market and have it cooked in any of the restaurants for a fee. My friends just decided to order in Sis hehe. No pictures because we were so hungry, but I assure you the food was great and affordable.
sugar overload in MOAmacadamia nut from SasaThe closest name misspelling I've ever experienced was "Elisa". Oh, but then there's also the famous, "Elizabeth Toria".
A friend has moved to a new job in May, another will make the move next week, while two are contemplating working abroad (in Canada, in Singapore). Career changes! Life choices! Upheavals! I wish them all the best.
Thursday, Research sendoff in Chili’s Greenbelt 5. They handed me a copy of the Pretty Little Liars-inspired video. I’ll recap the shit out of that soon HAHA. (Or not, for the sake of my readers’ sanity.)
Jaykie and I went to Greenbelt last night for the last full show of Deathly Hallows.
I couldn’t resist the new Mary Grace restaurant!
(Sorry for the low-res, cell phone shots.)
Beautiful, beautiful interior. I want a house filled with pretty trinkets.
Jaykie and his new iPhone.
Dinner!
Spicy lemon scampi and apple cinnamon honey iced tea
Now full, we’re ready for the movie.
The bulk of the story is in the first part, so this is mostly all action sequences. This is the shortest film in the franchise (a little more than two hours), with the least convoluted storyline. It’s a quest. Voldemort, the evil wizard, cut up his soul sevenways, and Harry and Co. has to find the objects containing pieces of his soul (the Horcruxes) and destroy them, so Voldemort himself can be destroyed. I believe this particular installment actually improved on its source material. Rowling’s narrative style makes it impossible for me to picture the fight scenes, and because of this, the character deaths felt gratuitous. In the film version, the deaths are more effective, more moving (a couple who can’t quite reach other during the fighting end up side by side on the floor filled with the bodies of the dead, their hands still not touching) and of course the visual medium is perfect for the chase scenes and wand wars. It’s also nostalgic. I missed seeing Gringotts and the Chamber of Secrets, and I was glad to see them in this movie. The special effects have improved – the detail on the goblins’ faces looked crisp and real onscreen – and the scenes are beautifully shot. It’s a fitting end to a decade of adaptations.
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Last day at the office. Got lovely messages on Facebook and through text (hi Ate Julie!) and got this card today from Ate Abi. :)
rose quartz and amethyst - para swerte raw sa love life at career!
This is not a going-away gift because he’s not an office mate, haha, but thanks so much for this Charles:
(giddy)
My Research kapatids shot a video inspired by Pretty Little Liars –
but that we’ll keep to ourselves.
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That’s (almost) four years of laughter and more nervous, stress-driven laughter. I will miss these guys.
Badminton on Friday, where a long rally often ended up with me smashing the shuttlecock past the line. But I’ve stopped playing for points against J a long time ago. I just enjoy the game now. :) Went to Chocolate Kiss later and tried their elusive chicken kebabs with yogurt sauce.
Chicken Kebabs & Tzatziki Skewers of chicken fillet marinated in Mediterranean spices. Served with yogurt sauce, and turmeric rice or warm pita bread.
Highly recommended! For dinner we had seared chicken breasts and homemade slaw and the cake slices we weren’t able to finish at Cho Kiss. I should have taken pictures, J sears chicken perfectly.
Saturday, while J went off to UP, I went to Trinoma and ended up buying this:
I asked people online and most of my friends said Smart Bro is more reliable than Globe. What I didn’t like is that the free 125 hours of surfing the prepaid Power Plug-it offers can only be used for 5 days. Five days, are you kidding me? At least Globe makes its free hours available for 30 days. But then only Smart offers a one-year warranty for the dongle (heh dongle heh) and its interface shows your load balance. I haven’t tried it myself. I should be able to check it out when I go home for my father’s birthday next week. Oh my God, I hope it works well in Bulacan.
That’s all I really wanted to buy, but there was a sale at Artwork and there was this book in Powerbooks –
You know how it goes. Lunch was pasta with a shot of espresso from Seattle’s Best which, for some reason, did not help me stay awake at all.
Later that night, Kanin Club at Ayala Technohub for HGC’s sixth anniversary dinner. :) I’m not a member, but I’m all for geeks and food!
Deadly food, it appeared. The group ordered crispy pata and aligue rice.
Jaykie and I added pritong manok (fried chicken) and pad thai. I loved everything, but I liked Mango Tree Bistro’s pad thai better.
We went back to Jaykie’s place and into that black hole of a drinking game called “I have never”.
I have never played “I have never” (shot).
We were at Podium earlier today and only then realized that Delifrance is now Cafe France. Oh-kay. I had their dish for Sunday: one-half serving of spaghetti pomodoro and an egg sandwich. I’m craving for that spaghetti pomodoro now. I should have followed my heart (chos!) and bought take-out pasta for my dinner later.
In other news, I: am currently a walking vat of cholesterol.
I love this weekend. Busy and fun and eventful and full of food.
Thursday night/Friday. Watched the latest episode of Game of Thrones and became very worried the series (if you haven’t read the book, do not highlight – spoiler!)would end up not killing Ned until Season 2 (if at all) just because he’s Sean fucking Bean. It is starting to look that way and – Bleh. I hope I am wrong.
Jaykie made a glass of iced milk with honey. Yum! Here’s the recipe from the Game of Thrones-inspired The Inn at the Crossroads.
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons honey, more to taste
pinch of saffron and/or cinnamon (optional)
Pour milk into a saucepan and warm on low heat. Do not scald the milk! When steam begins to rise from the surface of the milk, add the honey to the pot and stir until combined. Place sweetened milk in fridge to cool off.
In a glass, place either cubes or small chunks of ice (crushed ice will dissolve too quickly). Pour the sweetened milk over the ice, sprinkle with spices, and serve.
We woke up early the next day for Jaykie’s enlistment at UP. I waited with him, reading Zoo City, thinking I’d be able to finish the book before he could pay. But he was done before lunch. Lunch at ROC. I wanted to drop by the UP Press Bookstore at Balay Kalinaw, and found out that it was no longer at Balay Kalinaw. Effort na pumunta sa UP Press so tambay lang nang onti, then off to Makati to try Bonchon.
Bonchon at Ayala Triangle Gardens.
We were there at around 4 p.m. I think? And were already hungry enough to eat rice again haha! (We did a lot of walking.)
I’ve heard/read horror stories about this particular Bonchon branch, but since it was merienda time, there were fewer people, service was fast, and the servers were polite.
chops with rice and iced tea, plus a side of kimchi coleslaw
It was good! Chicken was crispy and spicy-sweet, and the warm meal went very well with the cold kimchi coleslaw.
I treated Jaykie to gelato from Caramia. Try the pistachio.
pistachio and new york cheesecake
We went back home, finished the book, and watched the second season of Damages.
Saturday
We left late afternoon, had dinner, then explored the bookstores for books! I got three.
Elmer (NBS, P250), Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan (Bibliarch, P150), Pacific Rims (NBS, P399)
Jaykie got a Steven Erikson book. (Pictured below.)
Not so much a bookswap as a how’s-Kat-doing-these-days meeting, haha! Which of course led to other quality kwento. First loves, coming out of the closet (not applicable to me, maniwala kayo!), mediums, ghost stories, the afterlife. And oh, books. Of course.
With bookswap newbie, Ice! (Who apparently speed-read a Lionel Shriver book while the girls and I were talking – kaloka!)
Another little girl wanders into the Book Nook ™!
We stayed till 1 a.m. Till next time, girls!
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I just arranged my books this morning. I have serious book space issues now, it’s not even funny.
Jaykie broached the idea of playing the Game of Thrones boardgame with him and the guys one weekend. Jaykie looked at the game rules on Friday and kept laughing, because even the set-up was complicated. I was scared. I didn’t think I’d be able to follow. But yesterday, the guys came after lunch, and Phil and Derps explained the objectives and the basic rules, and I actually was able to play. I learn better while playing than by reading the entire guidebook, it appears.
I got the Lannisters, who start at Lannisport and Stoney Sept. The object of the game is to gain as many territories as possible. You can also make a deal with other players so they won’t take your territories (in this game, the Lannisters agreed to a truce with the Greyjoys), or make a deal and break it later (like what the Lannisters did with the Baratheons after taking Cracklaw Point, sorry Jaykie!) I wasn’t able to expand too much. The Greyjoys (Phil) had all the seas and eventually also got Riverrun and won. I was one city behind!
That was fun, though.
Later that night, pizza, pasta and booze with Jaykie and friends. I turned in earlier than the others because I have work the following day. I woke up to empty pizza boxes, steaming cup noodles, mattresses on the floor, and stories of ghosts. Oh no.
Eliza Victoria 