WICKED!!! - POPULAR =)

Man, my blogging backlog is unbelievable. Work got in the way. Haha! Before I move on to the rest, I thought I'd finish this "Wicked" series. Haha. =D

While the songs from Wicked are generally great, two are well-known. This is one of them. It is literally...well..."Popular". Hahaha! 'D It shows the beginning of the two Witches of Oz' friendship, despite their initial loathing of each other. =)

There are many videos posted on You Tube--some of which were directly lifted from the play itself. I picked this one because I have such great respect for the musical, I can't get myself to post the videos that were probably taken on the sly during the actual staging. Haha. In any case, I do have a second reason for choosing this one. I'm assuming it was shown on the Today Show soon after Wicked opened on Broadway. It also features Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. Although countless actresses may have played Elpheba and Galinda since then, Idina and Kristin were the originals. They were also the ones I saw when I saw the play. Height of sentimentality, I know. So sue me. Haha! =)

WICKED! - WHAT IS THIS FEELING? =D

I found this snippet which was a "promo" of sorts for Wicked's West End run. Caveat: this is not the Wicked stage. I thought I'd post it anyway. (Ignore the program hosts na lang, haha! 'D)

I super love the wit in this "first meeting" song between Elpheba and Glinda as they inadvertently ended up being roommates in boarding school.

One is beautifully blonde. The other is unexplainably green. Enough said. Haha! 'D

WICKED!!! =) / MAY,2004

I grew up loving musicals. Mother brought me to see my first musical movie, ANNIE. I remember pretending to be Annie weeks on end, wishing I can be Aileen Quinn as I sung "Tomorrow!" at the top of my lungs. Hahaha! 'D

Holy Weeks would inevitably be spent at home (in the absence of cable TV when we were younger =)) watching either reruns of Jesus of Nazareth OR THE SOUND OF MUSIC. To this day, I can sing all the songs from memory everytime I watch this particular Julie Andrews movie. =)

THE FIDDLER ON THE ROOF also rates high on my list and it is one of my favorite bonding moments with Father. We watch our Laser Disc (and eventually DVD copy) endlessly and laugh--as well as cry) every single time. =) Too bad we missed the recent run by Rep. =(

As I grew older, the love for musicals that my parents instilled in us lived on. I saw RENT as an adult and it will always be special to me. Not only is it the first live musical I saw (with girlfriends Gnet and PO), to this day I sing "Another Day" everytime I hit a rough spot: "There's only now. There's only this. Forget regret or life is yours to miss. No other path. No other way. No day but today..." Beautiful, sensible song to live by. =)

Not to be missed is LES MISERABLES! It is among my very few regrets that it ended its run on Broadway before I got to New York! Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!! I think I scratched my 10th anniversary DVD copy to oblivion. My other regret is that I forgot who borrowed my CD copy--and it never got returned! Waaaaahhhhh!!!

Still, the recent tizzy created by AVENUE Q at the office had us thinking what we would want to see produced in Manila next. It's a long shot, I know, but heck, I voted for WICKED!!!! It'll always be special to me because it's the first musical I ever saw on Broadway on my first night in my favorite city in the world. WICKED is the "hidden story" of the witches of Oz. A sort of prequel to the classic film "The Wizard of Oz". It's the story of how the Wicked Witch of the West became, well, wicked. ;) It's also a great story about friendship between Elpheba (who grew up to be the Wicked Witch of the West) and G(a)linda (who grew up to be Glinda the Good). Along with dear friends Chaz and Michi (yes, codes =)) as well as Michi's posse, I was absolutely mesmerized. I really wish they will stage it in Manila! (Or, I really wish I can go to New York with the Hubby to see it again! Haha. Soon sana. =))

In the meantime, I will content myself with browsing You Tube for snippets of this superbly written, magnificently sung, and wonderfully played musical!

I've been at it since last weekend. Good grief! Haha. =D I thought if I'm going to keep on browsing, I might as well post my favorites on my blogsite! Haha.

Hay, sya! Trailer attached...=D

WALKING THE WALK, PART 2 / JANUARY 15,2008

Panicked at the thought of having a new category set-up for myself and the millions of cubicle-dwellers out there (less than 500 steps/day = office plant moved around by the janitor everyday for watering, haha), I signed up for the inaugural walk/jog/run night of what was meant to be a twice-a-week corporate-wide event. Everyone is allowed to go at their own pace, the organizers advised. I suppose, this is in consideration of the fact that while some of the participants are at the peak of physical fitness, the others are quite simply physically pffft. Hahaha! 'D The important thing, they said, is for us to start building a culture of health & wellness within the office. Hopefully, if we keep at it, we can entice more and more people (both employees and non-employees alike) to join the twice-a-week fitness walk/jog/run. =)


Four rounds of....uh....OK....brisk walking (hey, I have to start somewhere!) around the Bonifacio High Street outer perimeters had me sweating, but thankfully not huffing! (I deemed it wise not to keep up with the others who actually ran. I was safely sandwiched brisk walking between the actual runners and the leisure wanderers. Hahaha! 'D) Pao--who measured the distance using his car's odometer--advised everyone that each round is equivalent to 1.2 kilometers. HA! That's almost 5 kilometers right there! Yey!!! ^_^


I thought it quite serendipitous that as I walked back to the office, I clocked my 10,000th step (yey, healthy adult!) almost right in front of the Nike Superstore. JUST DO IT! O, sya, sya....hahaha! 'D


This pedometer gadget is a great tool, I tell you. At the end of the day, I suppose, if I haven't clocked 10,000 steps yet, it's a signal for me to start running around inside our flat! Hahaha! 'D Santa Barbara....=)

WALKING THE WALK / JANUARY 14,2008

In preparation for the corporate-wide health & wellness program that will be launched tomorrow evening during which employees will be running around Bonifacio High Street, the Bev group distributed pedometers to all of the Marketing folks this morning. For those not in the know, pedometers are neat devices that you attach to your belt or waist band; it supposedly counts walking steps based on your waist movement.

"To count accurately, please wear the pedometer vertically, about 6 inches left or right from the central line of your waist," the pedometer instructions read.

Off the internet, I got hold of a set of goals that would define the target number of steps one must take each day in order to achieve optimum health. According to http://walking.about.com/cs/measure/a/locke122004.htm:

• Under 5,000 steps/day describes a sedentary lifestyle,
• 5,000 - 7,499 steps/day is typical of daily activity excluding sports or exercise and may be considered a low active lifestyle,
• 7,500 - 9,999 steps/day is typical of someone who exercises or walks (or whose job involves much walking) and might be considered somewhat active,
• 10,000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as active.
• 12,500+ steps/day refer only to highly active individuals.

Just for fun, I strapped on my pedometer as soon as I got it (which is around 10:00 a.m. this morning). Let's see....=)

I knew I was in trouble when my pedometer kept on re-setting because my..uh...love handles kept on accidentally squeezing the reset button. Hahaha! 'D Santa Barbara! Que horror...=)

Still, even if I added back the 71 and the 68 steps I have accumulated before my pedometer reset, to the number of steps I have taken since then (as measured in my pedometer's reading as of 4:20 this afternoon), it will all amount to....uh.....

71

+68

+218

= 357!!!

Man! I suppose this can only mean one thing. I am less than human. I am actually A PLANT. Hahaha! 'D

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

GOD'S BEST! =) / JANUARY 3,2008

The start of the year signalled the start of a whole new life for my friend Bu and her guy, G. Man, life really begins at **! Haha. =D In any case, I thought I'd write about it here, not just because she's a great friend, but also because I thought everything that was said in their wedding was pretty profound.

For the record, I love attending weddings. My officemate and friend, Marcus (yup, it's a code name =)), said it accurately: attending weddings is always like getting a fresh chance to renew one's own vows. More than remembering the physical details of our wedding day, however, each wedding I have attended since mid-July 2006 has been a constant reminder (and reaffirmation) of the richness and the depth of the promises Hubby Sweet and I made on our wedding day. (Whenever I get to attend with the Hubby, we actually hold hands during the wedding vows and mouth our own all over again--along with the couple being married. Now isn't that just the sappiest thing you've ever heard of??!! Hahaha! 'D Sappy, but true, so sue us. Haha. =))

Bu's and G's was a Christian wedding. For the record, I also think Christian weddings are particularly beautiful because each is unique. Unlike Catholic weddings where certain rites need to be followed (and the mass is almost generic), the Christian wedding follows a certain flow, but each element is chosen by the couple being married to be done in a way that is most meaningful to them. I especially love the part about honoring the parents where the couple each pays tribute before the entire congregation to the parents who brought them up to be the kind of persons that they turned out to be. Because each has different experiences growing up, each person's way of honoring their mom & dad would necessarily be different. I also love the part about the couple honoring each other. No generic wedding vows are said. Each makes his or her lifelong vow "to love, to honor and to cherish" in words that come from their hearts. I have yet to attend a Christian wedding where eyes remained dry. =)

I also love Christian weddings because the couple is usally wed by a pastor who has seen them through several weeks (months?) of counselling before the wedding, and is therefore able to talk to them in a manner that is also meaningful. Last Thursday, The Pastor of Bu & G said something that particularly struck me not because it was something new, but because it is something that people--in general--do not take to heart.

"Marriage is legally a contract," he said," and so people always refer to the document that we sign on our wedding day as a marriage contract. Because of this, it is usually so easy for non-believers to consider marriage unnecessary, referring to it as a mere piece of paper."

"At the heart of it all, however, marriage is more than a contract," he declared. "It is a covenant. It is a covenant, not just between two people, but between two people and God. Therefore," he continued, "how dare those who enter into this covenant, only to dismiss it years later, referring to their marriage as one big and unfortunate mistake."

"A contract," he continued,"is drafted to ensure that all parties keep their promise. At the heart of every contract, therefore, is an element of distrust. We draft contracts so we can file for retribution if the other party does not deliver. We draft contracts with exit clauses to dissolve the union upon the mutual consent of both parties--once the partnership stops working."

"On the other hand, at the heart of every covenant is trust. Trust that each party will remain true to his or her word out of mutual love and respect for one another, nourished on a daily basis under the love and guidance of the God to whom they consecrated their marriage. There are no exit clauses in marriage. Every marriage is a covenant for life."

"I therefore ask you now, Bu and G," he continued, "do you understand the gravity of the covenant that you are about to enter into?"

Answer: Yes. =)

"Do you willingly commit yourself to this covenant with each other and with God?"

Answer: YES! =)

Truth be told, however, I doubt if there is anyone who really goes through the wedding preparations only to say "No" at the point when it matters. Haha. =) I believe that one, in general, only gets to understand the full gravity of this so-called covenant only after the wedding is over, and only after the daily grind of marriage has begun. Hahaha. =)

Every girl marries a prince, only to be confronted with the reality of a husband who leaves his clothes where he took them off instead of placing them in the humper (which, BTW, is only 2 feet away), with a husband who squeezes the toothpaste tube in the middle after she has painstakingly squeezed it from the end, with a husband who leaves his rubber shoes in the middle of the sala like some out-of-place decor, with a husband who leaves dirty dishes in the sink, etc., etc.

In turn, every guy marries a beautiful, sweet, young thing only to be confronted with the reality of a wife who goes to bed in a tattered shirt because it is way more comfortable than the nightie she wore during their honeymoon, with a wife who can't come home early enough to cook him dinner so it's either takeout or a late meal on most nights, with a wife who keeps telling him to put his clothes in the humper blah-blah-blah, with a wife who--come to think of it--never seems to stop complaining about everything, etc., etc.

In the short time that we've been together, Hubby Sweet and I have actually gone through bouts (usually, over something petty) that escalated into major encounters with the magnitude of a full-blown world war. Hahaha! (Yes, to the point, sometimes, of one declaring, "Uuwi na lang ako sa bahay ng magulang ko!", and the other declaring, "Well, GOI!" HAHAHA! How dramatic....'D)

The Pastor of Bu & G did not sugar-coat marriage. He did not paint a picture of a lifetime of waking up next to each other smiling and leisurely talking over a cup of coffee. In fact, in a wedding ceremony--of all places!--he talked about the case of one couple he was counselling.

"A couple sought my help lately. They were at their wit's end, they said. They've been married 10 years. For 9 years, the husband has forgotten their wedding anniversary. Yes, every single year. He would be too busy with work. Too busy with other concerns. Too busy with other things going on in his professional life. In all of those nine years, he would inevitably remember sometime during the day that it IS their anniversary, and somehow make up for it. On this, their 10th year, the husband, a few days before their anniversary, miraculously remembered! Eager and excited to--for once--demonstrate to his wife that he remembered, he went off to get her the most beautiful card he can find. After scouring through rows and rows of cards, he settled on one. 'This is it,', he thought, grinning from ear to ear,'this is her.' He then went off to buy her a huge bouquet of flowers and wrapped her a gift to which he attached the precious card."

"The anniversary day finally arrived. With a big smile, he handed his loot of gifts to his wife. The wife was genuinely surprised. After 10 years, he finally remembered! She eagerly opened the card, giggling. As she read the card, her face all of a sudden dropped, her smile immediately replaced by anger, her eyes all of a sudden turned into steel."

"How dare you!" she called out, not bothering to hide the disappointment and the anger that she obviously felt.

"What's wrong?!" the husband asked, obviously perplexed.

"This," the wife cried out, practically shoving the card back to him, "THIS is what's wrong! For nine years, you've forgotten our anniversary, and now you give me this?!"

"The husband looked down at the card he had so painstakenly searched for and chosen for this momentous occasion, and quite immediately realized the mistake. "To My One & Only Love.....," it read, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY." (Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!! Hahaha. 'D)

"The husband," The Pastor of Bu & G continued, "realized his mistake, but was obviously not about to back down. Didn't he, after all, remember to get her all these for their anniversary. For once in their 10-year marriage, he finally remembered, and she's making a big deal out of this tiny, miniscule, insignificant mistake?! And what's the big deal over the past nine years?! Wasn't he a good provider? It wasn't as if he just forgot. He forgot because he was busy working for the family!"

"The wife," The Pastor of Bu & G continued, "on the other hand was thinking, this marriage is obviously not important to my fool of a husband. For 9 years, he forgot about our anniversary. How could one forget something as important as that?! When the fool finally remembered, he got me a happy birthday card! Now he tells me I'm making a big deal out of nothing! How can he not understand why I am this hurt?! How dare he not understand why I am this hurt!"

"That, in a nutshell," The Pastor of Bu & G smiled, "is how they found themselves before me."

"Bu & G, the daily grind of marriage is not easy. Even as I told this story, half the room was nodding when I read the point of view of the husband. 'Correct!', all the men seem to be thinking, quite possibly because it's a story that they themselves have lived through at one point in their lives--in one form or another. The other half nodded as I read the point of view of the wife. The women quite obviously understood where she was coming from and thought she was well within her right to feel the way she did."

"Yes, marriage is not easy, but the formula for making it work can always be found in the bible. Use it. Refer to it. If I were to summarize the formula for a happy marriage, however, I would say it can be found in two biblical directives: Husband, love your wife. Wife, respect your husband. Note that it is not said the other way around. The bible does not say 'Husband, respect your wife. Wife, love your husband.' There is a reason for it."

"Women don't need to be told to love. It's in their DNA. They are wired to love. And so it comes naturally to them to take care of their sick even if it means staying up 48 hours or more straight. It comes naturally to them to lend an ear, a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on. It comes naturally to them to pay attention to the little things that add up to their version of the full manifestation of love."

"Men, on the other hand, don't need to be told to respect. Men generally place a premium on "status", on being looked up to, on being recognized. Consequently, the 'respect' he earns from the people around him is important, and he will defend the right to keep it at all cost. Despite all their bravado, the male ego is a delicate thing. When he feels his efforts have been belittled, you can be sure he will lash back with everything he's got."

"Women are not wired to put a premium on respect. Their loving nature, in fact, oftentimes makes it easy for them to put themselves last. On the other hand, men are not wired to pay attention to the little things that are 'supposed' to matter. Yes, good or bad, we think only the big things make a difference."

"Husband, love your wife. Wife, respect your husband,' is therefore a reminder for both husband and wife to go beyond what comes naturally to them in order to consider and nourish the fundamental and basic need of their spouse. Doing so will not be easy," The Pastor of Bu & G guaranteed, "There will be times the husband will be supremely intolerable; there will be times when the wife will be humongously unloveable. In those times, remember these two sentences: 'Husband, love your wife. Wife, respect your husband.' Do so especially during the most difficult of times, and you would have found a sure-fire formula for a happy and long-lasting marriage."

There is another portion of the Christian wedding ceremony that is fundamentally different from the candle ceremony of a Catholic wedding. In a Catholic wedding, the candle sponsors light the two individual candles and the couple takes light from these two separate candles to light the unity candle. For the record, it is among my favorite part of the Catholic wedding and I think it is a beautiful symbol of the union of two lives melding into one in Christ. =)

When Bu & G's candle sponsors stood up to light what I thought was the unity candle, however, I thought a gigantic booboo had occured. "Oh, no! They lit the unity candle," I panicked. The reason for it became apparent soon after.

Bu & G each took their separate candles.

"Take your light from Christ, from God to whom your marriage has been consecrated," The Pastor commanded as Bu and G lit each of their candles from the One Candle that was already glowing."

"G, be the light that will guide your marriage through the rough times. Be the light from which Bu will rekindle her own, in times when her candle is put out by the harsh realities of life," The Pastor said as Bu blew her candle out and re-lit it using G's candle.

"Bu, be the light that will guide your marriage through the rough times. Be the light from which G will rekindle his own, in times when his own candle is put out by the harsh realities of life," The Pastor similarly commanded Bu as G blew out his candle only to re-lit it using Bu's burning flame.

"There will be times when both of you will find that you have no strength left, no will to move on; times when everything would seem to be cloaked in darkness," The Pastor admonished as both Bu and G blew their candles out.

"In those times," he continued as Bu and G both re-lit their candles from the One Candle that remained glowing, "hold on tightly to one another. Live in absolute faith and remember to look to the One Light, the Light of Christ who guides and sustains us all."

***************************************************************

What a beautiful, meaningful ceremony! Congratulations, Bu & G not just on the wedding, but on your new and beautiful life together! =)

The text of the Pastor's sermon may have been placed in quotations, but this is more for dramatic effect (aside from it being my minor attempt at authenticity. Haha. =)) I, of course, only paraphrased based on how I remembered what The Pastor of Bu & G said. You can be sure, however, that the gist and the spirit were retained. =)

In any case, to my remaining single friends, may you find someone to hold a light out for you in dark times (which is not necessarily a spouse because most of them are happily single, haha!).

To my married friends, may this be as helpful to you. Among Christians, they refer to the one person God intended for you (which is presupposed to be the person you married) as GOD'S BEST. Here's my continued wish for all of us to keep our marriages alive, basking in the glow of The One Light who guides and sustains us all. Happy nth anniversary, everyone! =)

CRAB MENTALITY / DECEMBER 3,2007

Man, I’m so behind in my blogging! Shoot. I should have written about this a month ago, but between the Christmas rush and the Marketing Plan presentations, I quite simply ran out of time. =(

In any case, good things must be brought to light. Haha! ‘D

It must be said that one of my favorite restaurants in the world is the original Red Crab & Steaks restaurant in Clark Field, Pampanga. A trip to the Mimosa Estates (mostly for business conferences) would not be complete without getting my fill of their chicharon bulaklak (the best ever!) and their assortment of crab dishes. Depending on the weather, Chiqui (Red Crab’s gracious host and owner) would arrange tents on the soccer field in front of the restaurant, and set up her delicious two-way buffet on one side. The buffet usually includes bottomless chicharong bulaklak (yes! pure cardiac delight, haha =)), ensaladang mangga, calamares, all sorts of crab recipes, etc., etc,, etc! On the other side, she would set up the roasting pit with the lechong baka slowly rotating and cooking over a bed of live coals . It’s quite an experience especially when a not-so-rare (at least in Clark) summer breeze cools the guests. Yes, very few dining experiences could surpass such a feast under a canopy of stars. =)

Sadly, its Manila-based branches (especially the Seafood Club in Greenbelt) have failed to live up to my five-star, two-thumbs-up experience in Clark.

All, that is, until CLAW DADDY came along. Yey! ^_^

Claw Daddy recently opened in Bonifacio High Street. Both stressed out, the Hubby and I—on a particular night when he picked me up from work—decided to de-stress by going to a restaurant we haven’t gone to before. I felt like eating crabs, having passed by Claw Daddy earlier that day on my way to I-now-forgot-where. Thankfully, it did not take much to convince Hubby S. Yey! =D

Unfortunately, when we got there, he was adamant about having the Singaporean Chili Crab while I was adamant about having the Black Pepper Crab. Haha! Patay. =) (For those who may be wondering, yes, the house specialty Crab Maritess is also available, but I really didn’t feel like butter and garlic that night. =))

The waiter looked at us with amusement and volunteered, “OK lang po. Maliit naman yung crabs ngayon.” That was all Hubby Sweet needed to hear! He was—at that time—telling me that he is quite capable of finishing an entire crab all by himself. I was, of course, challenging him. Haha! O, sya, sya.

Maliit pala ha! When the crabs arrived, I immediately realized why they call the place Claw Daddy. Susko! No words could aptly describe it. See the CRAB CLAW pic na lang. Hala! Hahaha! ^_^ (Thought balloon: “Hala! Crab ang baon naming buong linggo!” HAHAHA!!! ‘D)

In the Singaporean Chili Crab vs. Black Pepper Crab arena: although the Black Pepper Crab rated high on my personal yum scale, the Singaporean Chili Crab, admittedly, beat it claws down! Haha. =)

I still say feel free to try both if you have a group of at least four with you, but if you’re only a party of two and you were forced to choose--the crabs, after all, don’t come cheap-- go for the Singaporean version. Tasting it conjured memories of a past Chili Crab dinner in Newton Circus’ Hawkers Center with my other super-friend Ade. (I’m 4’10-1/2"; yes, the 1/2" counts, haha! 'D Ade is a good head smaller than me. Yet, on that particular dinner, we wolfed down two servings of Hainanese Chicken Rice and licked the sauce off our fingers as we finished off a gigantic crab cooked in a sweet-spicy Chili paste. Let’s not even talk about what we did with the Ice Kacang! Haha! ‘P The Singaporeans walking past us would inevitably stop and stare, obviously amazed at how two “little girls” could finish off such a super-sized meal! Hahaha! ‘D)

Did I digress? Haha! ‘D

Sorry, back to Claw Daddy!

Yes, their Singaporean Chili Crab is pretty authentic-tasting. In hindsight, I should have gotten a rib or steak dish to complement it instead of my BP Crab. Oh, well. Next time! =)

We spent P3,600 that night (WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!). Admittedly, the check would have been more manageable if there were more people in our party. Yup, I suppose Claw Daddy is that kind of place. Its rating on the value-for-money meter increases proportionately with the number of people eating. (Now why do I get the feeling I ought to define a ceiling? Haha. =))

Hubby Sweet and I consoled ourselves with the idea that we each got to take home half of our crabs with us. The Singaporean Chili Crab I ate for dinner the following night (since the Hubby was out with a business associate from Singapore). The Black Pepper Crab, I transformed into a "very expensive" crab omelette the day after. Hahaha! =D

****************************************************************************
TIPS!

Don’t bother ordering appetizers when you go to Claw Daddy. They will give you corn on the cob on the house while waiting for your crabs to cook. =) Considering the size of the main dish, it would also be better for you to save all the space you’ve got for the real thing instead of filling it up with salad greens. Haha! The bad news is that since Claw Daddy is “American-themed”, Chicharong Bulaklak is NOT found on its appetizer list. Waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!! That particular detail broke Hubby Sweet’s heart. Come to think of it, it also broke mine. Haha! =D I do hope they can make it available at Claw Daddy--even if it were only on a “by request basis”. =)

Claw Daddy is also blogger-friendly. I at least did not get weird stares when I started taking pictures of my food before eating them. Haha! The waiter actually smiled at me when I did so. I suppose he has encountered bloggers before. =) After our meal, we received a complementary carrot cake. I suppose it was an “advance thank you” in case we decided to write about the place in our blog, since the waiter made chika that a lot of the visits that they get are initially driven by some blog that their customers read. Yahoo! ‘Twas moist and not too sweet. I loved the cream cheese icing. Hubby Sweet finished it off. =)

Truth be told though, they didn’t need to give me the carrot cake to right this blog. Even without it, Claw Daddy is now on the list of restaurants I will definitely go back to over and over and over again! =D

CHRISTMAS BREAK =) / DECEMBER 14,2007

There’s something about eating alone in relative silence amidst shelves and shelves of books. I took the opportunity to do so after going through the maddening crowd in Market! Market! in search of a last-minute bridal shower gift for my friend, Bu.

Walking back to the office, I decided to stop by Serendra’s tiny neighborhood book shop (no, not the humongous Fully Booked Flagship store; that is on Bonifacio High Street =)). I browsed through the shelves in search for a perfect gift for sis-in-law Momsy, and for friends Nikolodeon and Cheffy. Trying to make the most out of what precious little time I had to do this last-minute Bridal Shower and Christmas shopping, I pre-ordered my lunch at the in-house café.

Grilled Cheese Panini
Chips with Aioli
Ice-cold Coke Light

Perfect! ^_^

As my gifts were being wrapped, I took the chance to eat leisurely and to just sit back to people-watch. There’s something relaxing about just watching people come and go (some alone, rushing off to some place with their Christmas shopping loot; others in groups, laughing merrily as they rushed to meet their other friends who were already waiting for them in some of the outdoor cafes). It’s something I haven’t really done in a really long while, although it’s something I really wish I can do more often. Hay….=)

I originally meant for this to be a Merry Christmas post, but I am—once again—delayed. Ngyah. =)

So anyway, Belated Merry Christmas everyone and here’s my wish for another year filled with pleasant surprises!

May God be with all of us. =)