CIBO and Ticket to Ride

Yesterday, I didn't report for work. I found it difficult to focus since I still thought of him a lot. I shouldn't but I couldn't help it. Downloading many of Ajahn Brahm's witty and humorous videos should help IF I found the time to listen to his lectures, especially on letting go and regaining peace. But then many things are in my mind these days and he should no longer be competing with these things. (For one, there's paper revision, then there are projects at the office to take care of, and then there are personal things I also need to address especially concerning our transfer to a new  house.)

So yesterday I went back to Makati. It's the third time this month that I took the MRT to go south. I was on a mini break to do errands. Since the places I need t o visit are near my former office place, I contacted my close friends for a quick meetup and maybe even lunch. It was nice to be around such people again. They have these day jobs, but they also live a very productive life outside of work. Most of them are musicians. One is even a recent Palanca awardee. A very close friend K is very good at art. Two I know to be good at sketching and drawing. I never felt like I was different although I was not really the creative type, but then I was a bit of everything, but mostly the nerdy one.

Being able to catch up with A and K2 was something I really hadn't planned carefully. It just so happened that I was visiting at a time when A was on her last day in the company. K was out of town. K2 was aloof as usual. Since A will be leaving the country today, I joined her in her last-minute shopping. Crazy girl as always. But she has guts and I like her for that. After my errands, I asked K2 is he was willing to accompany me for late lunch at Cibo since the resto was having a promo (today's the last day) that I wouldn't  want to pass up. Thankfully he said yes. I actually just wanted to have a long talk with him since he was one of the very few people who was with me when things went downhill last year. And he himself has issues of his own. So it really wasn't a surprise that we would have a  very long conversation given that we rarely chat and meet. I was a bit happy when he told me compared to last year I looked more relaxed. I told him I'm regaining my Buddhistic attitude in life, to detach and let go, and shared to him the outlook hoping he finds it beneficial, too.

pesto pasta. YUM! (and also because it's one of the cheapest in the menu... I am on a tight budget!!!)

K2's cake. yum yum

Then off to school only to find that our prof was not in. My HS friends and I agreed to run around UP since we all are complaining about our figures. (My arms are flabbier than ever that I feel like I have a  pair of batwings. Boo.) As alternative, I proposed that we go shoot some arrows instead since it's been 10 years since I last held a bow. And this archer definitely can profit from the activity to release all the pent up anger. But they arrived late. I eve finished doing three out of sixteen units of homework.

So we ended up at a games restaurant where we played Ticket to Ride Europe version plus several rounds of Exploding Kittens. I felt like a master after winning. I am already in love with the game. So now, I have this and Resistance as my favorite. Hoping to play more games.

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My dear college friend R and her friends (who are also my friends now, by extension) introduced me to the wonderful board game Ticket to Ride. The goal is to be able to complete the routes that you picked taking into consideration limited resources (train coach pieces) as well as the possibility that other players may need to place their train coaches on the same lines. It's a pretty cool strategy game but sad to say, I sucked when we played the US version. I guess I must be bringing my anti-US stance to the game. LOL. So when we shifted to Europe version, that's when I was able to shine. Or maybe it was sheer luck.

Today I went to the archery range to let go of arrows. I am in bad shape but I know I can improve. Also planned to fire some bullets but the shop was already closed. I will have to visit Cubao for that. Boo. :(

#RoadtoMovingOn (because he doesn't want to be in a relationship with me anyway, so what's the use of holding on?)

Biking and Bruce Lee Exhibit @ Hong Kong Heritage Museum 08292015

On the morning we planned to bike, it rained hard and I was afraid the plan will not push through. I've always wanted to bike, to feel the grounds while pedaling instead of walking and running, for a change. In my recent trip to Hong Kong I did just that but with rear bike trainers because I'm just a beginner and I'm not yet used to cycling and yet I biked some 20 km though not a traverse.

By the time we exited Sha Tin Wai Station, the rain had not yet stopped. We spent [read: wasted] time waiting for the rains to let up while engaging in conversation with the boys manning the bike rental shop across the MTR station. That plus a few arguments because they misunderstood us. I was already in a foul mood, mirroring the weather. So we all decided to visit the Hong Kong Heritage Museum first to check out the exhibits but I was sad to say that we didn't go around to see everything. There was a a temporary exhibit on Bruce Lee's life and we only came in for that. [Sad because there was also an exhibit in Chinese paintings but they were in a hurry to bike when the sun was out. #cries]

Photos were not allowed inside the gallery because it contained Bruce Lee's personal items on loan temporarily. While many of us know Bruce Lee as just one of the greatest kung fu artist in films, it should be noted that this man was also instrumental in making kung fu popular in the West. I have seen his academic records and he is pretty much an average student BUT he has an entrepreneurial mind with a clear vision. What I found interesting is that he is also a very insightful person with very little regards for anything shallow. He hates parties, the things that go with fame which separates him from his beloved wife and children many times, but his is a passion unsurpassed for his chosen field. That passion brought him to achieve the status of a legend for which he is known today.

Needless to say, his life provides much inspiration. Born in San Francisco, USA, he grew up and went to school in Hong Kong. He went back to the US to pursue his college studies and he met his wife Linda Emery there. What endears him to me and what I find common in us is that we both love reading, writing, and reflecting on things. He even wrote a poem "Walking along Lake Wash", incorporating many elements like the moon, the water, merging water and sky... common motifs I also use in my poems. Reading it, I felt like I should really read more about him as I might pick up a thing or two on how to also achieve my dreams. His is a philosophy that merges learnings from martial arts to everyday life. Also of note is his notebook, with clear legible handwriting in cursive form. Here he noted down cha-cha steps in a methodical way. 

After that quick museum visit, we proceeded with biking. Fresh air. I made sure to breathe very deeply because I seldom get a chance to have such fresh air. It also helps that we biked after the rain. And so we were treated to awesome city sights as we pedaled on the bike trail overlooking Shing Mun River.

heart-shaped rock art in Ma On Shan beach

stopover at the beach in Ma On Shan

where we had snacks of siomai and fish cakes

 Many times I would find myself almost falling over and I could feel my cousins being worried about me. I told them that I only bike around in circles in a very small area in UP. LOL. I do that without trainer wheels but well, its more manageable because I don't have to worry about cars and people. Here it was different. We crossed streets. We biked with other bikers. We had to be alert lest some overtaking jerks send us flying to the river. One thing I learned is to focus. Biking may just be the very thing  to help me work on getting a focused mind. Another thing is that a relaxed mind creates wonders. It helps that we passed by many picturesque views.

I LOVE reflection photos :)

one more reflection photo

 On the way back to my aunt's house, I could feel my butt hurting. It was my first time to bike that far. It was an awesome experience and one for the books [in my opinion LOL]. But I know that once I go back to Manila I will crave that pain, that I will certainly miss the tiredness, the sweat, the minor panic attacks, the adrenaline rush...

And my aunt, a very good cook, must knew how tired we were. We were treated to a sumptuous dinner of shrimps and  vegetables. YUM!!!

dinner after a tiring yet fun-filled day

Read: My Hong Kong 2015 in a nutshell
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I will have to thank IB for teaching me the basics of bicycling. And I hope that my other friends who promised to teach me how to bike will keep their promise. Except maybe they lose patience because I can be a scaredy cat sometimes. M invited me once to bike along NLEX and I had to decline her invitation because 1.) I don't have a bike 2.) I don't think I can bike that easily with cars moving on my side. @.@

I am so proud of my cousins for being such courageous bikers. I wish I could be like them... except I was so sheltered when I was young. #cries [This brings a resolve to never do the same to my children... But okay, I need a lover first. #criessomemore]

Guide for a Day 07142013

Last month, a group of around 30 Chinese students came to visit the Philippines and my sisters and I participated in touring them around. One of the stop was Luneta Park which now has undergone a major renovation. In my youth my parents used to bring us there on Sundays. When I was a bit older, I remember not liking the place much because the place stinks due to garbage being thrown indiscriminately, not to mention the place gaining a reputation as a hotspot for snatchers.

group picture taken by me

At the entrance to the Chinese Garden

fountain with lights

This reminds of the the linked coaches in The Bund, Shanghai

It amazed me how different Luneta Park is from what it used to be. My new-found Chinese friends commented at how beautiful Luneta Park is. I was just fighting the urge to tell them that Shanghai's Century Park is even more beautiful. We need to be proud of Philippine tourist spots, too. And given how impressed I was at the improvement, I just nodded my head in agreement.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines: one of my favorite places  in Metro Manila

After touring Luneta Park, we headed to SM MOA for a game of bowling and lunch at Mang Inasal afterwards. Just the day before I also had lunch at Mang Inasal somewhere in Laguna. On both days I consumed two and a half cups of rice. (I'm a growing kid!)

After lunch, we did a little shopping. My "babies" and I mostly window-shopped since they seem to be quite miserly, too, like me. I do hope they enjoyed being with me even though I was such a lousy mall guide. I made a mental note back then to at least somehow familiarize myself with fashion brands.

Then off to Eton Centris in Quezon City for a game of laser tag. I was so tired and sleepy by then that I passed on the chance to play the game. After that, my sisters and I had our spontaneous date there.

Derpy Saturdate 06292013

Last June 29, I had another Saturdate with a very close friend. We spent the whole morning at SM Bowling Center and played two games. Both of us are occasional players so on average we don't reach more than 100 points. I guess I still cannot accept the humiliating defeat I suffered which was witnessed by most of my officemates.

Okay, that was an exaggeration. I don't really mind the loss since getting into the finals was already a big honor. (But then again, there's this bitter feeling of not getting even a centavo as consolation prize...)

We're lucky to be playing beside a seemingly professional bowler with his training coach. We listened to the instructions and tips given which we tried to incorporate in our play but to no avail. We noobs really have to strike down the pins relying only on our own bowling styles. Derp! (To borrow my friend's favorite expression on FB.)

After two games with scores that can make any proud man blush, we went to Maginhawa for lunch. Our pick was Lord of the Wings since I have been craving for buffalo wings since... since uh, forever. My friend and I shared an order of garlic parmesan chicken wings (P175/ 6 pcs.) and I'd love to come back to try their other flavors.

Summer pasta (P150) It has tomatoes, basil, garlic, and dory fish fillet. 

I had a glass of raspberry mint drink (P99) which was good and which made me think of Redwall.

What my friend ordered: chicken cutler pasta which I loved.  (P175)

Of course, a trip to Maginhawa will never be complete without a stop at the neighborhood bookstore, Bookay-Ukay. My friend is a big fan of the store and she was able to buy a book by Neil Gaiman. I on the other hand, wanted some books but successfully controlled myself since I have storage problems to take care of first. That, and the fact that I need to save more to travel more. (And besides, I still have a LOT of wonderful books to read at home.)

Self-Date 01122013

Last week, feeling a bit sick of everyday routine and craving for some fresh cool air, I visited my beloved alma mater with a plan to catch a movie at UPFI at 10am. I arrived 30 minutes late, huffing and puffing from running, only to be disappointed because I was the only one who would be watching at that time and the staff decided to just show the movie at 1pm. I decided to just wait for that time and walked to the back of Bahay ng Alumni, intent on going to Shopping Center and later on to Noon Mass.

Then I saw many people wearing jersey uniform of different colors at the track and field oval. Curious, I stopped for a while and realized that there was a soccer tournament. I asked the girl beside me what was going on and she told me it was an inter-school tournament and that participating schools are med schools, including UP College of Medicine. And boy, was I surprised to find an ex-crush playing for UP there! So I guess he was one of the lucky ones to get into UP Med. I was happy for him.

Watching them play made me miss playing out in the field. I remember back in high school, I was already about to graduate when I was invited to join the soccer team and so I had not savored fully the joy of running against the wind chasing and kicking balls. With my hectic schedule though, I doubt if I will be able to play again soon.

15 minutes before noon, I walked away and headed to the Church of the Risen Lord. Sometimes I wonder why I enjoy more when going to mass alone. When mass ended, I went back to watching soccer then back to UPFI.

And arriving there, I learned that I was still the sole audience. I decided to buy my ticket anyway and told myself, this will be the first time I watch a movie all by myself in a huge theater. Another feather added to my hat LOL. But then again, knowing many ghost stories in UP made me feel scared. When the film started, with Santa Santita’s opening scene of saints with creepy background music, I decided I would leave the theater after 10 minutes IF nobody would come in. At that time, I berated myself for not doing a research first on what the movie is about. I certainly am NOT thrilled nor do I look forward to watching a horror movie all ALONE inside a big dark theater. No! My hear would faint in a matter of seconds.

It’s still a good thing that two women came in shortly and I was relieved. Still it felt lonely to be part of a three-person audience. And I would think again of how indie films fare oh so poorly because people apparently support those stupid but very popular romcoms and horror flicks.

The movie is partially a documentary of women who offer prayers to those very much in need in exchange for money. Angelica Panganiban plays the role of Malen, the daughter of a prayerwoman who cares only for money and does not believe in prayers. She is seen as a promiscuous, materialistic young woman who cannot even support herself. When her mother died, she assumed the role of prayerwoman just to earn money. When her prayers proved to be effective, she learned of her divine mission, was humbled and learned to serve other people with such devotion. This reminds me of Mary Magdalene, a prostitute whose life changed when she met Jesus.

After the movie, the two women approached me. I was happy to have had the chance to chat with them. The older woman was an avid traveler and she gave me lots of helpful tips, encouraging me to go out and see the world. Of course the thing is, I have financial concerns and cannot travel as much as I’d like to. (Though this year, I’m inclined to get the most of my post-acad life and enjoy as much as possible with my hard-earned money.)

I went back to the track and field oval, hoping to see another game before I go home. When I saw again my ex-crush and saw him walking towards where I was, I turned around and ran away, with The Corrs’ lyrics playing in my head “I will run away… I will run away with FROM you, coz I I’m falling in love with you…” Always the coward in matters of the heart. When will I ever learn? Though really, I am so over him now. It’s just that I wanted to save myself my awkward situations.