Reunion With Friends

Dear Me,

I was never able to post my New Year's Resolution here but I had them mentally imprinted. I only had five.

One of those resolutions is to keep in touch with my friends - whether they are long, lost friends, old chums from way back, new acquaintances who are worthy to be friends with.

Meeting them individually was difficult. It was hard squeezing dates in an already packed schedule. But I was able to do it and I had a great time. Everybody did. =)

____________________

Late January, papi and I headed to Robinson's Place Manila to meet some friends of mine. Since we were kinda early and she was sort of late (hehehe), papi and I wandered around the mall - flipped through books and magazines at National Bookstore and the book/magazine stalls near the Faura entrance, checked sportshops, observed people buying colorful and interesting pillows of various shapes and sizes in one of the stalls from the 2nd floor, commented about the people going up and down the escalator... Well, we got bored and ... hungry. Hehehe.


Since we had fun food-tripping at BreadTalk in Singapore, I guessed it was the reason why we found ourselves joining the throng of people inside this delectable, mouth-watering bread shop armed with a tray and tongs. Papi and I were at a loss what bread to choose since all of them were so inviting. I was almost tempted to touch them. Hehehe.

We decided to pick three (3) since we would be having dinner later. We had D'Dutch, Bino-Q and Tuna Cheese Puff (I love anything tuna). Goodness. Everything was so yummy.

Papi and I just noticed some differences between BreadTalk in Singapore and the one here in Robinson's Place Mall. Unlike in Singapore, the franchise here in Robinson's does not allow anyone to take photos of anything. In short, no camera at all. In Singapore, no one bothered to stop me whether I took shots of the people dining inside, the bread and cakes, the kitchen, the process of baking-the-bread-on-site. In fact, the crew were all smiling at me. =)

Another difference was that BreadTalk Robinson's bread collection were kinda small compared to that of Singapore's. Also, we noticed the difference in the appearance of Mt. Fuji (bread). The one we have here looked far more different than that of SG.

Still another difference was the size of the dining area. SG's was bigger while the one here was too small. Too congested, in fact. We had to rush to a table since someone was also eyeing it, too.

Anyway, the last 2 differences could be attributed to the following factors: geographical location (Philippines vs Singapore), size of the franchise area (allocated size of the breadshop in the mall), taste and culture (one bread cannot be found in the other for the reason that Filipinos may not find that particular bread tempting enough which may be different to Singaporean taste buds).

Anyway, it was a gratifying food-tripping experience. I just hope that BreadTalk in Glorietta will have a dining area soon.

____________________

My friend, Jeni was still nowhere to be seen. Papi and I decided to visit Paeng's Midtown Bowl (still inside the mall). He said he wanted to check it out. It had been quite a while since we played bowling. He suggested why not meet my friend here since we didn't know what time she would be arriving.

When Papi finally decided to play, Jeni came. Hehehe. Finally.

Jeni has been a good friend of mine way back from my college days at UP Manila. We met when I first joined the university's volunteer organization,Ugnayan ng Pahinungod. We were part of many volunteer programs but it was under the StreetKids Program that we got closer, not only as volunteers but as bosom buddies as well. We were never blockmates for we never took the same course; I took up Development Studies (pre-law) while she took up Area Studies. Outside Pahinungod, our friendship grew. In between subject breaks and hook-ups at our 'tambayan' with other volts, we found out that we were almost alike in a lot of ways. Even our drama in our personal lives were the same. Hehehe.

Oh, you know what it is like when you see someone you haven't seen for a long, long time. It was an endless chatter and laughter. We talked about the good, old days, family lives and obligations, work stuff, other responsibilities, lovelives (of course), future plans. It went on and on.

It was quick but very worth it.

A thought came to me that sometimes, not seeing the people you value in life everyday is good. The lack of information about each other brings the best fun in the hook-ups.

Jeni, thanks for seeing me. =)

Papi has always been supportive and he knew that Jeni and I rarely met since we left the university. So while Jeni and I raved and ranted about each other's lives, he played bowling. He played two (2) games and got the following scores, 148 and 182. Not bad enough. Hehehe.

Thanks Papi. You're one cool guy. =)

____________________

After meeting Jeni, Papi and I headed to Baywalk to meet my old buddies from high school. As usual, they were late.

I suddenly felt a dislike in the dark, party-like ambiance of Baywalk. I told my boyfriend that we better head back to the mall and wait for them there.

When we arrived at the mall, I already saw Uriah waiting at the steps alone.

We searched the mall where we could dine and wait for Levi. It was a toss between a cafe or a resto. My craving for pizza sealed the deal. We went to Shakey's.

It was past 8pm and my stomach was screaming for dinner already. We ordered pizza and platters of mojos (didn't I mention before I love potatoes?). While helping ourselves, Levi arrived.

These two, Uriah and Levi are my bestest peers from high school. Actually, Levi and I go way back our kinder days. It was in elementary that we became forever pals together with other peers. Then, our so-called barkada grew bigger when we were in high school. That was when Uriah joined us.

Anyway, it was such a great time that our laughters and jokes could be heard by the other diners from the tables surrounding us. Levi was what you could call in Tagalog "walang kakupas-kupas." Translation: His funny persona was nowhere far from fading into the light from the time you knew him till now. Still deadly hilarious as ever. When you're with this guy (gay pala), you have to hold the edge of your seat the moment he opens that big mouth of his. Hehehe.

Uriah, on the other hand, is still the same talkative (like yours truly) girl back in high school. If you only see her and Levi punching each other, you will think that they share something "ehem." But no. Both of them are tied up with their own lovelives - Uriah with her man (I forgot his name because I have not met him yet) and Levi with his (or her) fafa.

So, who is that someone from high school who chased someone again with a broom? Hahaha.

After the pizza dinner, Levi invited us to play billiards somewhere in the Malate area. Papi and Levi played the stick together while Uriah and I sat in one of the stools and continued the chatter.

I only wished then that the rest of the group could have joined us - Dante, Frelud, Jocelyn, Ligi, Acerlene, Grace, Vanessa.