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26.1.05

I'm back, so who cares?:)

I have a friend named Manila. She was named after the place where she was born, so she won't forget where she came from. Good thing she wasn't born in _______(insert any embarrasing locale name here).

Anyways, she's the first one to link me up to her blog site, thus I'm one click closer to blogger civilization.

And she told me it's been months since I've updated. It's been a year actually if you'll take advantage of the new year disparity round january ("We haven't seen each other in a year! When was it? Dec 31?")

actually I've been typing out entries in my PC.

so here is the start of the deluge...

25.1.05

Chicken and Wine

Jo and I ate at Max’s Restaurant at Quezon Ave. a little while. We decided on ordering their Pancit Canton, rather than their Pinakbet, which was our perennial healthy dish in the midst of all the chicken being served there. It was good, too good in fact, that it makes me think there’s something artificial about it. While eating, a group sat beside us. They were behind me so Jo was the only one who can see them. But the voice of the Foreigner in the group was so loud I really didn’t need any visuals anymore. The foreigner was heckling the waiter on why there wasn’t any wine in the menu. “Don’t you use any wine in your cooking?” He asked. When he couldn’t get anything out of the waiter, he resigned himself and ordered a San Mig beer. “Guess I have to be in me good manners tonight then.” I jotted on the napkin, asking Jo if he was with a small beautiful pinay. More than that, she wrote back. He was with what looks like her Mom.

So who was he with? One can only guess to the limits of assumption and one’s personal life. Jo hoped he was with the mom as he was near her age rather than the daughter.

He went on rambling things about London, his chest hair and about the wine again. Red wine in particular.

21.1.05

Happy Two Kings! (groan)

It was the first Sunday of the month, as well as the year. I guess you celebrate the feast of the three kings on the first Sunday of January since everybody who was in the know was greeting me. I got a text in celebration of the occasion and I must admit it was a funny one. It goes something like “let me be the first to greet you a happy two kings, as there are only two left after da king, Fernando Poe Jr. died.”

Mabenta siya. Better go find the fourth one then so they’ll be three again.

I accompanied my girlfriend in getting some groceries in Rustan’s Supermarket at Katipunan. Only a few people were there. She was complaining how vegetables’ prices have gone high, particularly the leafy ones. Thus, no vegetable salad for lunch. They didn’t even have calamansi. But they had a loaf of bread on the greeting cards section. Probably a new novel way of greeting in the line of “if somebody throws rocks at you, throw them bread” messages.

It was January two and I noticed Christmas as well as New Year’s Day commodities still remaining unsold. A pile of big cans of Dole fruit salad on the corner, stripped candy canes still hang in a stand, Keso De Bolas still occupy space in the dairy section, and sweetened hams still available in abundance in the cold cuts area.

Finished with the groceries,were walking along Dagohoy and we see loafs of bread still displayed in front of a house. That imagery, loafs of bread piled in stacks, the kind that are impromptu made for the yuletide season to make a quick buck and are much widely known as “tasty,” triggered memories I’ve associated with the holiday season, nagging me to write this entry.

I was in tagig during new years day. While riding a jeep to bicutan with Reynaldo to visit Manley, we passed by buko seller stalls, closed for the day, no coconuts to be seen, what they had instead were the husks of those they’ve sold for Media Noche. They were piled up so high, the morbid in me couldn’t help comparing it to the piles of skulls from Cambodia’s Killing Fields massacres.

We cooked grilled tilapia for lunch by the way. They didn’t have any calamansi at Rustan’s so I head out to the nearest sari-sari store. They had calamansi for one peso a pop. A small pop mind you. But it was something we needed so I just didn’t made them see me wince as I handed the bayad.

Tumataas na talaga ang lahat ng bilihin. Pero like with everything, we still buy them “kasi kaylangan eh.”
--
In these times of low cut jeans and skirts, I wish for a day that I won’t unintentionally get to see women’s underwear. It is a privilege given wantonly, an opportunity spoon fed. Where have all the excitements gone?

I’d rather meet a woman and think “God, I wish I could see her underwear” rather than “Darn, I can see her undies. There goes one conversation piece I can’t use.”

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