Date Night: “400”

Boz is out of town (sosyal! aka Bacolod with my mom). I asked the Hubby to take me out on a moviedate. He checked his wallet and told me that he only had P400.00 left until payday (which is Friday). 400 is okay, I guess. We've done far more inexpensive dates in the past so I think 400 will do.

Since we planned to watch 300, our date was going to be 300 + food = 400! Cool!

Food is like a must in the history of my relationship with the hubby. We're both hearty eaters and we always make sure that each occasion is celebrated with some gastronomical indulgence. And this moviedate is going to be that, the occasion? time-off from our toddler. And so, I spent the whole of yesterday’s afternoon thinking of where we will be eating before we go to the movie. It has to be dinner because obviousy, hubby won't settle for anything less. So I shortlisted my dinner choices to the following:

1. Barbecue after dark at the Valeria strip. We've had our share of dates in this side of the city where barbeque kiosks are being put up at night. They serve pork and chicken barbecue at very affordable prices. But you have to look after your own where health is concerned. Fresh water for hand-washing comes from these black gallon containers, which, I guess do not get any washing at all. Tables and chairs get the occasional wiping with the use of a washcloth which screams filth from the lack of proper laundrying. There are no toilets around save for these foldable, booklet type structures that are place near the drainage so the pee goes directly down the drain. But in fairness, the food is great. You just have to be able to detach yourself from all these health hazards for you to enjoy your meal.

2. Budget meal at Kublai Khan's. Miki usually goes for the eat-all-you-can while I go for the one-time-fill bowl. But since our budget for the whole movie date is only 400 and meals will have to be kept at 250 max, we will have to make do with their value meal rice toppings and noodles. I haven't tried any of it yet but I am open to explore.

3. Value meals at KFC. If we're on a budget and we want to eat hearty meals, we always settle for KFC. It's chicken! in different forms. I would go for their arroz caldo and perhaps a gogo Caesar. Miki, hmmm, I think he would go for a chicken meal and spaghetti. Upsize the drink to be shared by two (“,).

4. Good chow at Chowking. Daming choices so they say. Knowing Miki, I'd envision our order would be pork siomai, crispy noodles or lomi, one large rice toppings for him and one medium rice toppings for me. And one large drink to be shared by two (“,)

5. Hongkong Kitchen! Yummy yummy food! Certainly way beyond our budget but I‘d like to talk about it anyway. I think I will order fish fillet with garlic, fookien fried rice and nori siomai. Miki would go with my choice and will order house tea and another dish perhaps.

6. Asian cuisine at Wok's Kitchen. Food is not as tasty as Hongkong Kitchen’s but sure worth it. From experience, we were able to feed 5 people for only P700.00! If ever we will choose this as our destination for the night, we’ll sure be ordering hot and sour soup, yang chow friend rice, fried dumpling and another dish to go with it.

I was busy populating my list of food choices when Miki called and asked my opinion about dining out and watching a movie at home. Not 300 though but Apocalypto instead. And so it’s not going to be 300 + food = 400 afterall but food + more food = 400! Better!

And so this is how our date went: We went straight to SM Delgado buy some house stuff, visit Globe to make a follow up on the arrival of his W800i via Globe’s loyalty rewards promo. Then, the decision on where to finally eat.

“Valeria?” I asked.

“Ka-cheap man sa imo man.”

We we’re not going to Robinsons’ so choices 2 to 4 were out.

Hence, Wok’s Kitchen – fried dumpling, hot and sour soup, squid with tofu, yang chow fried rice and house tea! And we only had to pay P330 for everything! 70 pesos savings which we could have splurged on coffee but decided not to.

We were home by 7:30pm so we still had time to freshen up, watch Miki’s favorite soap – Maging Sino Ka Man and then movie night. Miki cued Apocalypto on the DVD. The first 30 minutes we watched on the DVD player and the rest in the computer, some technical problem with the burning process, Miki said. My take on the movie? It’s gory, barbaric, and heartbreaking for mothers like me. I just don’t have the heart to watch children being casualties of brutality. But it is history and there’s no rewriting it. I’m just glad that I didn’t live during that age, I would have been the first to die if not to first to kill defending my brood. I fell asleep actually, after the first 45 minutes of the movie and woke up when the action was already building up. All in all the movie left me with a headache and some difficulty sleeping. But I didn’t mind really, it was a well spent P330.00, the P70.00 savings will go to next month’s date fund. Hmmm, P470.00. I think we’ll go for the big screen next time!

May SM na sa Bacolod!

My SM Experience

After almost twenty years of waiting, Bacolod is getting a taste of what its Ilonggo counterparts call the SM Experience. I remember during the 80s when Tatay was still working at Pepsi - Iloilo . Nanay would take me along to visit him. Each trip would start with a two-hour boat ride on board the Don Vicente, the Santa Maria or the Princess of Negros. Upon arrival, we would go to Ted's La Paz Batchoy at Delgado Street and then.... SM! We would leave our hefty bags at the package counter and move around the airconditioned space and choose from the wide assortment of goods. By the end of the day we would find ourselves with bagful of clothes and even grocery items to bring back home to Bacolod .

SM was like the ultimate department store to go to celebrate, to shop for good buys or even just to spend the time. SM was in every milestone in my life, actually! During my high school graduation when my parents arranged for us to go to Cebu . We went to the Taoist Temple , the Opon Shrine, the Basilica, a few other places and of course…. SM. During my college days, when Nanay would come to Iloilo to give me my allowance, SM was the most convenient meeting place. During the days when Miki and I were still dating, there was Sbarro, Shakey’s and the Food Court at SM. My college buddies and I filled two grocery carts with just about anything from the shelves and left the grocery all for the fun of it. Field trips to Cebu and Manila were never complete without a trip to SM. When I graduated from college, my relatives came by to attend my graduation and visit SM. When Tatay was accepted for a job abroad Nanay and I hopped on the next bus to Cebu to say our prayer of thanksgiving at the Basilica…. And go to SM. When I was processing Tatay’s death claim from his employer, I stayed with my relatives in Manila . I was able to go to SM Megamall, SM Makati and Savemore Marikina. When I was still working in Bacolod , I would visit Miki in Iloilo and spend the day at SM (SM City, this time!) and for all the times that my current work allowed me to travel to other places where there is an SM mall, I always found time to visit it. SM is like the Goldilocks of my life.

What they told me

Before the March 2 opening, everyone had a thing or two to say about the new SM. Some said that it was bigger than SM City Iloilo. Another said that the department store was bigger. Another said that it's bigger in floor area while another, in land area. One other claimed that it is second to Mall of Asia in terms of floor space. Now, I have been to the Mall of Asia and yes, it was big! Hmmm, iSM City Bacolod must be pretty big then!

What I saw
I finally got the chance to visit SM City Bacolod last March 9! It's located at the Reclamation Area and very conveniently situated near the pier and the plaza. At first glance, I saw the wide expanse of space that was devoted to the parking area. Then there was the two building blocks connected by an overpass. Hmmm, kind of reminds me of the old SM Delgado only 10 times bigger.

We entered through the west wing and made Ace Hardware our first stop. Then there was the carousel, the train stop, Watson's, Surplus shop, mall tenants and the grocery, which was more of a hypermart. I should say that it was just so wide my foot hurt just looking around for stuff to buy. Everything was a few steps away. 25 steps from the entrance to the fruit section, 25 steps to the weighing section, 50 steps to the wet section, a hundred and more steps to somewhere else.

After spending more than 10 minutes in queue. I was ready to go home. But then, we also wanted to visit the Department Store. And so we joined the pack to the escalator going up to the overpass. I would say that SM does not waste any space; it rented out the space in the overpass to food stalls and also to small tenants too! There were opticals, computer gadgets shops, salons, a children's playground and a lot more. People were lining up to try the sandwich at Plato Wraps and everybody was eating Snowpy Ice Cream.

At the North Wing was the department store and many more mall tenants. Unlike in Iloilo where SM is up to the 3rd level, here it's all in one floor so you basically get a good exercise moving from one section to another.

After the first trip
My first trip to SM Bacolod left me so so so tired. But the again, like the many Bacolodnons, I came back the next day and the next just for fun.

Let the Facts be Told
Turned out that what I've heard about how big SM City Bacolod was was so so not true! I surfed the net and got the facts straight from my reliable friend Wiki. Turns out, SM City Bacolod is NOT second to Mall of Asia in terms of floor area and land area. and it is NOT bigger that SM City Iloilo in terms of floor area and land area. I just wanted to let that out to dispel any illusions.

Check out some photos of our SM City Bacolod Experience.

Cool Slideshows

Walking Chronicles #1: Sight-seeing while Walking

I woke up early so I decided to go about with my walking routine (yudi ha! *giggles*). After a week, I’ve gotten the hang of it and pretty much enjoyed the morning breeze and the early morning activity in the plaza. There was the usual city cleaners tending the plants, some group of middle-aged guys who I presume are either from the PNP or from the army doing their morning jog and exercises. Manong Palaboy was already stretching out beside the table which served as his abode for the night. I missed Mr. Sleepyhead today, he’s the guy in tattered clothes who I always find sleeping by the alley of the used to be GSIS building. Hmmmmm, must have had a busy night last night.

There were the usual churchgoers who rush to catch the 6:00am mass. The PA system was rather loud this morning as I could hear the mass from the plaza. There was also this guy who I think was a former student of mine who usually pass by they plaza with his plastic bags of sangkap para sa lutong bahay (I think!). He was always quick to avoid eye-contact. Obviously, he didn’t want to be recognized.

Today, I saw this couple, the guy in muscle shirt and jogging gear and the lady in spaghetti tank, short shorts and slip-on sneakers which were so-so-not-for jogging. They are not regulars here at the plaza. The first time I passed by them, lady was doing her stretching while guy was jogging in place. During my next round, I pocketed my smile after seeing lady sitting comfortably on a bench watching guy jog in place while doing some quick jabs and punches ala Manny Pacquiao. So, that was what the extensive stretching was for!

At around 6:15am, I noticed a group of people already waiting in queue outside the NSO building. (Mental Note: Process Boz’s authenticated birth certificate.) By this time, I was already listening to the 5th song loaded in my MP3. Bamboo was literally shouting at my ears while verbalizing his cause in his latest single, Tatsulok. Which reminds me of a friend who expressed her disdain over the song’s theme. What the #@!! is he (Bamboo) trying to promote with this song? Anarchy? Well, I don’t like it either, I find the song bitin. It lacks what it takes to move someone to support his cause. Had it been a movie, I’d say it has a very superficial plot. Just not good enough for me. But then, I still downloaded the song and I still keep on listening to it. Don’t bother ask why because I myself don’t even know the answer. (Like I’ve told you a dozen times, I AM weird!)

7 songs and 10 rounds later, I decided to walk back home. The morning walk is doing me good, I guess. I’ve shaken-off my sleepy head and I have made a few mental notes of what to do for the day. I think I’ll do this again tomorrow.

i should know better

I know, I know, I should have not been thinking and feeling this way. But somewhere in my twisted mind, I have been harboring this enthusiasm over what it's like to be with someone and still enjoy your partner's company. a very bad thing, yes. but i'm twisted!

of course it's never going to happen as for a fact it's just me and me alone feeling this this over a nothing. and i also know that i should get over it soon before it gets into my nerves i go through another romi phase and a francis phase in my life. i will never forgive myself for that incident. and somehow, i will never get over it.

as kris aquino puts it, forgiveness is a process. and as far as there is air for me to breath, there is hope for one.

A History of Walking

I took up an old hobby from way back my boring days in Bacolod - I decided to start walking again... morning walks actually. The last time I was into it was when I was pretty much bored with my life as a college instructor and decided to preoccupy myself with some physical activities. My first option was the gym. I enrolled myself in a gym near the university. After the first session of aerobics class, I ditched the idea. Thirty minutes into the work-out, my head was spinning round and round and I was already having cold-sweats. Bad idea.

My second option was to go into swimming. Nature's Village, though close to home, was out because I couldn't do decent laps there without having to dread the 6 feet or so water level right in the middle of the pool. Yes, I know how to swim but after my swimming days in college, I developed this fear of drowning. Marapara was out for the same reason. And so the closest to home was Sta. Fe Resort for its bigger pool and 5 feet water level. I could opt to do laps lengthwise or crosswise without having to fear drowning there. But Sta. Fe was three rides from my house, 45 minutes tops. Bringing the car would just entail additional cost as they charge additonal entrance fee for vehicles. But I did go swimming there, anyhow... and yes, only once. Because it took me almost 45 minutes to go to the resort and I didn't even spend 30 minutes in the pool because I was already panting after 5 laps. Another bad idea.

The third option was jogging, aka brisk walking by my standards. In my first attempt, I took the highway route from Marapara Golf Club to Pepsi and back. I woke up as early as 5:30am and walked the whole two kilometers all by myself. Occasionally, I would bump into other joggers who trod the same path. I enjoyed it, actually, except for the free polluted air that came with the big trucks that pass me by. Some days, however, I didn't care to jog, other times, I walked an extra mile. Then one day I just stopped. Bad bad bad.

Then there was the early morning work-out show aired in the Lifestyle Network which provided easy to follow exercises even for heavy people like me. I looked forward to the work-outs for sometime. But then the show got cancelled, whatsoever and I was back to not having any physical activity again.

Fifth option for me was the Kickboxing work-out video which I bought for P150.00. Worked for sometime too until the tape got busted or so I recall. Sad sad sad.

Then one day, my mom told me she wants to do morning walks too. The request came while I was already enjoying my on-active lifestyle. I indulged her request and we walked the whole two kilometer route from Marapara Golf Club to Pepsi. It became a bonding moment for us. Sometimes my aunt who lives nearby would join us and we would catch up with each other's lives along the way.

During those times we passed by other joggers who told us about a group of morning walkers doing their morning walk at nearby cemetery. What seem to be a morbid thing provided a good venue for people to stay alive and healthy. We tried it out one day and we found out that there were in fact lots of people doing their early morning walks at the oval road circling the cemetery lots. The new route led to new relationships and new stories to tell.

I especially became fond of Uncle George (+) whose tombstone was located at the first curve of the oval road of the cemetery. I found his tombstone interesting because it included not only the usual name, birthdate, deathdate and dedication but also included his signature right above his name. Weird, by my standards, but eye-catching nonetheless. His is not the only one with a signature but I singled him out because his tomb, being at the curve provided us with a reason to slow down and catch out breath. Uncle George was about the same age as my dad so we call him that. Everyday, when we pass by his tomb I would greet him good morning, I'd tell him at least a story or two about what showbiz, politics or whatever was hot at the moment. It was as if he was even part of our family. During days when it was difficult to wake up in the morning, my mom would even tease me that if I will not jog, Uncle George would miss me. And so for mornings after my missing a walk, I would drop by Uncle George's tomb and say sorry. (Hahahahahhaha, weird family!)

The weirdest part of the Uncle George episode happened one All Saints' Day when we decided to drop by the cemetery (our dead was in a different cemetery) just to check if Uncle George's folks came by to visit him. It was already dark when we dropped by. There was a bit of traffic because of the volume of cars on the one-lane road. We slowed down by the curve and checked on Uncle George's. There was a feast of flowers and candles over his tomb and a few people. We had to speed off a little before we could indulge in our giggles because some family members, I surmise, were already taking notice of our car. Hahahahhahahahaha! I hope we didn't taint Uncle George's memory of him after that incident. The morning following that All Saints' day we teased Uncle George about him having many people who love and care for him and about the silly thing that we did.

Another interesting story from my walking days was this story about a guy who we called Mr. Please Release Me. First because he seemed to be a guy from the decade when the song was popularize and second because we always saw him with this girl in tow while walking. Please Release Me wore a very gold necklace with a very gold watch to match his usual walking attire of shorts, shirt and rubber shoes. He and his girl-in-tow would take the reverse of our route so we get to take a good look at him and his accessory (the girl that is, hahahahhaha!) each time our paths meet. They always held hands while walking. If not, Please Release Me's hand would be found dangling over the girl's shoulder. The grapevine has it that Please Release Me is very much a family man but not to this girl-in-tow. So perhaps the mornings walks were commencement activities to torridly animated nights (hahahhahahahha!). My mom and I would giggle each time we pass by them - two amorous people making most of borrowed time.

There were times though when the couple didn't look so happy. Other times, only Please Release Me did the morning walks. Until finally there was no more Please Release Me and his girl-in-tow. Could it have been that the relationship turned sour or was it a simple case of falling out of love? None of my business really. Hehehehhehehe, just being my curious self. MOnths later I would learn that Please Release Me was a security guard of a booking office for an island resorts in the province. The thing about his being a family man was true, and yes, not with the girl-in-tow.

Another story that I very well remember was about one lady jogger, let's just call her Helen, who was blatantly confronted by the wife of another jogger, Julio, after rumors of Julio having a thing for Helen. The rumor spurred from some kantyawan made by the boys in the group about Helen's husband (a certified Negro, btw) being out of the country and Julio's preference in women. Some loose-tongued jogger might have kidded about it with some people who might have passed on the word to Julio's wife. My mom and I didn't witness the actual confrontation but we were told that Julio's wife angrily made sugod at Helen's house and ranted about Helen having an affair with Julio. Helen switched to war-mode and countered all the allegations made by Julio's wife. There was no amorous relationship to start with, they were not even in talking terms except when with the group. The only reason why Julio drops by her house after the morning walks was because Helen's house was along the road right outside the cemetery and the group stops by her house to buy puto! And Julio never went there by himself, he was always with his walking buddies! Julio was so ashamed of what his wife did. Kasi naman, babaero kaya lahat pinagdududahan ng asawa! The wife should have not been that impulsive. She would have handled it better if she just did the morning walks with him. But Julio's history with women might have placed her in a very fragile situation. Oh well, she's a woman and she's entitled to defending her turf even from the wrong persons or for the wrong reasons. Hahahhahahaha!

My walking days had been fun. It provided me with the opportunity to know a side of my mom that I never saw before - the funny side, the side that a friend would enjoy. I learned a lot about the other people and the stuff that made their lives interesting. I also lost weight and looked better during those days *giggles*. But eventually I stopped walking after I lost interest. I just didn't feel like doing it anymore. It was a while before my mom gave up on me and moved on with the morning walks without me. She would update me once in a while about the people I met during my walking stint. Then I would sigh. I've reduced myself into a spectator of sorts of this inner circle of friends that grew in their relationships through time.

Fast track 4 years and I am where I am right now, heavier (hahahahhaha, more of fat really), happier (no more boring days for me) and more accepting of who I am. But I miss the walking days, the early morning breeze, the extra time to clear my thoughts before I start my day, the company of my mom and the people that I walk with, morning sunshine, feeling light. I miss the inner peace that walking does to my sometimes hay wired brain.

Yesterday was the start. 10 rounds in the plaza with Michael Buble singing in the background. It felt good! Although Miki told me to be careful because there had been mobbing incidents in the past, I felt a sense of security after seeing many other people taking their morning walks with me. I had time to organize my thoughts for the day and to recollect on past events. It was fun. The kind of fun that lingers the whole day. Perhaps, the walk did me good because I was able to do everything that I've planned for the day.

But I didn't go for a walk today. My justification? I have to write this blog! hahahhahahaha! what more to add to my twisted life decisions.

And tomorrow? I'll worry about that tomorrow.

Missing My Son

21 Feb 2007

I almost cried yesterday when Miki texted me that Boz cried because he misses me. I called home to talk to him but always it was brief. Just a one question one answer thing, then he turned the phone over to somebody else.

Hay... I see so much of me in my son. Never giving in to emotions, keeping it always in check.

Miss you Boz!