I tried hard to think of how I would write my Thanksgiving entry, but nothing’s registering in my mind. No witty first paragraph. No flowery words. So here goes.
Nov 22 – I met Bry at Trinoma to give her the money for dog food. If I haven’t mentioned it yet, Bry is giving me a puppy. A mix of beagle-golden retriever-Siberian husky. I decided to get a girl, and named her Sophie. Cute, right? And it’s cool that she looks more like a husky so I’m all excited! Bry and I ate at Taco Bell, where I haven’t gone to for a while now. I got potato tots, a taco and something very close to a quesadilla. Well, I forget what it’s called.
After Bry left, I proceeded to watch Breaking Dawn Part 2. At the risk of sounding like a super fan, which I was before watching Part 1 (because it disappointed me), the movie was the bomb. The ending was the best ending out of the four books, of course. I have always imagined how the meeting with the Volturi will look like. There were a few exceptions, like the exclusion of Maggie’s special powers, but the other “friends” were perfect. Kate, Garrett (Lee Pace who looked so different from his pie-maker role in Pushing Daisies), Zafrina and Benjamin were my favorites. At the end of the day, I can say that I will never hesitate to watch Part 2 over and over again. But not at the level of Mean Girls, though.
Nov 23 – Laine and I went back to Marcia Adams. Too bad we were not able to buy tarts from Rowena’s, but I am such a fan of the place now. Okay, here goes.
Marcia Adams is not publicized like other establishments. Days before we went, I had to email the place and the owner, Neil Adams, was kind enough to send a pdf file for directions. Just to make sure we don’t get lost, I used my phone’s GPS tracker, which is soooo amazing, to say the least. Anyway, we got there just 10 minutes late from our expected time of arrival, but we were still accommodated (Point 1).
Laine and I tried different items from the menu. Hers: soup of the day, octopus stew and grilled orange with vanilla ice cream. Mine: amalfi prawns, Spanish bean stew and banana split. Octopus stew – no, it doesn’t taste like squid. Although the whole time, we were thinking of baby octopus floating on her plate. Grilled orange – best surprise of the day. ‘Nuff said. Amalfi prawns – divine. Just the right crisp, with lemon zest and with a biscuit. Spanish bean stew – I love the chorizo, so different from what we buy from our local palengke. Banana split – grilled banana with chocolate ice cream and drizzled with nutella. Who can complain? At less than 800 bucks each, we were treated to an amazing set of food. It was good that there were not a lot of diners that night because Laine was able to talk to Neil while we were waiting for dessert.
The owners did not want to put up signs because they wanted to know who really wanted to go to the place. Makes sense. Instead of going there without any clue of what you wanted, why not go there because you are really interested? So the owners are relying on word of mouth. And I tell you, you will spread the word when you try them.
That night went very well because of the company that I had. Laine has been a long-time friend and I’m glad that we’re catching up. It helps that she’s a Christian too, so we talked about our faith for a bit.
Nov 24 – The family and I went to a Christening of my cousin’s other cousin (from the other side). We ate at Tramway and we ate a lot! I remember going back for their sweet and sour pork and buchi. Yum! I was just glad to see one of my nieces that I don’t get to see a lot. My cousins have got to get their affairs in order. Lol. My tita and I went home right away because no one was at home. A few hours later, I went to SM San Lazaro to finally give the Starbucks tumbler that one of my Path friends asked me to buy when I was in Baguio. I also took the time to look at cabinets that I’ll buy for my room. What I found were in the range of P2,500-P3,700 so I just need to stretch my target savings a bit again. At least I’m not wasting money on vices, right?
Nov 25 – This started out like any normal day. Went to church. No peeps from the VG were at the 10am service so I ate alone at Katsu Café. Hmmm. I liked Katsu Café because it was not crowded that Sunday aftie. The place was big sesame seeds because I had to grind black and white sesame seeds that I could mix with the sauce for my tonkatsu. I have to beat myself in the head for not getting katsudon. It would’ve been a great experience if the service folks advised me what to do with the sesame seeds; I guess they assumed I have gone there before. For P195 I had two slices of tonkatsu, with unlimited rice and a coleslaw, I guess that had hints of guess what, sesame seeds. The pork slices were kinda on the thinner side, but their sauce, combined with the ground sesame seeds, was great. I don’t think I’ll come back again soon. But it can be an alternative when I’ve gone tired of KFC, Peanut Butter Co, Mom and Tina’s, Ken Afford and other places along Katips.
During the small group session, I was pondering on whether I should go to the ganap that the Absolut folks planned for the lights and sounds show at the Ayala Triangle. I had a light bulb moment and ended up going. In the past weeks, during my quiet time, I read in Proverbs that I should not associate myself with fools; but it also says that I should “walk with the wise to become wise.” In that moment, I realized that excluding myself from my Absolut friends goes against the principle of fellowship. Maybe I can go with them but I have to be strong not to participate in anything that will remind me of my past. And I did. After the small group, I went to Megamall to meet up with Frankie and we went straight to Makati.
I had fun with them. I remembered how nice it was to hang out with them. Nevermind hanging out at McDo, Amici and McDo again that night. The highlight of the night wasn’t even the lights show. I felt lighter knowing that I can be this new person but still be with old friends. All I had to do was to not indulge in anything that would make me backslide. And it’s good that they’re respectful enough not to push me too hard. There were occasional jeers, but they didn’t dwell on it. Maybe soon, one or two will decide to walk with Him again. And that’s one thing I’ll pray for.
So all in all, I had a very great weekend. What am I thankful for? Aside from my family and my career, it’s good to be surrounded by people/friends that remind me how lucky I am. Bry and Laine have been my friends through the years and I’m glad that they are both on the same path as I am. The Absolut peeps have never failed to make me feel loved. Even though I have left them for some time, they still remained open and welcoming. And even though I may have changed my preference (one less kaagaw, as Frankie said), I felt no judgment and never heard anyone try to sway me back.
I pray Father, for all the people that You surrounded me with. I pray for their health and success through the years. I pray that You will be able to work on them the way You made me a witness of Your grace. Thank You for always making me feel loved, by You, and Your other creations. I pray for that one day when everyone realizes how good life is when You are at its center. I also pray for everyone’s awareness that above being a Father and our Savior, You are our Lord. I am sorry for all the sins I have committed against You, because You have put them all aside and welcomed me with open arms. And I know that You will do this to anyone else who decide to be Your children and Your servant. Please continue to bless me through my family and friends. I pray that one day, I will be able to wake up in a world where everyone turns a deaf ear on the temptations of the enemy. I lift everything to You, in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
I went back to Marcia Adams with Laine. Another mahjongera down. This time it was me.
