My reward for surviving hours of standing in queues, waiting at the doc’s and leeching two vials of precious blood.

Looks yummy and tastes yummy, too.

Lunch is something that all of us at work look forward to. The arguments that precede lunch are the antipasto.

I want to order from Sinangag.

Gaah! Another tapa and I will puke.

Pre, sa sizzling tayo.

No, KFC.

Ano ka ba? Chicken na naman.

Sizzling chicken tayo.

McDo na lang kaya.

Most of the time, we go together to the place of choice for that day, sometimes, we split groups and discover that we all end up in Mini Stop or the nearest McDonald’s.

Today, on a rainy Halloween day, we could not decide and then someone suggested Amici and so we all packed the already crowded Italian eatery.

It is a little pricey than your average carenderia but definitely cheaper than your usual Italian resto. I had the home-made spinach fusilli with sausage and funghi (mushrooms), brewed coffee and ta-da… cioccolato gelato. It’s a wonder how good food can obliterate bad mood and even migraine.

I walked happily under the rain with my ice cream cup back to my infernal desk.

P.S.
Amici is along Arnaiz Avenue, just under the skyway and is run by the Don Bosco order.

The gang went to this backyard carenderia after our swimming session last night. We ordered calamares, baked scallops, adobong pusit, tuna belly and crispy pata. After our first round of rice, we agreed to order another crispy pata.. we just couldn’t get enough of the crunchy skin and succulent red meat. Cebu has a lot of cheap places to eat that serve unusually delicious Filipino fare and Kusina ni Kuya J is one of those places. No, it tops the list. It’s my new favorite and I love the fact that I can eat with my hands. Hahaha! Little miss piglet, me.

After we filled our hungry tummies to content, we split the tab and call it a night. But we didn’t go home straight away. Vet took Jude and me to Tableya where to Vet’s slight annoyance, the place was crowded with college folks and an amateur band was playing.. but it didn’t turn us away. We picked a table farthest from the noisemakers and proceeded to raise our voice above the din. I didn’t get to request for a song though… I planned to but my bashfulness got the better of me.

Oh, the swimming skill… I am now able to get over the initial fear of deep waters. I have not brought the kickboard con floater to the pool for the last 3 sessions. Jude got me a goggle and a nose clip so am now able to glide across half of the pool width without water taking over my nasal cavity. In a nutshell, am progressing nicely even without an instructor.

Back to Tableya: we had chocolate ice cream mixed with chocolate milk, a shot of vodka and topped with shavings of local cocoa tablet or tableya — what could be a better nightcap than that?

I had a late lunch with my boss at Lemon Grass - a recently opened restaurant in Ayala. I had PAD THAI which was alright. No, let me take that back, it was actually delicious.

Pad Thai is Thai noodles with chicken topped with prawns and crunchy mongo sprout and I believe PEANUTS. I do not know what mongo sprout is in other countries. As I was halfway through my lunch, I got into thinking: how could people think of the weirdest food combination, PEANUTS and mongo sprout and yet come up with a great dish. Trust me to put this thought into action and yes, you can hear about the success and failure of my new venture. I feel like warning the rest of my housemates right now as I am feeling kind.

I have an Asian cookbook at home which has now gathered dust, so much dust that you could use it to dredge chicken for frying. I will be opening that book again and I feel like venturing beyond red and green curry and chili paste… galangal, nori and ebi.

Who knows I might get into the Guinness book for the most ingenious POISON.

It’s not really the coffee or the cute barista that flirst with all his customers. That’s the case for me anyway. It’s the pleasure of seeing people walking past you - the knowledge that you have the luxury to sit and watch them play their roles - harried shoppers, ambling lovers, sneaking couples, care-free little children, the single lady on a shopping-spree to mask her loneliness, the fat white american (tanned from hours on the beach), the silly teenagers trying out the products that only their earning parents can afford. It’s like watching a movie - unscripted and the actors are as surrealistic.

You couldn’t miss out the latest fashion trend while keeping your lips to the mug and your eyes all over the place. The hip looking and the fashion victims - individuals working hard at appearing cool while suffering from a wedgie. Yikes! That hurts. I never developed a fondness for thongs.

I also love the smell - mixed fragrances - food, coffee and the cheap perfumes, and also the expensive ones and the smell of leather, too.

And forget the book, that’s just a subterfuge. The truth is: I am out man watching.