HK Day 3: Antok

Hindi ako makatulog last night. May nagiisip siguro sa’kin. Baka namimiss na ‘ko. Past 12 na ata ako nakatulog. Pinilit ko pa ‘yon ha. Buti nagising ulit ako sa alarm. Pero this time I made sure na si L na talaga yung madadial ko sa phone. Last time kasi nagkamali ako. Kaya pala hindi kami magkaintindihan ibang tao ‘yung kausap ko. Nagising ko pa ata s’ya. Sorry naman po.

 

Simula pa lang parang marami na signs that this is not gonna be a good day. Una, naiwan kami ng shuttle bus. Kasalanan nung isang pamilya na sumakay sa 19th floor. Ang bagal kasi nung isa. Tapos siniksik talaga nila mga sarili nila kaya COD talaga. Anyway, sakto paglabas namin ng elevator ayun na, nakita naming umalis na yung shuttle. Magmini bus sana kami pero umuulan pala so we had to go back to our rooms to get our umbrellas. This day is the coldest so far. Para akong nagyoyosi pag nagsasalita. Aliw. At dahil sa late kami umalis ng hotel, late kami dumating sa office. Bumili na lang kami ng breakfast dun sa HteaO cafe sa 1st floor nung office building namin.

 

I had the Set E. Mushroom and cheddar cheese wrap with tea of the day. Yung tea of the day, raspberry flavored. I forgot the whole name it was called. Masarap. Bitin lang yung wrap kasi medyo maliit pala. Oh well. Will get something different next time. At dahil napuyat ako, antok na antok ako sa office. Halos hindi ko masundan mga sinasabi ni Ada. Muntik pa ko makatulog nung naguusap sila ni L. Yikes.

 

We had lunch at MX. Finally, nakain din ako ng Hainan Chicken Rice. Mi el paborito. Nakakainis lang kasi ang daming buto.

 

Pero yung lasa, hmmm… masarap naman. Fatty. And ang dami ng rice. I have yet to try Wee Nam Kee in Manila though.

 

L got the Char Siu. Actually hindi talaga ‘yan ang inorder n’ya. Hindi naman alam bakit pero ang theory namin ay namix up nung cashier yung sinabi n’ya. Hindi kasi s’ya marunong mag English talaga. She let me taste it at ok naman. Sobrang daming kanin lang kaya hindi n’ya naubos.

 

Medyo busy si L kaya late na kami nakalabas ng office. We planned to go to Mong Kok to buy a coat, boots, gloves, and a bonnet. But there was a slight change of plans. We met up with RJ, a good friend from college who is based here in Hong Kong. We still went to Mong Kok but instead of doing some shopping. Nagfood trip kami. First, while waiting for RJ, we had a taste of some street food at this certain corner street.

 

Tatlo lang talaga yung tinikman namin d’yan pero dahil hirap na kami sa paghawak, hindi ko na nakuhanan ng picture isa-isa. Group pic na lang. Hehe.

 

 

Ito naman ay laman loobs ng hindi ko alam kung baboy, baka o ano man. Meron din twalya. Masarap naman s’ya. Scared lang si L kaya hindi na n’ya tinkman. HK$30 ito!!!

 

Hindi ko alam ano yung mga kinain namin pero ok naman. Masarap. Medyo mahal lang because it set us back HK$59 na rin. Then when RJ came, we asked him to take us to a place with yummy Dim Sum. We walked from Mong Kok to Yua Mei Tei. We ate on a table set up on the side walk. It may not be a sushal place pero ang sarap din ha. Enjoy na enjoy na naman kami ni L. At kami rin sumuko. Oorder pa dapat si RJ pero sabi namin hindi na namin kaya. Here’s our food:

 

I like the chicken feet we tasted at Cao Inn. It was more flavorful and tender. This one is okay too, it wasn’t really that bad. The first one we had was just better.

 

RJ said this is also siomai but a little different because it has quail eggs on top. I’m not sure how they do the filling but it tasted a little different too.

 

This is the usual siomai we normall eat in the Philippines. The difference with this one is that it has fish eggs on top, like toppings.

 

These are beef balls too, like the ones we had in Chao Inn. They taste really good too so I cannot pick which one I liked better.

 

RJ said this cannot be found in the Philippines. He explained what this is but I forgot the details. It’s like lumpia but the wrapper is different. Masarap s’ya!

 

Hindi pwedeng mawala ang shrimp wanton. Favorite ni L. I liked it too. 2 nga ata nakain ko. Hahaha! Ang lambot din kasi nung shrimp. Sakto rin ang luto.

 

 

Squid daw ito. Yung nasa ilalim naman ay radish. Sakto rin pagkakaluto nung squid. Hindi ko lang maintindihan yung lasa. Hindi ko kasi alam ano yung sauce.

 

 

We went to his place after eating kasi I had to use the toilet. We met his brother, nephew, and aunt. Nakakatawa pa pala while we were eating dumaan dad n’ya, on his way to a jokcey club daw. Meron din palang ganun dito. Hahaha. From his place, we went for dessert. Super sarap nung dessert. As in parang pwede na ‘ko mamatay after eating. Pumunta kami sa Gourmet Desserts Cafe. It was near his place lang din.

 

 

 

I don’t know what this is called. Pero para s’yang may graham base then may ice cream then the outside is whipped cream. Nakakatawa lang kasi paglapag kinain na namin agad e parang may ilalagay pa pala sa taas. A liquid was set on fire then poured over the cream kaya for a while may blue flame yung top and parang nagcaramelize yung taas.

 

 

This one’s the best. It’s called Belgian Soft Centered Pudding Cake. Award winning daw ito sabi ni RJ. Ang sarap naman talaga. Mainit at malamig. Very nice. You have to taste it talaga eh. Hindi ko madescribe.

 

Ang saya-saya ko nung pauwi kami. And the best part was, libre lahat ‘yon! Super thank you RJ! Oh and he also said he’d get us some free coats from his office. Supplier daw kasi sila ng lights ng Zara and Marks & Spencer. Basta parang ganun. Hindi ko masyadong maalala yung story. Busy kasi ako sa pagkain. Sila ni L nag-uusap. Hahaha. Naku sana nga makakuha s’ya and sana free talaga. Yipee!

 

Patwick / Patchoy

My friend received his IELTS results today and was super pleased to get such high scores. Of course I am happy for him. I remember the time he was so nervous whether he would pass the exam or not. I told him I had no doubt he would definitely pass. He is the “English Master” after all. In line with that, I would like to repost something from my old blog (one that I had in college):

Patwick’s Quotable Quotes

1. This is only sometimes!
—> What he really wanted to say was that we don’t go out much, only once in a while, so we should make the most out of it.

2. 7 is not my favorite color!
—> What he meant was number! Imagine him saying this with a dark look on his face!

3. Why are you making foolish me? I’m not foolish you!
—> What he wanted to imply was “why are you making a fool of me? I’m not making a fool of you.”

4. Don’t judge me. I am not a cover.
—> Substitute book to cover.

5. We’re all humane — the plural of human.
—> I don’t really know how to explain this!

6. Why are you sadding?
—> He was actually asking “why are you sad?”

7. Why are you oneing me?
—> I guess this translates to “why are you ganging up on me?”

8. Who is him?
—> Him should’ve been he, right?

9. I don’t know already the follow.
—> He doesn’t know what he should say next.

10. What are you asking? Don’t speak anymore!
—> What an irony!

11. Are you not single already?
—> According to him, this is the opposite of “are you married?” Go figure it out.

 

Re-reading this never fails to make me laugh. I remember his facial expressions while saying these lines. I wasn’t proven wrong. He is indeed the “English Master”. Hahaha!

 

*Congrats Patchoy!!! I just knew it! How can you fail, right? I’m happy you’re a step closer to your AU dreams. I’m sure your beautiful wife and super cute baby are very happy for you too. Love you guys!

How I Spent My Valentine’s Day

At 2PM, I went to C’s house for a triple celebration. It’s her birthday, baby shower, her sister’s graduation celebration all rolled into one. As expected, there was a lot (and I really mean a lot) of food on the table. Everything was super yummy. I was stuffed in no time. But I had to leave early for E’s first birthday party (E is T’s cousin and J’s godson). I wasn’t able to participate in the games and I wasn’t able to see 2 of my high school friends because they were super late. So after R and J picked me up, we went to Jollibee at Santana Grove. It was fun, and it was food overload again. I felt like my tummy was gonna pop from all the eating. We didn’t wanna just go home, it being Valentine’s Day and all. We decided to watch Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief at SM Mall of Asia. Major fail. It was super traffic since the Pyromusical Event coincided with the holiday. Good thing J remembered a videoke place at the HK Sun Plaza, just along Macapagal Boulevard that wasn’t too expensive. We went there instead.

The place was called Music Bank Family KTV and Restaurant. It had really nice interiors with a grand staircase and all. I fell in love with the place. What’s even better was that they charge just Php 83 per person per hour. I think that’s reasonable enough. The room we were assigned to seemed big enough for a group of 6 persons or more. It was really spacious with space to dance around. They even had  a pair of maracas for added fun. J said the bigger rooms also have wigs with bright colors, much like the videoke places you see in Korean movies and TV shows. Hygiene is obviously valued since their mics had covers and are changed after every use. Their toilets had toilet paper in every cubicle and liquid soap is available on the sink. I really had so much fun with them. We miss T and A but still that didn’t stop us from celebrating singles’ day with each other. R ordered the Couple Pack which included 3 beers, a glass of iced tea, nachos, fries, onion rings, and shrimp crackers all for Php999 including 2 hours of stay for 2 people. So our bill amounted to around Php 1200, including the 2 hours for the extra person. I think it was a reasonable amount after 2 hours of fun and overflowing food which we didn’t even get to finish. Definitely a good night for us.

I had the best Valentine’s Day this year thanks to wonderful friends. That’s why I’m okay with being single. I have great friends who love me anyway.

Being Left Behind Is Always The Hardest Part…

Given the choice, I’d always rather be the one to leave than the one that’s left behind. But life doesn’t always work out that way. There are times when it’s all okay, no hard feelings, no big deal. But there are times when it’s a bit hard to accept. Like now. So allow me to talk about him.

Early last year, I left my old job and almost immediately found a new one. I love it here. I love the environment, the people. That’s always a big plus factor for me. I became part of the “lunch table” people. During our lunch break, they would set up this monoblock table on a small space beside the test area and bring out the monoblock chairs. We didn’t really talk that much since I was still new, so I was kind of quiet.  Eventually, I loosened up. We used to go out and drink almost everyday, well, not really. But it was rather frequent. I think that’s when we really bonded.  More so because we both live in the South and would usually go home together after those drinking sessions (with 2 other “South people“). Us being friends sort of came as a surprise to me because when I was still new I was kind of afraid of him. I thought he was “mayabang” and “malakas ang dating“. Even the way he walked around was as if he owned the world. But first impressions do not really last. Soon, I found out we jived. We’re not the usual type of friends. I mean, we’re not always together. We rarely text. And we don’t talk on the phone. But we are friends, no doubt about that. He has stood by me, and never hesitated to extend help when I need it. He has always been there whatever it is I am going through, happy or sad, with the right advice. He has been very kind to me to the point “na nahihiya na ako sa kanya” but he told me not to feel that way. He said if we are really friends that should be nothing. I guess he is right. He has been a great “pren” to me. I have a lot of shortcomings but still I am very much happy that he still considers me one of his closest friends. I know that his leaving the office will not entail an end to our friendship but I can’t help but feel sad because I know I will miss him terribly. I will miss the way his saliva is shooting all over the place. I will miss the times he would fart on my face while I’m sitting here at my desk. I will miss the times he would help me with my internet and e-mail problems. I will miss his “sungit” moments especially in the morning when he first comes in. I will miss his “pang-aasar“. I will miss the times I would go to his desk just to make “kulit“. I will miss the times we would work overtime and order food. I will miss the “yosi“+”kwentuhan“. I will miss his overly ripped Guess jeans (haha!). I will miss eating lunch with him. I will miss the drives home, all the things we talk about, his words of wisdom. We can talk about anything, really. From Philippine transportation to body odor; our secrets, pet peeves, anything. And I really learn a lot of things from him because he is never selfish with his knowledge. Things will be very different come next week Saturday. His seat would be empty when I pass by. I would no longer see the top of his head when I take a peek from the other side of the divider. I will no longer see him everyday, only once in a while (if at all). I will miss him, period. Being left behind is always the hardest part…

Friends. Food. Music. Fun.

Finally, after so many months, I had a reunion with my “tropa” last Friday. Well, almost all of them anyway. Some are out of the country. One’s just MIA. Hahaha. We belatedly celebrated our birthdays (Jas’, Tim’s, Yeng’s, Melai’s, Eloi’s, and mine), but it was an advanced celebration for Rhia since she’s leaving for Singapore soon. We stuffed ourselves full (almost overflowing) with an eat-all-you-can food fest at Yaki Mix Mall of Asia branch. Weekday lunch costs Php 499, which already includes the bottomless drinks. Dinner, weekends, and holidays cost Php 580 plus Php 55 for the bottomless drinks.

We almost couldn’t move because of all the food we ate. And add to that the bottomless drinks, whew.  And I made a boo boo in their restroom. I  was getting soap from a wall-mounted dispenser but since I wasn’t paying much attention (I was talking to Melai who was at my back), it just suddenly flew and crashed on the tiles. Soap was everywhere. It was really embarrassing. My apologies again to the crew who were I think about to go home but then they still had to clean up my mess.

Since we really missed each other’s company, we couldn’t just up and leave after eating. We decided to go to a videoke place right along the Macapagal Boulevard, Music Match .It costs Php 440 per room per hour. Quite alright since there was 10 of us. They had shisha so Jason was definitely happy about that. It costs Php 300, like the ones in Greenbelt. “The Bar” was a rip-off at Php 300! It’s not even a hundred pesos in Mini Stop. But we ordered it anyway. Hahaha. Memorable songs include “Please Be Careful With My Heart” performed by Marj and Tim, and “No Air” performed by Jason and Ann. *wink wink*It was a great evening. We all had so much fun. I wish we could do this more often.

It’s a really great feeling when you see your friends after a very long time and yet you feel as though you only saw each other yesterday. Nothing much has changed. The bond is definitely still there. Some just gained weight, some became single, some became part of a couple. But still, you feel that friendship is still very much alive. It’s true what they say that no matter the distance and no matter the time, friends will always be friends. ^_^