Sunday, November 27, 2016

November hodgepodge

Another month, another set of really great and fun experiences. The highlights are probably reconnecting with a few people I haven't seen in ages. At the start of the month, my friend Eugene was in town due to unfortunate circumstances (a relative passed away). While paying his last respects was the main reason for his visit, he took some time to meet up. I was unable to join him and Mitch for dinner but thankfully, Eugene was free on another night. He was staying near Makati Avenue so I decided to take him to Commune Cafe + Bar at the corner of Polaris and Durban Streets. The last time we met, he was still living in the East Coast but since then, he has moved to the West Coast so we spent a few hours having coffee and just catching up on a whole lot of stuff. A few days later, I met up with my friends Amy and John for brunch at SM Jazz. It had also been a few years since I saw them last, and back then, they only had two kids and now they have a third. I ended up being late and they had to had another appointment shortly after lunch but despite the limited time we got to spend together, it was still a very good couple of hours of hanging out. The other set of friends I hadn't seen in ages were my long time friend Ching and my ex-bandmate John. It was actually the reunion of John's high school batch (Ching and I were a few batches below them from the same HS) and since John and Ching had limited time in Manila, they invited me and our other friend Diane (whom I also hadn't seen in a long time) to join John's reunion. As luck would have it, my ex-colleague Cel was also there. I had initially planned on spending just a few hours there to catch up with Ching and John but as it turned out, I hung out with them until 4 am and I got to interact with good friends I hadn't seen in a while as well as with new people. That was definitely a very memorable night.

Of course, I also got to spend time with friends whom I get to see on a semi-regular basis. Earlier in the month, I joined Jim, Lester, Charles, Lawrence, and MJ in Frankie's (they have a new dish, the salted egg wings, and I thought these were really good). I revisited Pansol for an office team-building event and I am really happy that my team got to win the Amazing Race event thanks to our speed in solving the first puzzle. That really set the pace and we earned a lead that we never relinquished. I couldn't stay overnight thought because Karen celebrated her birthday that same day so after the main program, I drove back to Manila. To celebrate her birthday, Karen organized game night at her place and I got to try two new games - A la carte (this requires some dexterity but it has an interesting set-up that really looks like you are cooking - I didn't do well in this game) and Red Flags, which is like Cards Against Humanity. Strangely enough, while I don't like Cards Against Humanity, I actually really enjoyed Red Flags (not sure if the fact that I won this game made me like it LOL).

A la carte set-up (photo from BoardGameGeek)

I also ended up making my second set of purchases from Lazada during their Online Revolution. I figured it would be a good time to order stuff that I could give as exchange gifts during the Christmas season. (Of course, I also got a few things for myself, too.) I also finally got to use that coffee dripper I bought from Daiso a month ago, but not before buying an electric kettle from S&R. In just a few days, I got to use it multiple times and I'm quite happy with the coffee I've made using this set-up.

Oh and I guess November was the month for trying out new and really good ice cream brands and flavors. I tried the Bunny Tracks flavor of Blue Bunny ice cream in S&R and wow, I really, really liked it! I think I may just order a half-gallon of this the next time I visit S&R. I also got a half-gallon of Ben and Jerry's Love Potion #31 using my Metrodeal voucher and this was very good too! I may just try this flavor again when Ben and Jerry's has their next 31% off promo. Finally, I bought my first Tillamook ice cream. I had seen this ice cream brand at Rustan's Supermarket many time before but it was only just recently that I decided to try it out. On the label, it says really cream ice cream. I have to completely agree with that. It is really creamy. And very delicious. I saw a few other flavors at the supermarket and I am planning to try those out as well.


I guess I've eaten a lot of ice cream this month to make up for a very, very bad case of food poisoning I experienced a few weeks ago. It was so bad that when I went to the ER, the nurses approached me, asked me what the problem was, and based on their triage, I was deemed as priority and I was moved up ahead of so many other people at the ER that afternoon. I was given an IV for a couple of hours and when my tests came out, the doctor released me and gave me a few meds. Thankfully, after a few days, I was okay. Despite this health challenge, I have to say that November was still a pretty incredible month for me.

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