My college friend Maileen was in Manila to attend her grandmother's birthday and she did have a small window during which to meet up. Lala, Mitch, Anna and I were able to have brunch with her at Single Origin in Rockwell. That wasn't my only brunch in Rockwell. Another friend, Alvin, was also in Manila shortly after that and also happened to be free on a Saturday morning. He requested to meet up in Rockwell so Joyce, Elaine, and I joined him for brunch at Refinery.
I also got to spend quality time with my high school/college friends on two occasions. The first was in Shangri-la Mall. Mitch, Ferg, Joyce, Anna and I had dinner in Spatzle before moving to Planet Grapes for coffee, dessert, and wine. Then, more recently, we all visited Iona and JP at their new place in QC. I decided to bring the Sinful Chocolate Cake from A La Creme in Katipunan. I had seen this cake at a party before but didn't get to try. It is very good and very rich, which meant that most of us could only eat a small portion of it.
I also got to hang out with a lot of my ex-colleagues. I joined my ex-teammates Migs, Diann, Jeoff, and Case and her daugher Kara for an afternoon and evening of food and gaming at Grid X Griddle Gastrolounge and Gaming. We played Ticket to Ride and a few rounds of Azul. It was during this time that I achieved my highest scored in Azul - 112! I could have ended the game but I saw that my friends weren't intending to end the game just yet so I avoided ending the game just to help increase my score further (it worked).
The managers from my previous group got together for dinner and drinks at Early Night? in BGC. It was here that we agreed on a schedule for our Christmas get-together. At around the same time, my circle of friends from my previous company met up a couple of times. First, I joined Raffa, Joh, Alvin, and Doray for dinner at Locavore. Many people were unavailable that night so we decided to meet up again, this time for lunch in XO46 in Estancia Mall when Pau arrived in Manila. Raffa, Joh, Me-Ann and I were able to join Pau for lunch. Joh and Raffa also brought their kids and Pau brought one of his three children.
I also had dinner with my friends from our Corporate Social Responsibility org. I suggested that we have dinner in Buca di Beppo in BGC. Doms, Zaza, Katco, Eric, Lou and I were all able to make it and it was great because I hadn't seen Katco, Eric, and Lou in a while. We moved to Gelatofix for dessert and coffee after where we enjoyed a lot of gelato. I also decided to try their gelato sushi. This was a really unique dessert but while it was good, I think I prefer normal gelato.
Finally, I'm really happy that in the last few months, I was able to meet up with some people I hadn't seen in ages. First: the Yaminoys. While I've met up with a few of them every now and then over the years, this was the first time in maybe a decade that we had a group of 8 people all together for dinner. Eliza, Meg, Marie, Beck, Yam, Lea, Belle, and I enjoyed a night of great food and great conversation and catching up in Cyma in Greenbelt. Second: my college reunion. The alumni association of my college organized a reunion of sorts and my batch decided to get a table. While I do get to see my batchmates on a regular basis, I rarely get to catch up with college friends from other batches. That is, until that night. There were a few dozen of us there and it turned out to be a wonderful reunion, made even more special by the good food and the wine. I also got to see a few of my college teachers. Cool!
I also got to spend quality time with my high school/college friends on two occasions. The first was in Shangri-la Mall. Mitch, Ferg, Joyce, Anna and I had dinner in Spatzle before moving to Planet Grapes for coffee, dessert, and wine. Then, more recently, we all visited Iona and JP at their new place in QC. I decided to bring the Sinful Chocolate Cake from A La Creme in Katipunan. I had seen this cake at a party before but didn't get to try. It is very good and very rich, which meant that most of us could only eat a small portion of it.
Sinful Chocolate Cake from A La Creme in Katipunan
I also got to hang out with a lot of my ex-colleagues. I joined my ex-teammates Migs, Diann, Jeoff, and Case and her daugher Kara for an afternoon and evening of food and gaming at Grid X Griddle Gastrolounge and Gaming. We played Ticket to Ride and a few rounds of Azul. It was during this time that I achieved my highest scored in Azul - 112! I could have ended the game but I saw that my friends weren't intending to end the game just yet so I avoided ending the game just to help increase my score further (it worked).
My highest Azul score ever - 112!
The managers from my previous group got together for dinner and drinks at Early Night? in BGC. It was here that we agreed on a schedule for our Christmas get-together. At around the same time, my circle of friends from my previous company met up a couple of times. First, I joined Raffa, Joh, Alvin, and Doray for dinner at Locavore. Many people were unavailable that night so we decided to meet up again, this time for lunch in XO46 in Estancia Mall when Pau arrived in Manila. Raffa, Joh, Me-Ann and I were able to join Pau for lunch. Joh and Raffa also brought their kids and Pau brought one of his three children.
I also had dinner with my friends from our Corporate Social Responsibility org. I suggested that we have dinner in Buca di Beppo in BGC. Doms, Zaza, Katco, Eric, Lou and I were all able to make it and it was great because I hadn't seen Katco, Eric, and Lou in a while. We moved to Gelatofix for dessert and coffee after where we enjoyed a lot of gelato. I also decided to try their gelato sushi. This was a really unique dessert but while it was good, I think I prefer normal gelato.
gelato sushi at Gelatofix
Finally, I'm really happy that in the last few months, I was able to meet up with some people I hadn't seen in ages. First: the Yaminoys. While I've met up with a few of them every now and then over the years, this was the first time in maybe a decade that we had a group of 8 people all together for dinner. Eliza, Meg, Marie, Beck, Yam, Lea, Belle, and I enjoyed a night of great food and great conversation and catching up in Cyma in Greenbelt. Second: my college reunion. The alumni association of my college organized a reunion of sorts and my batch decided to get a table. While I do get to see my batchmates on a regular basis, I rarely get to catch up with college friends from other batches. That is, until that night. There were a few dozen of us there and it turned out to be a wonderful reunion, made even more special by the good food and the wine. I also got to see a few of my college teachers. Cool!
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