Board Gaming is Life

The last month and a half have been filled with board game nights. Normally, I get to play only once a month, sometimes twice. However, due to an interesting series of events, one of my board game groups ended up scheduling two game nights in both August and September. Toss in one more session with my other group and the result is three consecutive weeks of board gaming in September and five out of six consecutive weeks with a game weekend. Cool. :)

This gave me an opportunity to play many games for the first time and many other games I had played before. One of the most fun games I got to play is Wacky Races. This game, which is based on the cartoon of the same name, pits players against each other to try and finish the race first, amidst a plethora of traps set by Dick Dastardly. It has a simple game mechanic and while it does rely to some degree on luck, it is pretty tight and both times I played it, many folks were close to the finish line and there was no way to predict who would win. While it's ranked quite low on Boardgamegeek, it plays quickly, it is easy to teach, it has some really cool figures (the detail is pretty awesome), and up to 6 players can play. My friends and I really enjoyed it both times we played (and someone else in our group is now thinking of getting his own copy).

I won my first Wacky Races game playing Private Meekly and Sergeant Blast

I also got to play two board games set in outer space: The Expanse and Horizons. While both are area control games, they have different game plays. The Expanse is based on a TV series which I had never seen before but my lack of knowledge of it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the game. I definitely wouldn't mind playing both again.

Horizons

There were a handful of other games I got to play for the first time in the last month and a half. In Cryptid, you try to figure out where the mysterious Cryptid creature is through the clues you get from your opponents while they try to guess its location based on clues they get from you. I thought this was enjoyable enough to play.  The Mind is kinda like The Game; as a group, everyone needs to successfully play all their cards following the rule that you can only play a card after a card with a lower value. I know this is very highly rated but I didn't quite like it. Between this and The Game, I like The Game more. Also, I got to play Tash-Kalar which is an abstract game where players try to place their tokens in specific patterns to beat their opponents and achieve the game objectives. It is really hard to figure out how to place the tokens to achieve the objectives, especially when your opponents disrupt you, but I really liked this game.

The game I have played the most is Grand Austria Hotel, which is a game I acquired last year. This Euro game is quite difficult to navigate since it gets tough to do everything you want to do in the 7 rounds that the game is played so when I played it with Denise, Katco, and Tegz last July, they said we should organize another game night soon so they could play it again. I brought it in our September session and that night, I got to play it twice. The week after, I played it with Myna and Mai and after the game, they both said they wanted to play it again. So I once again brought it last weekend and we got to play it again, this time with Karen. That's a total of 5 times in less than three months. I have to say, I'm really liking this game and I'm not surprised it is currently in the top 100 overall in Boardgamegeek.

Finally, I got to play Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle again. I played this co-op game once before and we completed Book 2. Someone suggested we play it again so two weekends ago, we did and we managed to tough out wins in Books 3 and 4 (we really almost lost Book 3). We all agreed to play it again last weekend, and thankfully, we managed to win Book 5. Two more books and we would have successfully finished the game. (Then it would be time to try out the expansions. :))

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle (we beat Voldemort in Book 5!)

I might not be able to play this October because of scheduling conflicts so I'm glad that I had a lot of game nights over the last several weeks. I also planned a session in November where I will finally try one of the games I bought two years ago but haven't had the chance to play yet so I'm really looking forward to that.

Majoy Baron is the Best Blocker in the ASEAN Grand Prix

This is about week late but congratulations to Majoy Baron who was awarded Best Blocker in the first leg of the ASEAN Grand Prix in Thailand last week.

MAJOY, DOMINANT 💪

After averaging 12.3 ppg, Majoy Baron brought home Best Middle Blocker in the ASEAN GP 1st leg 👐 » https://t.co/THiLnbnk39 pic.twitter.com/LUCygpv32x

— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) September 23, 2019

This is Majoy Baron's first international award. That she achieved this feat while playing against well renowned blockers like Pleumjit makes it even more impressive. In the last game of the Philippines. Majoy scored 13 points including a whopping 6 blocks to help the Philippine National Team overcome Vietnam in five sets and land the bronze medal. The second leg of the ASEAN Grand Prix will be played in the Philippines next week so hopefully Majoy and the rest of the National Team can continue to play competitively against our South East Asian neighbors.

Congratulations, Majoy!

Busy in a good way

My social calendar has been pretty full recently, but that's a positive thing and I'm certainly not complaining. Interestingly enough, in these last couple of months, I got to catch up with many of my ex-colleagues on separate occasions. First, I had lunch with Migs, Diann, and Maan in Shangri-La Mall. There was a lot for us to catch up on but the other reason that we were meeting up was because Maan and I were asked to be principal sponsors in Migs and Diann's upcoming wedding. Cool!

I also met up with Mickee, Chelle, and Marge in Glorietta. I was happy that Marge was able to join us because I hadn't seen her since she got married late last year. We wanted to have dinner in Mad Mark's but it was full when we got there so we ended up enjoying dimsum in Tim Ho Wan. Marge couldn't join us for coffee so it was just Chelle and Mickee who joined me in UCC Cafe. Oh and Chelle officially asked me to be a principal sponsor in her wedding with Mon too.

I also had caught up with Eric over coffee in Starbucks. I was near his office one night and since he works Europe shift, I asked him if he could take a quick break so we could meet up briefly and he said he could. I hadn't seen him since he joined a game night early last year and even then, we were playing games so I couldn't really ask him a lot of questions about what was going on in his life. This time around, we were able to have a more in-depth conversation and I was very pleased to hear about all the things going on in his life, both personally and career-wise.

I was near Eric's office that evening because I was invited to Jason's birthday party at his recording studio. Also there were some ex-colleagues who enjoy playing music. Most of the people there are people I hadn't seen in ages since almost all of us there had moved on to new opportunities since the time that we all worked in the same place. Amazing how time flies. Naturally, I also got to sing a few songs that evening, including U2's With or Without You and Radiohead's Creep.

There are several more get-togethers planned with friends over the course of the next month. I'm definitely looking forward to those.

US Open 2019: Nadal wins Grand Slam #19!

I am so happy! Rafael Nadal won his 4th US Open title and his 19th Grand Slam title overall! Vamos Rafa!

🏆🏆🏆🏆@RafaelNadal | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/uWbUqigwFl

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2019

It wasn't straightforward, though. While he didn't have to face either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic in the tournament, he had to battle against Daniil Medvedev, the most in-form player in the American summer who started the US Open ranked #5 and moved up one place to #4 after the tournament. The final went the distance and even if Nadal was up 2 sets to love, by the time the 5th set kicked in, Medvedev looked like he would score the upset. I have to say, this was the first match of Medvedev's I've seen and I'm a a believer. Among the younger players, he's the only one I've seen who has shown the grit and tenacity to become a future champion. He has it in him to become #1 in the world and win many major titles in the future. Given Medvedev's late match resurgence in the final, I'm not sure how Nadal summoned the will to redirect the course of the match. But he did, gutting out a tremendously hard-fought 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4 win in 4 hours and 51 minutes, the fifth longest men's Grand Slam final. There was a whole lot of drama and momentum shifts to keep tennis fans entertained - and Nadal and Medvedev fans on edge - but in the end, it was Nadal who found just that little extra to help him take home the title. A montage of Rafa's 19 Grand Slam title wins was shown during the closing ceremony and Nadal became very emotional, weeping openly and showing the world just how important this and all his other wins are to him.

Witnessing history, from 1 to 19....@RafaelNadal | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/33kDYn4kwf

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2019

This win means that only three other players in the Open Era - Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer, all of whom won five - have won more US Open singles titles than Rafa (his four wins tie him with John McEnroe). He now also has just one major title less than Roger who has 20. Even as a Rafa fan, I have to admit that I didn't think he would ever come this close to Roger's Grand Slam count. The thing for me though is, even if he doesn't tie or break Roger's total haul (Federer can of course still win more) or if Novak passes them both, I will still be very happy. As Rafa said, "All the things that I achieved in my career are much more than what I ever thought and what I ever dream. I would love to be the one who has more, yes. But I really believe that I will not be happier or less happy if that happens or not happen." And this applies to me as his fan too. :)

The women's final also featured a tennis legend playing against an up-and-coming player who also had success during the summer and was also playing in her first Grand Slam final, Bianca Andreescu. However, the results were different. Andreescu edged out Williams in two tight sets. This marks the first time that someone playing in the main draw of the US Open for the first time won the championship. Bianca also becomes the first Canadian player to win a Grand Slam title. Wow! That she achieved this against one of the greatest players of all time while playing in front of a crowd that was very pro-Williams shows how much guts, self-belief, and mental strength she has. As for Serena, this is the fourth time she reached the final of a Grand Slam only to lose in straight sets. While it must be terribly disappointing for her and her fans, she is still arguably the best player when she's at her best, as evidenced by her 63 61 rout of #5 Elina Svitolina in the semifinals.She's gotten to four Grand Slam finals now and while the last three were not very close, this one was. I reckon she will still tie and break Margaret Court's record before she calls it a career.

8-0 👏

Bianca Andreescu remains undefeated against top 10 players in 2019.#USOpen | #WomenWorthWatching pic.twitter.com/zRlOVGnIqD

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2019

Back to Nadal, he ends the year with two of the four Grand Slams, matching Djokovic who also won two. That said, Rafa has had greater success overall and while Novak is still ranked #1, Nadal has won more points this year and is in a good position to challenge for the #1 ranking as the year comes to a close. I'm not sure if that will happen though since I think Nadal will be getting married soon but even if Rafa doesn't get back to #1 this year (or even ever), I will still be a very happy and grateful fan. Congratulations, Rafa!

The Magnificent Duo MainTenanT

I recently saw this absolutely mesmerizing of Duo MainTenanT on America's Got Talent. The video is entitled AGT's SEXIEST Audition?! Acrobatic Dance Duo Excites The AGT Judges and after seeing it, I think the description is pretty fair. From the smooth and superb movements and acrobatics to the evocative music to the amazing expressions and passion of both performers (especially the woman, Ludivine Furnon), this routine had me, the judges, and the entire audience captivated from start to finish. I've watched this performance so many times and yet each time I see it, I am still blown away.


video uploaded in youtube by America's Got Talent

However, this actually wasn't the first time I first saw them. I'm not sure how they appeared in my youtube search around maybe 4 or 5 years ago but I did see this video of them performing on TV in 2010. When they appeared on AGT, I knew instantly who they were. While their routine on American's Got Talent is just over 2 minutes long, this one, at around 6 1/2 minutes, is a lot longer. Personally, I like this a bit better because the length allows the performance to develop more deliberately and it gives the audience more of an opportunity to get immersed in the routine. Even after many years of seeing this video, I am still in awe. The precision, the choreography, the drama, and the passion just make it so impactful and memorable that I keep going back to it.


video uploaded in youtube by DuoMainTenanT

Ludivine is a truly talented and powerful gymnast, an amazing dancer, and expressive performer, while her partner (who also happens to be her husband), Nicolas Besnard is so tremendously strong, steady, and so incredibly balanced and dependable. I think it would be a tremendous experience to see them perform live and in a much longer show.

Working Out

For the first time in a decade or maybe even more, I worked out at the gym. And by work out, I mean lifting (very light) weights and not just doing cardio exercises on the treadmill or the elliptical machine.

I had a follow-up check-up with my doctor recently and it seems I've gotten a lot healthier over the last few months. Not only have a I lost about 20 pounds, my lab tests are also pretty good. It looks like my new lifestyle has really helped me improve my overall health. However, since I did lose a lot of mass, I wanted to do weights to help tone my muscles. I asked my doctor if I could start working out and he said I could.

So last Monday, I decided to hit the gym since it was a holiday. I asked one of the trainers to teach me the proper way to use the gym equipment. Needless to say, I was extremely tired and sore after that. What makes me happy is that despite still being a bit sore yesterday, I hit the gym again and I worked out for about 45 minutes or so. I really hope that I can keep this up and hit the gym at least once or twice a week.

*****

The downside to becoming fitter is that many of my clothes don't fit properly now. Thankfully, I haven't thrown away many of my old shirts when I was still a lot thinner. As such, I've set aside my bigger clothes and started reusing my slimmer shirts. The problem though is with my pants and my belt, all of which are pretty loose now. I already bought a new black belt (I still have to get a brown one) and I've had four pairs of pants altered. Since I lost a few inches, the alteration cost is higher because they need to adjust both the waist and the hips. I still have a lot more pants that need altering and I probably need to buy new jeans as well. That said, I will take additional spending on clothes if it means my I am healthier and in better shape.

A Song of Vanilla Ice and Fire

I came across this incredible video recently, with the cast of Game of Thrones rapping Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby and I enjoyed it immensely.


video originally created by swedemason and uploaded by JOE

While this video was uploaded by youtube user JOE, it was originally created by youtube user swedemason. Swedemason uploaded only a portion of the video (see it here) so I decided to share the video JOE uploaded since it is more complete. The effort to put this together must have been absolutely enormous. Swedemason had to look for most of the words (or syllables that had to be put together to form the words - I'm guessing there's no Vegas or Bikinis in the Game of Thrones script?) spoken by the different characters. Apart from that, I just love hearing the elegant voices of the cast. The timing of the claps and the slaps and even the snap during the chorus are all so awesome. Even the 'Hodor' part at the end and Jon Snow screaming 'Loose!' were hilarious. I've watched this many times already but I still can't get enough of it. :)

Upside

The last couple of weeks have been tough, what with my brother's health scare, the loss of our pet, and the loss of my friend. Thankfully, there are a lot of very good things that happened too.

First, my friends and I revisited Mystery Manila and we successfully made it out of the Sorcerer's Stone room in Ayala the 30th. Thankfully, we managed to turn things after after our previous failed attempt to escape. There are still more rooms for us to try out so I look forward to our next escape room experience.

I also had a game nights in two consecutive weekends. Just last weekend, I played Valeria Card Kingdoms, Grand Austria Hotel, and Oceanos with my ex-colleagues. Most of them were playing these games for the first time (Denise had played Valeria Card Kingdoms before) but they seemed to enjoy all the games I brought. We just need to schedule another game night soon while they can still somewhat remember the rules. :) The week before, I got to play Wingspan again. I also got to play many new games, including Imperial Settler: Roll and Write, Kartel, Cabo, Prêt-à-Porter, and My Happy Farm. Prêt-à-Porter was probably my favorite of everything that I played that night, due to its complexity and the fact that there are so many ways to score points. It took me a while to grasp the many rules of the game so I am looking forward to playing it again.

My Happy Farm

I got to meet up with my ex-colleagues from my second job a couple of times. First was during the birthday of the daughter of Joh and Raffa. It was a grand celebration with a fun-filled program and lots of really good food (I believe their caterer was The Creamery). Second was over dinner in Manam with Ian, who was in Manila for a few days as he was doing a major tour of Asia.

Food from The Creamery

Interestingly enough, I met up with my high school friends the night before also in Manam (but a different branch) so we could meet up with Jerma. I hadn't seen Jerma in decades so it was amazing to see her again.

I also spent an afternoon with KC, Nery, and Ricci, all of whom I haven't seen in a while. KC and Nery are getting ready for their wedding and they asked me to sing at their wedding with Ricci accompanying me on guitar. We spent the afternoon over coffee discussing the songs we would play. It was great catching up with them and since Ricci and I have to practice, I am sure we will be seeing each other a lot more.

Finally, our department at work also spent a Friday night at the nearby karaoke place singing our hearts out. It was the first time that I got to hang out with my colleagues outside the office and the fact that we sang such a varied repertoire - from Ed Sheeran to Queen to the Spice Girls to Aegis - made it such a memorable evening.

As they say, life is like a Ferris wheel, sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. I'm just grateful to have many incredible people in my life to balance out the terribly low moments.

Rest in Peace, Denz

Last week was another tough week for me. My dear friend Denz passed away.

We were ex-colleagues who worked in the same department in one of my previous jobs. We worked on a few projects together and at some point, we sat in the same area at work. We shared the same passion for music and love for singing and dancing. We talked a lot about American Idol and we also often shared videos of performances that impressed us. I discovered Steve Balsamo's version of Gethsemane through him. Like me, he was often asked to host or sing at weddings (or both). One time, he told me that if/when he got married, he wanted me to sing at his wedding.

It was our participation in a company event that made us bond even more. Our company was celebrating a milestone anniversary and the event organizers decided to stage a big musical to showcase my company's history. Both Denz and I auditioned and we both made it to the cast. We had hours of practice everyday after work and we also rehearsed for whole days on Saturdays and Sundays. This gave us and the rest of the cast a lot of time together and a lot of shared experience. During Denz's wake, a handful of us were able to visit. We got to talk to Denz's sister and his mother. When we told them that we were Denz's castmates in the musical, both of them lit up and they told us how Denz talked about that experience with such fondness.

Due to his medical condition, we hadn't gotten to see each other frequently but I did get to see him a few times after I left that job, usually during his birthday. Quite recently, our castmates discussed the idea of a reunion and I'm gutted that we didn't organize one sooner because it might have given us a chance to see Denz one more time before he passed away. Still, I'm happy that we continued to keep in touch through the years. Farewell, Denz.

Movie Watching 2019 Part 2

Spider-man: Far From Home

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_Far_From_Home

I just saw Spider-Man: Far From Home last weekend I absolutely loved it. SPOILER ALERT: stop reading now if you don't want to know more about this film! The movie is set after Avengers: Endgame and I like how this film addresses the difficulties of having half of the population reappear out of nowhere. They coined this phenomenon the "blip" which is when all those living beings who disappeared suddenly reappeared after the Avengers brought them back to life. They were the same age as when they vanished and they practically lost all their belongings. I also found the story to be engaging, exciting, and enjoyable. It was nice to see the conflict that Peter Parker faced as he tried to juggle being a normal teenager and being a superhero who helped save the universe. It was nice seeing the tension and chemistry between Tom Holland as Peter Parker and Zendaya as MJ Watson. While the revelation of Spider-Man's true enemy wasn't all that shocking, it was at this point that the film shifted gears and the intensity went up a few (or even several) notches. Spider-Man ended up facing a challenge of such great magnitude that his strength, resilience, durability, and fighting ability were on full display, proving that he is a very worthy Avenger. I personally think that of the 23 films in the MCU so far, this one has thebest end credits scene. It made me want to see the next film as soon as possible and in fact, after watching the movie, I searched online for the release schedule of the next Spider-Man film (there is no date yet). Spider-Man: Far From Home is definitely one of my favorite films in the MCU.

Toy Story 4

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Story_4

Toy Story 3 seemed like the perfect ending to the Toy Story trilogy so when it was announced that a 4th film was in the works, I had some pretty major reservations. However, I trusted that Pixar wouldn't make a sequel that would ruin what had been accomplished over the years by their flagship series and apart from The Good Dinosaur, there isn't a Pixar film that I didn't like (note that I haven't seen Cars 2). Thankfully, Toy Story 4 turned out to be a very good sequel. SPOILER ALERT: stop reading now if you don't want to know more about this film! There are so many things to like about this movie. It deals with issues on outliving your perceived usefulness. It shows us the struggle we face when the world around us changes and we aren't quite able able to adjust or keep up. I loved how the "antagonist" in this film, Gabby Gabby, was pretty ominous in the first half of the film but didn't turn out to be the evil manipulator we may have initially thought. The filmmakers did a great job showing us how her actions were spurned by her heartbreaking situation and audiences went from having negative feelings about her to rooting for her. Similar to the previous film, there is still a very moving goodbye scene at the end. Toy Story 3 is still my favorite of the tetralogy but the great thing about Tory Story 4 is that it ties into the first three films very well and it moves the story forward and closes it out perfectly.

Avengers: Endgame is now the Worldwide Highest Grossing Film

It took three months but Avengers: Endgame finally passed Avatar and is now the worldwide highest grossing film. The 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has now earned a global gross of $2.790 billion, just moving past Avatar's $2.789 billion.

Many were expecting Avengers to achieve this feat earlier after it obliterated many box office records. It passed $1 billion in only 5 days and it passed $2 billion after 2 weeks. Unfortunately, it ran up against a lot of other films with strong box office draws such as John Wick 3, Pokemon Detective Pikachu, Godzilla: King of Monsters, Dark Phoenix, Aladdin, Toy Story 4, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and The Lion King. It lost a lot of steam and its weekly grosses started to slow down significantly.

Avengers: Endgame passed Avatar's first record of worldwide gross before any re-release (Avatar earned $2,749,064,328 before it was re-released and Endgame passed this mark in end-June). Now, aided by a re-release of its own two weekends ago, the fourth Avengers film has broken Avatar's record for the highest global gross. The people behind Avatar have acknowledged this and very graciously congratulated Avengers: Endgame on social media:

Congratulations, @MarvelStudios! pic.twitter.com/DWZDX0uDVi

— Avatar (@officialavatar) July 22, 2019

I've read some articles that highlight the fact that Avatar sold more tickets than Endgame and that Endgame only has the record because ticket prices now are higher than they were ten years ago when Avatar was released. While this is true, if we were to adjust all tickets sales based on inflation, neither film would be sitting at the top of the list. Instead, Gone with the Wind would have the record, followed by Titanic. (See list here.) In any case, the overall record not counting inflation is still an incredible feat and I'm sure many Marvel fans around the world are celebrating.

Wimbledon 2019

Over the last few years, the common question about tennis' Big Three - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic - has been how much longer they would stay at the top and who would eventually take over. So many young guns have showed up over the last several years who had the talent to potentially challenge them and more recently, the big three have faced some big losses against the next generation players such as Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. That said, the Grand Slam tournaments continue to be the domain of the Big Three, as they have combined to win the last 11 majors, including this recently concluded Wimbledon. In fact, all three made it to the semifinals, with the two top seeds Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer battling it out for the title.

13 years
47 showdowns
1 of the most storied rivalries in sport #Wimbledon | @DjokerNole | @rogerfedererhttps://t.co/Zx23MWTBjm

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 14, 2019

In the end, top seed and world number 1 Novak Djokovic produced an incredibly gusty and mentally strong performance to edge past Roger Federer in a tremendously dramatic five-set win. Novak Djokovic have to save two match points - and he did it on Roger's serve! - and the final had to be decided by the first-ever fifth set tie-breaker in Wimbledon Singles play, a change implemented at the tournament this year. Novak now has five Wimbledon titles and 16th Grand Slam singles titles. In the total Grand Slam count, he is only 4 behind Roger and 2 behind Rafa. With no other consistent challengers to the big three and with Djokovic continuing his mastery over Roger and Rafa (he leads his head-to-head records against both of them), he may very well surpass both and end up with the record for most Grand Slam titles. It will be interesting to see how things turn out over the next few (or even several) years.

World No.1 @DjokerNole is well known for his physical fitness, but Sunday's final required toughness of a different kind...#Wimbledon https://t.co/nW5qxw6T2K

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2019

On the women's side, Simona Halep trounced Serena Williams in straight sets, 6-2 6-2, to claim her first Wimbledon title and her second major win (she won the French Open last year). Simona played a tremendous match, retrieving so many balls and forcing Serena to hit one more shot. In this high stakes final, Serena just couldn't sustain her shot-making and she couldn't stay with an inspired Simona. How inspired was she? She hit only three unforced errors the entire match. That is a record for the fewest unforced errors in a ladies' singles final. While many people were disappointed that they didn't get to see Serena tie Margaret Court's record, I was very happy for Simona who looked to be in disbelief when she won and couldn't contain her joy.

One for the mantelpiece 📸#Wimbledon | @Simona_Halep pic.twitter.com/3VAeUTRvTT

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2019

Congratulations, Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep!

Obi-Wan vs Darth Vader Reimagined

I came across this video on social media and as a Star Wars fan, I was immediately drawn to it. The original Star Wars movie came out in 1977 and since then, fight scene choreography has improved leaps and bounds. It is great seeing this reimagined light saber duel between two of the most legendary Jedi in the Star Wars saga.

video created and uploaded in youtube by FXitinPost

Tough Week

Last week was tough. First, my brother was hospitalized. He was confined for several days and he needed to undergo a critical operation. Unfortunately, he doesn't have decent medical coverage where he works and his hospital bill was pretty substantial. I contributed to the payment, which meant that my savings took an unexpected major hit. While it was painful, I have to be thankful that at least we, as a family, had enough resources to help bring my brother back to full health.

As if that wasn't enough, our cat passed away. He got sick over the weekend and while the vet did some tests and tried to give him meds to make him better, his health continued to deteriorate rapidly. I eventually got a call from the vet saying that they weren't able to save him. He was an old cat who got sick and as the vet said, it is difficult for old pets to fight off disease.

It didn't help that the week was bookended by two annoying inconveniences. It started with a flat: I ran over a screw that punctured my tire. Thankfully, I was near a vulcanizing shop at the time that my tire lost pressure so I just had to run flat for a short distance before getting my tire fixed. The week then ended with a mix-up at the catering company where I placed a food order for my family for the weekend. When I was ready to pick up my order, I had to wait for several minutes and before being told that they lost my order. Argh. It then took 30 minutes for them to prepare three of the four dishes I ordered - I had to cancel the fourth item. - and by then it was lunchtime already and my family was waiting for the food I was supposed to bring home. It was a stressful end to a difficult week. Hopefully, things start getting better.

Wingspan and More Gaming in 2019

Wingspan is one of the most hyped board games that came out this year. It's been so in-demand that most board game companies in Manila don't have it in stock anymore. Thankfully, my friend Jovan was able to get a copy which we played in my most recent board game night. The objective is to have as many birds live on your board and get them to lay as many eggs. This simplistic explanation makes it sound like a bore but it's actually very interesting and complex, with so many options and ways to win. We played it twice and on the second game, I managed to win with 96.5 points. Cool! I look forward to playing this game again, not only because it's really fun but also because it's very aesthetically pleasing, with beautiful artwork and well-designed game pieces, such as the multi-colored eggs and the bird house dice tray.

Wingspan

I also got to play many other really interesting games for the first time. Treasure Island has players trying to find the treasure that Long John Silver hid somewhere on the island before he escapes his prison and finds his way back to the treasure. Root is an asymmetrical war game where the winning condition of each faction is different. Villainous features six different Disney villains trying to be the most villainous of them all (this game has awesome art and is perfect for Disney fans). Legendary Encounters: The X-Files provides an awesome X-files flavor to this popular deck-building game. Bob Ross: Art of Chill Game requires players to paint popular elements of Bob Ross' many paintings, such as fluffy clouds and happy little trees. :) Finally, I got to try Unlock, which is just like an escape room. This game is so cool that I now want to get my own copy so I can run it with my other friends, even those who don't normally play board games, because I'm pretty sure they will enjoy it.

Treasure Island

One of the more interesting game nights I also had recently was the Scythe night that I organized. I missed playing this game and I hadn't played the expansions that I got so I asked my friends if any of them were interested in a night where we play at least a couple of rounds of Scythe. A good number of them agreed to join. We played only two rounds because people's schedules prevented them from arriving early and by the time the second game was done, most people had to leave. I haven't managed to win in this game but I still absolutely love it and it continues to be in my top 5. I'm now thinking of organizing another Scythe night but hopefully, people can arrive earlier so we can play up to 4 or even 5 rounds LOL.

Also, achievement unlocked: I finally played a game of Legendary where we managed to beat the Mastermind. Making it a bit more serendipitous was the fact that we played it the week that Avengers: Endgame came out. The way we won was also just like what you see in the movies where the heroes win at the very last moment. There was one villain card left, which means we only had one round left. However, we also had one mastermind card left so we had a chance. I had amassed a lot of Captain Marvel cards which, when played together, can inflict a lot of damage, but I wasn't quite sure that I would generate enough attack points to kill the mastermind. I was hopeful because one of the cards in my hand allowed me to draw two more cards. As I drew the two cards, we did the math and I ended up having more than enough attack points to kill the mastermind. Yes! What a nailbiting finale! While I didn't win the game - I was tied for second place - this continues to be one of the highlights of my year for a board gaming standpoint. :)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Last weekend, I watched Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. I decided to see it because I realized that I have been seeing a lot of shows that are presented by foreign producers and that feature foreign performers and I wanted to support local shows too. I went with a couple of friends and I'm very happy I saw it because I enjoyed the show tremendously.

I actually didn't know enough about this musical except for the fact that it featured songs of legendary song-writer Carole King, such as So Far Away, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, and You've Got a Friend. I actually thought it would be something like Mamma Mia where you have a story about fictitious people and the music would be performed as part of their story. As it turns out, Beautiful is about the life of Carole King - the music she wrote and the music of  her time, the significant people in her life, her trials and tribulations, and of course her triumphs. It was very interesting to see the friendly competition she and her husband had with their best friends when it came to writing music and having their songs sung by popular artists. It also allowed us to see what Carole was thinking when she wrote her songs. When I now listen to the lyrics of It's Too Late, I now have a better understanding of the context of that song in relation to what she was going through and it makes me appreciate the song even more. Of course, a musical about Carole cannot be complete without including her critically-acclaimed and most commercially successful album Tapestry, which is regarded as one of the best albums of all time.

The souvenir program si designed to look like a vinyl record. Cool!

It was really great to hear all these incredible songs written by Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann, and other artists all in the same show. (Apparently, Neil Sedaka's Oh! Carol is named after Carole King, whom he dated in high school.) The downside for me to having such familiar songs is that at least a few people in the crowd sang along. I don't particularly enjoy hearing the audience sing along in musical theater because I want to hear the amazing voices of the artists LOL. The cast was great, including Kayla Rivera as Carole, Nick Varricihio as Gerry, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante as Cynthia, and George Schulze as Barry. I also really like the set, with its psychedelic sixties design. Unfortunately, photos inside the theater are not allowed.

I highly recommend Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. It is showing at the Meralco Theater until July 7 so see it while you still can. Tickets are available at Ticketworld.

Random Stuff

Whenever I see an ice cream cake, I keep thinking to myself that I want to bring one home as a weekend treat but somehow I never do. That is, until last Father's Day. I went to the mall with the intention of getting a cake from Sans Rival but when I got there, they had run out. It was then that I passed by Dairy Queen and spotted a variety of ice cream cakes that were decorated specially for Father's Day. Perfect! Running out of cakes in my original choice turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Not only did I get to bring home an ice cream cake which I had been wanting to do for a while, I also got a very appropriately-decorated Father's Day cake. Oh, and it tasted great, too! :)

I also recently visited Mandalay, a speakeasy or hidden bar in Makati. (Technically, a speakeasy isn't exactly a hidden bar but that's how the term  is used nowadays.) It's the first time this year that I went to a bar because I significantly reduced my alcohol intake for health reasons. However, my doctor did say that if I had enough sleep and I wasn't tired, I could have a drink. Mandalay is really cool. It has a very cozy and chill vibe and I can imagine spending a few hours here hanging out with friends. Except for the fact that the drinks are very expensive LOL. I ordered Don't Forget, a cocktail that has Chairman's Reserve Forgotten Cask Rum, lime juice, sugar syrup, cherry heering, and orange juice. This drink cost a whopping P850 (plus service charge!) but it was very good.

Despite having ice cream cake and alcohol recently, I've managed to stay true to the diet and lifestyle change that I started a few months ago, which involves eating less of the bad stuff and more of the good stuff. I have now lost a total of about 16 pounds or more than 7 kilos. I didn't expect that at all. I think I have now stopped losing weight so what's important is for me to try and sustain my diet and to keep exercising whenever I can. It helps that there is a Salad Stop! nearby. They recently added a seasonal menu item: Caulifornia Dreamin' which has cauliflower cheese patties. It looked quite appetizing when I saw the picture so I tried it. While it's on the expensive side at P375, I really enjoyed it, especially the patties so I think I may try this salad again before it is taken off the menu.

Swan Lake by Moscow Ballet La Classique in Manila

Last Saturday, I had the privilege to watch Swan Lake performed by the Moscow Ballet "La Classique". It was the first time I got to see this classic ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and I was truly blown away.

I learned about this show in early April and I immediately wanted to see it. I texted my mom to see if she was wanted to watch it too and she said yes. I went to SM Aura the next day to get tickets at Ticketnet. My mom and I agreed to watch the final show on June 22.

The tickets weren't cheap but they were absolutely worth it. The production was amazing, with grand sets - I especially liked the palace backdrop - and beautiful costumes. More than that, the performers were incredible. The Russian Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Yaroslov Tkalenko, was excellent and the dancers were sensational, especially the leads. There were so many memorable moments, a couple of which I will talk about in a bit, but one of my favorite sequences was the Dance of the Little Swans. It was a bit unfortunate that the stage was quite slippery that night. Three people - Baron Von Rothbart, a woman in the chorus, and I think it was Princess Odette - all slipped during the first act. Thankfully, there were no more accidents in the second act. Nevertheless, the show was still fantastic and the cast and the orchestra got a well-deserved standing ovation during curtain call.

The lead female playing Princess Odette and Odile was replaced by Oksana Bondareva, who we got to see that night. Oksana is such a beautiful,strong, and brilliant dancer and she performed magnificently, drawing massive raves from the audience. The pas de deux numbers were awe-inspiring and in one of them, she does a pose that that drew applause from the crowd even while the performance was still ongoing: she maintains a very difficult pose en pointe with no assistance. Here is a video of Oksana doing this pose; check it out at 4:40 (I'm starting the video at 4:32 so that you don't have to wait too long to see it). I can't imagine how much talent, skill, and training are required to pull this off!


video uploaded by Антуан Мальцев

As if that wasn't enough, shortly after, Oksana impressed the crowd yet again with a dazzling pirouette sequence that lasted for more than 20 seconds and had her moving forward slowly on stage while still doing her pirouettes. I kept muttering 'wow' under my breath until she finished and the audience, including me, erupted in awe. Here is a video of her doing that same sequence (I'm starting the video at 0:37 when she starts her pirouettes).


video uploaded by Антуан Мальцев

It was too bad there was no program because I really wanted to know who the other cast members were, especially the jester who himself does a more-than-20-second pirouette sequence in Act I (here is a video of the jester's pirouettes). I also have to say that the New Frontier Theater isn't exactly the best venue - the seats were too cramped with no arm rests and the chairs sloped downwards, making them a bit difficult and slippery to sit on. Still, these were minor inconveniences and the experience as a whole was still truly magical.

I watched a couple of ballets in Russia when my mom and I went there in 2013 but we weren't able to see a show at the Bolshoi Theatre so I guess seeing a show in Manila that featured Bolshoi star Alexander Volchkov - he played Prince Siegfried - is the next best thing. I'm very happy that I have now seen Swan Lake, which is one of the most popular and celebrated ballets in the world.

Zomato Gold

Recently, some of my friends recommended that I use Zomato Gold, an annual subscription in the Zomato app which gives subscribers free food or free drinks in select restaurants. (Note that a minimum of two guests are required to get the free food or drinks.) Since I don't eat out a lot with other people and since I've been trying to eat less this year, getting free food or drinks from this app didn't seem all that appealing to me. That is, until multiple dinner plans were made this month. When I knew I was going to meet up with Meg and with Cel and Zaza, I thought it might be worth subscribing to Zomato Gold. That way, I could get a free dish or drinks. The annual subscription fee is P600 (at least when I downloaded the app) and you get a P120 discount if you apply someone else's discount code. As such, I ended up paying P480 for my one-year subscription that expires in June next year.

Calderon
https://www.zomato.com/manila/calderon-salcedo-village-makati-city

For my dinner with Meg, I suggested Calderon, a Spanish restaurant in Salcedo Village. I had never eaten there before but Meg has. Calderon gives Zomato Gold subscribers a free dish when you order at least one other dish. I ordered the Bacalao ala Vizcaina (P380), which is salted fish cod simmered in olive oil, tomato sauce, pimiento, and spices. Unfortunately for me, I thought it was a bit too salty.

Bacalao ala Vizcaina from Calderon

Meg said she normally orders the Gambas al Ajillo (P310) or shrimp in olive oil when eating in Calderon and that night was no different.

Gambas al Ajillo from Calderon

For our free dish, we got the Pescado Croquetas (P280) or potato balls with sole fish. I love croquettes and I often order them when I dine in Spanish restaurants. I really liked this dish; meat and potatoes are always such a great comfort food. :)

Pescado Croquetas from Calderon

Mazendo
https://www.zomato.com/manila/mazendo-1-salcedo-village-makati-city

Since both Cel and Zaza work in Salcedo Village, we agreed to have dinner there (my second time in this area in a week). I shared possible venues with Zaza and Cel and from that list, we ended up choosing Mazendo, a Taiwanese Restaurant. Zomato Gold subscribers get a free dish when you order at least one dish. I ordered the Taiwanese Style Pork Chop Noodle Set (P330).

Taiwanese Style Pork Chop Noodle Set from Mazendo

Zaza ordered the Hainanese Chicken Rice (P340).

Hainanese Chicken Rice from Mazendo

For our free dish, we got the Pan-fried Dumplings (P240).

Pan-fried Dumplings from Mazendo

Unfortunately, Cel got caught up in a major work issue and by the time she joined us, she said that she was no longer hungry. She did eat the dumplings that we set aside for her before we moved to another place for coffee and dessert. I suggested Single Origin Osteria which also had a Zomato Gold promo for drinks and was just two establishments away and both of them agreed.

Single Origin Osteria
https://www.zomato.com/manila/single-origin-osteria-salcedo-village-makati-city

There is a key difference between the free food promo and the free drinks promo of Zomato Gold. The free food promo allows the group to get the cheapest dish for free, which means the group can order any of the item from the menu. For the free drinks promo however, the group orders two drinks and they two more of those exact same drinks for free. Cel had initially wanted to get milk tea but she decided to just get Zaza's free drink, the House-Made Ginger Ale Craft Cocktail (P140); she said she could just have milk tea the following day. I ordered a Duomo Decaf served via French Press (P175) which meant I got an extra press that I shared with Cel and Zaza. We also ordered the chocolate cheesecake to share. Unfortunately, I can't remember what it is called exactly - it's not on the menu on zomato so I guess it is a new dessert in Single Origin - and how much it cost but it was good. (It looks good too!)

chocolate cheesecake from Single Origin Osteria

In the short time since I downloaded the Zomato app and subscribed to Zomato Gold, I've used it three times and I already got a return on investment. It really is value for money, especially if you eat out a lot with your friends and/or family.

Three Weeks, Three Dinners

Over the last few weeks, I got to meet up with some really good friends for dinner. The first ones were my ex-colleagues from my second job. Amy, John, and their kids were in Manila for a few weeks so we had dinner with them in Little Flour. Me-ann organized the evening and it turned into a mini-reunion because I also got to hang out with Romi and Mike for the first time in a really long time. Also there were Joh, Raffa, and Alvin. It's been about a year and a half since I last saw Amy and John so it was great getting to catch up with them. It's also cool that Amy got a very well-deserved promotion recently so that provided an additional reason for us to celebrate (not that we needed any :)).

A week later, I met up with Meg in Makati. We had been talking about having dinner for a while now but it was only last week that our schedules matched. We has such an animated conversation that evening, ranging from travel plans and tips to watching concert to politics to our issues with people cutting in line LOL. We had dinner in Calderon in Salcedo Village, the first time I ate there. (I will write in more detail about this in my next post.)

Finally, just this week, I had dinner with Cel and Zaza. While I get to see Zaza quite often, the last time I saw Cel was during the Coldplay concert where we happened to be in the same section of the audience. For the second week in a row, Salcedo Village served as our dinner venue. We met up first in Mazendo where we enjoyed Taiwanese dishes before moving next door to Single Origin Osteria for drinks and dessert. There was a lot of catching up that evening - both Cel and I had started new jobs since we last saw each other - and the discussions went from serious to hilarious, including Cel's very funny celebrity sighting. It was close to midnight when we parted ways and even then, it felt like our time with each other was too short. I guess we need to organize another get-together soon, and hopefully our other friend Doms will be able to join us then.

Movie Watching 2019

Godzilla II: King of the Monsters

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla:_King_of_the_Monsters_(2019_film)

I've been a fan of giant monster movies since I was a kid so watching Godzilla II: King of the Monsters was a no-brainer for me. I thought the 2014 Godzilla film was enjoyable enough but wasn't 'wow', but when I saw the many trailers of this second film (such as this one and this other one which is my favorite) and seeing all the monsters that would be making appearances in the movie, I coudn't wait to see it. So much so that I watched it on its opening day.  And it didn't disappoint. In fact, it actually exceeded my already very high expectations. If there wasn't enough exciting monster battle action in the 2014 film, this one totally made up for it. The fight scenes between Godzilla and Ghidora were epic, the introduction of Rodan as he came out of the volcano was absolutely kick-ass, and Mothra was so beautiful that you couldn't help but root for her. The effects were also stunning (even the posters are so aesthetically pleasing, such as these ones). There are many references to the old Godzilla films that will please its fans. Even the Godzilla and Mothra themes in this 2019 version are based on the original themes. I really enjoyed and was so thoroughly entertained by Godzilla II: King of the Monsters.

Aladdin

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin_(2019_film)

I was hesitant to see Aladdin because I saw a clip of Prince Ali online and I was a bit on the fence about it. However, a friend of mine said that he really enjoyed the live action version of the 1992 animated film. That sparked my interest. When I checked Rotten Tomatoes, I saw that while the critics had mixed reviews at 57%, the general audience rated the film quite positively with 94% (as of this writing). So I made up my mind to see it. And I'm glad I did. SPOILER ALERT: stop reading now if you don't want to know details of the story. It sticks to the original story for the most part but makes adds a few things to make the film a bit more relevant and strengthen the original social commentary about women's equality and changing traditions to make society better. It keeps most of the original songs (Jafar's song was taken out though, too bad) and adds a couple of new ones. I thought the best production number was Friend Like Me. I think the live action adds to the depth of emotion: there was a bit more suspense in the scenes where Jafar was trying to be deceitful and manipulative and Aladdin setting the genie free was more heartwarming. All in all, this was a pretty good remake and I'm happy I got to see it while it is still showing. 

PRU Life policies for my nephews

One of the most important and "adult" things I've done this year so far is to get PRU Life investment and insurance policies for my nephews.

How it came about: I'm at that stage of my life where I think of and plan what I need to do to secure my future when I retire. While I already have my own investment and insurance policies, it has always been on my mind to secure my future and the future of my family even further. However, at my age, the value I get from a policy is nowhere near as good as what a much younger person would get. I then thought that it could be a good idea if I get policies for my nephews, both of whom are still really young. Even if I put just a little money now, by the time they retire, that pot could be huge.

I reached out to my friend Joyce who is a PRU Life agent and asked her if it was possible for me to get policies for my nephews. She prepared a few options and after a few meetings, I decided what I wanted (and could afford) to get for them. I held a family meeting with them, my brother/their dad, and my mom to explain the policies to them and make sure they understood what it covered. I then submitted the application and thankfully, they were both approved. Cool! Now my nephews are guaranteed to get something when they are older and hopefully the fund value is worth a very good amount by the time that they retire (or when they really need to use it).

Mr. Moriarty Room in Mystery Manila

My friends and I recently tried the Mr. Moriarty Room in Mystery Manila at Ayala the 30th. We wanted to do this two years but unfortunately, this room was under construction at that time so we ended up trying the Rebel Resistance room instead. It was only recently that we resumed our discussions on the Mr. Moriarty room. We agreed on a date, I booked it online, and we were set!

Unfortunately for us, we didn't solve the mystery. We were tremendously close, though. Despite our misfortune, I really enjoyed this experience. I also really like the room set-up; while I'm a Star Wars fan, I personally feel that the Mr. Moriarty room is cooler than the Rebel Resistance room. It's definitely worth a try.

While our luck run out in the room, we did find some fortune. We went there during their promo-week: BUY 1 GET 1 FREE mystery game every Monday to Friday that was valid from May 21 to 31:



As such, we got a free voucher for another trip to Mystery Manila. My friends and I are now thinking of trying to conquer the Harry Potter-inspired Sorcerer's Stone room. Now we just need to agree on a schedule and book it. Hopefully, we will be successful in our next Mystery Manila visit.

Nadal wins his 12th French Open title!

Rafael Nadal, the undisputed King of Clay, just won his 12th - yes, 12th! - trophy at Roland Garros. Wow, just wow!

YOU CAN’T STOP THE KING 👑
@RafaelNadal is the 2019 @rolandgarros champion 🏆 pic.twitter.com/zMw8SAFq7p

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) June 9, 2019

Words cannot fully encapsulate how monumental this achievement is but here are some stats to try and frame the magnitude of Nadal's win:

• Rafa alone holds the record - male or female - for the most titles at a single Grand Slam event at 12. He tied Margaret Court last year when he matched her 11 Australian Open titles with his 11th French Open title but he just moved past her record now.
• He also matches Martina Navratilova for winning a single tournament the most times. Navratilova won the Virginia Slims of Chicago 12 times. No other player has won a single tournament more times.
• His 12 French Open titles equal Roy Emerson's total Grand Slam singles title haul. Emerson previously held the men's record with 12 majors before Pete Sampras overtook him in the 1990s. Nadal's tally of 12 also exceeds Rod Laver's and Bjorn Borg's total slam count of 11. So all of Nadal's wins are matching and exceeding the total tallies of some of the greatest male players of all time.

Merci @rolandgarros for this amazing experience. 12!! Still can't believe it pic.twitter.com/iNj8Me4iRJ

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 9, 2019

• Nadal now has 18 Grand Slam singles titles, equaling Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. A couple of decades ago, it was unimaginable that the greatest male players would match the Grand Slam records of the best women players. (Sampras had the record at 14 while Court had 24, Steffi Graf had 22, Helen Wills Moody had 19, and Navratilova and Evert had 18). Now Federer has passed Navratilova and Evert and Nadal has matched them.
• He now has a win-loss record of 93-2 in Roland Garros. That is just staggering.

Despite being a Rafa fan, I felt really bad for Dominic Thiem towards the end of the match and during the trophy ceremony. At some point in the 3rd set, he started looking dejected. While he continued to show flashes of brilliance, it looked like he ran out of gas. One has to think that Thiem's tough semifinal against Novak Djokovic that went to 7-5 in the fifth set and had to be played over two days - until the late afternoon of Saturday - had some effect. It must've taken a lot of will power and physical energy to edge Novak in a match that could so easily have gone either way, with all its twists and turns up until the very end. I do hope that Thiem wins this tournament in the near future. If there was any one player who I wouldn't mind as much to take the throne from Rafa, it is Thiem.

🇦🇹 @ThiemDomi deserves plenty of 👏 for his run at #RG19

📷: @rolandgarros pic.twitter.com/996KEp5UPV

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) June 9, 2019

Rafa has already been one of the greatest players of all time for a while now so he didn't need this win to prove that. Nevertheless, his 12 French Open titles may very well be a record we never see getting broken in our lifetimes and I feel very privileged to witness history in the making.

Congratulations, Rafael Nadal!

Downtown Cafe in Angeles, Pampanga

On our way back home to Manila from Bataan, we decided to have a late lunch in Downtown Cafe in Angeles, Pampanga. This restaurant is by Chef Claude Tayag who is known for Bale Dutung. In fact, the Bale Dutung website indicates that "if you do not have reservations and just want to sample the food, you can go to Downtown Cafe". I was up for eating in a restaurant I had never eaten at before, so when Downtown Cafe was suggested, I readily agreed.

Downtown Cafe is located at the Quad at Nepo in Angeles. The food here is really good but I was so hungry when we got there that I forgot to take photos. (You can check out the menu here.) The highlight of our order was the Bagnetta, which is a cross between Ilocano bagnet and Italian porchetta. This dish is presented differently from any other crispy pork dish I've had so I naturally had to take a picture.

Bagnetta

Aside from the really good food, this restaurant also has a really interesting vintage theme going on, with images of Filipino celebrities from the 20th century adorning one wall and photos of the menu items plastered on the opposite wall. There's also a working jukebox. How do I know that it is working? The kids of my friends actually tried it.

In the wash area, Ginebra San Miguel bottles have been converted into hand soap, alcohol, and hand sanitizer dispensers. Cool!

I'm happy I got to have lunch in Downtown Cafe because the food is excellent, the service is friendly and efficient, the atmosphere is relaxed and casual, and the decor gives you a warm feeling of nostalgia. I definitely recommend this place to anyone who is near the Angeles area or will be passing by.

Downtown Cafe
https://www.facebook.com/downtowncafe1956/
The Quad at Nepo, Plaridel Street, Angeles City, Pamgpanga
0917 676 1689