Weekend Meets & Greets (Updated w/ Pix)

FRIDAY: Dinner w/ Eileen at Greenbelt 5. While waiting for her I caught a bit of Julia Fordham's performance at GB Park. Jazzy is as jazzy does. Didn't even know she was British. Before the last song I heard her perform she was encouraging the audience to get off their bums and dance. Good luck w/ that, Julia. Pinoy concert audiences are the "have seat, will sit" type, and probably wouldn't be caught dead bustin' moves at a jazz concert, anyway.

After dinner we headed for Murphy's Bar (and got flagged and fined by a --gasp-- honest traffic cop for an alleged illegal left turn) for Ana Gonzalez' B-day bash. My actual appearance (as in showing up, not my looks) seemed to have left as good an impression as my birthday gift: Neil Gamain's Fragile Things audiobook on CD. Met her little sister. Saw Andy, Grand and Ferds again. Had a surreal chat w/ Ana's soused beau Igo, w/c was my first enounter w/ someone who was drunk but acted comtemplative. Eileen had an alkie-choco drink while I ordered light beer.

SATURDAY: Forced to mall around SM Centerpoint (IMO the most mediocre of the SM Malls I've been to, probably due to the lack of a decent book shop. Then again, Centerpoint shoppers don't strike me as the bibliophilic type. I think they're just making due w/ the dog-eared 'zine section of NBS) waiting for Ma and 2-Kim to finish their shopping on this 2nd day of the 3-Day Sale. While waiting I had a snack consisting of the toughest chicken breast fillet sandwich Wendy's had to offer. Bad enough local taxes are applied on top of the VAT, now they're serving me really salty fries and leather chicken.

When we finally got home I spruced up 'coz I was supposed to meet Cathy Yao for dinner. We decided on Trinoma and tried out that Greek restaurant Cyma. They literally seated us in the corner with a window view overlooking a parking lot. Ariel Ureta (and his wife, I assume) was seated two tables away. Cathy didn't know him, though. We ordered a cheese dip flambe (w/ bread), an appetizer w/ the extra entertainment value of having the waiters light the cheese on fire and yell, "O-PA!" Unfortunately they had to do it near Ariel Ureta's table instead of ours because we were in a narrow section, and the lamp shade above us was made of wood. Seems whoever designed this resto didn't consider flammable lighting fixtures and waiters who'll occasionally play around w/ open flame a safety hazard.

Our main dish of spaghetti topped w/ stewed beef shanks was unfortunately garnished w/ two of my least favorite herbs/or spice: coriander (aka cilantro) and cinnamon. Had those 2 ingredients not been added I might've been enouraged to finish off the "shared" serving size (made for approx. 3 people), but instead now I have big beef shank bone stuck in the fridge.

Our nightcap was at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (or NAMBLA), where discussions on faith and religion got spirited, to say the least. Cathy's views on life appear to be defined by her faith, w/c clashes my my somewhat agnostic take on it. Two encounters in, and there's still something missing. That spark. And I think I know why. And I think in the back of my mind I've always known.

(Also, I'm not going full disclosure on all this, 'coz Cathy knows my blog address, and I'm a wimp.)

SUNDAY: Had brunch w/ G in Kulinarya at the PowerPlant Mall. Days before I had a set of questions and other things I wanted to ask and tell her. Definitely easier thought than said. In the end I could only ask her how she thinks we're doing as a "couple." She said she enjoys the companionship but wouldn't want to change things, at least not drastically. (Cross out making out under the bleachers during the big football game...) I said I wished she was available more often, if only it wasn't for her busy work schedule. And I asked for her home phone number.

(I like her. I like being w/ her. I like myself when I'm w/ her. Hmm, it occured to me that in all the times we've gone out I've not once held her hand. Nor kissed her (save for that peck on the cheek in church). Slowly but surely can be a real pain, sometimes. Step up, foo'. Nuffa dis "friend date" stuff.)

We had a bit of trouble finding it, but we finally got to the church where G's officemates were getting married. I had to leave her there 'coz of the Batch '94 alumni meeting at Little Asia's Tomas Morato branch. Sherman Oranga and Jasper Soon were there when I arrived. Winston Co followed, then fashionably late (w/ her red "Seriously..." Grey's Anatomy t-shirt) Jehan Sia, Josephine (Mapua) De Lucia, Henrison and Khristine (Chan) Lim, Chris Karen (Sy) Uy and Jervy Santiago. While enjoying the crepe and spring rolls we discussed fundraising plans and official appointents. I was appointed head of communications.

Better get started on a new webpage...