Final Week Winddown

I don't think I've ever been as busy socially as I was this last week of August. Hell, this year, even. On w/ the summarizing:

Aug. 26: Met up w/ Lyndon for one last hurrah dinner at Arya in Greenhills, where we were joined by his old officemate Amie, and later on David Lee and 'Orie Tong. Dennis Choi caught up in time for dessert of complimentary sliced watermelon. Robin Padilla (accompanied by Claire de la Fuente and friends) was also eating there when we arrived. Since David knew Arya's owner Shin Karami, he asked him to ask Robin (after we all finished eating, of course) to humor some of us starstruck (read: Amie) patrons for some pictures w/ him. Cool dude that he is he obliged. The picture on the upper left is dedicated to the Beijinoy Spice Boys.

Aug. 27: Met up w/ Dee at MoA to catch a screening of UP in 3D. After watching it I was convinced that my only hope in seeing 3D put to good use as a storytelling tool lay in Coraline, because as w/ Disney's previous CGI movie Bolt, it added nothing to this movie. I should've trusted Pixar to just deliver the goods as always and tell an entertaining story w/ memorable characters, w/o having to ask the audience to wear special glasses to enjoy them. So far the current 3D selection leaves much to be desired... like a good movie, period. We finished the evening w/ Subway melt sandwiches.

Aug. 28: Carpooled w/ Di, Tin and Pei in heavy rain and traffic until we reached Aubergine Restaurant in Bonifacio Global City for the First birthday party/dinner of Dada and Derwin's son Daeron. When we finally got there my lower back felt like it was compressed by 3 discs. Don't think that back-support thingie is working right, and it doesn't even have moving parts.

Dinner was buffet, and I tasted foie gras for the first time (tender). Chavit Singson was in attendance, this time w/o Manny Pacquiao next to him having the lobster tail w/ spinach. As for the other party guests, they seemed to be composed of either family members or yuppie newlyweds, w/the wives looking hotter and younger (but no less pregnant). Baby Daeron was denfinitely up way past his bedtime.

The evening ended on a dull note, because the traffic we encountered getting here persisted when we left. Worse, traffic lights were kaput along Makati and Rizal Avenue, so we (sans Di because she carpooled w/ David Lee, but got lost on the same route I did w/ The Contessa some time ago) were stuck for quite a bit. More dull back pain, and of all the times not to bring the Zen and only 1 CD (Chage & Aska Uplugged) instead. Must be bad karma for my leaving the car engine running the whole time it was parked while we are at the party. Next to having the spare keys hanging on the antenna while I went shopping, this was definitely the most boneheaded, absentminded thing I've ever done w/ the car.

Aug. 29: We had a mini-reunion for the Palawan Wedding Group (not a real group) at Angel's Kitchen restaurant in Greenhills. Di went w/ me and when we arrived Pei, Tin, Jazz and Kurt were already having complimentary bread and flavored butter. The house water was placed in intricate glass bottles, so I checked to make sure they weren't serving us gin. Mira and Bong joined us midway though the main course. Last night's heavy rains made a repeat performance, forcing me to cancel my last-full-show movie plans w/ Lola.

But it was just as well, because after dinner we carpooled (boy, that GM Tahoe was spacious) to Moksha Bar on Wilson Street, where I had my first taste of Sangria (suggested by Pei, and it had a slushy, fruity ice flavor). At first I ordered a Nutty Irishman (suggested by Kurt), but it never came. The guys were convinced that the bartender didn't really know how to make it and the bar just came up w/ the names using random words written on strips of paper and stuck them on a dartboard.

To cap off our drink-on, Pei and Kurt treated us to what I think was a Kahlua cockroach, or whatever other shot of liquor that needed to be set fire first before sucking it out w/ a straw (and preferably quickly before the straw melts). My bid for a fancy picture almost went up in flames (literally) as I picked up my K-Cockroach and spilled some of the flaming liquid on my hand. At least now I could relate to Ken's earlier story of a similar incident w/ a similar drink. It the end it wouldn't have worked coz' the flash from the camera canceled out the blue flames rising from the shotglasses.