Makati - Tagaytay - Quezon Cities

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Two Wednesdays ago, I got a ride with tito Dodge and tita Bay to Makati; from there I got a taxi to Salcedo Village where Dani lives. It was good timing I went to their house that day, since lunch was this chicken dish that tita Marj makes, and it is sooo good! It’s broiled, and the skin is so crispy and meat so tender…mmm…

After lunch, Dani and I took a taxi to Glorietta where we walked around looking for the shorts I want. We had merienda at “Dairy Queen” or DQ for short. Hmmm…I underestimated the size of the cups. You see, the large here in the Philippines is usually a small size to the Americans, and probably close to a medium in Australia. So silly me got a large of the caramel brownie blizz. Halfway down, and it was starting to get too much…but you know me, I don’t want to waste dessert hehehe… It’s ok we walked around a lot anyway.

Later on in the afternoon, we met up with uncle Ricky, and Amber. Amber is so sweet, and knows how to make sip-sip; likes to talk a lot, and is way too energetic for her age. When she was given chocolates, she became quiet - but that didn’t last long, the extra sugar made her even more hyper! Hehehe Finally Anna arrived, and as much as I wanted to hang around with them, Dani and I had to leave…and you people who know me well wouldn’t believe where she took me…

Why, where else but to BIBLE STUDIES  Yes yes, I was a good girl and tagged along to the Union Church of Manila. We were there for 2 hours, reading verses out aloud and telling the group what we thought it was saying, and of course I participated. It was good to meet the other girls there, and it’s really interesting to hear what their interpretations of the Bible were…but this isn’t really me, you guys know that! I did however remember this quite: “You who are simple gain prudence; You who are foolish gain understanding.” It was a good experience non-the-less.

When we got home it was past 8pm already, yet we still walked to Salcedo Park. The park is well lit and a lot of people were there jogging, walking the dogs, and a group of people were even exercising. We walked around the park I think 3-4 times before heading home, and it was almost 11pm.

We were meant to have gone clubbing tonight, but since they didn’t have the driver that night, we couldn’t go. So we just talked until 2am, and even rang Lorraine 

The next morning after breakfast, we headed to the gym. My legs felt like they were going to fall off after using the treadmill. I attempted the bike afterwards but couldn’t handle it anymore hehehe. So we headed back upstairs.

After lunch, the driver dropped me off at Hotel Intercon where tita Maricar was to pick me up. I hadn’t seen her since 2001, when I was with my family and it was the first time we came back to the Philippines since migrating to Australia. She said we were going to Tagaytay for merienda. I was surprised that she wanted to drive all the way there for the afternoon only; I then found out that she likes the long drives, and not the city ones.

We ate at Canyon Woods where they own a lot. I’ve never seen that side of Tagaytay, it didn’t look like or FEEL like we were in the Philippines at all! Never have I seen Taal Volcano so clearly, with blue skies and the sun shinning super brightly, BUT the wind was so so cold! We had to close the door because my goose bumps were getting dangerously sharp! Hehehe

On the way home, tita Maricar bought mangosteen, and passed by for tito Deo and drove to Ortigas. We walked around Tiendesitas; it’s a bit like the markets but more ORGANISED, it’s open air and more pleasant to walk around; in other words you’re not being suffocated from being too close to other people. PLUS there was a band playing right by the food court. Tita Maricar wanted me to try some sweet delicacies, so she got uraro, pastilles de leche, and assorted macapuno. Then between the 3 of us, we shared 3 different flavours of suman - mais macapuno, manga, and mocomas. Also drank the native hot chocolate - sooo good!

Got to their house and met my second cousins - Kashka, Karen, and Kailey (it’s only Kailey I hadn’t met because she wasn’t born yet). We didn’t stay long in the house, soon after we left to go to Eastwood and had ANOTHER late night snack at Shanghai Bistro. I ate some seaweed, and chicken feet - I don’t think I was eating it correctly, because when I was watching tito Deo eat he ate all, as in ALL. And here I am trying to scrape off meat from the feet, no wonder I wasn’t getting any - you’re supposed to eat the WHOLE thing! Alright, well next time I’ll eat the whole crunchy feet…

The next day, I had to put my alarm on for 4:45am (yea right, like I wouldn’t wake up at that time anyway, right?) because I was told that the bathroom is going to be literally booked from 5am onwards.

The girls left the house first for school, then tito Deo, tita Maricar, and I also left. We dropped off tito Deo somewhere in Alabang where he would get a ride with a colleague. For breakfast, we had buffet at Vivere Suites; at the Skyline bar - the very top of the hotel. Sooo much food, I remembered being at work  After breakfast, I was brought home where I could rest rest rest…

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