beauty inside and out.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

A Crazy Party and A Roaring Road Trip

My weekend completely stripped me of all my energies that I woke up feeling feverish this morning. I had this ONE Friday all planned out with a vacation leave filed three weeks ago and a promise to not break my promise to Gladz that I will show up for her birthday party at Phi Bar in Metrowalk. So what if it's a little late for her real birthday which was last January 10? It's a real party I am not going to miss for the world.

I slept two hours after I got home from work waking up only to answer messages from her and Augy. I was half-asleep the entire time I was sending messages out to people. I felt giddy with happiness at the thought of dressing up and hanging out with college friends. It took me three outfit changes (I am vain, remember?) before I could decide on an outfit. A striped spaghetti-strapped blouse, a pair of black knickers and a black bolero. It was easy to get a ride to Baclaran with a San Agustin bus stopping the minute I walked to the bus stop. Guess who I saw? The bus conductor I argued with three days before Christmas. I didn't send in my complaint like what I planned. I am glad I didn't because if I wanted bad karma for him, he did get it. In the form of a terribly funny haircut. He looked like he was wearing a coconut husk dyed in black and he grew pudgy. The holidays might have given him more dole-outs than I expected. He looked like an Asian Elmer Fudd with the porky pig nose. He didn't recognize me. I lost weight and I had my hair pulled neatly back in a tight ponytail. I couldn't help but smirk at the fate that made us run smack into each other. I still had the bus tickets and the pictures I secretly took of him if he pulled another fast one on me. The sly, evil conductor.

I was late for the 7:00 pm meeting with Gladz and Sha at Starbucks in Megastrip. No thanks to this foolish chocolate boy who decided to have a counterflow for the vehicles bound for Cavite. For crying out loud, the vehicles soon filled the four-lane Aguinaldo Highway that the bus had to squeeze into such a tight space just to inch its way to SM Bacoor. I wanted to get off the bus and slap the chocolate boy silly. I had to text Gladz to leave without me. Hailing a cab near St. Francis Square was not easy. The first cab I approached complained that Metrowalk was just near Megamall. If you ask them to drive you somewhere far, those cab drivers would whine and wheedle more money from you. I can't understand them. Good thing, a cab driver agreed to let me ride his cab. He was surprised when I didn't ask him to give me my change before I got out of the car. I paid him double the amount I saw in the taxi meter. I know how to reward nice people.

I walked to Starbucks where I ended up dialing Gladz's number to ask where the bar was. She chuckled when I told her where I was waiting. Phi Bar is located right next to the coffeeshop. Silly me. I saw her standing with Joyce and Sha near the entrance and I ran to hug the two girls. I giggled at the sight of her fairy skirt. The blue green piece of clothing looked smashing. It looked like pieces of fabric sewn together to form a skirt. It was cute and funny at the same time. Our college friends were waiting at the second floor. We greeted each other, laughed and exclaimed at how different some of us look now. I got surprised looks from them after they saw how long my hair is.

The waiter ushered us to a couch near the stage. I sat beside Sha who pinched and slapped my arm playfully. Things haven't changed. I was so glad to be with friends from college. We took pictures. I was a photographer for the night with Joyce, Gladz and Sha posing and asking me to send the pictures to their phones through Bluetooth. Gladz asked us to order food. We had tuna and pork sisig (Sha called it Gladz sisig), spicy squid, gambas, bowls of rice and refreshments. The food was sumptuous, but the conversations around the tables were even more wonderful. We talked about college, our jobs, relationships, former classmates and acquaintances. Jhocai told us that she didn't see Manong Cyclops when she dropped by our old apartment. It started us talking about how Manong Cyclops greeted me during Valentine's day five years ago because I ventured out of the house in red shorts and a pair of shorts carrying a big plastic garbage bag with Sha. How I was called "Sorbetes" by Sha and the other girls because I wore a purple shirt and a pair of shorts in the same color like the usual ube-flavored ice cream peddled out in the streets. Gladz told Imelda that I wear clothes in matching colors back in college. Great fashion sense.

Sha lamented about her shorts that disappeared one by one from the clothesline leaving her with no shorts to wear in the apartment. We talked about crazy drinking sessions that were filled with drama and scandals that our parents had no inkling about. It was nice reminiscing and laughing about the old days. I told them that people I meet now wouldn't believe me when I tell them how much I could drink and what I drink back in college.

Together after almost four years of separation

a night of indulgence

Gladz's 18th birthday cake

me and my tipsy best friend

We started ordering drinks before the band stepped onstage to perform. Kria arrived in time for the show. She waved like a superstar at the band after which she explained that one of the vocalists is an ex-girlfriend of a friend. My friends had beer, I sipped bottled water and Sha ordered iced tea. Gladz threatened us not to have the vocalists greet her onstage or else she won't pay for the bill. We kept our mouths shut and just laughed our heads off at Sha's crazy antics. It was fun dancing and singing along to the music. Gladz blew her birthday candles while we took snapshots of her and the cake. I drank this chocolate beverage that reminded me of gin. I found out that it was mixed with Bailey's. I wasn't supposed to drink because Augy warned me not to, but I was tempted by the chocolate. I didn't get drunk though. Just wild enough to dance with Imelda and Raizel who kept giggling and jumping. The three of us sang and shouted while Joyce danced and Gladz had her head bowed. She was getting drunk from the bottles of San Mig she kept gulping down. Kria disappeared for a few minutes then the vocalists greeted Gladz a happy birthday. She secretly handed them a piece of tissue paper with the request scribbled on it. Imelda and I joked about leaving right away before Gladz decided to make us pay for the bill.

Tinkerbell and her cake

My phone's battery was going to die if I didn't turn it off so I sent Augy a message asking him to text me at 2:00 am if I'll meet him after the party. He called Gladz at past 1:00 am to talk to me and I ended up running to the exit because the loud music kept me from hearing him. I returned back to my friends and informed Gladz that I will be leaving soon after the party. Joyce told me that they will leave the bar once Augy picks me up because Gladz was tipsy and she needed to snap out of it since the drive to Batangas wouldn't just take 15 minutes. I was pretty anxious about leaving Gladz but she told me that Paul and Jhocai would be 'adopting' her for a few hours until she felt better. I went outside the bar where Raizel and her boyfriend were waiting for the rest to come out. I found out that her boyfriend used to work in Ambergris and Augy knows his supervisor from college. Small world. Another discovery is that my friend from Amber, Aithel is Jhocai's high school friend.

I was in my all-time high when Augy picked me up. He surprised me by giving me a pack of Hershey's Kisses. I love surprises. The fact that he gave me chocolates without my asking is so sweet. It was a reprieve from my pathetic diet of shakes, oranges and apples. We decided to have breakfast in Heaven & Eggs. I am getting pretty sick of eating adobo flakes so we ordered breakfast chicken teriyaki. I love how the bean sprouts make a crunching sound inside my mouth when I chew. I love slathering ketchup on my scrambled eggs too. Such small joys for a woman on a strict diet during weekdays.

before breakfast

fiddling with my new phone

He went to the office while I waited for Iryn to finish with her work. The moment the resto started filling up with customers, I picked up my bag and hurried out of the store to sit in one of the chairs outside. I bumped into Iryn when I opened the door and we decided to hang out in a vacant spot beside a couple feasting on pancakes. We talked about her job, her witch of a supervisor and Gladz's party. Augy arrived 15 minutes after Iryn and I started our conversation. He stayed for about ten minutes before saying goodbye to us.

in Heaven & Eggs (as always)

Iryn and I decided to walk to the Fiesta Market so we can wait for Karl who was done with his shift. I saw a former co-worker from Dell Ecare, Mars who complimented me on my new figure. We exchanged numbers before bumping into another co-worker from Xbox who said I was blooming. I said my thank yous before Iryn and I headed to Fiesta Market. Karl got there after about give minutes. I felt like my bladder was about to burst so I asked Iryn to accompany me to the washroom. It was closed so Karl told us to just go to the washroom in the covered parking area. I was just going to hitch a ride to Ayala after urinating, but they invited me to eat brunch with them in Glorietta. Karl couldn't help but ask if I had any sleep to which I muttered an excited yes. So off we went to the mall. Gerry's was still closed so Karl ushered us to Luk Yuen where Iryn and I tried this dessert called pihng pihng tien tien which is like the Filipino halo-halo. I topped mine with vanilla ice cream. I found it sinfully good. Sinful because I was so stuffed, I could puke and yet I kept eating spoonful after spoonful of the cold concoction.

I shared a little gossip about friends from work before Karl and Iryn paid for the bill. Karl refused to make me pay for my dessert which was quite embarrassing because it was the second time I crashed into one of their dates and I didn't have to pay for anything. I followed as Karl led us to an electronic shop to look for an iPod video case. We walked around the mall, Iryn and I took some pictures and ended up sitting outside Figaro in Greenbelt while Karl sipped his coffee. Mark Pingris and Danica Sotto passed by then we saw Alma Concepcion with a gay-looking guy walking away.

It was a little past 1:00 pm when we left the mall. Augy sent me a message before I started feeling sleepy. By the time we left the parking lot, I was starting to drift away from reality. I only realized that I was in a daze when Karl checked up on me in the backseat and yelled in surprise because I looked like one of those zombies in a horror movie. I was staring out into empty space with my eyeballs just looking straight at him. He and Iryn ended up snorting and laughing their heads off. I dozed off when we got to Malibay and woke up when we were in Coastal Road. I fell asleep again and woke up when I heard Karl's cousin, Papo in loudspeaker. I closed my eyes and finally woke up when we passed by Robinson's Place Imus. The two didn't wake me up in Imus where I was supposed to take the bus to Dasma. I got down in Salitran after handing Iryn medicine to ease her stomachache because of the pihng pihng tien tien. The lactose intolerant in her just found the dessert too much for the tummy to take in.

two-thirds of the road trip trio in Greenbelt

in Glorietta, with Karl a few steps away

Karl never poses 'normally' for pictures so I decided to take matters into my own hands. This is the only picture I ever uploaded where I laughed as in really laughed. My poor favorite road trip driver.

My body was aching and my head felt really heavy when I entered my bedroom. I hurriedly took off my corduroy bolero and changed into my breezy shirt and shorts. I felt so happy to be home after all the people I spent time with and the places I've been to. I uploaded the pictures I took using my new phone and waited for my brothers to get home before plopping down into my bed. I found myself wide awake this morning with a throbbing head and aching feet. The aches and pains are all worth it though.

Favorite lines (straight from the mouth of a sleepy Pem)

Me: Hindi ko naintindihan yung sinabi ko.
Karl: Ako din. Hindi kita naintindihan.

Me: Yung dating ex ni...
Iryn: Pem! Dati na nga, ex pa! Redundant.

feistylittle bitch
11:30 PM