A Reunion with Old Friends

Okay, I’m not really a fan of the mall but this is my second post about MOA so perhaps I’m beginning to like it there.

My old neighborhood friends and I marked December 4th as our reunion after some years of not being completely together. Well, we were still not complete that day cuz one was in Dubai, the other was in Camarines Sur, and the other one’s 5-year-old bumped his head a few hours before the time we agreed to meet.

Okay so, the original plan was just to have dinner at Gerry’s Grill cuz one of us still had to go to work at ten. But when we learned that she took the night off, we immediately changed plans. The supposed dinner became a night out of beer and sounds.

Having not gone to a night-out for quite some time, all of us didn’t know what was the in place to go. So we decided to just go to MOA’s Sunset Strip and just choose from there. With all the bars lining up the strip, we were sure an establishment or two would attract our attention.

We first looked for a place to dine, since all of us haven’t had dinner yet cuz we were supposed to meet up just for dinner. After much walking inside the mall and arguing over Mann Hann or McDonald’s (weird choices), we settled for Kalye Juan (the signage of which, by the way, was written in jejemon).

The small resto was full we were just so lucky that a group of diners decided to leave just as we were entering the establisment. From the name of the resto, we were expecting to have a very Pinoy dinner - you know with sinigang na baboy, kare-kare and all that. They had those in their menu, alright, but uh, I know I could cook better than their chef.

To add to that, their service was so slow we wished we lined up at McDonald’s instead. At least there, we would know what to expect. And don’t get me wrong with that, I love McDo very much.

Anyway, after the Php1,840 dinner (not bad considering we were a party of 8), we headed to the Sunset Strip. And since it’s our first time in years to go out together, there was much picture taking. What with all the Christmas decorations MOA had put up for the eyes to feast.

There was the giant Christmas tree…

The wreaths adorning the light posts…

And Manny Pacquiao’s statue among others.

It was just so funny that the statue didn’t look like Pacquiao at all. After much pondering on who the statue’s face reminded me of, I laughed when I realized it looked like the boxer’s big fan Mark Wahlberg. Really, you should take a closer look.

Anyway, after more picture taking and walking, we ended up at the resto-bar named StarDish. My friends chose that bar cuz it’s one of the only two that had live bands performing. And for that, we sat nearest the side of the stage.

It was almost midnight when we started drinking, and since I am really not much of a drinker, I only had a couple of bottles. Two bottles that lasted until about 2:30 AM. Beer was cheap. We had four buckets plus a couple order of finger foods and we only paid Php1,340. Well, Rachel dropped 500 so the rest of us only spent around 120 pesos each. Quite cheap for a very fun stay. I must say, it’s really the company (and not the place) that makes a night-out fun.

Anyway, I don’t really recommend StarDish to those who want fine service. But hey, if you’re like me who don’t wanna spend a lot just for drinking, it’s the place for you.

Arrived home around 3:30 AM to a waiting mom and an ecstatic-to-see-me Princess.

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Simbang Gabi

I haven’t been blogging much. Blame Simbang Gabi for that. LoL!

This is how far I was from the church door. I was luckier, though. Others attended mass outside the church gates.

No, but seriously, I almost couldn’t concentrate on anything anymore since December 16th. You see, I sleep at 12 AM, sometimes even later than that. Then I have to wake up at 3 AM to prepare for the 4 AM mass. Leave the house by 3:30 AM the I’ll arrive home by 5:45 AM. After breakfast I’ll have the luxury of another two hours of sleep. No more after that until 12 midnight again.

The first two days was okay. Exciting, even. Because this year, I decided to do Simbang Gabi alone. It’s not because of anything but the fact that I really wanna complete the nine mornings. It’s different when you plan things with someone. I’m sure I wouldn’t wanna go to church too if the person I planned to go there with cancels, just like what had happened many times before. And due to my desire to complete the nine mornings, and since I’m already kinda used to going out alone, I decided to do Simbang Gabi all by myself.

So I ride a tricycle and a jeep to go to church (Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish) at around 3:30 AM. There are actually two churches near our house but I want to go to the church I (almost) grew up on. After mass, which ends at 5:00 AM, I walk 45 minutes, on a different route, to go home.

And I love walking during those hours when it’s dark and the normally busy road is almost deserted. Now, I’m not talking about your normal village street with residential houses and cars parked on the sidewalk, this is a road where jeeps and cars and even trucks pass by during the day.

Some parts are totally dark with no streetlights at all.

From the church, I pass by 7-11 to buy a 10-peso bottle of Hidden Spring. Then I start the 45-minute walk with only my earphones to keep me company. It’s hard to find others to walk with because my house is kinda far from the church. Most of the people from my area go to either one of the two nearby churches. And I kinda like it that way.

The dawn is all mine to enjoy, like I’m the only man left alive.

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Dog Walking at MOA's Sunset Strip

November 29, 2010. Took Princess to MOA's Sunset Strip for a walk. It rained, so my dog wasn’t able to enjoy much of MOA. The problem with her during walks is she never wants to drink. She’s so busy smelling the ground and looking at people and running, she doesn’t wanna stop. Hence, the tongue-out picture.

The Sunset Strip can be really peaceful until about 4 pm, when it’s not so hot anymore and people begin to arrive to either just hang out or to wait for the Manila Bay sunset. We arrived a little before 3 PM and only a few groups of teenagers were around. We walked a little to the right towards the LAX area where there was literally no one around. It was gloomy and just about perfect for dog walking. It started to rain after about half an hour of walking so we had no choice but to stop.

I was hoping to see the beautiful Manila Bay sunset that afternoon but the dark clouds were so thick this was all the sunset we got:

We stayed on a little more after sunset cuz I know twilight with the street lights on is a beauty. And I wasn't wrong. The dusk was lovely. Even lovelier than sunset.

I'm sure I'll be bringing my dog again to MOA's Sunset Strip anytime soon for a walk. I just hope that the sunset would show herself in full glory the next time.

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