I mean, really being aware of each other's presence and consciously doing something together. On my third freedom-from-work week, Mel and I began this daily routine of walking to the nearby market after breakfast to buy something for lunch or dinner, or simply stroll around the block to revisit spots we've seen before.
It all started when we were looking for a Baroque costume for Jules' music class and sewing kit items for the girls' Work Education subject. An officemate, who also lives in Pandacan, told me that she used to rent costumes and gowns for her daughters from a nearby shop. We went to look for the shop and found the items we need. We also visited a relatively new store of school and office supplies and discovered they had all kinds of sewing kits with everything in it. We had such a productive day that day that we decided to walk together again the following day.
The next day brought us to the Kapt Isidro Mendoza Public Library in T. San Luis Street. I just heard about it and told Mel I wanted to see the place after the habagat-caused-flood. We came upon the library personnel tidying up the place. Some books were obviously not fortunate enough to be saved during the flood. The water had reached almost the second level of the shelves so those at the bottom were drenched. Some books were lying in tables, being dried. From there, we went to the talipapa for pork and other ingredients.
Since then, we've gone walking almost every morning for a variety of reasons such as to visit the nearby pet shop to look for an aquarium with a movable bottom for our pet white mouse, Fifi, or to check if the Puregold store in West Zamora sells pizza sauce. Sometimes, it's as simple as me craving for pandesal, and we'd go to the Pan de Manila near Caritas after our trip to the market to get large, hot bread.
Last week, our "we time" went beyond Pandacan. The trips were primarily for errands but we decided to have our own little dates. On Tuesday, we went to BPI in Padre Faura to take care of some investment business, then thought of splurging a little to try out something new. We went straight to The Kitchen at Oasis Hotel in Paco. "Splurging a little" turned into "splurging a lot" because, man, the prices in the restaurant are no joke. If you're a big group, and don't really have that much extra to spend, I suggest you stay away from this tempting place.
I ordered Ox Tongue Risotto with asparagus and parmesan. Oo-la-lah! It's true, the dish is delicious! I could have finished it if the order wasn't that big. Even before my last spoonful, I knew I had too much. It's worth the sky-high price.
I paired this wonderful dish with a glass of Kiwi Soda, all green and refreshing. I didn't regret the choice.
Mel opted for something less adventurous but equally satisfying. Something familiar to the palate, yet not. He ordered an Italian Sausage dish with lentils and potatoes. I forgot the exact name but it's also amazing and flavorful. Heavy, if I may add.
He paired it with, first, a glass of Banrock Station, a fine Australian wine, and then another glass of Stonehaven from California.
The Kitchen was the highlight of the day.
On Wednesday, I had to get a community tax certificate for my quit claim document in the office, so I can get my last paycheck and severance pay. Mel and I went to Manila City Hall to join the long line of people getting the same. Surprisingly, all of them are lining up in the window for the "unemployed". Nobody was lining up in the windows reserved for self-employed people and business owners. Some look too good to be unemployed, but then that's the strategy here to avoid paying much. At least for me, it's true. I am unemployed. :-)
After City Hall, we went to The Old Spaghetti House in SM Manila to have a light meal. Our food consisted of Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Blue Cheese Sauce and Chicken Tequila Pizza.
Yumm-mmm-mmmyyy... Me time, we time. Great food and great company. This is life!
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