Am I under the weather?

The past days have been pretty much a bundle of blah days for me. I don't know but for some strange reason I am so forlorn-- not just sad and depressed but more like abandoned. But what makes it stranger is that I can't quite pin down "what" or "who" did the abandoning and there are no leads, everything is just right where it is on happy days. I almost feel like my system is playing tricks on me. I don't know if environmental factors play a role in this scheme because HK weather the past week has not been encouraging to say the least. Everyday this week, I come from office to the apartment straight to my pajamas. Monday it was relaxing, Tuesday I was feeling a bit too rested and come Wednesday, it was evoking all these feelings in me. It's not not like I have a shortage of people to call and go out with but I don't know, I felt reclusive. But It's over. I'm going out tonight. :)

Great weekend yet again

My past week has been good. I was mostly out of office for market visits and well, just plainly getting myself familiar with the MTR & KCRC lines. I mean, who would've thought I'd get to explore the orange line? ORANGE! I'd bet my Snickers bar all you foreign beauties have only gotten on the blue and red lines and I doubt you even knew before this post that an orange line even existed???! Haha! Well, it's the line from Central that, soon enough, would be famed since it's where the interchange to the Disneyland Resort is. :)

Wednesday night, I helped Dunc & Lindsay move. I got to the reception area greeted with the biggest smile (and actually, the ONLY I smile I ever got) from the guard. Well apparently, he was basking in sheer bliss of being rid of the noisy "party flat" crew. Can't blame him but still hate him. Haha. Well, we had a few "entertaining" episodes with the broomstick & Lindsay's pants but it was quite sad to see the "party flat" empty and left for good. But not to be saddened because a new one is born! Just next door (hah! the guard will still have glimpses of us occasionally-- too bad!) and they got the whole floor (well, you have to see it for yourselves to know what I mean but it's nice to hear it, eh?) Imagine the elevator opening up to their-- shoe cabinet!!!! And no neighbors! I'm sure it will see a lot of good times, just like the old one. Plus, I agree with Dunc when he said, the vibes of the new flat are all good.

Daniel, Lindsey & I: dancing the storm away!

The weekend was ushered in with a slow start. I was feeling sick Friday and stayed in bed watching bad TV, endured American Pie with tedious reviews over text messaging with Andy who was home himself (and he lives right off LKF, what's wrong with you??? Hehe!). The next day was not better (there was a typhoon), I rolled off bed at 6 pm and finally got me up for some much-needed grocery (I only had nail polish and potato chips in my fridge!!), bumped into Sian and got a call from Happy on the night's plan. It was still pouring and the amber rainstorm sign was hoisted but we listened not, we were going out! We found ourselves in Insomnia all soaked!It was also very surprising that everybody seemed to be there and such a small world that somehow, everyone knows everyone. We were making frequent trips to "Club" 7-11 for drinks (it's much cheaper!) and no "Cerille & Lindsay" night out would be "merry" without the 2-am pizza fix. It was a great a night and the morning after wasn't too bad. I'm getting the hang of this, on a positive note, mind you.

Everyone at Soho Spice

Sunday was the usual cleaning up and running errands bit. Meicy organized a dinner at Soho Spice that night and it was really good food. Mostly curry though. Even those dishes that were not curry tasted like curry already. But it was a good meal & the place was nice. We then left for coffee & gossip at Kosmo where I had a Babycinno (how cute is that???), it's steamed milk with a bit of foam and a cute name to boot!

Another good weekend. :)

Michikoo (Michelle) & I

PS. Photos courtesy of Michelle's ever-blinding flash. :)

The prodigal child every so often

Last night, after such a long time, I pulled out the Traveler's Prayer Book that my grandma gave me when I first left the country 2 years ago. I was excited to take on the world, to see it & make my own place under the vast blue sky. I had my family's blessing, support & love all the way. And I had HIM. I prayed ever so fervently that the course of my life, although I vowed would be of my own making, will always be lived to HIS great plan. Unto HIS loving hands, I place my everything. I will find myself where HE thinks I should be, I can make suggestions and requests, of course. As the months pass, as I bask in my newfound freedom, I would semi-forget Him-- and the vow I made, sometimes even willfully. I am ashamed of these times when I come crawling back to HIS aid in times of need. This has been a vicious cycle. I often tell myself, this is a phase of my religious discovery and that someday, like my grandparents, I would be a better Catholic. But maybe not. I will perhaps never be a by-the-book Catholic but I will also never cease to believe.

Not to be mistaken, I am all for Mr. Coelho when he said that the world's biggest lie is that at a certain point in our lives, fate takes over. Because it doesn't. Fate is what we make it. No one takes the blame on the misery nor credit for the good but ourselves. But I do believe in Divine Intervention, too. Because in the many things that I have willed and worked to happen in my young life, there were times when nothing more could be done but pray that the stars align (for those who are not believers)to make something happen. These are times when I call on HIM and not once, not ever, has HE failed to heed my call-- and I am no great child.

Faith need not be blind for one to be faithful. Because the more I try to see, the more I believe that GOD is good.

A toast to great nights & horrid mornings!

At Apres: the night is still young.. Haha!

Weekends when old friends are in town are always great-- a reason to go out and be merry (well-- we always happen to find a reason to do engage in some merry"-making!). Niki was in HK for the weekend, a break from her Mandarin summer classes in Shanghai and Clement was stopping over before flying to Paris-- and that started the whole weekend of very blurry recollections. Haha!

The past weekend is just a big blur of events for me. I only remember bits and pieces of it-- haha! What I do vividly recall, however, is that 7-11 episode Friday night.. me getting myself all over Mr. Juicy (Duncan also selectively etched this in his memory of that night, along with The Question he has been bugging me about all night..). Saturday with daylight was spent in bed and Saturday night started at Duncan's flat (their moving away party-- to the next building) with Lindsay's hair perfectly in place and ended at Wan Chai with Lindsay & I downing a pizza we can't even remember we had the morning after.

Me & Lindsay: Euphoric!

Sunday was lunch of very unhealthy food at Soho with Dunc & Lindsay-- we were so hungry (& hungover), we thought food was going to make us feel better but after that huge, greasy cheeseburger-- we just felt worse. To describe the hangover we all had last Sunday, if I may borrow Duncan's very dramatic words, "I think it will be less painful to just die.."

I promise to do more productive things with my next weekend. And I'm staying away from Lindsay's vodka bottle. :)

The morning after

This weekend proved to be a marathon in more ways than one. ;)

Partners-in-crime

A very good friend of mine, Elvina, who's based in Taipei was in town the past weekend for what she calls "The Ultimate Hong Kong Weekend Shopping Festival." It's sale season in HK around this time of the year (just a little behind the Great Singapore Sale) and she's been whining about wanting to come over and shop eve since I was in Taipei a month ago. So this weekend, that's exactly what we did-- in daylight. When the sun rested, we were up for something else and only retreating when the sun was up again--we partied, drank and got merry!

Tasha, El & moi

Friday night was dinner at DeVino (for my Filipino friends-- this is the place that Miriam Quiamboa's Italian husband owns) with, of course, French and Italian friends of El's cousin (Tasha-- another shoppaholic who met El here to burn dollars!). Dinner was with wine and espresso was with dessert wine-- given the rate I've been going the past months, I am without practice. I was already extra giddy after dinner as we walked to Dragon-I, a bar/club in Lan Kwai Fong. There we gave justice to yet uncountable (who's counting eh?) shots of Polish vodka by dancing like mad. Nothing sheds off inhibition quite like alcohol intoxication. We then moved to Drop (the only club that was open around 4.30 am!) and had more to drink-- by this time, I was already really "happy." Haha. Night turned into day and I crawled into bed just in time for "not-so-happy" people to grab pancakes at McDonald's. I woke up with a splitting headache. Serves me right.

Girls about town

The rest of Saturday (with the sun up) was, needless to say, a blur to me. Now, Saturday night was another story. El was having drinks with Tasha & the rest at Tokyo Joe so I went over to pick her up so we can meet Steph. We went to Balalaika, a Russian resto at LKF for dinner and Steph met us there. Then off we went to The Apartment to check it out but decided to go somewhere with live music just to chill. Everywhere was packed as it's Julyfest in LKF so the streets are flooded and the bars jammed. We had a couple of drinks at this pub where a Filipino band (who, by the way, did not do justice to The Filipino Talent) was playing and it was awful. We hurried with our vodkas and left. We met the crazy crew of the night before at Dragon-I, had more vodka and on the way to another club, we had Jell-o shots. We left LKF around 5 am & ended up chilling at Kian's apartment (with champagne!) until 7. I was in bed just before 8. I woke up around 12 (I was meeting them for dim sum?!) with a splitting headache. I never learn.

Coffee: serenity at last

Dim sum at this fancy Chinese resto in Times Square was good for the headache, not stressful as some busy less-expensive dim sum places (which are the best ones, by the way). We then headed for coffee at Lee gardens. The dessert sampler and chocolate truffles were exquisite. El & I bid adieu as we needed to get her last-minute shopping done before her midnight flight back to Taipei. She didn't want to go and I didn't want her to-- the weekend with her was fabulous! I haven't had so much fun in a long time (well, I haven't been drinking like "that" in a long time..). :)

The morning after is always of intense regret when your head throbs like it is going to explode any minute but come nightfall and you're up for just another round too many. Nothing compares to too much vodka and too little sleep. Haha!

P.S. Bart, thanks for the Berroca you left at my place. It came in handy this weekend. :)