Midweek Movie-and-Food Fest

Wednesday. Usually, it’s that day of the week when my senses are elevated to a heightened anticipation for the weekend ahead; my so-called ‘midweek high’. But for this week, the heightened anticipation that’s been building in my system as early as Monday was not for the sacred weekends; rather, I was anticipating a midweek movie-and-food trip date with my mom, and John Lloyd Cruz was but all to blame.

Mom had to pick up something from a friend’s home that’s somewhere Manila, so we decided to do our errands early to get on our miscellaneous activities as soon as possible. By 10:35 a.m., we were making our way to SM Mall of Asia to catch the opening day of You Changed My Life, the anticipated sequel to the Sarah G. – Lloydie flick, A Very Special Love. We bought tix for the 12:40 p.m. screening, and bought another set of tix for Confessions of a Shopaholic that was showing at 3:15 p.m. (It was a good thing the movie’s still showing so we opted to watch it anyway.)

Setting aside my being a die-hard Lloydie fan, YCML is a winner! Panalo ang comedy at kilig! The whole theater was filled to capacity, and moviegoers were laughing, crying, and going very kilig all at the same time. Somehow, the movie struck a chord in me more than its prequel did, probably because I remember myself saying some of Miggy Montenegro’s lines to someone a long time ago. But enough about that. There were LOTS of memorable scenes in the movie that I just can’t pick out one or two which I liked best. *sigh* Two-thumbs up for Laida Magtalas and Miggy Montenegro!

Cute scene from YCML (photo courtesy of www.starcinema.com.ph)

After YCML, we headed straight to Cinema 4 to watch Confessions of a Shopaholic. Admittedly I’ve never read any of the Shopaholic books, but I liked Kinsella’s flair for classy humor and wit in Can You Keep a Secret (Which I bought some months ago all because I was drawn to the attractive paperback cover that was all PINK. Hahaha!) Needless to say, it was a fun movie and my mom found herself laughing more than she expected in spite of herself. Isla Fisher (Who played the infamous Ms. Bloomwood a.k.a. Shopaholic) was not at all bad. If there was any scene in the movie that made me go gaga over her portrayal of the main protagonist, that would have to be the tango scene with Fluke… err, Luke. I have the Shopaholic series with me now, which I was able to borrow from a friend. However I’m still trying to figure out how the hell I am going to squeeze in a Kinsella book marathon this weekend. Good luck to me, then!

Oh, and did I say it was a movie-and-food trip date? Well, we just had simple brunch at David’s Tea House before the first movie. Admittedly it was a not-so-good decision. The service was bad, the black gulaman I ordered was WAY TOO sweet, and the food was just so-so. Mann Hann would have been a much better choice if one wants to go Cantonese for lunch. Before ending the day, we decided to have dinner at UCC Vienna Café. As usual, the place never disappoints me and my mom, plus the fact that this is the only place where we could enjoy really good decaffeinated coffee. Good thing it was a weekday so we had the place all to ourselves. We ordered Sumiyaki Eel and Mushroom in White Sauce spaghetti, Sardines Pizza Toast, and Blueberry Crepe (with ice cream) for dessert. For our coffee, mom had the decaf Vienna Coffee while I opted for the decaf Hazelnut Coffee. *Burp*

Going Cantonese for Lunch

Burp!

Turning Japanese for Dinner

Whew, that was quite a long post. I can’t believe this is only my third entry for the month of February. Work has been and still is a crazy whirlwind of deadlines these past few weeks so I’m pretty much too lazy to post anything during the weekends. Hopefully things at work will eventually come around. Hopefully.

I Committed A Capital Sin

Things happened so fast that I didn’t know what was happening, until I became a willing victim of clouded better judgement; a slave to temptation. Yes, I’ve committed one of the dreaded capital sins – overindulging my senses to good food, that is.

Since it was Valentine’s Day, I was out with my mom playing proxy for my dad who was abroad. We decided to have lunch at Circles Event Café in Makati Shangri-La, where they serve a long buffet of intercontinental cuisines and, based from reviews I’ve read on the net, some of the most eye-candy and decadent desserts in Manila.

It’s best to reserve a few days before your intended visit lest your name would end up on the waiting list. One good thing with Circles is that you can come in any attire, even with just tee-and-jeans and flip-flops so you don’t have to make a fuss over whatever’s appropriate to wear in going to the place. We arrived around 11:30 am and had to wait for a couple of five minutes before they ushered us in to our assigned seat. The place was literally overflowing with food! In fact, I was so engrossed with the business of eating that I didn’t notice I was filling up on my tummy way too much by the end of my 3rd plate. By the time I was up for dessert, there was just very little room left in my tummy that I only had one plate of dessert – the only real tragedy of it all. “Primera klase” were the exact two words my mom used to describe the sumptuous feast before our eyes. I’d have to agree 100% with one blogger who described the place as the Mother Of All Buffets in his site. It is not mere exaggeration for me to say that words simply cannot give justice to the wonderful dining experience me and my mom had at Circles. I know that readers who have tried the place would agree with me. You just have to try it out for yourself to figure out whatever no-nonsense I’m talking about here. Two spoilers, though: 1) You can never win against the bountiful buffet that awaits you; one simply cannot try all of it in just one visit, and 2) it was a bit pricey (Imagine a canned soda that cost PhP 175!). There were only the two of us, and I had to pay almost PhP 4,000 for the bill (Drinks, VAT, and SC included.). Nevertheless the overall dining experience we had was well worth every peso shelled out. In fact, I’m planning to go back really soon so that I can make up for the desserts and confections I haven’t tried. Oooohhhh… Can’t wait already! ^_^

Interiors of Circles Event Café (photo courtesy of Makati Shangri-La website)

Clockwise from top-left: Round 1 - Going outback with roasted beef and lamb chops; Round 2 - Turning Jap (I got the shrimps for mom); Round 3 - Going Italian; Round 4 - Dessert

After the sumptuous lunch, we went to get tickets for the 4:00 pm screening of Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise, in Greenbelt 3. Since I knew beforehand that this was going to be another periodic war film set in the time of Adolf Hitler’s terror reign over Germany, I was prepared for a boring blot that’s all talkies throughout the entire movie. I was wrong. Surprisingly, the movie did have lots of talks in it but somehow the makers of the film managed to put some edge into the movie that will keep you wondering whatever’s going to happen next. It was a good movie – not exactly the kind that you’d enjoy over fits of laughter nor the romantic-slash-sexy kind; I guess the noteworthy ensemble of the cast (Especially the guy who played the role of Hitler) made it an altogether good film. Although, I must admit, it felt as if the ending was way too abruptly ended and somehow there were still some aspects lacking in the movie; I just can’t quite put my finger in it.

And so passed another Valentine’s Day that was spent on what my mom and I enjoy doing together best – good food and movies. This year’s season of hearts turned to be a lot less ordinary than the previous years for me. I won’t dwell into details anymore, but I guess it’s safe enough to say that someone gave me a DOZEN reasons to smile and be cheerful about V-Day. I know that person would be reading this blog, so I want to say thank you and [belated] happy Valentine’s Day to you and to the hearts all over the world.

^_^

Basketball Speak

Yup, you read it right.

300 Upper Box A tix were given on a first-come-first-serve basis last Friday to SMART employees in support of the Talk N’ Text Tropang Texters in the championship series against Alaska Aces in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup. We were given two tix each – me and my girls at the office – plus a TNT shirt. So with an extra tix to spare, I candidly asked Kim to come along should his social calendar permit him, hoping to watch it with the others on the coming Sunday at the Big Dome.

Sunday. Original plan was to meet up with Kim at Glorietta 4 around 1 pm and have a late lunch somewhere in Gateway Mall prior the game. Good thing it was a Sunday, and EDSA was at its most passable, so it took us only about 30 minutes getting to Cubao from Makati. After parking the car, we opted to eat Cibo since Kim hasn’t tried out the place yet. I ordered the famiglia serving of Linguine Al Nero Di Seppia (Linguine in Ink Squid) that’s got a whole lotta squid ink and bits of anchovies and capers in it. Some serious warning, though – if you’re trying to impress someone on a first date or anything similar of the sort, DO NOT EVER order this pasta lest you want to have jet black squid ink all over your lips, teeth, and gums. Trust me, unless you’re really comfortable with the person you’re sharing this pasta with, forego the curiosity and try the other safer selections in the menu. (That goes for guys and ladies alike.) Nevertheless, despite its unappealing color and somewhat unusual taste, the pasta was really good – nothing too heavy with the sauce nor was it too oily; you can distinctly taste the squid in your taste bud. Yummy! ^_^ Kim also ordered pizza (Which I forgot the name of), that complemented the pasta. We were done around a quarter past four, with just enough time to do some brief window shopping before going in for the game.

Since it was a first-come-first-serve seating, we decided to go in two around 4:30 p.m. (The game was scheduled to start around 6 p.m.). Former Green Archers Mac Cardona and Renren Ritualo of TNT are playing against LA Tenorio and Larry Fonacier, both alumnus of the Blue Eagles squad – one of the many things that make this game quite interesting from where I’m concerned. Tambak kung tambak, as Ryh puts it; the Tropang Texters didn’t allow the Aces even the slightest chance of taking the lead throughout the ballgame. I was ecstatic for the team, and while the crowd was a lot different from those present during UAAP games, it all boiled down to passion for basketball and for whichever team you’re rooting for. During the last two minutes, the fate of the game was sealed in favour of TNT. Final box score is 92-73, with top scorers Cardona (23 pts.), Alapag (19 pts.), and Dillinger (15 pts.). Game 4 will be on Wednesday night of February 4, 2009 at Araneta Coliseum.