My Weekend with Irene and Sam

Where to begin?!

The last time Sam set foot in the Philippines was more than 8 years ago. She hasn't been back since she left. So Irene and I excitedly planned for her return. Highlights...

** Crazy-eyed Schmenten. Sam sent her flight details to me, and I honestly thought she was arriving at ten. I was surprised when I received a phone call at around 9 p.m. She had arrived and was waiting for us, basking in the Manila heat. Haha. Despite the heavy rain, the drive from EDSA to Tramo was actually a breeze. I spent more time finding a way to go southbound.

** Friday night dinner at Cafe Francais and drinks at Tides. I took the girls to two of BF's pride. Cafe Francais served European cuisine. We ordered my favorite pasta dish, Carbonara, and a pizza. Irene shared her Marief kwentos for the week. She was just glowing in happiness. This "glow" of course, prompted me to pursue the "Get Irene drunk" mini-project. Haha.



** We went to Tides after dinner for drinks. Sam barely finished her two shots of Red Tide. Irene, on the other hand, happily complied to my gentle 2-shot persuasions. Haha. My mini project was a smashing success! We checked into our nice Deluxe suite at the Bellevue hotel right after. Irene was knocked out cold (but managed to get into her sleeping clothes in the middle of the night). The bed was spacious and I think we all slept soundly.



** Brunch at Bellevue.... Where the girls discussed about Irene's thesis about bi-lingualism in the Philippine educational system. I was constantly zoning out, thanks to work phone calls. Overall, despite the coffee without the kicker, we were pleased with breafkast. The beef tapa was hella good, and my pancake was nice.



** Shopping in ATC. Jesamyn rediscovered the local brands in ATC! She got a few dresses in Kamiseta, sleeping shorts in Branded for Less, and a few unique wooden carvings in Balikbayan Handicrafts. Schmenten is proud to report that she was able to suppress her shopping impulse!




** Drove to Serendra to attend Camille's 13th birthday party at Fridays. Irene and Sammo went to Market! Market! in the meantime, sharing more musings about relationships.





** We then picked up Kars in Makati and headed off to Eastwood (Schmenten was a super drivams!). 4C girls!! Haha. The drive to Eastwood was fun because we started reminiscing about our senior class and our winning class song (which eventually became the batch song). We couldn't remember some of the stanzas. We had dinner at Heaven and Eggs. Kars and I shared a Monte Cristo. Walked aroung the mall a little, and Sam got a nice blouse at Plains and Prints, which I have to say, carry a lot of great tops for power dressing.



** We dropped off Irene at her Sikatuna home where Tita Beth merrily greeted us. Then we dropped Kars off. Then Sam and I headed for Starbucks BF, where she was meeting her uncle. We still wanted to fill the missing lyrics of the batch song. Sam pointed that she and I remember the rationale behind the stanzas because we steered the class in working on the song together. She was the class president, and I was the vice. It was just so fun to reminisce. We ran into Risa, Nicole, and Trina at Starbucks! It was a fun, brief reunion.

I drove home at around 10:30 pm, Saturday. Tired but happy for spending time with good friends. I'm amazed at how much we all remember, and how much we have forgotten. Haha. More bonding moments this Wednesday when we go on our pampering day!