french 101

see if you can guess what we're talking about. clue: we're in a cafe.

french-is-not-my-first-language: hey, that looks good.

me: which one?

french-is-not-my-first-language: uhm...that...kwee-SHEE.

me: the what? read it again. it's french.

french-is-not-my-first-language: kwee-SHAY?!

swing and a miss!

here are some awkward stories

I have never been able to play it cool without somehow having it backfire in some absurd way.

STORY #1: walking along the hallway and since I don't have glasses but clearly have poor eyesight, I begin to squint as I see someone who looked really familiar. I was going for clint eastwood on a fistful of dollars.

well, this wasn't the awkward part. for a full three seconds I was cool. glorious. then familiar looking boy started to speak.

boy-I-met-before-or-did-I: hi! you're Ben's friend right?

me: yeah...you're from the gallery opening.

smooth. brain cells are firing brilliantly today.

boy-I-definitely-met-before: that's right.

ok, brain. two for two. you KNOW this guy's name. let's keep going.

me: uhhhmm...Ryan??

boy-I-met-before-who-is-now-walking-away: uh, no.

I should have stopped.

STORY #2: I've spent a LOT of late nights in studio hopped up on caffeine and extra loud music pouring out of my headphones. well, isn't that normal? for an architecture student, you mean? well, yes, but if you add some key ingredients like: a well-placed desk one needs to pass in order to get to the men's room, a boy who is illegally good looking, a heightened sense of awareness, and a metal ruler; something not quite right is going to go down.

he always wore khakis and a button-down shirt rolled-up just right under the elbow. always. in the pajamas and well-worn jeans culture of studio, this is a rare sight. although tonight he wore jeans and a blue polo shirt with brown suede shoes. I was floored. it was like casual wear met the boss. so dreamy.

dear nature, I thank for making the call that day because he answered.

he had to go. and I hashed out a plan.

ok, 2:30am brain, what you got?

brain: why don't we pretend to be frustrated with this plan drawing and throw your hands into the air? closed fists and all. maybe a little cry of despair? he's definitely going to stop and ask if you're ok and hold you in his arms and comfort you until the café downstairs open and you share a cup of coffee as you plan your life together.

me: brain, i'm all for this genius plan. why can't you be like this instead of spazzing out when i'm on a review? 

I see him in the corner of my eye. fifteen feet. ten. five. four. three. two.

me-as-I-raise-my-fists-in-full-theatrics-as-he-walked-behind-me: aaaargh! this plan!!

I told you about the metal ruler, right?

I almost stabbed ridiculously-handsome-guy in the face. in his devastatingly gorgeous face.

that was not part of the plan.

here's some music for you

brought to you by spotify...who btw, just launched free mobile radio for Android devices.

for those who are into visuals, well, the video (may be quite disturbing for some) is online. just search "dilly" + "band of horses" + "finger gun" or you know, click on here.

art of studying

i can't believe how many study aids are available to anyone who wants to learn certain things. oh, how i wish i had these tools when i was in school! i am set in my low-tech ways but am really appreciating the high-tech options available. technology, man. i am so there.

books and notes
everyone has to rely on reading books and taking notes by hand. i use a combination of highlighting, using post-its and writing directly on the pages. this is how i mastered the art of writing tiny. i had a few classmates who took notes in class with their laptops, but i didn't start taking notes on the computer until grad school. even then, i have handwritten notes that i then transcribe into the computer. (i am such a dinosaur, i know.)

from T-Rex Trying

now they have special pens and pads that automatically save your notes digitally, and personal scanners that let you save pages from textbooks. no more scrambling for change for the photocopier. dude, if i wanted to review my notes or transfer them to the computer, i have to decipher scribbles, drifting letters, and giant ink blots. serves me right for sleeping during lectures, right? also, laptops are more portable and tablets are prevalent. you can pretty much download a ton of education apps, like freakin' Wolfram Alpha! it does college level math for you (above all other wonderful things).

then there are e-books which you can also highlight and bookmark, but i think my favorite feature of e-books or pdf files is the fact that you can search them. F3 and boom, there's that word/definition you're looking for. saves so much more time than skimming. oh yeah, and with e-readers, you don't have to be a pro weightlifter to carry your book bag. (i still love the tactile quality of real books though, but then again i'm part pterodactyl.)

whiteboard
for an environmentally friendly way of doing drills, taking down temporary notes, making study to-do checklists. there is nothing more satisfying than erasing the things you've already nailed. very low-tech and requires no batteries.

the library
cheap? can't afford books? both? go to the library and borrow the books you need. if you don't like the stacks and the damp smell of old books, then search and place a hold on the books online. i remember in high school, i had to learn what the dewey decimal system is. now it's convenient because the catalog is digitized. all you have to do is pick them up at the circulation desk.

it's also a great place to be extra productive. i usually go during crunch time when i want all my study hours to be REAL study hours. the library as a study place doesn't work for everyone, but i find that coffee places are full of people who hog all the outlets and write "books."

flashcards
i LOVE flashcards. i will buy multi-colored index cards and spend HOURS transferring terms, dates, definitions, formulas, diagrams, etc. by hand. art/architecture history cards which rely heavily on images are a nightmare! who has time to search for photos, print or photocopy, then cut/paste into the cards? i know a few. it's a variation on note-taking, really. then come study time, i'm surrounded by piles and piles of color-coded cards. it's a well-informed rainbow! weee! the study leprechaun with its pot of test answers is here to the rescue!

now they have electronic flashcards. at the very basic level, you can search for the subject you want and in a few SECONDS, you have 124 flashcards on hand you can download on your smartphone/tablet/computer or print. you can also make your own sets to share for extra brownie points. a lot of services are free like quizlet and studyblue. there are also paid ones that you can search and custom sort, are automatically cross-referenced, and comes with online support. they also track which cards you've seen, and how many you've reviewed correctly. spoiled much? seriously, these flashcards are the personal trainers for your brain. 

online forums
these have been around for a while, but i've only started using them as a study tool lately. if you find a good one for your area of study, join and stick with it. these forums are your virtual study group, but don't abuse them. real people with feelings are behind those avatars, you know. they're also there for support for when you start freaking out about your exam or for when you feel like ranting to people who are in the same boat as you. very cathartic. 

online resources
google: i don't even use my dictionary and thesaurus anymore. i think about the countless minutes i wasted looking for a word that in the end isn't even included in my edition of the dictionary. so sad.
online translation service: i know swahili. well, google translate knows swahili. weeeell, basic swahili.
wikipedia: need to learn something general about a topic, like, right now? this helps big time. but don't use it as your primary source for your papers. go to the source which (some) are thankfully footnoted.
style guides/manuals: chicago? MLA? all online. even lazier? there's even bibliography builders! all those years trying to figure out how to compile a works cited page...
youtube: online tutorials and lectures are posted online. slippery slope here...just don't be tempted to start watching kittens and babies who might have just said "s**t."
MIT OpenCourseWare: need a differential calculus refresher or learn about costume design? MIT publishes most of the coursework materials (those digitally available, of course) and shares them with everyone who wants to learn about a particular topic. if you happen to find a class that coincides with your current study needs, then you've hit the jackpot. this won't give you college credit but can satisfy your interests.

now, focus and go hit the books!

stickman

while stumbling upon stuff on the interweb, i was directed to this fantastic website called Draw A Stick Man. well, it's self-explanatory. i compiled my screenshots for the last third of drawing/animation. so yeah, spoiler alert!

shrinking without lasers

i made deep dish pizzas. only smaller AND cuter.

close up of a first batch pie

second batch of mini pizza pies before going into oven

exams: a post-mortem

Edit1: Added graph showing how I felt within the first half hour (or less) after an exam
Edit2: I haven't gotten my results back.

Ah! I just walked out of the testing center. I turned in all my scratch paper and didn't even think twice about nicking the No. 2 pencils. I'm feeling great. I just totally nailed that exam. "Hello, Career? Where's your ladder? I'm coming up."

Six seconds later: Panic!

"Hmm...Did I exit the exam correctly? What if it didn't save my answers? Oh my! Stupid. Stupid."

My legs start to weaken. Must. Reach. Car.

"I should've stuck with C. Should it have been I, II, III AND IV? Did I move the line?"

I just sit in my car for the next three minutes trying to convince myself that my answer choices were the best ones, and that the computer also saved all my answers. Rational left brain kicks in.

"Naaah! I had to move that line. It was following the wrong sketch line, Silly. I made the right decision. And it was definitely B. Choice C wouldn't even make sense to a five year old. And IV? Hah! That was definitely NOT true. So obvious."

Then I go check the Internet to see if I had to do something special to exit the exam. Search "magic hidden save button" and "exam exiting procedure" and "did the computer just eat my exam?" (Pop quiz: Which search string did I really use on Google? Answer: Of course, C. Wait, nope, it's B. Yes?) It turns out, the computer saves all my answers every minute or so. Hooray for autosave!

OK, I'm awesome again. Well, maybe 86% awesome.

I never realized how many traffic lights were on my route home. At each red light, I think about more questions. More items I think I got wrong, or maybe I actually got right but mis-clicked the incorrect answer. It snowballs until I come to the conclusion that I have just definitely failed that exam. 48% max. Wait, Washington DC IS the capital of the US. At least, I know for sure that's correct. Oh, blurgh, that was just the sample question!

"Sh%t! Aaaargh! Rehabilitation! No! It WAS Sitte! F%ck! I should have put 5. OHMYGOD! Noooooo!"

Time elapsed after leaving the testing center: 18 minutes. Real life roller coasters don't even go on for this long. Most definitely counting this experience as self-inflicted torture, which when I look back, I've gone through every time I finished a major exam.

Almost.

I am 110% sure I killed it during the AP Calculus exam: x equals negative b plus/minus the square root of b squared minus 4ac over 2a, bitch!

tales from the chat archive: name change and american history

it started with one question: if you could change your legal name, what would you change it to?

3:31 PM preston: preston vanderbilt

 unnamed: looks like you've already used that alias

  sounds very old money

3:32 PM you should add "Preston Vanderbilt IV"

  "yeah, mah daddy owned a steel mill"

3:33 PM preston: hahha

  i want to be the third

  car money

3:34 PM or industrial business money

3:35 PM unnamed: well...the vanderbilts were known for cornering the railroad and shipping biz

  i think i'm confusing my early america multi-millionaires/business moguls

  i think steel was the rockefellers

3:36 PM preston: hah

 unnamed: aaargh.....they're oil

  who got steel??

3:37 PM Carnegie!

  i love wikipedia!

3:39 PM preston: hahah

3:40 PM i dont like that name though

3:41 PM unnamed: carnegie?

  or preston (looks up "preston vanderbilt" on facebook)

  http://www.facebook.com/people/Preston-Vanderbilt/100000552379996

  of course he plays lacrosse

3:42 PM OF COURSE

3:45 PM preston: oh gosh!

  he took my name!

 emmanuelle (fmr unnamed): i'll be emmanuelle le croix and move to morocco and pretend to be a prima ballerina who got forced into retirement

3:46 PM preston: lololol

3:47 PM emmanuelle: "i hate that yvonne...stupide french beetch"

lessons learned:
1. there is an actual Preston Vanderbilt and he plays lacrosse. his trust fund kicked in years ago. where do you think he got the money to pay for that island?!
2. if you meet Emmanuelle Le Croix, please don't mention ballet or Yvonne. she has a new career and bff now.
3. you can't win in trivial pursuit if you keep interchanging the names of the families who helped build america.

"are you gonna eat that?" and other things we said this weekend

R: On a trip to France in high school, I got nicknamed "La Poubelle."
S: Everything sounds better in French. Just don't tell people what it really means.*

P: (reading the brunch menu) Eggs Cheese Pake
J: Egg Cheesecake?!
F: It's Chesapeake.
J: (to P) I know you're from up north, but where exactly?

J: I am more motivated by good food rather than money.

J: Going to Dunkin Donuts was the best decision of the night.

G: If my kid wants to be a basket weaver, I'd support him, but he better be the best [motherf'n] basket weaver out there.

J: I got a letter from the state bar asking me to explain my propensity to disregard VA traffic laws...First of all, it was a bad year.

J: But I'm passive-aggressive. I'd be, "What do YOU think is missing from this cake cutting?"
G: That takes too many calories to say. I'd be like, "Fork. NOW."

F: Of all the superheroes, I don't like Spider-man. He's so whiny.
J: Well, he is a teenager.

J: How is Kristen Stewart more beautiful than Charlize Theron?
S: How is Kristen Stewart an actress?

*Curious? La Poubelle means garbage can.

just go with it

instead of sending a correction about their father's day deals faux pas, groupon decided to roll with it.

i especially like the photoshopped dad who's probably on his third trimester.

open letter to groupon

dear Groupon,
i am not a seahorse, nor is my dad.

much love,
J

robotica: the invasion

the independent nation of robotica has decided to invade the local elementary school by way of the library, an important stronghold to capture. why? that, my friends, is classified. they sent twelve of their best men. ten were deployed at the children's section. one in the stacks. and one, well, we call him "the eye in the sky" or just "the eye."

this directive was brought to you by the Art House Co-op. 

tales from the chat archive: traffic court fashion

11:31 PM well-dressed man: yes i dressed nice

11:33 PM me: but you still paid money

 well-dressed man: its not a whore house

  its a court house

  an old white man is not going to let me go because i looked good, lol

  i could go in a thong and he would probably make me pay more 

11:39 PM me: oooooor...it would look like you have tons of money and could afford the higher fine

 well-dressed man: actually it was funny....

  he asked the first five people in front of me if they had a job

  and he didn't ask me

11:40 PM i wore dress pants and dress shoes, which i never wear 

11:47 PM me: he was probably surprised YOU went to court instead of your lawyer

11:51 PM well-dressed man: no, my face looked like i just wanted to pay and get on with my life. i think i got a cold from being around real people. 

 

lessons learned:

1. court house not a whore house.

2. justice is blind...and that's a good thing.

3. people assume that the well-dressed are employed.

4. the common cold is airborne.

when i see this, i think...round 2

of course i was reading about the Queen of England's diamond jubilee celebration lunch, and learned that there is a real Queen of Jordan and her name is Rania. and she is GORGEOUS! not to mention that she is a true believer that education = opportunity.

but during my more ignorant days, the only Queen of Jordan i know is Tracy Jordan's wife Angie. who can forget that voluptuous confident woman? she has a (fake) reality tv show. and D'fwan! come on! you know you'd watch it.

story time

in today's edition of "this girl writes something" i'm going to share with you a cryptic part-of-a-larger-entity story i wrote for brandon generator, edgar wright and tommy lee edward's brainbaby.

The scanner reads the barcode on my IDcuff. I move it up to my face after the third beep and read today's schedule: 

0730 Breakfast, DHALL 

0800 Comm Assembly, LNX ATR 

0900 History, LL13 

1030 Adv Physics, LL05 

1200 Lunch, DHALL 

*1245 Sys + Strategy, LL22 

*1500 Sp Weapons Training, CC47 

1800 Dinner, DHALL 

*1900 PhSYC Cond, MC438 

Three schedule changes. And PhSYC? So they believed the rumors. They now actually think I am insane.

questions?

why do they all have IDcuffs? 
are those dog tag replacements? 
how far into the future is this? 
are they in the military? 
WTF do all those letters stand for?  
they spelled "psychology" wrong? "physical?"
if he/she's insane, then why still make him/her go to weapons training?
what's happening?


i thought so.

answers? i don't have all of them. i don't even know if i should flesh this out into a full-blown short story or - do i dare say - a book. but i do know that i've been churning out tidbits of stories once every few days. they're longer than the 500-character limit on brandon generator so i haven't submitted any of those. (i do have another one up on the site if curiosity does you in.)

french kids dancing

or more like american actors acting like french kids dancing. either way, best use of french pop music ever.

here's part two of the sketch: les jeunes de paris 2 - le retour
also, props to camille, yelle, emma stone, AND taran killam for making these two of the most entertaining sketches in recent snl seasons.

to the skies

virgin america is the best thing that has ever happened to domestic air travel in the US. i'm dead serious. from mood lighting, eye-candy flight attendants and leatherette seats to RED the entertainment system, outlets and usb ports, and onboard wi-fi, VX makes flying luxurious even in economy. everytime i fly a non-virgin flight, i feel deprived and cheated. (what there is no screen in front of me?! where is my bottled water?) there was only one time i was majorly disappointed when the flight landed; i actually cried, "NOOO! i want to know who won this [Top Gear] challenge!" (btw, please bring BBC America back on you satellite tv channel line-up. kthnks!) gotta say i'm proud to be a member of the elevate class.

also, who names their planes "unicorn chaser?" they do.

when i see this, i think...

when i went to see west side story live and saw this part of the musical:

i immediately thought about this:

since i love the flight of the conchords infinitely more than west side story and actually saw fotc first, this round goes to the parody.

when i saw previews for the black donnellys on tv:

all i could think of was, "isn't johnny drama on this one?"

then i remembered five towns was only a tv show within entourage, another tv show.

when i hear people talk about parkour or free running, which features some impressive shows of athleticism:

i laugh and think of michael scott and company and their attempts at "hard core parkour" in the office:

i'll post more as i come across more absurd comparisons.

dc

sometimes you just have to explore your city. walk around. visit the monuments. check out the world's headlines. take a look at some art. listen to street musicians. check out a live show. eat some grub. get friendly with the locals. and ALWAYS have fun doing it.

a section of the berlin wall on display at the newseum, one of the few museums you have to pay for admission but well worth the price.

oh, the (food) places you go

two months in the philippines and i've eaten and drank more than my share of mouth-watering grub and drinks from restaurants, cafes, family gatherings and weddings. today while i take a break from studying and waiting for the next meal to come around, i'm going to delight you with the places i've been. i'm not going to include the home-cooked meals at family gatherings because those are too delectable and deserve a whole other blog entry. (also not included: boracay food trips)

Taaleña in Tagaytay
the restaurant was empty apart from a few other patrons; most likely due to the fact that we went there for lunch on a non-holiday monday. notable dishes include the ever-popular sisig and grilled liempo. i don't remember if we ordered bulalo, but i remember we took this picture:

it's not everyday we get a photo of the "young-at-heart" AND Nald! everyone, this is like seeing a leprechaun riding a unicorn under a double rainbow.

North Park (Alabang Town Center)

our go-to for fast Chinese food. service is fast and the food is above average and affordable. overall, good value for your money. notable dishes include yang chow fried rice, nanking beef noodle soup, shanghai chicken and spicy garlic squid. food coma.

Recipes (Greenbelt)

delicious filipino food. front and center is their gising-gising (green beans in spicy coconut milk) and crispy tilapia. so simple. so good. (don't order the beefsteak though. it's a bit of a let down.)

Army Navy (Alabang)

slightly schitzophrenic american/mexican hybrid pseudo-fast food joint whose burgers and tacos were ok. they have burritos, too, but i didn't try them. go here for the shakes (they have ube and mango.) and the crispy fries. also, i've been told the fried chicken was scrumptious and it did look like it. food envy.

Banapple (Ayala Triangle)

it was lunchtime rush and we had to wait for a table inside the tiny air-conditioned dining area. it was hot and humid and people were wearing long-sleeved shirts. if you were one of them, yes, i was judging you. however, all that went away when i saw their dessert display case. (currently drooling while thinking about all those slices of cake) you and me, cake. you and me. their main dishes were to-die-for as well especially the crispy fried dipped-in-batter porkchop with gravy and fried rice and some corn on the side. (so, you know, you don't feel so bad for all that deep fried goodness.) but if you have barely any time and patience to wait for a table at their tiny yet charming restaurant, i suggest you get a slice of cake or apple crumble pie and a cup of iced latte to go. 

and, oh yeah, banapple is opening at ayala town center. bonus!

Mom and Tina's (Makati)

we were still too full from the banapple lunch, so dinner at mom and tina's was "light." did i get chicken imbutido (meatloaf)? i remembering ordering a japanese style mango salad. there was also a chicken pot pie. we also got two kinds of dessert. so much for light eating. we did walk really far to our parking spot so at least the calories from the salad were burned right away.

Yakimix (The Podium, Ortigas Center)
japanese buffet with tabletop grills. lots of desserts to choose from including cake from goldilocks and ice cream from selecta. one of the cheaper buffets around and for the variety of dishes to choose from, i would say this is a good value. they don't replenish their sushi selection fast enough so if you see the unagi or spicy tuna come out, go for it.

Krazy Garlik (Greenbelt 5)

what would make a gab session with your high school friends even more appetizing? an order of garlic chicken bbq pizza and clam linguine. the garlic on the pizza was sliced thinly and toasted just right that you don't even mind you're probably eating enough for your breath to be smelled from a mile away. garlic lovers, here's your restaurant. 

*this was also the day i discovered that when ordering a green tea frappuccino from starbucks, i should have my barista replace the sugar syrup with hazelnut. my friend and soon-to-be the best chef in manila Marie suggested this must-try addition.  

Banana Leaf (Greenbelt)

there were no plates on the tables! shock! horror! are you guys this busy?! it is friday night, but still. turns out, there were no plates, just banana leaves. you eat on them. aaah, i get it - banana leaf. blonde moment aside, this fusion southeast asian restaurant deserves a second (or third or fourth) try. their menu was extensive and covered malaysian, singaporean, chinese, and thai cuisine. we ordered something from each page of their menu, and we finished it all. notable dishes include: banana leaf wrapped chicken, coconut fried rice and the mildly sweet chicken curry. maybe next time we'd order the roti as well.

woosh...and just like that, empty plates

New Orleans (Bonifacio Global City)

i hope you don't get our server who is probably a culinary school student on-the-job training.

me: can we have water?

server stares intently at the three empty glasses, wondering how on earth he's gonna be able to carry all these glassware in one go.

my aunt: maybe you just bring us the pitcher.

server walks away and comes back a few minutes later with a full pitcher of ice cold water. he then placed the pitcher gingerly on the table, smiled, and WALKED AWAY. we all stared at each other and just laughed.

me: i guess we pour this one ourselves. (so we did)

now about the food: cajun cuisine with a filipino twist. knowing another server there is definitely beneficial since he told us which ones to get and how much would be enough for the four of us. oh yeah, and did i mention unlimited amounts of grilled corn? notable dishes: spicy chicken skins, rockefeller oysters, and tres leches for dessert. (i don't know how that fits in with the cajun theme but what the heck, it was still good.)

so when we were finished with dessert, i asked for another glass. assuming i didn't need to specify that it should already be filled with water, our lovely server came back with - you guessed it - an empty glass. but he placed it down so gently like it's the holy grail of glasses and he did it with a smile, so i didn't even think about getting irritated. it was just extremely funny. i just asked for more water for everyone. when he returned, he was holding the pitcher. but he did something different. he poured the water himself. no one had to tell him. you are learning, grasshopper.

new orlean's version of tres leches...doesn't quite look like one but delicious nonetheless

Pig Out (Nuvali)

bonding time with my favorite childhood friends - my cousins. lunch and a whole afternoon of talking and window shopping was not enough. everything we ordered except for the peri peri chicken was outstanding. notable dishes: lechon kawali (seasoned really well), grilled tuna belly, garlic fried rice. their frozen fruit and veggie shakes were refreshing and surprisingly healthy. try the chico shake, cucumber shake and the one with celery.

Serenitea (Nuvali)

for milk tea (boba) fans. i didn't quite taste the difference from other places, but one good thing about this place is you can request for a lot less sugary syrup to put in your milk tea.

Kanin Club (Westgate, Alabang)

i had such high expectations of this place, and they were all met. (well, the tofu/mushroom dish and the crispy liempo were lacking in flavor and can be easily replicated at home.) you would think with a name like "kanin club" they would serve rice in bowls topped with entrees. not the case. in fact, none of their dishes were served like that. "so, they cook rice in ways you haven't seen before?" you might ask. nope, not really. they just make their main dishes so delectable that you would ask for seconds (or thirds) on rice. if you're on a diet, you shouldn't come here. but i warn you that you'd be missing a whole lot. that and i will deny you as my friend. notable dishes include: crispy dinuguan (made from coagulated blood; only try it if you're adventurous and for the novelty), beef pochero (substituting ham for the chorizo was a palatable choice; even with just the sauce on rice, it was already mouthwatering), tinapa rice. also a few words on the KC turon: a twist on the everyday street food. kanin club put ube jalaya, macapuno, red mongo bean paste and bananas inside a lumpia wrapper, pan fried, and served it with mango ice cream. love it! i would go back just to order this. well, two of this and the pochero.

the KC turon: LOVE IT

Omakase (Alabang Town Center)

lunch break with Tal: japanese style! after running an errand and still wanting to show off my manila driving skills, we headed for lunch at the soon-to-be relocated omakase. typical japanese restaurant. get their orange passion fruit tea as it goes really well with the dishes. notable dish: omakase fries (hand-cut fries topped with tender beef, onions, mushrooms, mangoes and dressing)

Amici (Alabang Town Center)

pizza, pasta and gelato. for years it has been a landmark near the don bosco campus in makati. after a buyout from jollibee corp amici now has a few branches in metro manila. at this point this pattern has emerged: bonding time for my family always involve food and lots of it. two wood-fired pizzas, two pasta mains, and two gelato desserts later, i learned a little bit more about my cousin's crazy student, her husband's tour of the lord of the rings site in new zealand (takeaway: a bit underwhelming), and my other cousin's near-future life plans. i also learned that my cousin Carleen still knows a bit of italian (she ordered in italian complete with accent) and that the server actually understood her. AMAZING! she was also reading off the menu but she said the numbers like a boss. notable dishes: pizza margherita, peach walnut crunch gelato cake, and their version of brazo de mercedes (custard flavored gelato inside).

now i'm done writing about food, and look, it's only one hour 'til dinner time!