These Curious Days

Maybe it’s typical of the “last night” syndrome, maybe it’s the pressure to do something interesting with someone before they leave for a long trip, but my brother’s last night in Manila was all good vibes and thigh-slapping laughter from beginning to end. Here’s a rough map of what went down:

Destination 1: Royce Chocolates, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell

nama chocolate in mild cacao (image from vermillionskies.wordpress.com)

When we saw it we just went crazy. It was an unspoken agreement. No one made a fuss about the price (around P580 for the Nama chocolates and P480 for the Nutty Bar Chocolate). Without blinking, I bought the Mild Cacao Nama, White Chocolate Nama and the Nutty Bar.

heavenly chocolate! image taken from noviodan-himbo.blogspot.com

We sat at the nearest bench and opened the exquisite (but quite unsound ecologically) packaging. The look on our faces was priceless, especially my brothers who have never tasted Royce chocolates before. The smooth texture and delicate taste of the chocolates was a definite mood-lifter.

2.) Toy Kingdom, Powerplant Mall

In our giddiness, we wandered to the children’s wing of the mall and got lost in all the talking Wall-Es and the humongous Millenium Falcon model. Suddenly, something whizzed by above us. It was a remote-controlled toy styrofoam plane.

In spite of its light and seemingly brittle frame, the plane proved tough. The sales associate maneuvered it against walls and ceilings and the plane remained intact without so much as a dent. What sold it for us is that it could safely fall into water without getting damaged. It would be quite a sight to see my brother fly it over Princes Park.

3.) Superbowl AMF-Puyat Bowling and Billiards Hall, Makati Cinema Square

After dinner, the plan was to meet up with our friends for some bowling at Superbowl in Makati Cinema Square. When we got there, we were surprised not more people were playing on a Friday night. But in no way did the eerie emptiness or the so-last-season music keep us from having fun. By 8pm we were bowling like we knew what we were doing. R. (photo above), as always, was the highest scorer of the night.

It was a revelation to us (and to him, too!) that my brother could play bowling pretty well. He has a natural mean spin that earned him surprise strikes and spares.

And who can beat this form (photo above)? McLavin’s textbook arm-out-leg-tuck stance was a treat!

[Midway into the second game, my mother calls and tells me she is right beside Rafael Nadal at the Abu Dhabi Tennis Exho. For the first time she does not do her "thing" (like unabashedly strike up a conversation with Rafa or hand him the phone to talk to me) -- just my luck!]

When a cover of Bryan Adams’ song came over the PA we knew it was time to call it a night. But everyone was in such good spirits we decided to go on and watch a movie:

4.) DVD of the Night: Zack & Miri Make a Porno

As hilarious as its trailer and definitely more fun to watch as a group. Lots of awkward, pinch-whoever’s-beside-you moments that will enrich your vocabulary (Dutch Rudder, for example). When the credits rolled, everyone was stuffed and exhausted from laughing. It was the perfect cap to the evening, and quite a pleasant send-off for my brother.