Sundays

I've never liked Sundays because they're the day before Monday, and for empleyadas like me, Sundays are equivalent to slow, drag-me-out-of-the-bed stretch before a pillow-snatching, time-pillaging, full-on total body work out which is Monday.

But one of my really good friends taught me the beauty of Sundays. He had this complete notion of Easy, Breezy Sundays: letting the sunshine in at 10am, breakfasts in a nearby coffee shop, nursing an intrepid hang-over from a crazy Saturday night-out, reading the Sunday papers from cover to cover with coffee on hand sitting on a tatami mat by the pool, decking on yourself light, simple outfits, lounging by the condo pool and maybe taking a dip. He taught me how to slow down on Sundays in preparation of Hectic Mondays, something that bridges the go-getting, booty shaking, alcohol-binging Saturdays to the career-building and world-dominating work-week ahead.

I started hanging out with him on Sundays and oh, boy, I love how the Philippines' premiere business district transforms into a very serene, posh neighborhood of chatty expats in their caftans and paper pants with their blond babies in strollers and happy Pinoy families in their SUVs and sunday bests. Step out a little farther from Legaspi Village to Ayala Avenue, and you will be greeted by this scene, almost identical to that of Will Smith's post-apocalyptic "I Am Legend":

Ayala Ave on a Sunday. No, I did not take this photo. This is from http://www.pbase.com/jaybee604

Step back into Legaspi Village, and witness a fusion of cultures and a beautiful array of sights, sounds and tastes--the weekly Legaspi Sunday Market.

Native decors from the Market. Photo courtesy of http://legaspisundaymarket.multiply.com

 I wasn't there a while a go and truthfully, I miss it. It deserves a full blog entry, one day, I will write about it when I finally have my own cam (EHEM. DONATIONS WELCOME). I miss lounging at the tents, sampling everything within sight.We once met a Frenchman by the name of Manfredd, and in a span of 30 minutes, we got an instant yet comprehensive WINE 101. Then there were times when my friends and I would just sit there and ogle at PMAP models who lunch along with the dames of Dasma and Forbes. 

• For this Sunday, we opted to spend time in the nearby mall, because the heat was unbearable and the thought of having to stay in the Market tents is unpractical. We decided to bring in some "culture" nonetheless, by having Japanese cuisine (YET. AGAIN. ONTI NA LANG EH WASABI GREEN NA ANG KULAY NG DUGO KO). This time, it was Sakura in Glorietta 4. Verdict: So-so. Maguro Sashimi is okay. Best Miso soup I've had so far. Price: Too expensive!

• Then we had fro-yo at Qoola (Red Mango packed with moms and dads getting into the newest healthcraze-slash-foodfad), then we watched "Eat, Pray, Love". 

Attraversiamo.

•  So I fell asleep by the time Liz got to India. I remember her being incredibly pissed at that guy from Texas because she can't meditate but I wasn't able to catch anything afterwards, not until she was dancing in a bar with that cute guy in Bali.

The part where i fell asleep: in India

•  my friends and I got so hungry with all the Pizza Neapolitano that Liz had so we decided to have an Italian dinner in La Piadina.
• At Piadina: We all had platters of Pasta Arrabiatta and Calzone. Verdict: Pasta was bland and very oily, we even had to dump parmesan and that spicy oil they serve in place of chili flakes. Calzone was big but lacks filling. Prices: too expensive for this quality of food. Italiannis is still the best bet for Italian fare in Greenbelt. 

 oh, and I still have to write about my Cappuccino search. will do that this week. :)