This no-job life...

is absolutely unpredictable. It's a rainy Sunday afternoon (again) and I welcome the break as much as the raindrops. Even if I have no job, my days are filled with little things. I love the variety. I love waking up in the morning and not know what will happen.

Marvels of the Universe lie ahead!

(mentioned in this quiet but lovely Hallmark movie)

Badminton fills my afternoons around twice or thrice a week. I still don't know how to do a smash on purpose, and I still have to master the backhand. Still, I enjoy the game even if my playmates have overtaken me on the skills. I just really want to be focused on something simple--like hitting the shuttlecock over the net--instead of worrying about things I have no control of. Plus, I enjoy the exercise. I've always wanted to be a jock. Jocks are so cool and so in control. Mental note: Buy proper badminton shoes. The fake Adidas pair I bought in Greenhills doesn't have proper cushioning for my poor soles. As a result, I have a huge, peeling, yucky corn beneath each of my big toe. :( Still, it's an excuse for a foot spa! Which I have yet to try. :)

Last Thursday, I went with Spanky to Makati to check on his beloved Old School (see above.)This 1982 classic is spending its days in a repair shop to get ready for this month's drag racing. When we got there, the mechanic told Spanky to give it a try. Itakbo mo! he urged. And Spanky did just that. He whizzed past the road in a flash with Old School's engine purring, no, ROARING in full throttle. I only saw him in a split-sec, as he passed by the shop a second time. But I could feel his adrenaline pumping. Old School was left behind for more primping as we took off for lunch...

Which was supposed to be in Fat Michael's-- a resto Spanky read about in some magazine. It's a hole-in-the-wall eatery with a menu (fusion cuisine) as interesting as its interiors. Needless to say, we had a difficult time finding it. After getting off a cab with an equally clueless (but nice) driver, we stopped by an internet cafe to surf its exact addy. We roamed the backroads of Barangay Bangkal (which didn't have the usual Makati corporate ambience) and I was getting irritably hungry. It was, after all, 2 pm. After passing by countless talyers and getting helpful and not-so-helpful tips from strangers, we finally found the place.

It was in a residential area where I wouldn't want to be caught walking at night. Still, a promising small garden greeted us outside. When we came in, I was reminded of past cozy restos we visited-- Bellini's, Truben Jaeger (Cubao), and Vieux Chalet (Antipolo). A man, who was reading a book, looked up at us and asked, "For two?" We chose a big table with a comfy-looking couch. From their blackboard menu, we ordered a Rosemary Chicken Salad (balsamic vinegar, yum!), Seafood Pizza with kesong puti (I'll order this again when we go back to this place--IF we find it again.) and for dessert, Pancake ala mode.

Getting lost for it was worth it.

Yesterday, we had lunch at Italliani's in Greenbelt for the Meister's despedida. It was also Siomai's 18th birthday. It was nice to see the kids again, but I couldn't help feeling nostalgic seeing them all so grown up. Almost all of them drive their own cars now. The waiters/waitresses gathered around us to belt out the birthday tune for Siomai. And one of them piped up, "5 and Up!" And then it hit me, the show's viewers are old enough to be waiters/waitresses.

After that, Mawj, Jang, and I hitched a ride with Justonix (who now drives too!) and she dropped us off at Timog. Mawj went to work but Jang and I had something else in mind.

We went to a salon and I had a hair spa (on my virgin hair!) and Jang had something like an extenso to make her hair shiny. After the spa, the stylist came up to me and said, "Di ko type hair mo. I-sa-style ko ng iba." Who am I to argue with such expertise? So "Ruffa" snipped my hair into more stylish layers, blow-dried it and combed it out. And I love it. But I think I loved the experience more. :)