First day back in the Philippines

I arrived in the Manila exhausted and sleep deprived. The red eye is always the worst but then again it’s so much more economical and I don’t waste the entire day when travelling via Singapore so I always take it. It was worse than usual because instead of arriving at 5:30am we arrived at 7am. But the worse thing about it was that the airport staff at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport kept on telling us at 12:55 that the plane was only 30mins delayed (1 am departure instead of 12:30 am) …. but as a friend taking the same flight pointed out it was 12:55 and the plane wasn’t even there yet. How can someone tell you that bald-faced lie with a smile? We’ve already learned that one must be more relaxed in Jakarta and go with the flow so just chatted with my friend Brian until 2am.  You get what you pay for so we really can’t complain much =P Okay I am totally veering off topic…back to Manila!

My father in-law was nice enough to go with the new driver (who didn’t know the way) to pick me up! So sweet of him to wake up so early! Despite being tired I had breakfast with my FIL (father-in-law)… how can I resist Mary Grace ensaymada?!? With some chamomile tea to sleep.

Woke up at 230 pm and lunch was beef pochero soup and lechon kawali. I was super stuffed. I think our maid in Manila knows us so well already and how much we miss PORK in Jakarta because I’m noticing that every time we go home she always makes lechon kawali for our first meal! She is amazing! Home sweet home!

Stayed home the rest of the afternoon to call and set appointments/meeting/meet-ups with all the people I want to see while I am here in Manila:

• Dentist for cleaning, fixing of some old pastas – my friend, the gorgeous Dr. Laura Maclang, specializes in
• Orthopedic surgeon: Dr. Vince Gomez – remember my  tennis elbow/housewife’s tendonitis/carpal tunnel combo that hasn’t healed?
• Dermatologist for bikini and leg laser – Dr. Gina Pastorfide (FPDS President)
• Hair cut and color from my german hairstylist, Stefan of Basement Shangri-la
• Accountant
• Realtor
• Condo admin
• Family
• Barkada
• The SSI MArkada
• College friends
• Twitter DiploFriends
• Etc. etc!

Aside from these meet-ups and appointments I’ve many more errands to run. Too much for one week really but I gotta try my best to get it done!

We then had light dinner at Masseto this elegant restaurant in Salcedo (was inspired to go there by this post on Rajo Laurel’s blog). So far all the material I read about this place has been rave reviews. I will be honest and say that I love the place and ambiance (how it’s so intimate, like a private members only establishment), the simple but chic interiors and the amazing flower arrangements (by Maita Fores if I am not mistaken?) however we were not bowled over by the food. It was good but for the price I expected it to be better. My MIL (mother-in-law) got the cream pasta with duck (about P550 if I recall correctly) and she said there was something missing so she asked for some truffle paste which made the dish much better. Perhaps we ordered the wrong things? What do you think? (Sidenote: I can’t believe this has been there since 2009!)

Then hurried off to meet up for drinks with my best friend Jenn, her hubby, mom and aunt at Manila Pen’s Salon de Ning. Boy did my in-laws have fun there! It definitely deserves a separate post on it complete with pictures! It really is quite an experience and I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it in Manila! It reminds me of how all-out the interiors are of restos and bars in Jakarta and i hope that Salon de Ning raises the bar for other resto/bars in Manila. It just opened late last year. My friend described it as like being Alice in Wonderland. I agree it’s really like you are transported to another world! More on this next time!

It was a wonderful first day in the Philippines and can I just say… it was SO good to have a shower here – I don’t have to be scared of opening my mouth or eyes hehe! (This is why I can’t do this in Jakarta)

It’s so good to be back!