what i ATE in manila part 2.

September 25, 2010 Saturday

my second day in Manila and today i’m finally meeting up with Dich. yesterday she said she was staying in to do some last minute studying so we decided not to bother her.

Mom and i rode a cab to the hotel were Dich and her school mates were billeted and on the way i had a slice of wheat bread to curb my hunger. i guess this is my breakfast for today. haha! how appetizing! :p

yummy Gardenia wheat bread

We picked Dich up then headed to the nearby Max’s Fried Chicken for lunch. i wanted to take pictures with her but sadly she wasn’t in the mood. i can’t blame her though. she’s all jittery and nervous for the last day of the Bar Exams tomorrow. she even snapped at me when i made a fuss about giving my cup of rice away the minute the waiter set my order on the table. sorry Mar! i just didn’t want to get tempted to eat it. so anyway, here’s today’s lunch. a quarter of a Max Fried Chicken with Fresh Lumpia which i forgot to take a picture of until i was halfway through with it.

half eaten lunch

Jihannee arrived fresh from the airport just as we were about to finish eating. after lunch we heard the anticipated mass dedicated to Dich and her co-examinees from USC. just like everybody else did, i prayed EXTRA HARD for Dich that she will be able to finish the exams in 1 piece and that come March 2011 we will see her name on the list of passers. Lord please oh please oh please! Mar2x has been studying so hard and has sacrificed so much for this! 😐

we helped Dich settle down in her room then left her at the hotel when their lecture was about to begin. Jihannee and i then boarded a cab going to Greenbelt 3 & Glorietta to spend the day malling just like we always did back in college. we couldn’t help but feel like it was just another school weekend wherein us dormies would chill out and de-stress at the mall. nothing much has changed really. 🙂 Jany was in the mood for some Red Mango Yogurt so off we went. i ordered my favorite Green Tea yogurt topped with very sweet and juicy red beans. i really can’t wait for Red Mango to open in Cebu soon!!! here’s Jany and me with our cuppa’ fro-yo.

fro-yo lovin'!

right outside Red Mango was this food joint called Chimara (pronounced kai-ma-ra) which is exactly like Taters except that they serve all HEALTHY FOOD. there were salads, sandwiches, and wraps made of very healthy ingredients. i was so intrigued by their menu that i even if i wasn’t particularly hungry i couldn’t help but order for myself a bag of Tofu Chips with Sour Cream seasoning. OMG. soooooo goooood!!! 😀 as in L.O.V.E it!!! thanks for recommending this Jan! 😀 i hope Chimara opens in Cebu too! i think if i were a billionaire i’d definitely franchise this. hehe.. but i’m not so i’ll just save money to fly to Manila ever now and then for some Chimara goodness.

deliciously healthy chips!

the rest of the day was spent hopping from one store to another. i pretty much behaved myself today. as in no shopping at all. i’ve done my shopping at 168 and given that everything’s cheaper there, i couldn’t bring myself to spend over P500 for a top no matter how nice the fit is. also, i didn’t bring enough cash with me. wait, i think that’s the real reason why i didn’t shop. hahaha! :p Jany was the one who burned a hole through her wallet but that’s alright. dba Jan? 😉

dinner was at MexiCali where Jihannee and i feasted on super kaduper delicious Shrimp Burritos. i’ve eaten at MexiCali before but that was like in first year college pa around 9 years ago (gasp! 9 YEARS?!). but it’s my first time to have the Shrimp Burrito and it was soooooo lami!!! it came with some nachos, salsa and creamy garlic dip that made the burrito all the more satisfying. here’s Jihannee and i at MexiCali. do we look happy to be eating here or what?? hahaha!

mexican yumness!!!

after our day at the mall i went back to my Uncle’s place where i spent time bonding with my relatives. i also had a mini photo shoot with my little cousin Caitlyn who i think is the most adorable 5 year old ever. these are 2 my favorite pictures from the shoot. i had to rely on my trusty D40x and its built in flash because i didn’t bring anything else with me. i think most of the pictures turned out OK ra man sad. hehe. aint’ she a sweetie pie? 😀

the sweetest smile

Cutie Caitlyn

i then spent the rest of the night writing up my Sept 24 entry then made sure to sleep early as we had a very long day ahead of us the next day. Maaaarrr!!! This is it!!! one LAST exam! GO GO GO!!!