What do you get when you have three cum laude graduates in one place and they are all related?
The answer? Actually, I don't have an answer. I just can't think of a better opening line of how my cousins and I finally met in Manila last May 9.
If I were to ask myself, a healthy amount of coincidence was involved in this. Ate Aiai was in Manila to process some papers (She is a nurse going straight to Dubai). Kuya Elloi, who works and lives in Cavite, figured out how to travel to imperial Manila. Tita Quellan was now in Manila after her long vacation in the South. The time was ripe for a mini-reunion.
The plan was to meet in MOA at 10pm so we could still tour the biggest mall in town (Nothing special with MOA actually. But it's still a tourist spot. What gives?). Unfortunately, I, being the nearest to MOA, was the last to arrive since I had to take care of some business related to an ad (SAP scholarship yada yada).
So there we were. We met eventually in IMAX at past 12 (Susno also had a championship game in Ynares gym that afternoon but we decided not to go and watch. First, we didn't know how to get there although we know it's somewhere in Antipolo. Second, we were already late. The game was about to start at 1:30 PM).
As we pondered on where we're going to eat, Ate Aiai gave us a pleasant surprise. As it turned out, Tita Quellan prepared 500 pesos for each of us to spend on this "escapade". Considering that payday was still several days away, I could only smile at this small fortune (Thanks Tita!).
We ate at World Chicken, partly because it's the most sought-after franchise in Glorietta and Trinoma and more because I want to eat there again. The first time I ate in World Chicken, I was so full so I had to try it out one more time.
At lunch, we tried to catch up on what we've been doing the past few months. Kuya Elloi was still working four days a week due to cost-cutting in his company. Ate Aiai was inquiring about how to get to a government office in Manila. Conversation dragged on to future plans, love lives and anything under the sun.
After lunch, we went on a lookout for a cellphone battery to replace Tita Quellan's defective one (which was unsuccessful since we didn't really intend to buy any using our limited budget). We also window-shopped for Shey's new nokia phone, to no avail.
So, after a brief stroll in MOA, we headed out for Greenhills since Ate Aiai wanted to buy a "shoe bag" for a significant other. Turned out again that we just window-shopped since the prices at Greenhills were still too "cheap" for our taste.
Later, we, no, I had an encounter with the third kind: after almost a year in Manila, I finally got to ride a Dollar Taxi. It started awkardly enough. We went to a taxi stop to ride a cab going to Trinoma, our last destination. We were rebuffed by the first driver and the next in line was the Dollar Taxi. I didn't want us to ride there because I had assumptions about the Dollar Taxi (which will eventually turn out to be misconceptions). That irked the driver, causing him to angrily request us to ride his vehicle. As for me, I was declining the offer since, based on what I've heard, meters in these taxis sported sky-high rates. I didn't want to take a chance.
The security guard finally intervened and politely offered us to get inside. I was still skeptical until the driver began explaining his company and reasoned out that their rates were similar to the rates of ordinary taxis. It's just that many assume them to be high-class taxis because of their name. Naturally, I was pleased that I had to pay only P120.00 for our trip from Greenhills to Trinoma. It turned out my fears were a product of bad publicity and a bad name ( I mean, if I were fresh in Manila, would I want to ride in a taxi named "Dollar Taxi"? Go figure).
In Trinoma, Ate Aiai and Kuya Elloi again searched vainly for the elusive bag and phone, respectively. Then we headed out to Dairy Queen to try their sundaes. After a brief mall stroll, we waited for a text message from Tita Quellan to check if we should have dinner in the mall or in the house (she did not reply back). We also bought a cake for Tita Quellan for Mother's Day, a luscious Black Forest cake from Goldlilocks ( We used Tita Quellan's money to buy that cake. Hehehe).
Going to Tita Quellan, we rode another taxi (whose driver insisted on reaching Baesa road going through Project 8 instead of the faster route through Royal. Tsktsktsk). We had a nice dinner with Tita, complete with frozen durian and mangoes. I also discovered that all three of us were the silent types; after the chitchat about our present circumstances, Ate Aiai, Kuya Elloi and I could now muster only a few words to each other. Was it because we've grown to be strangers to one another or was it because we were simply exhausted from our excursions? Either way, Tita Quellan probably sported the biggest voice that night.
I got to meet Dagul once more, the ugliest dog in the universe, and also my cute cousin, Lexie. I also got to meet Tita Pining who was about to leave for Bohol the following morning for a much-needed vacation.
We spent the night in Tita Quellan's home and attended mass the next day. Tita Quellan pretty much indulged us again come lunchtime (Who knew Jollibee had a chicken bucket meal package?). After that, it was a lackadaisical afternoon as we resorted to just lounging around the sala, taking pictures every now and then, and tinkering with the computer, which lost its internet connection weeks ago.
Finally, it was time to say goodbye. Kuya Elloi and I packed our things and bade our Tita farewell. Arriving at Taft, we were in for a long walk as we tried to locate the exact terminal of an airconditioned bus fleet bound for Cavite. We ended up walking through the huge crowd in Baclaran to reach Roxas Boulevard, where Kuya Elloi would hitch a bus ride home.
So the day ended.
Oh well, that was very anti-climactic for a mini-reunion but I'm still glad I got to meet my cousins. In the end, I had to wonder what will become of us after five years. Will we still be able to meet in Manila by then? Maybe not. Chances are, my extended family would resemble the UN, with members stationed all over the world. Who knows where we'll be?
Thoughts like that make this experience more precious. Until then!
The answer? Actually, I don't have an answer. I just can't think of a better opening line of how my cousins and I finally met in Manila last May 9.
If I were to ask myself, a healthy amount of coincidence was involved in this. Ate Aiai was in Manila to process some papers (She is a nurse going straight to Dubai). Kuya Elloi, who works and lives in Cavite, figured out how to travel to imperial Manila. Tita Quellan was now in Manila after her long vacation in the South. The time was ripe for a mini-reunion.
The plan was to meet in MOA at 10pm so we could still tour the biggest mall in town (Nothing special with MOA actually. But it's still a tourist spot. What gives?). Unfortunately, I, being the nearest to MOA, was the last to arrive since I had to take care of some business related to an ad (SAP scholarship yada yada).
So there we were. We met eventually in IMAX at past 12 (Susno also had a championship game in Ynares gym that afternoon but we decided not to go and watch. First, we didn't know how to get there although we know it's somewhere in Antipolo. Second, we were already late. The game was about to start at 1:30 PM).
As we pondered on where we're going to eat, Ate Aiai gave us a pleasant surprise. As it turned out, Tita Quellan prepared 500 pesos for each of us to spend on this "escapade". Considering that payday was still several days away, I could only smile at this small fortune (Thanks Tita!).
We ate at World Chicken, partly because it's the most sought-after franchise in Glorietta and Trinoma and more because I want to eat there again. The first time I ate in World Chicken, I was so full so I had to try it out one more time.
At lunch, we tried to catch up on what we've been doing the past few months. Kuya Elloi was still working four days a week due to cost-cutting in his company. Ate Aiai was inquiring about how to get to a government office in Manila. Conversation dragged on to future plans, love lives and anything under the sun.
After lunch, we went on a lookout for a cellphone battery to replace Tita Quellan's defective one (which was unsuccessful since we didn't really intend to buy any using our limited budget). We also window-shopped for Shey's new nokia phone, to no avail.
So, after a brief stroll in MOA, we headed out for Greenhills since Ate Aiai wanted to buy a "shoe bag" for a significant other. Turned out again that we just window-shopped since the prices at Greenhills were still too "cheap" for our taste.
Later, we, no, I had an encounter with the third kind: after almost a year in Manila, I finally got to ride a Dollar Taxi. It started awkardly enough. We went to a taxi stop to ride a cab going to Trinoma, our last destination. We were rebuffed by the first driver and the next in line was the Dollar Taxi. I didn't want us to ride there because I had assumptions about the Dollar Taxi (which will eventually turn out to be misconceptions). That irked the driver, causing him to angrily request us to ride his vehicle. As for me, I was declining the offer since, based on what I've heard, meters in these taxis sported sky-high rates. I didn't want to take a chance.
The security guard finally intervened and politely offered us to get inside. I was still skeptical until the driver began explaining his company and reasoned out that their rates were similar to the rates of ordinary taxis. It's just that many assume them to be high-class taxis because of their name. Naturally, I was pleased that I had to pay only P120.00 for our trip from Greenhills to Trinoma. It turned out my fears were a product of bad publicity and a bad name ( I mean, if I were fresh in Manila, would I want to ride in a taxi named "Dollar Taxi"? Go figure).
In Trinoma, Ate Aiai and Kuya Elloi again searched vainly for the elusive bag and phone, respectively. Then we headed out to Dairy Queen to try their sundaes. After a brief mall stroll, we waited for a text message from Tita Quellan to check if we should have dinner in the mall or in the house (she did not reply back). We also bought a cake for Tita Quellan for Mother's Day, a luscious Black Forest cake from Goldlilocks ( We used Tita Quellan's money to buy that cake. Hehehe).
Going to Tita Quellan, we rode another taxi (whose driver insisted on reaching Baesa road going through Project 8 instead of the faster route through Royal. Tsktsktsk). We had a nice dinner with Tita, complete with frozen durian and mangoes. I also discovered that all three of us were the silent types; after the chitchat about our present circumstances, Ate Aiai, Kuya Elloi and I could now muster only a few words to each other. Was it because we've grown to be strangers to one another or was it because we were simply exhausted from our excursions? Either way, Tita Quellan probably sported the biggest voice that night.
I got to meet Dagul once more, the ugliest dog in the universe, and also my cute cousin, Lexie. I also got to meet Tita Pining who was about to leave for Bohol the following morning for a much-needed vacation.
We spent the night in Tita Quellan's home and attended mass the next day. Tita Quellan pretty much indulged us again come lunchtime (Who knew Jollibee had a chicken bucket meal package?). After that, it was a lackadaisical afternoon as we resorted to just lounging around the sala, taking pictures every now and then, and tinkering with the computer, which lost its internet connection weeks ago.
Finally, it was time to say goodbye. Kuya Elloi and I packed our things and bade our Tita farewell. Arriving at Taft, we were in for a long walk as we tried to locate the exact terminal of an airconditioned bus fleet bound for Cavite. We ended up walking through the huge crowd in Baclaran to reach Roxas Boulevard, where Kuya Elloi would hitch a bus ride home.
So the day ended.
Oh well, that was very anti-climactic for a mini-reunion but I'm still glad I got to meet my cousins. In the end, I had to wonder what will become of us after five years. Will we still be able to meet in Manila by then? Maybe not. Chances are, my extended family would resemble the UN, with members stationed all over the world. Who knows where we'll be?
Thoughts like that make this experience more precious. Until then!
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