Various

Shang late Saturday afternoon.

Dinner at Sentosa where we got free dessert thanks to Citibank. A bill of P750 or higher gives you that privilege. BDO, on the other hand, gives roti for a bill of P800 or pad thai for a bill of P1500 or higher. Our dessert was sago with coconut cream. My favorite part, as usual, was the syrup with a coconut base.

Afterward, we went to Rustan’s supermarket. Grocery shopping beyond Rustan’s Katipunan is stressful if I’m pressed for time (It was 7 pm by then and I wanted to shop in the other stores in the mall) because the layout – where things are – befuddles me. I couldn’t find my favorite Salami milano. I was pointed to the wrong place by someone so I asked again and found it – along with other gourmet items in a separate section manned by people who’ll slice it for you. I had 200 grams sliced and promised to go back to get them. I forgot to keep that promise. See, I also had to look for walnuts and luckily, a person in black shirt and khaki pants ran around to find some for me. How did I get that to happen?

Earlier when I was looking for salami, I saw the back of someone I thought to be familiar: the manager of Rustan’s Katipunan. I sought her help and she was surprised to see me, saying “Nagpupunta rin kayo pala rito?” (My wild imagination was working in overdrive when I said yes after she told me she’s the new manager in Shang when I asked her that her thought bubble read “I thought I was through with one difficult customer.” I hope though it was just my imagination and not for real. It’s no fun being perceived to be a witch. I don’t want people to fear me. Oh well, I guess I do deserve such label sometimes.)

I couldn’t find the mayonnaise but did see some sandwich spreads. I told HHB and HHCn to look out for it but we weren’t successful. Or it slipped our collective minds. Guess when I remembered we forgot? when we passed Route 169 and their signage showed “On tonight: Mayonnaise” (A band, I presume. Shortly after, we heard a grating sound – we were bumped/grazed by a van. More on that later).

I wasn’t too pleased with myself that we weren’t able to really go into the grocery shopping in a more leisurely fashion. Oh well. And where does one find pinipig (for hot chocolate?). Rustan’s sometimes has it (in fact the guy in black and khaki ran to get me a pack to return empty handed saying ubos na pala). Shoppers also. Maybe the suppliers don’t have enough? It’s been months.

To the rest of the evening: had been getting text messages from Lancome in Rustan’s. Even with Christian no longer there, those manning it manage to update me about their new offerings. The message in the text said that for the weekend, January and February birthday celebrants are entitled to 20% off in their gift packs. And a gift from Bizu. So sucker me went to get my gift from Bizu and I bought my favorite perfume Miracle that was in a gift set at 20% off. Happiness. While I was waiting for my transaction to finish (hurrying up Errol as I didn’t want HHB and HHCn to see how much my bill was lest they ask for a salary increase – see previous post on them. I had sent them to Mercury), I got a text message from my son’s girlfriend. She said there was a hostage situation in Megamall and to avoid the place just in case we were going out. Sweet of her, right? Then I also got a text from son who was in Bataan. Heebie jeebies. Shortly after I got those messages, husband arrived with the HHs. They had bumped into each other. From the way husband walked, I knew he had gotten a text from son re Megamall too. And as my transaction wasn’t yet done, he approached the security guard to ask if the latter knew anything. The guard did fill him on a few details, saying many from Megamall rushed to Shang. Told that the situation was under control, husband and I proceeded to the second floor where he had new lenses put in his old frames. As he was told to come back in an hour or so and found them not to be ready yet, we went around the second floor where he wanted to check out shoes. He asked Hush Puppies if they still had the retro shoes and luckily for him, they did. And these were selling at 40% off. He tried on two sizes, got one and we were off. I told him that was one of the quickest transactions the store must have ever experienced. Less than 5 minutes I think, or okay, less than 10? Really, really fast. The shoes and the box he has been looking at and admiring since last night:

*******

I thought medicines became cheaper as the years pass (books go free at Gutenberg after  several decades, right?). Well I thought wrong. Terramycin which I used back when I had styes as a child costs more than a newer eye preparation, Fucithalmic eye drops – a good P100 plus more. Yes, I have this annoying stye in my eye. Serves me right for enjoying rubbing them too much. Arrgh. So I’m staying put today… okay, maybe until dinner?

If the words above are misspelled, blame the stye in my eye.

*****

Oops, re the grazing of the van. We were along Katipunan in Bue Ridge. Traffic was heavy. We were moving forward when all of us looked at each other — there was this ominous sound of two cars kissing each other. Husband went down to check and then said he’d let it pass. But then we saw this group of policemen so we went behind them. The driver of the other vehicle was honorable enough to do the same and acknowledged his fault. The graze was maybe a foot long — and husband said he’d just let it pass after the other guy acknowledged his fault. He expressed willingness to pay for the damage but policeman asked for his license et al. Husband said never mind and we drove off. Can you guess why? Does this sound like a whodunit?

&&&&&&&&

Back to the stye in my eye. Ironically, it prevented me from attending the funeral mass of my parents’ friend, an eye doctor who was one of the gentlest, kindest doctors I have ever met. Back when I was small, I shunned him after we were together at a dinner in my uncle’s house. I must have been four or five years old. Why was i wary of him? See, we were around the dining table when he saw me and put some Russian salad on my plate. Yikee. Red russian salad on a five year old’s plate? So I avoided him since, except that he was always kind so I’d greet him provided there was no salad lurking nearby. Once, already in my wheelchair, I went to his clinic in Sampaloc. Well, actually, no. He came down to the car to check my eyes because his clinic was on the second floor and I was already in a wheelchair. I had sore eyes he said, and he promptly wrote me a prescription. One kind soul. And a stye in the eye prevailed upon me not to attend his wake and funeral mass. But kind man that he was I’m sure he’ll understand. He even asked his children not to hold a wake for him. He passed away Friday and must have been interred by now.

Weeks back, two aunts in quick succession passed away. Wake of one was in Paranaque and I wasn’t close to her, so no compelling reason for me to go. besides my cousins, her children, I haven’t seen in ages and might just ask “Who you?” Just kidding, but I had an aunt before who had that look in her eye when I ventured to greet her mom who was in a wheelchair. She looked scared/angry and tried to pull back her mom away but her brother smiled at me. I’ve since avoided that aunt and her family.

Another aunt who passed away – I didn’t go to her wake either. Closer to her, true, but she always greeted me this way, “Day, ka tambok (fat) na gid sa imo.” I was scared she’d do that as she lay in state. I kid. But you get the drift. The hurts she inflicted each time. Oh well… may they all rest in peace.

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