chill and love

this would remind me of our endless not-so-summer nights..the fondest memories evoked from simplest pleasures..this chilled drink, with enough kick to warm the spirit.. just like our love forever heating up each other's hearts..despite the cold, chilly days of moments spent apart.. you are my license to chill..and my ticket to love..

The Rowing Team

If you are paddling your oars together, the sea becomes like a road easily mastered.

No matter where the tide turns, or how large the waves may batter when you move clearly in the same direction, then it doesn't matter.

However dark or rough the water may seem, it becomes a soothing sea of affection knowing that you're in it together, rowing ever closer, in one smooth and sweet motion.

Happily rowing forever on the same team.

Unrhymed mind

there is a mood that one could not tell if bad or good..
all you know is there isn't much you can do in the 'hood..

but still it can be said that no one needs to be sad
even if what will stop the feeling is just a lounge in the bed..

certain that when that ray of sunlight reappears
this too, whatever that is causing the chills would finally cease

When Dining Out isn't all Food trip

Yesterday was meant for chill-out day. Well for starters the weather was a bit on the cold side so might as well take a break from a helluva work week to satisfy my cravings. I've been really meaning to go out and get my fix of that famous chicken of one of the fastest rising franchises in the country - BonChon Chicken and yesterday was a good a time as any to fulfill it once again.

My visit to Megamall was intended initially as a food trip. I did mention on one of my tweets that the chicken there is sort of addicting. Like I said I wanted to get the cravings done and over with before the next week's grind so I went to SM with that in mind. Of course I was also coming off an early morning rendezvous and was hoping to cap that with a wonderful lunch. Anyway, the food and my cravings are another story and I'll just muster in some superlatives on that for future posts.

But in this post I want to tackle another issue and that is 'the dining experience'. While not really a gourmand, an expert food connoisseur or even a restaurant critic, I've been to a lot of restaurants, food stalls and eateries to somehow understand when I'm getting a good enough service worthy of my hard-earned money. You name it, fine dining restaurants where 'finesse and class' are alien to the wait staff, the barbecue stall w/the uber-friendly 'grillman' who tries to perfectly grill your barbecue like it was the masterpiece of his life, the fastfood with v-e-r-y--s-l-ow service. Yeah, I've been to a lot of these joints to know what I'm talking about. Enough to say that a good restaurant is worth it's weight not in gold but in good (no, make that efficient and exemplary) service. I mean you can have the best looking dish prepared, with the finest and most expensive ingredients but when it is presented in a rather rough manner and service takes too long that will not count as a good dining experience, right?

Which brings me to my point yesterday when I went to Megamall. Before lunch I first went to one of the stalls that serve fruit shakes - Cocktales. And the fact that the guy at the counter was friendly and even explained to me the nuances of why the menu says mango martini when it doesn't even carry an alcoholic beverage made me appreciate my mango-melon shake more. I'd say that is what you may call 'grade A' service.

And then off to BonChon I went for my lunch of soy garlic fried chicken. I was almost turned off by the long line but seeing that it was moving smoothly and there was even a crew at the entrance to welcome diners w/a smile I prodded on. Besides I know that the long line would be compensated by the meal (I was right, of course). Now, I'm a pretty observant sort of person, and the fact that the branch there just recently opened yet it could draw in a line like that did not escape me. That pretty much says a lot about the food and the service. And true to my observant nature the fact of how well the staff & management handled one incident at the counter wherein one customer spilled the contents of her iced tea all over the counter floor was not lost on me.

The girl who spilled her drink was right ahead of me on the line and I even heard her muttering morosely and I was almost expecting the restaurant crew to be rattled somewhat but instead they (one of the assistant managers, I guess and the cashier) simply shushed the awkward moment as if that happens every minute and just smoothly proceeded to lead the customer to her table w/assurances that they'll just re-fill the drink & then went on to wipe the wet floor dry. The thing that stuck with me is how they showed no sign of panic or even hesitation. The situation was well under control from the get go and both service crew and manager just played down the whole episode so as not to unduly cause more embarrassment to that customer while at the same time show the other waiting customers that they remain at their service. And it happened right in the middle of lunchtime where the hungry crowd is starting to get really big & tables are all filled out so the professional way it was handled impressed me.

And while I was already seated I also observed another lady customer who tried to order using a supplement credit card or probably the card of her husband (or so my nosy self overheard as I was sitting near the counter). The managers (one male and another lady manager) discreetly discussed the matter and was able to also handle that situation very well. It was calmly explained to the lady (who in my opinion looks rather intimidating and and kind of snooty) that it is against company policy to accept a credit card purchase when it is not the customer's name on the card or if the signature does not match the one on the back of the card. Again, the managers played down the scenario and the customer is spared further embarrassment. Everything was done calmly, professionally without both parties raising a ruckus. Again, these are the nitty-gritties of eating in a public place where certain moments can impress the mind and provide a delightful experience.

And to top it off, their service there always comes w/ a smile making customers feel really welcome as if the restaurant staff is there to fulfill their every wish. Hats off to the management, the crew and the brand that makes dining at this branch of BonChon a truly worthwhile experience. And no wonder at that lunch hour, they seem to be the only restaurant in the level that's packed full of customers yesterday. I can say that BonChon Megamall takes fastfood dining into a higher level.

Catch 22 (Heart or Mind?)

Whistle of the past, starting to gnaw
somehow preventing the future from taking control.
It is still very much present in the here and now..
Nothing ever one can do seem to take it out
Or is there really a choice?

For who creates the options, by the way?
No one.. everything is dictated by the mind.
Or so it seems..but one cannot ignore the beat,
pulsating rhythm carrying the blood, pumping
the thoughts, the desires, the whims to the brain.

In truth, the one at the center is after all
the one in full control..at all times. The mind simply
is an instrument of the heart.

Slow Week

Slow week need not be equated with a low week. For there are highlights - one borne of the mind and others felt deep within or more significantly etched inside the heart.

Taking a moment to reflect - this is what the season is all about. Lent.

Or has anyone lent their presence enough to someone? Like a cousin who needs just somebody to listen to her problems although she knows she can very well take on anything life throws at her? Still enough reason to lend an ear just to know that you understand how she is human after all. That despite passing through life's ordeals in a superhuman effort, she is still a mortal like us.

Or what about a loved one, say your guy who happily shares what goes on at work, who just wants your presence around as he talks about the exploits, at the same time hear some lamentations from his house not so much as to drag you into his problems but just to show that he just needs a willing ear and an open heart to once again listen, untiringly as an ardent lover should.

And what about the beleaguered friend of a sister, a wife who may or may not be a victim of an unfaithful husband. Still worth listening to her story however unfounded or justified it may be. And most importantly to cheer her on and show that she is not alone and that someone wishes them well.

Lent.. it's also about shoutouts of good things.. food cravings perhaps by a friend who may be feeling the pinch of inflation and bad economy or really bad employment opportunities or all of the above. Chatting about food, whether imagined or actually heating up in the oven is never a bad thing. For it warms not just the stomach but evokes moments of pleasurable experiences. Knowing these things exists, and that friends exist, then there are a lot to look forward to.

So you see, a slow week need not be a low week. And a Holy week need not be sad.. He would never allow us to feel that way, right? As the evening progresses and we are now closer to commemorating the hour of the Last Supper this Maundy Thursday, let us give a silent thanks to those who have been there for us and 'lent' us with their magnanimity, passion and spirit.

Is The Earth Really Dying?

The question was raised by recent events that seem to remind us about those age-old predictions, the Mayan calendar and others.. well it isn't even 2012 yet but somehow the catastrophes, the conflicts happening across the globe seem to hint at that possibility.

I don't want to burst anyone's bubble here but this is just a gut feel as one of my friends put it. It might even be preposterous and by end of 2012 we may all be laughing about the so-called end of the world as we know it. But it is not a laughing matter to see the sufferings across the globe.. from natural calamities and force of nature to man-made conflicts in the gulf area. And if only because of those things we can say that yes, the planet is probably terminally ill and may even be close to dying.

But so what if indeed it's ending? There's no reason to panic or feel afraid especially when one has lived a fulfilling life and explored all means to be happy consequences notwithstanding. At the end of the day, or should I say, at the end of the world, what matters is how much we have shared with others, how meaningful our relationships are and how many lives we have touched & how deeply we have loved.

That in essence will never die even if ultimately the earth as we know it does..