#anyway. I’m gonna go get fried rice from the mall food court and then go fill out all this paperwork | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

twatkcox · 5 years

Text

[#TheFourWeekendPlan]

May 11

So the four-weekend plan begins with the usual mall-hopping trip at a mall in Novaliches and the three malls in the Fairview area, plus a sip of cappuccino frappe at a cafe in Lagro and a tempura bowl at a Japanese fast food in SM Fairview. I visited every second-hand bookshop in these malls and checked the shelves for some interesting manga titles. I also checked other shops as well.

I checked SM Novaliches expansion at the former BPO area, and it looks like Macao Imperial Tea will open a branch there. And I find a couple of interesting manga books (one of them is Aldnoah.Zero) at Booksale’s branch in that mall as well, only I can’t spend too much at the moment.

While I had cappuccino frappe and siomai at a cafe in Lagro, I also had a fantastic (early) dinner--a tempura bowl at Karate Kid... and I get to eat with chopsticks too (yup, they actually provide chopsticks upon request). Well, I’m getting better at using chopsticks, and I don’t have to take off my fingerless gloves just so I can eat. Amazing, isn’t it?

Of course, there’s the usual rooftop retreat at the Fairview Terraces roof garden, where I worked on some of the 6+1 stories to be featured on an upcoming literary special. While I initially target to publish the literary special post on the 19th of May, I decided to move it to a later date.

The night ends with just checking a couple of shops in the mall area. I didn’t get to check HMR, though.

May 12

A mother’s day celebration at my mom’s house, with my aunt and cousins. We had a small feast of pancit canton.

It’s been a while since I visit my mom since she had classes on Sundays. She is aiming to be an instructor specializing in tile setting, and I hope she makes it.

Meanwhile, I managed to spend an hour at Fairview Terraces roof garden writing stories and checking the venue of the upcoming event POF 2019: Asobu at the Robinsons Novaliches Trade Hall. Regarding the latter, it looks like they’re going to occupy the entire area, which is actually great considering that they need to accommodate a great number of congoers, plus the exhibitors' booths. And they even have an area for press briefings and meet-and-greet activities.

I eventually have the convention map and the schedule of the event, which were posted on their Facebook page. I’m hoping to attend the first day of the event (Friday, May 17th) just to catch the Otaku Choice Awards.

May 17-19

For the post: The Keihancarl Diaries: May 17-19, 2019

Well, it seems like I can go to the first day of the event after all. I get to have selfies with some of the cosplayers and bought some awesome souvenirs as well. And I did catch the first half of the Otaku Choice Awards.

For the rest of the event, I witnessed a variety of competitions, including various cosplay competitions and the battle of the bands. There were featured guests and performances, as well as fan meetups.

Of course, I did wear my favorite black fleece coat, an anime shirt, and black fingerless gloves, but only on the second and third day of the event. For the first day of the event, I opted for a pastel yellow shirt, black knitted vest, and the same black fingerless gloves.

It sure feels weird being at an otaku event all by myself, and I certainly looked like a misfit among the crowd of anime fans, die-hard otakus, and some cosplayers. Even though I’m a casual otaku watching English-dubbed anime, reading English-translated second-hand manga, listening to a few anime soundtracks, and probably collecting various anime merch, I certainly feel out of place there. I don’t know if there are some congoers who feels the same way, maybe some of them are just like me.

Despite this, I’m lucky enough to buy some souvenirs at the event, and I get to my idol Ariel Villasanta (see TKD post). And of course, I had selfies with some of the cosplayers too.

Though not as crowded and exciting as the previous POF events I’ve attended (POF 2017: Danketsu and POF 2018: Ai), I still managed to enjoy the event just the same. I hoped that the next POF event will be held at the same venue next year.

May 25

For the post: The Keihancarl Diaries: May 25, 2019

A mall-hopping trip commenced a week right after POF 2019: Asobu, but things didn’t go as expected. For starters, the heavy traffic in Deparo and Novaliches areas totally disrupted my mood, as well as the (expected) rainfall and some other inconveniences along the way. Also, Baywalk is closed in the meantime due to the desilting operations along the Manila Bay shoreline, from the U.S. Embassy up to the Manila Yacht Club.

On the brighter side, however, I really enjoyed taking selfies at the Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo, and these are the only selfie pics I took during the entire trip. And of course, the shrimp-chorizo fried rice at Habeat is really good. I somehow managed to check a few shops along the way, most of them are bookshops.

Anyway, while heading down the escalator at a mall in Binondo, an elderly man took notice of the red anime shirt I’m wearing, which says “People are my playthings”. He appeared to be a little wary of the shirt’s design, but I guess he didn’t really care much about it. Also, at a mall in San Lazaro area in Manila, a guy about my age (who probably works as a sales representative for a bank) apparently tried to approach me, thinking that my shirt and/or the pins are cool, and may probably be wondering where I got them. I simply didn’t pay him attention and walked off. Besides, I’m not really expecting some random stranger to approach me for whatever reason. As I ride the escalator to the upper level, I was kind of wondering if I actually encountered that guy during the otaku event exactly a week prior, probably as a cosplayer, but that’s just a 100% speculation and nothing else. Maybe he’s just curious, that’s all.

Just as I thought that my mall-hopping trip probably sucked, I happened to score another manga book at a Booksale branch in SM Fairview. Of course, I bought it immediately, seeing that it’s a popular title (Full Metal Alchemist) and I’m not gonna let this opportunity pass me by, so there!

It was quite an adventure... more like a misadventure, to be honest. But I somehow managed to enjoy the trip in a different way. I’m planning to wear the same outfit again on my next mall-hopping trip down south.

May 26

I visited my mom that day and assisted her with the module she’s working on. She didn’t have classes that day, so that means I can come over for a visit. While I initially have other plans for that day, I’ll just reserve it for the following week. Besides, I haven’t visited her in a while since her classes (which is on weekends, particularly Sundays) started last January.

June 1-2

The final week of the four-weekend plan didn't turn out great as expected. My Saturday afternoon plans began rather late, and the strap of my watch was torn along the way. I have to deal with it for a while until I either had the strap fixed or buy a new one.

I decided to wear my red anime shirt again and decided to head to Starmall San Jose Del Monte for a mall-hopping trip outside the Lagro-Fairview area. And then I had matcha cheesecake at a dessert shop in Lagro. My favorite cafe is already closed during that time, as it is past 5:00 PM when I arrived.

I then went on a mall-hopping trip in the Fairview malls and bought myself a gray shirt with a cool graphic print (a pumpkin holding a banner that says “I am not a latte”). I also checked the venue where POF 2019: Asobu was held two weeks ago, and it sure feels a little quiet there.

I was thinking of buying a new watch, even if that means I have to spend a lot of money just for that. I simply can't go out without wearing one. I had a donburi bowl at Tokyo Tokyo, this time it is chicken oyakodon. It was really good.

The following day, I decided to wear the gray shirt I bought yesterday and just focused on the three malls. I bought a Rockman mug at a bargain department store (Robinsons Novaliches) and had an early dinner of dumplings with laksa soup and Hainanese rice (Paotsin) at the Fairview Terraces food court.

The entire weekend ends with story writing up at the Fairview Terraces rooftop garden and a visit to some shops. And that concludes the four-weekend plan.

Postscript

In the past four weekends, I had cappuccino frappe, jasmine tea with rock salt and cheese, and matcha cheesecake, dined in Japanese fast food restos, attended a three-day otaku event, bought some cool stuff (especially the T-shirts and the pins), went on a problematic mall-hopping trip, wrote snippets of the stories and articles I’m currently working on, and don cool-looking outfits (especially the ones featuring my black fleece coat and black fingerless gloves).

Despite my excitement on these four weekends, I had mixed feelings about it, especially on the second and third week (the otaku event and the mall-hopping trip). Nevertheless, I did manage to enjoy the good things that happened and I might replicate this next year. I am so looking forward to the next POF event and a mall-hopping trip right after that.

Right now, I’m looking forward to the Manila International Book Fair 2019 and my 29th birthday celebration. And hopefully, another otaku event (probably Best Of Anime 2019) at the SMX Convention Center. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for these events... and my plans.

All pics are from my private Instagram account, @kcox105.

#TheFourWeekendPlan #mall-hopping #food trip #otaku event #POF 2019: Asobu #Fairview malls #Manila #going places #shopping

0 notes

byzantyne · 7 years

Text

say something, i'm giving up on you

aka 10% smut sandwiched between 90% angst (im sorry)

They don't start off on the right foot.

"Hey, Bakasugi, when is your serial killer stalker gonna stop following us around?"

"Watch it, buddy, I'll cut your balls off before you can squeal, Shinsuke-sama, save me --"

" -- You bitch, I would never say something as pathetic as that -- "

" -- Gintoki, she's my fiancee."

"Oh. ...Oh, is that how it is."

"Yes, that's how it is."

Takasugi isn't an altogether unappealing guy. His looks aren't unlike those of a Sour Patch Kid -- at first, his face is rather sour, even annoying, but the more you look at it, depending on certain angles, it can be sweet. The slope of his nose is perfectly chiseled, for instance. And his eyes are gorgeously dark, like a black hole, like someone had dipped a corner of rice paper in a vat of ink and let it bleed. His hands are lithe and attractive when playing the piano.

And then, you don't have to look at him at certain angles to find him attractive anymore.

It's a calm day, so they spend it together splitting Mickey D's at the food court. ("You two argue so much," Zura says, shaking his head. "I never understand why you end up spending so much time together." For a guy who prides order above all else, it must be a pressing concern. But Gin and Takasugi thrive off the vulnerability of chaos. Feed off of it, even.) Gin licks a stripe of ketchup off his fingers. Takasugi smokes a cigarette languidly, and Gin finds himself watching the way Shinsuke's mouth makes O's around circles of smoke.

"Pretty sure we're sitting in the smoke-free zone of the mall, dipshit," he informs his friend, equanimous, couldn't care less.

Takasugi slants his eyes towards Gin. "Are you done eating my fries, freeloader?"

"Hey, it ain't my fault the video store pays a shit salary. And we're splitting, you ass."

He eyes the two boxes of fries, one empty, the other Gin currently had his greasy fingers around, on Gin's tray, and neither on his. "If 'splitting' in your dictionary means 'being a greedy bitch.'" He makes a grab for the box in Gin's hand. "Give me one, you bastard."

"Hey!" Gin whisks it away, arm high in air, sending half of the fries flying. "Sneaky fucker. Hey," he says again, leaning in, grinning. "I'll make you a deal. A fry for a smoke."

"That easy, Sakata?" He reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a cigarette, dangling it between his thin fingers. "Here."

"No, I'm not that easy, stupid." (Takasugi isn't liking the grin on his face.) "A fry if you shotgun it to me."

"Pfft." Smoke billows out from between his teeth. "Just one fry? I'm not a cheap whore, Gintoki."

"You look pretty cheap to me, asshole."

Takasugi sends another long drag through his lungs and Gin is thinking of giving up, joke or not, when the boy murmurs, "I shotgun it, and I get what's left. Whatever's not on the floor, that is."

"Wha --", when Takasugi leans across the table, pulls Gin's chin forward, and tugs Gin's lower lip open with his thumb. The delivery is quick -- Takasugi funnels his lips in a small "o," blows a steady stream of smoke into Gin's mouth, and then leans back again, crossing his arms. Gin breathes in and tastes hot ash on every square inch of his lungs, still stunned.

They hadn't broken eye contact the entire time.

There's a clearing of a throat (Takasugi), and an awkward cough of recycled smoke (Gin), before Takasugi reaches forward and grabs the box from Gin's now-lax hand. "Five left," he says, peering in and jiggling the remaining fries around. "What a waste, spending money on you, I swear to God."

He's trying to act so cool, but Gin recognizes the slight crawl of blushing pink on Takasugi's downturned cheeks.

"Gintoki." "Gintoki."

Someone is shaking him gently awake.

Without opening his eyes, he rolls onto his other side and mumbles, "Five more minutes, Zura."

The boy in question frowns, crosses his arms. "It's not Zura, it's Katsura. And It's 4PM, Gintoki. Your laziness is starting to astound me. Maybe we should take you to a doctor? There's a possibility it's a disease."

"You're a disease," comes muffled from under the covers, and frowning, Zura yanks them violently off. Gin gives one undignified yelp before Zura gasps himself.

"Gintoki...your eyes..."

Gin is only 90% certain that Zura is pointing in horror at the bags under his eyes. The other 10% is reserved for the assertion that Zura is hallucinating a strange, mutated alien crawling out of Gin's eye sockets right now.

"I couldn't get a wink of sleep last night, alright," he says, pulling the blankets back over his head. "Leave me alone, okay."

Gin can't pay attention during class.

(It's Takasugi's fault, that sonuvabitch, all that damn bastard's fault -- )

"Sakata-kun!" He jumps in his chair at the sound of his name. "Start reading from where Okita-kun left off."

He looks down at his Soseki text, a spaghetti dish of jumbled tongues. "Sensei, Okita-kun's haughty tone was pissing me off. I couldn't possibly pay attention to what he was actually reading."

The class erupts in a rumble of laughter -- not at Okita, no, at Gin, who is notorious for slacking off and coming up with the lamest excuses. He rolls his eyes and stares out the window. The teacher snaps something like, "Next time, pay more attention, Sakata-kun!" and assigns him an extra essay which he certainly won't write.

After school, Gin drives Takasugi home on his scooter. They both live a fair distance away from school, and the scooter is an old dinosaur, coughing up smoke and sputtering at the worst instances, and which Gintoki always has to kick once or twice in order to start up. Still, no matter how much he complains, Takasugi always hitches a ride with Gin anyway, and wraps his pale, thin arms around the small of Gin's waist.

This afternoon, it just happens to be very distracting.

They stop at a convenience store because Gin complains of hunger and Takasugi wants a pack of smokes. Languidly, Gin leans against a shelf of potato chips and watches Takasugi furrow his eyebrows at the selection of cigarette brands.

"Piece of shit konbini sells pieces of shit, what a surprise," the boy mutters from under his breath. Gin raises an eyebrow.

"What does it matter?" Gin says around a mouthful of strawberry-flavored KitKat. "They all taste the same anyway."

"You stupid fuck, they do not all taste the same. You would know if you actually -- "

Then stops, and closes his mouth abruptly.

Gintoki swallows. "Hey," he says, "take it easy."

Takasugi throws him a glare. "I pity the easy-going fool."

Gin murmurs, "You are so fucking difficult, sometimes, I swear to God."

"What about you, huh?" Takasugi rounds on him, pulling Gin's shirt collar. "Sometimes you disgust me, Gintoki. With your laziness and unambitiousness and the way you don't understand things -- "

"Understand what, huh?" Now it's Gin tugging on Takasugi's collar with his fist. "Understand what, huh?"

He expects Takasugi to shoot something back, like simple arithmetic, or how to work an AC, but instead, Takasugi falls silent, with a vaguely horrified look in his eyes. The sales clerk stumbles towards them, waving his arms. "Hey!" he shouts, essaying authoritatively while looking terrified, "if you're gonna fight, do it outside!"

Gin sighs and slings his arm around Takasugi, dragging him along. "C'mon, idiot," he grumbles, and is surprised when Takasugi doesn't struggle. When they get outside, Gin pushes him against a wall, barring escape with his arms.

"Get off me -- "

"No fucking way," Gin says between his teeth. "Not until you tell me what you meant when you said I don't understand."

Takasugi is breathing hard. Gin finds his fingers inevitably tangled in Takasugi's hair, and, for the first time, is enjoying his advantage in height over Takasugi in an entirely new way.

There's a brief exchange of shared breaths, until Takasugi blurts out, "I have a fiancee."

"Is that what this is about," Gin says, leaning back. His muscles relax, his face scrunches. "You fucking tease. What was yesterday, then?"

"I don't fucking know." Takasugi presses the heel of his hand against his eye. "A lapse in judgment, probably. Most likely."

Gin gently pries his hand away from his face. "Well, you can't argue this ain't mutual." He takes a step closer. Takasugi's eyes widen.

"What are you doing."

Gin strokes the shell of Takasugi's ear, traces skin all the way down to his bobbing Adam's apple, until the boy starts to shiver at his touch. At certain angles, Takasugi Shinsuke is a fascinating study in vulnerability and defensiveness, all at once. At any angle, Gin feels a compulsion to press his fingerprints into his ribs, leave his marks and presence there like a tracking hound.

"Just this once," he murmurs, "please."

Underneath him, Takasugi eases. "...Just this once."

This is not a romance, or else it wouldn't have started with awkward handjobs in the sketchy back washrooms of gas stations. The first time Gintoki is sucking Takasugi's neck like a vacuum, hand wrapped around cock.

Takasugi pushes him away. "You're going too fast," he grumbles. "What are you trying to do, start a chainsaw?"

"Shut up," Gin growls, "it'd be easier to get a chainsaw hard, you fucking limpdick," which is how they end up with more bruises that night than erections.

(But later, when Gin is applying ointment to the blossoming blue patch on Takasugi's forehead, his hands are still gentle.)

Just this once, they said.

Yeah, okay.

Matako and her threats of castration, unfortunately, are becoming a constant presence in Gin's life.

"So," Gin says, leaning against the railing circling the roof, "explain to me the circumstances of your engagement again."

Takasugi rolls his eyes. "There's not much to explain, Gintoki. I've already told you numerous times, if only you'd listen -- it's an arranged marriage. When I turn twenty-two, I'll marry her."

"Yeah, but." Gin scratches the back of her head. "Did she hold your father at gunpoint? Did he get brainwashed by one of those weird aliens Sakamoto keeps talking about? I don't get it. We're only like, eighteen. Aren't arranged marriages out of style these days, anyway?"

"Don't be such an empty-headed priss," he snaps. "It's not about out of style or not. It's just the way things are done."

Gin blinks rapidly. "Takasugi..."

He stubs his cigarette out on the railing. "We're done talking about this," he says, and then walks away.

It happens, of course, when they're watching some pay-per-view on the television and Gin keeps complaining about how drafty it is in Takasugi's room, which is how Gin ends up with a blanket wrapped up around his entire body like a burrito.

"Do you think we spend too much time together?" Takasugi suddenly says, right when some Spartan warrior is jump-striking some Persian with a spear.

"Hm?" Gin scratches his cheek absently. "Have you been talking to Zura again? I told him, it's just friendly banter."

They watch an impressive decapitation, CGI blood spraying fantastically across the scene. "No, Kijima said so."

He scoffs. "Since when are you and that bitch on first name basis?"

Takasugi glares at him. "Don't call her that."

"Okay, jesus." Gin sighs, leaning back against the couch. "You shouldn't let her boss you around, anyway. What's it been, a month since you met?"

"She doesn't." Takasugi chews on his lower lip. "I was the one who brought it up, Gin."

"Oh." He lets the blanket fall from around his shoulders. "Um."

Takasugi watches the fleece descend to his arms, but does nothing to move it back. "And of course, you're simple-minded enough to think this arrangement will somehow work out."

"What do you mean?" Gin sighs, scratching the back of his head. "It's not like we're -- " god forbid " -- dating."

Takasugi gives him a wilting look. "You understand nothing, do you."

"Again with this understanding and not understanding thing. What, is it actually code for, I wanna jump your bones, Gintoki? Jeez, you can really be a pain in the ass sometimes." He scrunches his nose when he remembers what they did just last Saturday. "Literally."

"Stop that," he groans. Gin thinks he's talking about the bad jokes, but then Takasugi murmurs, "I can't be the only one who has thought about touching again," and Gin tackles him so hard it knocks them both to the ground. (Somewhere in the background, a Spartan falls.)

"Shinsuke," he says, voice feral, "I've been waiting for you to say please."

This is not a romance. This is not how Meg Ryan and Patrick Swayze fall in love. This is backs thrown against walls, zipper teeth chafing, real teeth drawing blood when every impatient kiss is more like a punch to the face. Takasugi already has his hands under the waistband of Gin's boxers, and Gintoki already has his bottom lip sucked between his teeth, like this: "f-f-f-f-f -- " trying hard not to plead the word fighting its way past his lips.

"You're already hard," Takasugi murmurs, bending at the knees and pulling Gin's cock out from his Superman drawers. His breath is moist against skin, and Gin's fingers dig into the wall behind him.

"Fuck you," he manages to spit out, instead of "fuck me," and Takasugi irritatingly catches on.

"I fully intend for you to," he says, before closing his mouth around the head, and unraveling the growls from the base of Gin's throat.

something something haha

"My father expects impossible things from me..." he murmurs.

If this were a Nicholas Sparks novel, Gin would:

a) tell him, "you look beautiful when you cry."

b) kiss his tears away.

c) hold him tight, hold him close, until the sunlight died and a moon was reborn.

But it isn't. But this is Gin, wanting at once to push him away and pull him close, so he struggles: "Do you want to talk to Zura? I -- I can go find him for you..."

Takasugi glances at him with such undisguised misery that Gin wants to throw up. Tell me what a dick I am. Do it. Throw a fit and sock me in the face.

But Takasugi just says, "Sure."

Gin nods.

He turns the corner.

He doesn't want to think about how it is raining today.

This is not a romance, because Takasugi is not waking up in Gintoki's bed in the mornings, and Gin is not bringing him breakfast in bed. Gin is watching his pale, thin legs walk away for the nth time in the shine of the moonlight, and he wants to grab them, halt their motion.

He wants to say, Come back to bed, baby, like some smooth motherfucker, like a lovestruck mooner.

But he is cursed, like Cassandra, except instead of unfailingly predicting the future, the things he sees in his head will resolutely not come true.

This is not a romance, but --

he turns back round the corner, sprinting, tripping over his shoelaces, and does the following things in the following order:

a) tells Takasugi, "You look beautiful when you cry."

b) kisses his tears away.

c) and holds him tight, holds him close, like he's afraid the boy might disintegrate in his arms right them and there.

Takasugi chokes out, breathlessly, "Gintoki, you know we can't be together."

He laughs. "Listen to yourself. I bet you never thought you'd say something so stupidly heart-breaking, like some dumb chick flick." His fingers curl, around shirt, around hair, around -- Shinsuke. "I'm not stupid. I know things won't work out. But I can't erase these feelings. I don't want to stop myself from doing the things I want to do. I want to say the things I want to say to you, because I want you to hear them."

"Gintoki," Takasugi is cursing, "you stupid fuck, you stupid, stupid, stupid bastard," cursing his name until his lips run dry and his throat has no more words.

Gin lets his grip slacken slightly.

I know.

0 notes

opepin · 7 years

Text

january: week three

16: [tumblr deleted my drafts which contained 16 + 17 so i’m not 100% what happened these days] i woke up early to take notes for panorama. kevin was leaving for sf in the afternoon so we had some time together. after taking notes, i watched an episode of supernatural with him before he left. :( then i spent the day cleaning, playing pokemon, and cooking bun nem nuong. i might have beat the elite four in pokemon as well. idk, chill and productive day. i also worked out while watching family guy.

17: i woke up early to do some panorama note taking again. i just did one interview and then got ready for my interview at tandemseven. i ate breakfast, printed out my resumes, and headed out. i got kind of lost on the way but i managed to get there right on time at 1:30 pm. the interview was only 30 minutes long and just talking to them got me excited about working there and helping improve their product. i think it went above average overall but it could have been a bit better? i think i was just nervous and out of breath from rushing to the building. i took some time and decided to go to ogawa coffee to treat myself to sweets. i got the matcha roll cake and it was yum. i spent a good amount of time there before heading back. i went back and did my daily tasks for the rest of the day and played pokemon while talking to winston and peeps. i exercised while watching family guy and yeah. it was another chill and quiet day. i got to talk to kevin for a bit and then went to sleep somewhat late.

18: i just keep waking up later and later...i got up at like 2 pm and then made myself my favorite pb apple english muffins and tried out tea forte's darjeeling tea! it's really delicious. then i applied for jobs, talked to my mom on the phone, and got started making gingko nut and dried bean curd sweet soup. it was my first time making it so i'm not sure if it's sweet enough still :( i kept putting in more rock sugar and ended up putting more in the end so i hope it's enough. the bowl of soup that i drank was pretty bland. i played some pokemon and got back into it after drinking soup and eating bun nem nuong for lunch. i am so close to finishing the pokedex (for the first time ever) so i shall do it! D:< i stopped to exercise though ahha. i did arms and lower back while watching episodes of family guy and then ate a very late "dinner" of english muffins again. i took a quick shower and then headed into bed and i thought i got into bed before 2 am but it was already like 2:30 am. my sleep schedule is so screwed LOL. i got to talk to kevin before going to sleep and didn't have any problems sleeping again with the two blankets and my warm feet from the shower :)

19: mmm, i stayed in bed because of cramps but i eventually got up at 2 pm again lol. i showered in the morning because my hair was grody, i ate breakfast, and i did yoga right after for my very sore muscles. i felt a little light headed doing these things...but i stopped when it was enough. then i found out that my tumblr account was "terminated." why use that word? it's so harsh. so i emailed support and then went on with my day. sigh, it seems like the world just hates me lol. x__x; i just wrote out my day in an email draft and went on with my day. i played some pokemon and also made more noodles and sauce for the leftover bun nem noung. omg there's so much left. i need kevin to help me finish this all T__T i wanted to wear the bag vivian got me for christmas but i saw that it just sags when stuff is put into it. blerp. so i just used my state bag. my stomach hurt as i commuted to pick up kevin from the airport. i got there just as his plane landed and then met with him at baggage claim :3 ehhe. we commuted home together and kevin almost left his luggage on the bus LOLLL. good thing i remembered and we ran for it. we barely made it on the train too. kevin was out of breath...we got home and then ate dinner while watching supernatural. then kevin went to play dota and washed the dishes while i played a bit of pokemon. i got real sleepy at around 12 am but i think we both ended up sleeping at around 1:30 am or so. yoo, that's before 2 am! -pats self on back- LOL.

20: it was a v disastrous morning. i stained my mattress in them morning and it was a pretty big stain T___T so i spent my morning washing my bottoms, the sheets, and the mattress. i felt the mattress was a goner until kevin helped me figure out how to clean it with dish washer soap and then we found out that the cover could be zipped off. it's 100% polyurethane, which shouldn't be washed or dried because it is vinyl (plastic), but i did it anyway on the light delicate cycle without fabric softener and then dried on less dry delicate. everything came out fresh and clean! ((: that was most of my morning and afternoon... i ate brunch first and then did some errands online and my tumblr hasn't been given back to me yet... so i'm still waiting... BUT wait -- there's good news to be heard now! i got a call from the company i was interviewing with and i got the job! ahhh! it's my first full-time job offer ever! it was exciting but also nerve-racking to say yes but i need more time to think about it and look over the offer itself. i'm the type of person to just say yes or no right away, but with jobs, you have to give yourself time!

i have until monday to tell them my decision, but yeah. the package is pretty nice :) i mean, a full-time job doing what i want to do in an environment that is pretty much what i've been looking for is awesome. i talked with winston, michelle, kevin, and vivian about it and i'm gonna go for it. thank you all for supporting me through this really tough time in my life. i would call it my midlife crisis in my early 20s. hopefully, i won't have to go through it again, but if i do, i know that i can get out of it and i'm a stronger person because i've overcome that obstacle before! anyway, the rest of the day i just felt tired. i think it is because of my morning and just thinking about job stuff. i'm really happy but i'm also tired of the whole process. it's been so long. it's like relief but tired relief haha. i did look over the pacakge and then i made myself go ahead and negotiate and ask questions about the package. so i'm scared, but i'm glad i've taken that step to show my value as a designer and worker.

kevin wasn't hungry the rest of the day for some reason....so i had to let him know that we haven't really eaten all day. he made me potstickers and cooked a healthy chicken thigh and steamed veggie dinner with rice of course. i'm so sick of bun nem nuong. he gamed the rest of the day while i just rested. i showered and made the bed with kevin and played pokemon until i got back into it and we ended up sleeping at 3 or 4 am again...derp.

21: we got up late obviously x__x; kevin went climbing and then i did cardio while he was gone. when he got back, he showered and i looked up movie times for 'la la land' or 'split.' apparently, 'split' did very well on rotten tomatoes too! we also finally bought another floor lamp for our room. we headed to the movies and found out that both movies were basically sold out so we rq'd and went to the mall where kevin got his battery replaced on his iphone. we had an hour to kill at first so we went to the food court and got dinner. we got food from this small chain called, 'chicken now.' it was owned by an asian family so they also served bubble tea! we shared four chicken tenders, coleslaw, fries, and a large passion fruit green tea bubble tea. everything was pretty good! the bubble tea was a bit too sweet, but still better than the one we had in st. louis LOL. we finished eating right in time so then we headed back and was told to come back again in like 1-2 hours.

so we stopped by bj's and got some new sponges and garbage bags and then headed back. we watched an episode of supernatural and played some pokemon before driving back to the mall. the mall is like 5 minutes away btw. we went into sur la table for a bit and then got kevin's phone and headed back. kevin got a bit hungry so he finished all of the bun nem nuong while we watched more supernatural. then he gamed for the rest of the night. i was pretty grumpy because of pms, job stress, and things have felt a bit different lately ever since kevin got back from san francisco. his eating schedule has been off, which affects my eating schedule, and he's also been gaming a lot. so yeah. i showered and got into bed real early. i watched some pokemon in bed before ko'ing at 1 or 2 am. my tumblr still isn't back yet...

22: mmm woke up pretty unhappy. i just brushed, ate cereal, and went straight to cleaning everything. i got an email about my salary negotiation and it went well (: we made a compromise and i will be working full-time at tandemseven now! woot! i talked to kevin for a bit after he vacuumed the room, ate lunch, planned meals for the week, and then headed over to kam man. it was a pretty quick shopping trip. we stopped by deco to grab kevin's wallet (he forgot it on accident) and a coupon so we could get $2.50 back on our purchase of sponges from bj's. we got our money back and also bought some maple syrup and pork cutlets. then we got back and kevin cooked salmon, asparagus, and mushrooms for dinner. i watched some youtube videos and then we watched two episodes of supernatural. he left to climb after. then i exercised while watching more family guy. i ate too much so i had really bad acid reflux Dx kevin got back and he showered and then went to game. i washed the dishes, showered, and headed into bed early. i spent some time emailing fidelity and my recruiter before that. i went to sleep at 1 am or so. lol my tumblr is still not back up.

0 notes

twatkcox · 5 years

Text

[The Keihancarl Diaries: February 16, 2019]

Keihancarl here. How are things going there?

By the way, The World According To KCOX is currently on hiatus until further notice, but I might publish a couple of TKD posts (including this one) and some edited pics on The Quirk Concept. Anyway, it's time to document the things that happened on that day.

The weather is gonna be warm and sunny, there’s no need to worry about rain (it actually rained last Wednesday) and cold weather. Well then, my outfit consists of primarily black clothing, with an olive-yellow polo shirt and a golden yellow socks with a zigzag design.

Heading out, I was feeling lethargic inside the UV Express van (going to MRT Quezon Avenue) that I was tempted to fall asleep but I somehow managed to stay up throughout the ride. Also, traffic was heavy in some parts of Commonwealth Avenue. MRT-7 construction is still ongoing and it looks like they've made much progress, but the at-grade section of the entire line closed a number of U-turn slots in the area, and the Tandang Sora flyover is due to be demolished to give way for the construction of the MRT station there.

Reaching MRT Quezon Avenue station, I load up my Beep card and head inside the station platform. As usual, the escalator isn't running so I'm forced to take the stairs than to wait for the elevator to take me up to the station.

In the wake of the recent bombing incidents in Mindanao (particularly in Sulu, where a church was attacked by suicide bombers), LRT and MRT started banning bottled liquids inside the train, particularly water and other beverages. It was extended to banning colognes, rubbing alcohol, and lotions. It drew an ire from some of the commuters, and they decided to ease up on the liquid ban. In the end, they started allowing bottled liquids (cologne, rubbing alcohol, and lotion) for as long as it is below 100ml. Anyway, they let me inside the station without even checking for any liquids inside my bag. I was carrying pocket-sized alcohol and a small cologne spray at the time, both 50ml each.

I then rode the train and got off at MRT Guadalupe station. From there, I started walking to my first stop, the Power Plant Mall.

Along the way, the Estrella bridge is currently being expanded so it's closed to motorists.

Reaching the Power Plant Mall, I decided to have lunch at KFC. After that, I started visiting a few shops.

I checked out the mall's expansion, and it looks kind of world class. Anyway, I visited a few shops, particularly Fully Booked and Common Room.

The specialty bookstore's manga section is awesome, they even have some interesting titles, like Ajin: Demi-Human, Toradora!, and Noragami. And they're playing a David Benoit track called "The Key To You", though it's barely audible. It is one of Fully Booked's branches that are worth visiting.

Skipping the Century City Mall, I then head to my next destination, Circuit Makati.

I passed by Santa Ana Park's old facade as I walked from the U-turn slot to the bus stop, and into the mall area. Yup, the entire estate used to be a racing track for horses, until most of it was converted into a mixed-use development.

By the way, the mall area (Ayala Malls Circuit) is now open, though not all parts of the mall are airconditioned. The fast food chains are located there.

I passed by Biblio and I found a manga book. It is the only manga book I saw on the shelves.

The activity center is on the second level of the mall.

You can even see the area from the other side of the mall's atrium.

There are some interesting shops inside, including Asian Mart.

This grocery features imported goods mostly from China and Korea, from cookies to instant noodles, condiments to seasonings. They also sell various ingredients used in Asian dishes, like tea mushroom and shredded tofu. And yes, they have rice.

There's no Fully Booked branch in that mall, unfortunately.

And there's the mall’s roof deck, a rooftop park above the mall. The artificial grass feels comfortable to sit on, so I did. It gets breezy up there and I feel kind of relaxed at the moment.

You can see the Makati skyline from here.

Visiting Circuit Lane, there's an asphalted road that separates the mall area from the strip. Could this be an access road to the other side of the estate? Who knows.

There weren't many people at the open grounds outside Circuit Lane. Perhaps they prefer hanging out at the rooftop. The weather is still hot when I visited the area.

And it's time to visit Binondo and Divisoria areas. Nothing much, just checking the place, visiting a couple of shops, and perhaps taking a lot of selfies.

Inside LRT Quirino station, the guard thoroughly checked my things inside my bag, and then gave a thumbs up, meaning I can get in.

The LRT train bound to Roosevelt Station had an advertisement wrap in it, as well as the ad spaces inside the train, promoting a Japanese-Filipino anime Barangay 143.

Getting off at Carriedo Station, I just noticed that Plaza Lacson is already fenced.

Last time I've been there, there wasn't a fence on it. Perhaps it was done to protect the statue from vandalism. I'm not sure.

Reaching the Lucky Chinatown Mall, I decided to freshen up and visit the cinema area. Chapters And Pages had already moved out and that space is boarded up with a tarp for a Bahn Mi place.

At the bridgeway to the mall’s annex building, lanterns greet the shoppers. There were some cute and nice designs in these lanterns too.

At 999 Mall, I decided to have an early dinner at the food court. I had fried chicken and rice at a fried chicken stall. For a reasonable price. I really enjoyed the food so much, I might try their other offerings when I passed by the area again.

I checked the stall selling anime shirts, and there were some new additions. Still, I couldn’t find anything interesting. I also visited a stall (in 168 Mall) selling anime and K-pop merchandise (well, mostly K-pop) and checked some of the anime posters I might be interested in. Well, I couldn't find anything so I head back to Lucky Chinatown Mall.

Back there, the lanterns on the bridgeway were lighted, as well as the ones at the City Walk.

I took some selfies before going home.

I took an e-tricycle to LRT-2 Recto station, but the long lines made me switch to UV Express instead. It took me a long time to get a ride, unfortunately.

I checked Google maps, and I knew what I'm about to deal with... obviously. Seeing maroon on the large portion of Commonwealth Avenue tells me that I need to brace myself for heavy traffic ahead.

I got home safe and sound, finally, and I'm about to edit this post you're reading right now. It was a fun weekend, and I'm so glad I did go out on such a fine day. The rooftop at Circuit Makati is really awesome!

BGC for March? Absolutely. Until next time! Keihancarl out.

All pics are taken by yours truly, Keihancarl, and are uploaded to my private Instagram account, @kcox105.

#mall-hopping #going places #Rockwell Center #Circuit Makati #Binondo #city travel #photography

0 notes