i was supposed to write last night pero nalunod na naman ako sa sarili kong mga naiiisip nalimutan ko na. hindi ko rin makalimutan iyong kapeng natikman ko kagabi :( aside from mommy ai's special coffee recipe for me, nastuck sa isip iyong lasa ng matcha latte na sinuggest ng barista.
my first day here in the philippines surprisingly went smooth. my parents’ college friends welcomed me with their warm hugs. sila pa ang may pasalubong na filipino goodies for me! they took me in a restaurant where my parents used to share meals during college. i also realized yesterday how my parents barely told me about their college experiences. ang alam ko lang they already knew each other since freshman year dahil same sila ng activist group na sinalihan. they started dating after graduating in college. ang huling narinig ko from mommy ai, ayaw ni mama cindy binibring up ang college days nila :( not that i'm too curious but i'm hoping someday mama cindy will open up to me about it.
after namin kumain, hinatid na nila ako sa apartment na tutuluyan ko buong taon. it's the apartment where mommy ai used to live during college. she bought the place for me as a gift last year and paid some people to renovate the place. it was a small loft type apartment. i'll attach the pic here as a memory:
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it's perfect for me! dahil masyado akong natuwa sa apartment, nagshopping na rin ako for furniture and other stuff na pwedeng magbigay buhay rito. i even bought physical copies of books i've read last year and some books i want to read this year so the bookstand won't look empty. it was so fun yet tiring hahaha. i can't imagine how tired mama cindy feel doing this every week as her job.
there's a lot of small eateries and samgyupsal restaurants outside the apartment. nakahilera sila sa kabilang kalsada. may iilang small clothing stores at café rin. very convenient for me na tamad magluto *ehem* hindi marunong magluto dahil kay mommy ai. who knows i might learn to cook on my own since i'm living independently now? i mean, napag-usapan na rin ng parents ko na magdedesisyon rin ako kung magsstay na ba ako rito permanently or not. testing waters.
nakakapanibagong hindi ko na kailangan magsuot ng thick clothes the whole year for winter dahil wala naman no'n dito sa pinas hahaha. i still brought some of my crochet sweaters. i can't leave them behind :(
anyway, i ended the day thanking my parents' friends and found a café two blocks away from my apartment. ang homey at cool ng ambience ng café. may iilang shelves sa paligid filled with books depende sa genre at pwede ako humiram ng two books every week (for fast readers lang ata 'to hahaha). may iilang plants at movie posters for decorations. the colors of the interior which are wooden brown (tables, counter, shelves), white (walls), and black (flooring) blended so well. they got a cool music playlist too! pretty sure, mapapadalas ako sa café lalo na't malapit lang and affordable ang kape nila, plus eco-friendly ang packaging at straws na ginagamit nila. i appreciate the bare minimum! it also works well with their brand.
then ... i met this person, one of the café's barista. his long curly hair was so beautiful i could tell how smooth his hair is kahit nakatali 'to. ang silky at bouncy pa. he didn't properly introduce himself to me but i saw his name tag with his pronouns.
ryan. he/his.
his name suits him. he was also so nice and let me take his time to help me figure out what coffee would suit my taste. may kasama siyang isa pang barista, si emon. siya ang nagserve ng order ko habang naglilinis si ryan. it was refreshing to see them having fun doing their job. there was no customer other than me at that time kaya i could hear their conversation. iwasan ko mang makinig, parehong malakas ang boses nila. they were talking about their boss and something about a suitor and a date? wala rin akong naintindihan hahaha then i got my coffee! pareho silang nakatingin sa 'kin no'ng tikman ko ang kape.
hmm... is it normal to feel weird when a woman stare at you? si ryan kasi. i caught him taking a glance on me. i never felt something like that before. i mean, i tried to kiss a girl once. but it didn't mean anything. ryan got something with the way he stares. i don't know. i don't want to think about it but my mind is boggling me ABOUT HIM. ewan. i'm afraid to bring up stuff like this with my parents for some reason, but i'm also aware they could help me. i just... dunno.
before i left the cafe, i noticed some writings around the cup handle.
"Miss Crochet :) hope you'll like it!"
the most interesting (or maybe funny) part was, there was a phone number written on the bottom part i almost didn't see it. i was not naive to think hindi iyon intentional, but i'm wondering kung kaninong phone number 'yon. there's a phone number printed on the handle already so i'm sure it's different.
i keep the cup handle with me anyway.
hmmmm. i think that's it for today. i can't help but feel nervous now that i'm alone.
