sunday afternoon
Yesterday we attended a baptism at the San Antonio church in Forbes Park. What struck me was how empty the adjacent area was, where the Rustan's Supermarket, Starbucks, Santi's and sundry stood desolate and unloved.
Ten years ago, when Nikki and I lived in Fort Bonifacio (blissfully childless in the way that all childless couple think that their lives are complete, not knowing the startling delight even just one child can bring), we would have lunch at one of the restos there or visit Fortune Ledesma's upstairs store to rent a video or four.
Today, the gravitic effects of The Fort (with its isolated pockets of culinary temptations) and Market Market are obvious, draining away the people with money to burn. In a way, this is good. Perhaps the small area we used to love will regain its previous charm; a relaxing place away from the bustle of life (granted, you have to be rich to enjoy it).
Afterwards, we had merienda at Max Brenner's, famous for its chocolate concoctions and astonishingly high prices. I was just thankful that I didn't have to foot the bill as we polished off pasta and fondue. Sage had a great time with chocolates, settling for the white over the milk or semi-sweet. I'm such a chocoholic (you will believe when you see my friedge, my pantry and my secret stash in my bedroom) so drowning myself in the love-chemical-inducing goodness was a no-brainer (though I'm seriously cutting down, like I'm doing with soda). I took the opportunity to invite people to the Salamanca launch.
Since we were at Greenbelt (far from our usual Ortigas area haunts), we stopped by Powerbooks - because if there is a bookstore in the vicinity, we will inevitably go and buy books. It's a given unalterable fact, like the tides. We got Sage a dinosaur book (because she now looooves dinos), Drew got Vandermeer's "Veniss Underground" (which caused both Vin and me to groan, since we could have lent him our copies first), and I got - for P99 only - a non-fiction book about Raleigh. On the way out we bumped in Banzai Cat, which just proves that we are not alone in our addiction to books.
Nikki saved all her energy for the Apple store, where she fell prey to the iPod-related merchandise. Hell, I fell prey to the iPod-related merchandise. Ever since my long-delayed birthday gift for her arrived (an iPod Video), she's been lost to me, endlessly fiddling with the device, ripping CDs, dragging MP3s into it. But I'm glad my gift arrived when it did. My wife needed a lift, given the unreasonable workload she currently has.
I was this close to buying an iPod for myself then and there. It was object envy of the highest degree. But I was thinking that I didn't have enough pocket space with everything I carry on a daily basis. Oh, but the accessories were so delicious. And if I had an iPod, I'd get that funky stereo thing that looks like a mini-boombox. You slip in your iPod and voila - instant party. And the design is just so attractive. I'm crushing on Mac's design sensibilities.
Later, over dinner, Nikki offered to pay for half of an iPod Video for me. With tears in my eyes I thanked her and said I'd think about it. Ang bait talaga ng asawa ko, let me tell you. But I'm afraid I'll tumble down the slippery slope of desire and end up buying every accessory I can.
Or maybe I just want a Powerbook.
Desire... desire is incredible, isn't it?
Ten years ago, when Nikki and I lived in Fort Bonifacio (blissfully childless in the way that all childless couple think that their lives are complete, not knowing the startling delight even just one child can bring), we would have lunch at one of the restos there or visit Fortune Ledesma's upstairs store to rent a video or four.
Today, the gravitic effects of The Fort (with its isolated pockets of culinary temptations) and Market Market are obvious, draining away the people with money to burn. In a way, this is good. Perhaps the small area we used to love will regain its previous charm; a relaxing place away from the bustle of life (granted, you have to be rich to enjoy it).
Afterwards, we had merienda at Max Brenner's, famous for its chocolate concoctions and astonishingly high prices. I was just thankful that I didn't have to foot the bill as we polished off pasta and fondue. Sage had a great time with chocolates, settling for the white over the milk or semi-sweet. I'm such a chocoholic (you will believe when you see my friedge, my pantry and my secret stash in my bedroom) so drowning myself in the love-chemical-inducing goodness was a no-brainer (though I'm seriously cutting down, like I'm doing with soda). I took the opportunity to invite people to the Salamanca launch.
Since we were at Greenbelt (far from our usual Ortigas area haunts), we stopped by Powerbooks - because if there is a bookstore in the vicinity, we will inevitably go and buy books. It's a given unalterable fact, like the tides. We got Sage a dinosaur book (because she now looooves dinos), Drew got Vandermeer's "Veniss Underground" (which caused both Vin and me to groan, since we could have lent him our copies first), and I got - for P99 only - a non-fiction book about Raleigh. On the way out we bumped in Banzai Cat, which just proves that we are not alone in our addiction to books.
Nikki saved all her energy for the Apple store, where she fell prey to the iPod-related merchandise. Hell, I fell prey to the iPod-related merchandise. Ever since my long-delayed birthday gift for her arrived (an iPod Video), she's been lost to me, endlessly fiddling with the device, ripping CDs, dragging MP3s into it. But I'm glad my gift arrived when it did. My wife needed a lift, given the unreasonable workload she currently has.
I was this close to buying an iPod for myself then and there. It was object envy of the highest degree. But I was thinking that I didn't have enough pocket space with everything I carry on a daily basis. Oh, but the accessories were so delicious. And if I had an iPod, I'd get that funky stereo thing that looks like a mini-boombox. You slip in your iPod and voila - instant party. And the design is just so attractive. I'm crushing on Mac's design sensibilities.
Later, over dinner, Nikki offered to pay for half of an iPod Video for me. With tears in my eyes I thanked her and said I'd think about it. Ang bait talaga ng asawa ko, let me tell you. But I'm afraid I'll tumble down the slippery slope of desire and end up buying every accessory I can.
Or maybe I just want a Powerbook.
Desire... desire is incredible, isn't it?
posted by Dean at
9:32 AM
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