Sunday was a good day even if it rained. Travelled through several cities and 31 kilometers just to meet my college pals. 😆 It's a good thing they decided to meet on a Sunday because there was no traffic at all. 💕
It actually rained for hours in the morning. Slept late the night before so woke up late as well. We all should have met at 10 am but I woke up around 8:40. 😂 Apparently I slept again after I pressed dismiss on my phone's alarm. 😆
I even took my time to take a bath and eat breakfast because of the weather. Was even thinking if I should still go or not so I published the previous article while eating. Fortunately my college friends didn't "give up" on me and still encouraged me to go even if I kept saying I might arrive at lunch time should I leave then. Awww.
Guess where we met? Hehe, where else but in a mall! 😆 Long time no see to this one!
I think it's been more or less than 5 years since I've been South of the metro. 😅 I rarely go here unless to meet my college batchmates. They're all from the South provinces so of course we all have to meet in the middle somehow. Then again some of them live nearer that area. 😂 I got no complaints though because I prefer to travel and go places. Hehe.
Actually the national quarantine/COVID-19 protocols have finally been more relaxed recently that's why we were able to meet up. Upon entering the mall I didn't think I'd be required to have a new QR code though. 😅 Forgot how each city has their own QR codes for contact tracing. Hello it's still pandemic season huh? 😅
Had to connect to the mall's free WiFi so I could scan this and enter my personal details. I don't have the StaySafe app so I just signed as a guest.
Actually took me a while to get connected and then fill up the details. Just when you're in a hurry, really, something always comes up to make you slower. 😆 Anyway good thing face shields aren't required anymore. 😛 We still wear face masks as it is required to be worn outside and in all establishments.
Once done I was finally able to go to the restaurant where my long time friends decided to meet up. Upon getting there, again I had the same QR code requirement. Was asked to scan it because it is required before entering anywhere. However I could not connect to the mall's WiFi again. Ah such a buzz killer to have to do this QR code scanning really when you don't have data connection. Would have been better to just write down my details and such like in other cities but anyway the good thing is a waiter allowed me to come in since I am already fully vaccinated. Awww. 💕
Finally I was able to meet up with my university batchmates! No hugs or beso beso (cheek to cheek kiss/greeting), just waving at each other the way my introvert self likes it. Haha. 😜 Social distancing for the win!
Good thing they chose to eat in the open air area of the restaurant. Proper ventilation is one of the keys to prevent getting COVID-19. 😁👍
Ah it's been more than a decade of friendship. (Hey I'm not saying the exact number of years hahaha.) It makes me feel old just thinking about how long we've been friends. 😅
It also makes me wonder how long this pandemic will last. For sure it might take another year or two before we all go back to normal. However I don't think it will make all of us feel safe from now on. I know people will still continue to wear face masks just to be safe even after we've all been vaccinated against the Corona virus.
Anyway since I got there exactly when they were done with lunch, I proceeded to give them my simple gifts after some chika chika (chat). Hehe. Just bought something eco-friendly for them since they all were talking about gifts for their kids in our group chat. 😛 Yes they all have kids except me. I decided to give them something and not their kiddos because hey, I know parents don't think much of themselves as much as they used to. Also I don't think we'd be able to personally meet again for a Christmas gathering.
Of course I was just in time for dessert so we still had time to talk about the latest update in each other's lives. 😁 (Forgot to take a picture of the cake slice I bought though.) It's nice to catch up from time to time even if we are all connected on social media. This get-together is kind of the icing on the cake of this week-long break from my on the job training (OJT).
(Actually I am starting to lose interest in this new career because of all the delays, negativities and such that's been happening. Since I haven't gotten back the money I paid for, I'm staying 'til then. 😛 I have until January to get it all back anyway.)
Had an okay time with my friends but of course I left early since I live farther than them. I'm happy to say I saved some fare money too because the FREE bus rides (carousel) are still available to the public! Ah it's a big thank you to our government officials who implemented this during the pandemic. 💕
Didn't ride the MRT this time since I didn't feel like taking a lot of rides just to get to the nearest station. 😁 The roads were mostly clear of vehicles as usual so travel time is faster than other days. This is why I was fine with a double bus trip again.
Let me backtrack a bit and show you my commute to get to our meet up place:
Tricycle to outside our home area
Jeepney to EDSA then walked to Carousel bus station
Free Carousel bus ride from Quezon City to Makati City
Rode the Ayala Makati to Starmall Alabang bus
Took another bus (or jeepney is available too) going to Alabang Town Center.
To get back home I just reversed the above. This time I had the chance to walk on the Makati EDSA overpass as well. Hello BGC skyline!
Ah this is why I like to do public commute. I see many things along the way. 😊
I also ate my late "lunch" in an empty fast food restaurant. 😆 No one was eating there so I decided to dine in. Hey why not when no one else was in it. That's safe enough for me even if it was an airconditioned place. Eventually only a few people started to come in at intervals when I was inside. 😜 (I'm good for business like that. Hahaha.)
Say hello to my pizza and spaghetti meal.
Before going home I decided to go to church too of course! Remember I wasn't able to go to mass last Sunday? This time I finally made it to one even if it was already early in the evening! Ah the convenience of living in the city. 💕
Say hello to Holy Family Parish in Kamias, Quezon City. 😊 This one is a church I rarely go to. I decided to hear mass here because I don't really like the priests in the churches near our home.
It wasn't crowded at all because everyone still followed the social distancing protocols. I also found out the priest here has a good aura. Hehe. Plus his sermon was in Tagalog even if the mass was in English! That's the best part of it all. 😊 (I prefer Filipino masses rather than English ones. Hits closer to home and sounds better. 💕)
And of course I used a step counter app since I know I would be able to reach the minimum required. Haha. It almost didn't reach 5,000 steps when I got home so I still used it a bit inside while putting away my things. I rarely count my steps or use an app for any physical activity but sometimes it's good to know such things too.
All in all I think it was a productive and good Sunday during despite this time of global health concern. 😊 How about in your area? Any pandemic protocols still being implemented? Hope you had a good weekend too. 😁
XOXO,
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Images used are mine unless specified otherwise.
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Getting together with friends after such a long time is a lot of fun, the current situation keeps us more distant now, but I'm glad you had a great time. Good lunch pasta with pizza. Happy day to you