Sinulog at Tabunok

i started the sinulog frenzy by watching poohkwang at the waterfront with M and Z. needless to say, i had fun! some jokes were recycled but the two comedians did very well in delivering them flawlessly so i still laughed my guts out. it's amazing how the hotel's grand ballroom was jampacked (as in there were countless people standing at the back) as if it was sharon cuneta or uh, britney spears?, performing. we were seated at the back (we couldn't afford the P2500 seats. although if i had money, i'd pay P2500 if that means having the chance to kiss john lloyd!) and it didn't help that i am only 5' and some people were too inconsiderate as to keep on walking back and forth, looking for better seats, even when the show already started. i had to casually rebuke some overdressed teeners who stacked at least 3 chairs so they can see better. hello, we all paid the same amount so you can't do that! hehehe.

i was just disappointed that we weren't able to go backstage to have our pictures taken with john lloyd. my friend, who was working as a crew for the event, said they're too busy and that security's really tight so he would have a hard time ushering us in. oh well, i only gorged on east west's (btw, they're now open at the IT park, right beside casa verde) mango sushi crepe to relieve my frustration. hahaha.

early saturday morning, raf was asking to go to ayala or sm so he can play in the playroom and go window shopping. we decided we'd go to sm late in the afternoon to have dinner and to also watch the pyrofest. traffic's a little bad on the way to the mall but nevertheless, we arrived in a little less than one hour. every restaurant was full and the waiting list took on forever. although i must say, the crowd's not that maddening. yes, the mall was teeming with people but it's not like you couldn't breathe already. i haven't tried going inside the shops though, especially inside the department store. the raket only started when the first fireworks show lit the sky. everyone was running around, trying to catch a glimpse of the amazing skyshow. sm's elevators weren't very efficient that night so we have to run 5 sets of stairs to reach the roofdeck where the view's the best. it was instant exercise for me. hahaha. we waited for all six fireworks entries to make the trip to the city sulit. hahaha. we didn't wait for the winner to be called though because we don't want to be caught in the stampede. i try to avoid crowds as much as possible. i am not claustrophobic but i always get scared when people start shoving and pushing already. it was a good thing my taxi driver suki was covering the streets that night. he fetched us at sm and we were able to get a ride while a hundred (i am not kidding!) or so were stranded, with no jeepneys or taxis in sight.

we didn't have definite plans for sunday but we were thinking of going to the city to join the festivities. i ordered lexmark sinulog shirts for raf and me in case we'd go out and shout "pit senyor!" it was 1:30PM when we kinda said, "nah, let's stay at home instead." channel 3 featured aerial shots of the city's main roads and when i saw how srp was congested with cars and vans and taxis waiting to swarm fuente and mango, the more i resolved not to go out. i mean, i just couldn't risk raf out there. i knew how the crowd can be pretty rough and the weather's also not promising. for once, i let my primadonna self took over.

so what did we do instead? we went to gaisano tabunok amidst the husband's protests ("mag-unsa man ta sa tabunok??" hahaha) and ate pizza and browsed booksale's super discounted books. raf found an old "curious george" book and i bought two novels as well. before we headed home, i bought some chocolate caramel cake and a half kilo of shrimp for dinner. ppip cooked the shrimp in his secret mix and well, it beats any restaurant-concocted dish anytime!

maybe next sinulog we'd go out, maybe we won't. maybe we would live near the city so it would be easier for us to join the festivities. or maybe we'd have our own car so commuting wouldn't be such a bitch. hehehe. but surely, sinulog would always be a family affair.