Millionth Souvenir Shot with Taal Backdrop


Hanging out - Joi, Jon, Me, Sheila, Jean and Yang's skinny arm...Haha!


Sing it


Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol...


Still more alcohol...


But where's the buzz??? Haha!


Happy to be in Tagaytay...


Beautiful Cliffhouse...


Jon's Angels???


Very Familiar Taal Panorama


The Gang Sans Joi

A week ago, former officemates and some friends from Pahinungod planned to go to Joi’s house in Tagaytay for a get-together. However, this didn’t push through because there were those who weren’t available and others already had commitments for the weekend.

So the out of town trip was rescheduled this weekend. Again, I wasn’t sure if it would push through because of the heavy rain. That, and the fact, that I was feeling very sick since last Thursday.

But I needed the break, so sick or not sick, rain or no rain, I packed my bags and went off to meet my friends.

The trip didn’t go without some concerns though. Saturday morning, Joi and I were talking about the details of the trip – what the menu was, what the itinerary was, where to do the grocery, what time to leave, what to do with those who confirmed at the last minute, how to fit 12 people in one vehicle. Haha! Can’t really blame us. The almost irritating habit of coordinating comes from the fact that we were Pahinungod program coordinators.

Moving on, we left Manila a little before five p.m.. Our first destination was Jean’s house in Cavite. It was her birthday a couple of weeks ago, and the dinner at her house was the nth get-together for her birthday. Hehehe! The drive going to Jean’s was a good one. Though we were stuck in traffic at some points, the company of each other kept us all entertained. By seven, we arrived at Jean’s house. Everyone’s stomach was already grumbling so the moment we entered Jean’s house, everyone proceeded to the dining table where the yum food waited for us. Pancit bihon (my request), lechong manok, ginataang langka, black gulaman – it wasn’t surprising almost everyone got second helpings of the great food.

Afterwards, we headed to Tagaytay. I asked to be dropped off at the familiar Tagaytay rotunda so I can do the grocery, while the rest got ready for the night's gimik. Good thing Jon was there and he had no choice but to go with me, since I dragged him. Hehehe! While waiting for our fetch, I brought Jon to Sanctuario, which was right across the grocery, to show him Sean and Romil’s wonderful, wonderful restaurant and to have a nice cup of hot chocolate. It was perfect for the very cool, slightly drizzling weather that night. Too bad Sean or Romil wasn’t there that night.

By the time we finished our hot choco, Joi and Andrei were already waiting for us at the grocery. After loading all the stuff into the car, we headed to Joi’s house and got ready for the gimik .

We met up with the rest of the gang at Viewsite. It’s one of the big restaurants-cum-bar along the highway that gave a view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano. Plus points for not being too crowded and not too smoky. The band playing that night, Epic, had already started on their first set. The group had great seats – we were right in front of the stage because the earlier group were the first ones at the venue. Hehehe!

We stayed at the bar till 3AM. I had vodka tonic and Long Island but I was a bit disappointed because I didn’t even get the slightest buzz. Haha! I don’t know if it’s because I was feeling under the weather. Anyway, it was good since no need to worry about a hangover. Haha!

The following day, we just stayed at Joi's house. Almost everyone did karaoke, while some cooked breakfast with the head chef (read: me. Hehe!). The good thing about being with Pahinungod friends is that you don’t have to tell anyone to help out. It’s automatic for everyone to help the other person. Our breakfast menu included hotdogs, corned beef, cheese and egg omelette, fried rice, bread, and pancit from yesterday. After more than an hour’s preparation (Those omelets took the longest time to prepare! Haha!), everyone dug right in and ate breakfast.

The rest of the day was spent just hanging out. Joi, Sharkie, Jon and I went out for awhile around noon time to buy ingredients for lunch - two kinds of pasta. When we got back, we prepared lunch and then got ready to go back to Manila.

After lunch, we were on the road again for our trip back to Manila. The gang stopped by Cliffhouse though to enjoy the view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano, and to have some nice photos. If you’re in Tagaytay, you should check out this venue. It’s a very nice place that has galleries and cafés, including Café Breton. I think it would be a nice date place.

We got back at Manila by 6PM. After saying thanks and goodbyes, we parted ways. Joi and Andrei headed to their apartment, which was near the area. Jo took a ride for UP Diliman. Marian, Karen, Ude and Sheila went to the Pahinungod office to drop off some stuff. Jon and I got a ride home together.

When I got home, I was already feeling tired. It was only 8PM, but after I changed into my clothes, I already fell asleep.

The whole trip was really, really fun. Never mind that it was raining. Never mind that I was feeling sick. There were many memorable moments, and I'd really wish we can have this get-together again. Hope your weekend was as great as mine.