Missing Ermita

Back in our college days, Tuesday night is gimmick night since there are no clinics on Wednesdays (for clinicians) and for the pre-clinicals, well, let's just say that our less-stressful classes are held every Wednesdays. Now, according to one of our Endo 31 students, gimmick nights transferred to Fridays nights, though I don't know if the same goes with the clinicians.

Anyway, I've always wanted to try going out in the Malate area once again, for old time's sake. Our inuman venue that time were the Gilligan's Nakpil (in front of that gay bar then later on there were 2 gay bars na, one aptly named "Red Banana"), of course SideBar (where Apo people and Dent people seem to have their own place, and for our no-pera days, there's Kells(?). Tama ba spelling? I know it's somewhere in Malate area too but everytime we go there, we're all too drunk to care where exactly it is.

Last Friday, the Congressman asked if I could wait for him since they have a repossession operation in the Paranaque area. He'd be in Manila to fetch me at 9pm tops DAW. Since it's been a while since I got to explore the new Midtown wing and I've been craving for cerealicious since lunchtime, I happily agreed.

After OM duty, I'm off to revisit my Elena Apartment days haven: Rob Place Manila. First stop: deparment store. Bought this cheap (less than a hundred) flip flops so I can walk for hours without dealing with blisters the next day. Although I have my ever-comfy Melissa shoes on, I love it too much to subject it to the impending feet torture.

Robinson's Malate was a dormer's best friend. Last minute needs are easily addressed since I would only have to cross the street and there's the mall already. Most of the new shops are what you would consider "high-end" and would easily burn a college student's pocket. 

After getting tired of the mall, I went out and walked along Pedro Gil where my eyes met some familiar sights. There I noticed that the Don Henricos Pedro Gil joint moved from near Mabini to just in front of the Pedro Gil mall entrance. This is where we order pizza and buffalo wings, then known as the "pekeng chicken" since it was scientifically altered to produce chicken na puro wings lang. Hmmm, try to imagine a chicken walking without all the other part, just wings all over (freaky!!!!). 

There's Hap Chan where Drenan Uy treated us to a plate of jellyfish. It took me a lot of convincing but it was good....gooey but good.

There's still this night club right next to the former Victory Christian Fellowship site. Grabe, the bad defeated the good for this matter but I'm happy that VCF found a nicer place, a bit far from temptation. Imagine, what their members had to endure with their venue before in Pedro Gil. Right after leaving from service you'd meet these girls with skimpy dress inviting you to come inside their videoke joint. Now that's the ultimate test of faith!

I wanted to go to Emil Joy, our favorite bbq joint in front of Tia Maria's during our school days. They have the best cheap bbq in town! However, the congressman might give me a ring anytime so I opted not to veer far from the UP Manila area. 

One disappointment is finding out that Alda's Kitchen is already closed. Risha Molato introduced me to Alda's and I kept coming back for their 30-peso banana cream pie. It was replaced by Pizza Niro, a pizza joint like Alda's, but known for their gigantic 30" pizzas.

My stomach's grumbling so even if it was an inuman place, I braved to go inside to try their food.

The menu consists mainly of pizza, pasta, calzone and booze. Suddenly, I'm not in the mood for pizza so I got the Spaghetti ala Vercascana (White cream sauce, mixed seafood, asparagus and herbs). At the price of P120, it didn't disappoint this one hungry trekker. I didn't get to take a picture of the food since I was seated near the window/patio and the place is not air-conditioned so I wouldn't want to risk my phone snatched by some a**hole.

I took time in eating my pasta since the congressman told me it'll take him 45minutes pa to go to Manila. I noticed some UP Manila students (around 4 of them) seated in one table, each with one Red Horse bottle (which reminded me of Chey who introduced me to the tandem of 1 Red Horse while doing anterior set-up hehe). I know they are UP Manila students because they are still wearing their ID (at 8pm!!!). For the benefit of the UP alumni, students are now supposed to wear their IDs all the time. Gone are the days when our IDs are limited to our wallets and pockets of our Jansport backpacks at nilalabas lang pag malapit na kay Ate Guard ng AS. Then came 2 guys who joined their table, slipping a Mini Stop plastic bag. I tried not to be obvious that I was looking at them. Then I saw one of the guys taking a bite of a MiniStop kariman! Hahaha! Onga naman, pag walang perang pampulutan, kaya pa ring gawan ng paraan! Those guys are true-blue UP students, MADISKARTE!