Easygoing

Things had been really, really crazy for the past few weeks. We were both weighed down-- he had been handling issues regarding several base stations, plus dealing with an unsympathetic officemate; I had had deliverables for three products with overlapping review dates and code locks, plus other "issues". And because of these, we planned to splurge and mark our third year with some sort of hassle-free indulgence here in Manila. [For two years in a row, we went to Caleruega and Sonya’s Garden for the same event.]

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We chilled out over the weekend, spent the whole morning that Saturday at Wensha Spa and the whole afternoon until the next day at Linden.

It started off with a massage at the spa’s new branch near CCP at around 930AM. We chose the New Wensha Body Massage for P630, which includes one hour massage and a shabu-shabu meal (every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday; a buffet meal on the other days), plus unlimited iced tea. We had the option to access and use the wet floor, which includes a jacuzzi, a sauna, and a steam bath, before the massage, but decided not to [since we had to be totally bare]. We were too shy and anxious to show off our bodies.

When we arrived, we were given a pair of soft rubber slippers and a bracelet, which served as our locker "key". We were then guided to different locker rooms (males and females are separated) to unload our things. After changing our clothes to the spa’s silky robes, we went to our designated wing for the massage.

The Shiatsu-Swedish massage combo was sweeeet! Except for not focusing too much on small areas like in between fingers and toes, the service was really good. I even took a quick doze after the massage.

[When I returned to the locker room, I got more than 10 missed calls from him. Apparently, I made him wait for more than 30 minutes because I thought we would have the massage first before the shabu-shabu. Realizing I was already in, he began his session.]

After more than an hour, I waited for him in the non-smoking area of the spa's huge dining hall for our shabu-shabu. It was weird but at the same time comfortable seeing people-- a group of friends, a family, or a couple-- in their robes, loafing on sofas covered with white towels, and relishing their meal.

He finished 20 minutes later, and he looked a bit drowsy when he approached me. But then he started falling in line to get our food. We opted for the smoking lounge because the backdrop was more homey. The waiter just helped us set up the pot and portable range, which every table has, mixed the basic ingredients, and then left the rest to us. As usual, my buddy was in charge of the cooking.

He started mixing all the other raw ingredients that we got. Scallops, prawns, tofu, bamboo shoots, carrots, beef, noodles, onions, some chilli, and other veggies. Not sure if there were salmon and squid. Basta andamiii. The finished hot pot was somehow jolting. He picked up so many stuff our tummies couldn't take. Noticing a small piece of paper posted on the wall, informing customers of a certain fine for any food leftover, we forced ourselves to finish everything on our plates. Kuha kase nang kuha. Well, dumiskarte kami ng onte. But never mind...=)

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We set off to Linden Suites after lunch. Nagpaka-couch potato kami until dinner, which was the plan. We made a short trip to Megamall later that afternoon. We passed by Chef Donatello for dinner, ordering spaghetti al pesto and the 5-piece basket chicken good for sharing. We resumed the walk from the mall to St. Francis Square then around El Pueblo to burn some calories, and went back to the hotel afterward. We finished the remaining pieces of chicken with a couple of San Mig light cans as we watched some late night movies.

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The next day was the finale of our food trip. We savoured our brunch buffet, which, according to a nice lady there, usually extends until 130PM every Sunday. We returned to our room to continue watching some UFC's Seek and Destroy matches, one of which my bet Roger Huerta had lost the lightweight championship belt. [He bears some resemblance to Josh Hartnett. Haaay.]

By lunch time, we packed up and went home. Still full, but absolutely recharged.

*****
Happy third anniversary, buddy ko. Thank you for being calm when I'm worried, for being patient when I'm late, for the little surprises on what I think of as ordinary days, for backing up my confidence when I’m unconvinced, and for doing everything you can--- for being my cook, my laundromat, my problem-solver, and my friends' problem-solver. You have made my world so undemanding.

I love you more. *kugos*

And thanks Niña for sharing some perks. =)