The more the merrier!

(Collage by twestj)

More than a week ago, I was having an online conversation with some Chasters. Jade shared that she was craving for pizza. I reacted that I also loved pizza! I told her that we should go get some pizza one day. S&R pizza popped up in the conversation. Now, Pat wanted to join us and we set the date...Sunday, June 26. After some hours, however, Pat said that she could not make it on that date. So, we decided to meet up the following Sunday, July 3. Jay-Ann also wanted to join and that was great! The more the merrier!

A thought came to me afterwards. If not for Jade's craving for some pizza, I wouldn't have known that these Chasters, Pat and Jay-Ann also live in the same area in the south of Manila like Jade and me. That's a good info to take note of.

For the simple reason that our meeting time was 12:30pm, lunch time instead of snack time, we changed our venue (a few times) from S&R to Festival Mall to Mang Inasal to Burger King in Alabang Town Center (ATC), and finally to Giligan's Restaurant (just outside of ATC). We had a very nice and filling lunch. Jade and Pat, by the way, brought along their respective partners, Dee and Jem. The more the merrier!

At Giligan's Restaurant (Photo by twestj)

After having lunch, what do Chasters usually do? Hang out some more, right? Someone (Jade, if I remember it right) suggested that we go to Mr. Parks Bread & Cake in Molito. She knows Charice likes that cafe. Oh, I'd love to try that cafe if that's the case! Molito is a relatively small commercial center which is just a walking distance from ATC. Pat and Jem rode on their motorbike while the four of us went there on foot.

Many Chasters know that Charice and partner Alyssa sometimes go to ATC. A few Chasters have shared that they have seen them at ATC. And now, I learned that they also go to Molito. That's another info that I should take note of.

While we were having our drinks and some cream/choco puffs and having fun in our conversation, Jade kept looking at the door to her far right side, wishing/hoping she would see Charice appear and come into the cafe. I also had the same wish/hope. At one point, I teased her that she should also check out the glass door behind her because Charice might actually use that entrance. I was seated facing that door behind Jade.

We continued our conversation and teasing and laughing. We were so amused at how Jade, a French, had learned to speak Tagalog so well that Jay-Ann took a video of her in a sort of an interview about Charice. She responded in Tagalog to Jay-Ann's questions and we could not stop laughing because we did not expect to hear some colloquial expressions and advance Tagalog words from her and she also said them either exactly like the native speakers or in her own cute way. 

Our table is inside on the left. (Photo by twestj)

After a while, through the glass wall, and then, the glass door of the cafe, I noticed a big guy walking while talking to his companions. Remember, I was facing the door behind Jade. I wasn't wearing my eyeglasses and it was only him that really got my attention. He looked familiar, I thought. He then opened the door and held it for his companions. And then, because they were now nearer to us, and so, I could see them better, I realized that his companions were actually Charice and Alyssa!

The guy was Monty Macalino. Monty is the frontman of the band Mayonnaise. Mayonnaise was the same band that performed with Charice singing Nirvana at 19 East Bar & Grill earlier this year. Monty, with his band, helps in Charice's upcoming album entitled Catharsis which will be released soon.

I now remember that I was, for some seconds, motionless because I could not believe that Charice and Alyssa would actually be there. It turned out that they were having a meeting at a place near Mr. Parks cafe. It was a blessing in disguise that Pat was not available on June 26. Otherwise, we would not be at Mr. Parks Molito the following Sunday, July 3, the date of their meeting. Monty could not join us and had to leave, but not without having a group picture with us first.

Monty is the guy wearing a cap. (Photo by Jay-Ann)

Fortunately, Charice and Alyssa stayed and joined us at our table. We talked, we took pictures, and we laughed. And then, we talked, we took pictures, and we laughed some more. We could not thank these two great people enough. They made our out-of-the-blue meet up very special and memorable. 

On that day, July 3, 2016, we started as a group of six. Then, we became eight. The more the merrier indeed!

(Photo by Jay-Ann)