So, today marks 5Y2M and we had a perfect excuse to finally watch Thor: The Dark World ! We booked our seats online but I just realized upon claiming the tickets that there was no need to reserve them. It was senior citizen day and we were queueing next to excited elderlies who were either watching Thor with us, or a Filipino horror movie. I just felt bad for the unnecessary Php 40 admin fees we paid.
Before the movie played, I was not too crazy over the new Captain America trailer. It was too ‘boys night out’ and not enough fantasy for my liking. As for the movie itself, I was so happy that Kat Dennings got too have more screentime than the first installment. I have always loved her in Two Broke Girls and I also recently watched the ‘Hot Child in the City‘ episode of SATC, where she was this filthy-mouthed adoloscent schooling Samantha. I have always loved Natalie Portman but Kat Dennings stole the show with her comedic timing and sarcasm. There was also the usual gratuitous scene of Thor for the girls and the girls-at-heart, and lots of smashing of extraterrestials. Anyway, it was an awesome movie, thanks in large part to the right humorous parts inserted here and there. I knew I would be laughing while watching this movie because the first movie pretty much made me expect it. I can’t comment on the length because it was almost the same as the other MARVEL movies, but several of the people who watched with us clearly dozed off. Bless them.
We then went to Landmark Makati for some window shopping, that is look for Christmas ornaments we can put in our miniscule apartment. No big trees or anything voluminous. We are in need of something sparkly to at least give a feeling of Christmas-at-home in that tiny place. As expected, as soon as All Saints Day has passed, the Yuletide Season would be on full throttle, and malls usually carry the first signs of this usually busy series of events.
On our way up to the third floor (or was it fourth?), the familiar glittery Santa and reindeers decoration greeted us and I could not wait to see what Landmark has to offer. Even from the escalator, the backend was exploding with Christmas trees and other ornaments that a lot of shoppers could not help but take pictures and selfies (I hate this word with a passion) among the fancy leaves and branches. 
We were looking for a very small tree which we can put on top of our mini-fridge. Honestly, I still do not know if it is a good idea, since it is where our oven toaster has been firmly perched. LOL We saw two little trees, one colorful with little bells, while the other was just glued with gold glitter from ‘trunk‘ to twig. Personally, I loved the second one because it will definitely much easier to store once Christmas season has passed. That coudl still change, though, because we were not to buy one until next week. I’ve also noticed that even if it was a Wednesday, there were a handful of families pushing large carts of ornaments and relentlessly digging over piles of baubles.
It was barely 5:00 PM but we decided to just walk from Landmark to Ayala Triangle to eat dinner. Banapple is surely a nice place to eat, but I would not dare to go there during lunch or dinner time. The waiting list to get seated is usually insane and I’d rather eat somewhere else. I also do not like getting my picture taken or even taking pictures of my food, with people looking, judging and thinking that it would be for Facebook or Instagram for hashtag abuse. (I still do not have an Instagram, but maybe things would change if I get a better phone with a better camera. But might take a long, long time to happen!) LOL It is for my blog, though, so I might as well scoff the imaginary stares. I’m all for immortalizing moments for my personal consumption.
I thought we would be waiting for about 20 minutes to get our food, similar to what happened the last time we were here (thus, my general disdain for Banapple). But surprisingly, it only took them 10 minutes to serve my food (the one with the rice), while Mon’s pasta took five more minutes. The food was still as good as I remembered it. A bit heavy considering my newly-found acid reflux has surprisingly made me digest food much quicker than before. I wish I had two cups of rice, though, but I have a rough feeling that an extra serving might cost about 2-3 kilos of NFA rice. LOL
There’s supposedly a light show in Ayala Triangle, and in the more than six years of working in Makati, I have never seen one. I’ve stalled eating, in the hopes that the moment we leave Banapple, I’d get to see the lights on in Ayala Avenue from Makati Stock Exchange. They have clearly ditched the falling-rain effect LED lights from last year, and opted for the traditional Christmas lights. The wavy, banner-like light installation was new, though. A banner is held by three concrete blocks on both ends, and covered with faux grass to make them less industrial.
It is officially Christmas in the Philippines! From this day forward, more cab drivers will transform into greedy beasts, and it is directly proportional to the number of theft-related crimes on the streets. On the other side, it is some sort of warning sign over the things I needed to do, and time is ticking to get things going! I get the message.
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