Check!

For my BFF (best funny friend) Babs, with whom I travelled through New York, Mexico and Guatemala and some parts of Belgium too... check this (v)...

Last weekend we went to a concert of Joey Ayalla, a famous Philippino singer, he's really good and funny! (and I shaked his hand (check "meet a celebrity"). We went there with Kat, Boyet, Cita (who was very excited) and Emily, a Fullbright scholar from Georgia, who's been here for 8 months already. That night we decided to meet up again the next day to have drinks and go to a photo exhibition of Emily Shieffer (another Emily- but also a Fullbright scholar) who's been working with poor kids close to Manila. She's a really talented photographer, and spent the last year teaching kids how to take pictures, and this exhibition was the final stage of her project. The photos were really amazing, some were taken by 15 year ols, it was incredible! I went there with the MRT (Metro up in the sky, really nice, check "endure public transport"). I also met my first admirerer (check "pick up stalker").

After that we went to the "fête de la musique", a music festival in Malate, a touristy area of Manilla (with a lot of old white men and young Philipina women). It was like the "Gentse Feesten", there were 4 stages, one with hard rock bands, one with reggae, one with hip hop and then a main stage with pop music. The crowd was really diverse (met some young punk people) but the atmosphere very cool and laid back. The perfect Saturday night outing! Check " kick back at summer festival".

Sunday was mainly relaxing and making pasta (check "busting my butt on mean lean cuisine") and ... PREPARING FOR OUR FIRST PARTY! Yuichi and I haven't had our "bienvenida", so we decided to launch one on July 21st in our house off Land Street. Nana was really up for it, so we started planning directly (we already set up a guest list, will now make invitations, and decide on decorations etc.). And this weekend actually, we're having a try-out party for Elle's birthday, just to make sure that the 21st will go by smoothly. But do we really need a reason to party??? Check "getting a new hobby" too!

To finish off my check list, I went to an Aikido-class Monday (check "aiya wha... my first time martial arts"), not that I will be good at it I think. It's too zen... unlike me.. haha!