Recently had lunch with Lord Fernandez and Jessica Zafra in Wildflour Rockwell. The last time I was in Rockwell was in 2003, and for some reason I expected it to be exactly the same as it was 18 years ago, when we would bring my sister to the hotel where she was working, and we would pass by the mall for lunch. My mother would always be on the lookout for an artista, but my father hated it for not having the usual fast food and utility stores. To quote my father: “I HATE ROCKWELL!”

I thought I could make the Fully Booked on the ground floor my landmark as I went around the mall, but it has apparently moved to another floor since then. I got lost in the maze that was the basement parking lot, and by the time I found Wildflour, Lord has already half-consumed his quinoa-based meal. The menu in the restaurant was too elaborate, so I just said any red pasta would do. They had booked an outside table much earlier, so we felt sort of safe. The wind that afternoon was pretty strong, and if we weren’t careful we would be running after our faceshields as it gets blown out through the streets. Or we could videotape it and make like American Beauty.

Jessica gave some pointers on how local publishing currently works, now that a lot has changed in the digital era. I’ve been working on a manuscript the past few months, but I made the mistake of pausing for a few weeks and then reading them again. Or it could be a good thing, at least I now have a better perspective on what is cringe-worthy. I gave Mrs. T and Smoketh a copy of the manuscript a month ago and told them to totally make it okray, but they are yet to give me any comments. In particular I want them to skewer my erroneous use of prepositions, and my long, gasping sentences. Attn: Mrs. T and Smoketh!

Lord, who has just arrived from Baguio, explained the art of the various gems and crystals he was wearing. Jessica’s cat has been missing, and she needed something to draw him back to safety. Lord said that there isn’t really a particular gem designed to lure pets back home, but there are gems to make its wearers feel zen and less anxious. I need those gems in capsule form.

They decided to tour me around Rockwell and update me on what has changed in the past18 years. I saw a branch of Common Room in Powerplant, and got myself a couple of sticker sets. I posted these sticker sets on my Instagram stories, and a friend nitpicked, “Eh bakit may 1997 mixed tape? And Nokia 3310?”

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