Four days before internship

HAD DINNER at Wai Ying in Binondo. I always eat there when I'm in the area.

Never mind the fracas caused by customers who can't find their seats—the place is always packed. And understandably so: the food's really good. So I was surprised there weren't too many people on a Saturday night.



I ate with the Bocobo sisters, my close friends from church and my neighbors in Manila. You know the feeling when you can't decide what to order, and your friends don't know either, and then they let you decide on their behalf? That never happens when I'm with Frances and Jil. They're gifted with the perspicacity in choosing which items in the menu are worth tasting. They're almost never wrong.



"You should try the iced coffee," the Traveling Bocobo Sisters of Manila told me.

"But I want to sleep tonight," I said, reminding them of my intolerance to too much caffeine.

"Then try the milk tea."

I loved it. I'll definitely be ordering that next time, too.



The asado roll was tasty.



The fried lumpia was interesting, too.



The food was good, but what made this night grand was the company. We had edifying, encouraging conversations and many episodes of hearty laughter. Thanks, Frances and Jil, for the great time!