Early Birds = Angry Birds

Anthony was particularly excited to have breakfast at Bizu, his current pancake place of choice, only to find out that they were closed that day for their post-New Year company holiday party.

Let's go see a movie then, I suggested, only to realize that all the movies were in Tagalog due to the ongoing Metro Manila Film Festival.

Two angry birds stood outside the railings of the game arcade, Time Zone, which was also closed.

Not only was it too early for free wi-fi, even the sliding doors to the mall refused to open when I stood under the sensor, which strangely affected my self-esteem that morning. Am I not worth it, I asked. Is this what life has come to?!? ("Why don't you save the drama for the film festival?" Anthony calmly suggested.)

Even the Christmas Tree appeared to me as if it were melting in exhaustion.

Just when I felt like absolutely nothing was going our way that morning, and moods were dipping by the minute…

We chanced upon the windows of Topman, which provided some temporary retail therapy. Can you guess which attires Anthony and I would choose for a casual night out on the town?

Anthony beat me to this outfit, which, of the three, I would have also chosen myself.

But because I am a good sport (actually, I just wasn't in the mood to argue who saw the outfit first who, by the way, was me), I went with this middle one, also realizing right there and then that I have actually NEVER owned a pair of maroon jeans in my life. Add that to the bucket list!

This made me think of my sister Cristina, who has been fiercely enjoying animal prints lately.

Deflated and famished, we needed food, and we needed it fast, so we entered the first restaurant that we saw was open, this place called Oody's on the second floor of Greenbelt 3.

Anthony always passes on the peanuts (he holds some kind of grudge against them). I, on the other hand, happily gobbled them up as they were deliciously spicy and garlicky. In contrast, the chips were so-so.

I know it is a common practice in most Asian cuisines, but I have grown wary of condiments that have been sitting out for some time and are passed from table to table. Just playin' safe, you know…

While Anthony answered email messages, I went ahead and — you guessed it — took some self-portraits. Hahaha!

We were the first customers that day, and the waitstaff was still busy getting the restaurant ready as we waited for our food. Talk about an early lunch!

I took one look at my plate, and couldn't help remembering all the reptiles we saw in the Singapore Zoo last week. It's very "crocodilian," I wittily told Anthony, who, I didn't realize, was still working on "one last email." LOL!

Things began to take a turn for the better as I took my first sip of Thai iced coffee, which provided the perfect amount of perk for my morning.

Happy that Anthony's Pad Thai came out of the kitchen first… Now there's that winning smile!

You can NEVER go wrong with a side of sweet chili sauce. It makes everything — including mornings like this one — much, much better.

This is my Sukhothai Noodle Soup, which came in a broth that was an interesting cross between our traditional Philippine Nilaga (beef broth) and Tom Yum (Thai sour soup).

In true explorer fashion, I unearthed all sorts of meats — beef slices, pork balls, and a couple of steamed shrimp — that were hiding under a blanket of rice noodles.

The soup certainly hit the spot, though I started craving for something sweet immediately after this photo was taken. (It simply never ends, no? Hahaha!)

I laughed at how the drab, crushed velvet upholstery in the restaurant reflected my mood earlier that morning.

But oftentimes you just gotta keep on movin' forward, which is what we did. Forward to the rest room, that is! LOL!

On our way back to the condo, finally! Thrilled to report that not only have the pesticides settled, but also, thank heavens, our moods as well. Hahaha!

Before we end, a parting kiss to keep moods light and breezy…