So how are you, my friend? A meetup, and on efforts to stay in touch.

Randomly wrote this sometime early last week:

I love brief text exchanges in the early morning, whether it's a text update from a friend, or catching up with another friend that you haven't see or spoken to in a while.

Regardless of the fact that I wake up during the wee hours of morning, it still feels great to chat or text with a friend that you haven't heard from in ages.

There are times when I just randomly text people or leave posts on their Facebook walls, telling them that I miss them, not for the sake of just saying them (like some people do), but because I sincerely do miss them.

After one random post on Lexi's wall last week, I finally got to meet up with her that very same week. It's been about 8 years since I last saw her in person, and it was high time to meet. I love that she actually encouraged the spur-of-the-moment meet up, regardless of the fact that her schedule has been pretty toxic all these years.

We met up last Wednesday for lunch at Robinson's place, because it's convenient for her because she works at a clinic nearby, plus she only has an hour's worth of lunch break. But it was totally worth it. We chatted the hour away over lunch, and she's finally getting married in December. It's going to be in Bacolod, though, but she do wants our clique to be there. But hopefully we do get to have a reunion with the rest of the girls, maybe during the summer when most of our schedules aren't so busy.

There are friends that do make the effort and the time for you. Some are worth it, while for the rest, I guess I'm on the verge of giving up on them. So they may say that they're not the type who enjoys replying to text messages or Facebook posts. But I sure hope they show at least a bit of appreciation that they have friends who make this effort, no matter how big or small it is, to show that they're loved.

So yeah, I miss you guys. You know who you are. But for some of you, I guess you don't know or don't care as much.

Getting a new bicycle.

Most people want gadgets, such as iPhones, iPads, laptops, gaming consoles, etc. I just wanted a bicycle.

Growing up in the 80's, I was one of those kids who spent lots of time playing outdoors instead of being cooped up inside the house. Before discovering the existence of Nintendo, my brother and I spent afternoons riding our bicycles up and down the street. I learned how to bike with training wheels, until my brother purposely took them out, forcing me to learn how to ride without them. Then I graduated to one of the bigger bikes, and never got tired of riding. Eventually I stopped riding bikes after 5th grade, and for the life of me, I still can't remember why.

The last time I rode a bike was 8 years ago, when a few friends and I went to CCP and spent the afternoon riding rented bikes until it got dark for us to see.

I've wanted a bike for the longest time. But not like the big, tall mountain bike that my brother last owned. It was tough to straddle, and even harder to sit on. I wanted a nice, simple ladies' bike where you don't have to raise your leg to high to mount it, plus you can wear a skirt while riding it.

This year, I finally decided to get one.

Because I work part-time in the mornings in Makati, I started my bike search in the places near where I work. Obviously, the bikes there are pretty expensive. But I didn't really want to go to Cartimar even though the bikes there are pretty cheap. I had almost decided on purchasing one in Park Square despite the steep price (plus delivery charge), until I remembered I saw the same kind of bikes in Toy Kingdom. Who knows, it might be cheaper there. It was, but there was still the hassle of bring it home to Las Pinas.

So I checked out Southmall. But while I was on the road, I was still on the lookout for little bike shops. I saw a couple of them along the way, but I was still thinking of the sports shops in the mall, plus Toy Kingdom as well. No such luck. No ladies' bicycles in sight.

After shift today, I finally decided to check out the Eleventh Bike Store, this tiny store (that looks like a hole in the wall, but crammed full of bicycles and accessories) along Alabang-Zapote road that I noticed the last couple of times I was on the bus ride home. They had a small kiddie ladies' bike on display, but sure enough, they have the bigger one as well, and it still had to be assembled. They only had it in pink, but by then, I didn't care what color it was anymore (I was initially aiming for a blue bike), as long as it's a ladies' bike with a basket in front (which was what they had). And it's almost half the price of the ones I found in Makati. So there, I decided right there and then to get it. Gave a small downpayment, and then Bing (the lady there that I had talked to) said that she'll contact me later this afternoon once it has been assembled.

Sure enough, I got a text from Bing this afternoon, telling me that the bike was already assembled, and that I can come get it. Upon arrival, there it was, waiting for me on the curb. I tested the seat, the tires, the brakes, etcetera, until I was satisfied. After my final payment, I hopped on the bike and rode it along Alabang-Zapote road all the way home.

Despite the fact that I'm in fear riding along a main road where all the cars, jeeps and buses are, it felt really good to be on a bicycle again. After a while, I had noticed that I was gripping the handlebars a little tightly, which explained why my left arm got tired easily. I relaxed after acknowledging it. I even rang the little bell a few times just for laughs. I realized that it was a nice workout for me, considering the distance that I had covered while pedaling that thing. I can't wait to use it more often, especially on Sundays.