Nov 16, 2024

Today was the day I'd go to Binondo with Exavier. We're supposed to leave early today, around 11 a.m. or so, but I just couldn't sleep properly. I ended up falling asleep at 4 a.m. or so. I thankfully woke up at the right time, around 10 a.m. and I immediately got ready to go out. I messaged Exavier that I was getting ready and he eventually came over to my house to pass by me. We walked all while talking about various things and then rode a tricycle to the jeep station. I was so scared for my phone because I rode a jeep again and I don't think I've ridden one ever since my Samsung phone got stolen. I tucked my phone in my long sleeve and just watched as we commuted to Pasay. We eventually left the Jeep at around Gateway Mall and rode the LRT going to Manila. We took line 1 of the LRT from EDSA station to Carriedo, with our main destination being Binondo. I was still scared for my phone because I feared that it might get stolen, so I still tucked in my phone inside my long sleeves while talking to Exavier. I mainly asked him and his plans for the future. We eventually reach Carriedo station and walked around. After that, we went directly to Eng Bee Tin which was supposedly some super-famous store but I'd never heard of it. We passed by a few places that looked extremely Chinese and Binondo seemed so strange but pretty cool. We eventually got to Eng Bee Tin and went inside the store to buy a few snacks and stuff. The line for checkout was actually extremely long, it wrapped around half of the store. We talk about IP addresses, MAC addresses, and other networking things to pass the time. I also took a photo of a big mooncake the store had on display. After we paid for the things, we headed for Lucky Chinatown Mall. Exavier bought something in the grocery section there and I took a photo of a baguette and sent it to Max and Meryll. We then got a reservation at San Guo Lamien and the wait was going to be for a while. We just went to Timezone on an upper floor and Exavier used his Timezone credits to play this Avengers coin game. He actually got a lot of tickets in the process, which seemed impressive tbh. We even had a small crowd of guys gather around us to watch for some reason. But after Exavier stopped playing, we claimed the tickets and went downstairs to the restaurant. We got inside since it was our turn, but we had to wait for a bit longer until a table opened up. It seems weird that such a successful restaurant would settle for such a small and cramped space inside a mall, but whatever. We finally got our seats and ordered a few things. I got some beef noodles and Exavier got his own dish. Since I was really curious, I tried out the sausage that they were selling. I had never heard of a Chinese sausage dish before so I tried it out of curiosity, I also got dumplings as another side. We waited for a while for our food to arrive, and I noticed that I had bad signal reception all day. Even Exavier's phone had horrible signal. It's honestly so weird that a famous, densely-populated place in Manila itself would lack good signal strength. It just boggled my mind. I also noticed that the table had business cards underneath the glass, cards of different people in different industries. It seemed tacky, maybe they were trying to bank in on any Chinese person wanting to make a deal with them or something. But anyway, we got our food and it honestly made me feel full a few bites in. I barely ate all day and yet I don't have it in me to finish my dish, while Exavier finished his. I had to ask for mine to be taken out and we then left after that was done. Since we were still full and I needed a place to sit so I could transfer money, we went to the UCC Cafe nearby and we got coffee there. Exavier then told me a few things about how much I should focus on my health, be independent and cook my own meals, and other things I should watch out for. Afterwards, we commuted back to the LRT. Binondo is so weird because it's such a big and famous place in the heart of Manila city but it has some of the worst signal reception. While walking to the LRT, I passed by a girl who I thought looked like Belle. I took note of her appearance and continued walking. We got to the LRT and the ride was really cramped. I was so scared to have my phone taken from me so I tried hard to grip it. We eventually got off the train at EDSA station. Since we just wanted to get home quickly, I booked a Grab ride for us both to go to my house. I also paid the money I owed to Exavier and sent pics of our trip today. After that, I walked back to my house and Exavier walked to his house nearby. In the evening, I was browsing Instagram and eventually saw Belle's IG Story. ### SHE WAS ALSO IN BINONDO TODAY. When I talked to her and told her that the girl I passed by was wearing a brown sleeveless shirt, she confirmed that she had worn that outfit earlier. I honestly couldn't believe it. I passed by Belle on a random day, at a random time, at a random place in Manila. It seriously made my brain explode. What are the odds? Belle and I had never met before, but apparently our first-time "meeting" was passing each other by as strangers at a street in Binondo. I don't even go to Binondo that much, if at all. This seriously shocked me and I kept talking to Belle about it. I also told Exavier as well. But after that, my night eventually wrapped up and I went to sleep.