Chapters New and Old

I know I’m not alone in grasping the concept of what I like to call “post-vacation inertia”… That phenomenon that happens when, after lounging about in beaches all day long or doing a Netflix marathon in what people call a “staycation”, the mere idea of going back to work just launches people into a lazy, lethargic spell.

Indeed, after joining my husband in his sabbatical, it took superhuman effort for me to get back on board… And I guess this is my runabout way of apologising for the seeming lack of content for my regularly scheduled Friday article.

So, with a promise of a brand new, sensible article next week on beer pairing (featuring Draft Gastropub, #teaser), I’d like to share a couple of things that happened during our break.

A bit of a background: The reason why my husband had that mini holiday was because he switched jobs. Much as we loved his work in his previous one, it required constant travel and late hours… So much so that we felt like taking advantage of his “break” (a first time in ages) by just being with each other.

We spent a few days with me having the flu then went to a couple of beaches, and we were finally able to tick off something that’s been on our to-do list: Go to the National Museum. We’ve often told each other that we felt like such hypocrites in our own country, having visited celebrated museums in our travels but never the one in our own backyard.

We marvelled at classic works by the likes of Juan Luna and Felix Hidalgo, went up close to Manansala and Amorsolo paintings, and discovered thought provoking works by Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi.

Afterwards, we decided to complete our totally pinoy day by having a snack in Manila Hotel, where I had a local craft beer, Pedro.

Pedro is a brand made by a brewery based in San Pedro Laguna, and their labels boast of artistic designs (which was a great fit to our theme that day). I had the Procrastination Pale Ale variant, which was unbelievably bold and extremely effervescent.

As it was the last day of our vacation, Chad decided to celebrate by (finally) opening up our bottle of 21-year-old Balvenie Single Malt Madeira Cask Scotch Whisky. It was smooth, gorgeous, and as with most spirits having gone through a lengthy ageing process, strong aromas gave way to the nuances of beautiful spice and honey notes. We were saving the bottle for a special occasion, and we knew that ending one chapter of his work life and opening a new one was a perfect reason to crack it open.

That said, we are now back to work, feeling rejuvenated by a little vitamin sea, a lot of culture, and fun times with each other. Best thing about my job, though, is that I can literally raise a glass to him in the guise of “work”. So here’s to a new stage in our lives. Cheers!

To my husband, Chad, who I’m extremely proud of and love to the moon and back

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