By: BARTOLOME, Angelica Mariah D.
“Ma, I need date money.” You’ve probably heard this infamous line from your brother, male cousins and male friends after doing a quick favor or an errand for their moms. But most of the time, they have to make do with what they have; a common example would be budgeting their allowance. One does not need to mope around if he finds himself in this situation. Instead, why not look at it as a challenge? Something that will really make you ponder and let your creative juices flow.
Dating has been a common activity among youngsters. It is our way of expressing ourselves with the intention of getting to know each other better. But what is considered a good date? Personally, I think good dates are ones that are spontaneous, simple and interesting. Everything goes naturally and there’s a flow of conversation. Also, romantic gestures and the right amount of flirting are important as well.
I challenged my friend, Kirby, to go on a date with me around the UP Diliman campus with a budget of 200 pesos. Like me, he's a 17 year old college student. Knowing Kirby, he always spends a sum of money to impress his dates. Let’s see if he can pull off a good date on short budget this time.
Our first stop: the food stalls in front of Vinzon’s Hall. For 40 pesos, we had 2 cones of dirty ice cream and 2 sticks of kwek-kwek. Honestly, I have no idea why it’s called kwek-kwek. But one thing’s for sure, it’s delicious! The dirty ice cream, on the other hand, was perfect for that sunny afternoon and the uniquely local flavors were bursting with flavor.
We then headed to the Sunken Garden and chatted for a couple of minutes. It has been quite a while since the two of us spent some time together. This was our chance to catch up. Afterwards, he borrowed a volleyball from his friends who were hanging around the area. We played for 20 minutes until a taho vendor came. For 20 pesos, it satisfied our sweet tooth cravings.
Kirby asked me if I’m down for a short “road trip”. I obliged and was surprised that instead of car keys, he took out coins from his pocket. While waiting for a jeep, an insistent little girl approached us and asked if we wanted to buy her hair scrunchie for 10 pesos. I refused to buy but Kirby told me that it’ll be a souvenir of our 200 peso date challenge. Although I think he only bought it to shoo the little girl away, I blushed a little when he handed me the scrunchie.
We rode an IKOT jeep for 15 pesos. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Considering I’m from UP Baguio, he got to be my tour guide during our “road trip”. I noticed a lot of food stalls around campus and remembered the well-known isaw my UPD friends told me about.
What’s a UP Diliman experience without the isaw? I’ve been dying to taste this isaw since I started taking summer class. We took a stop near the shopping center to grab a bite. When we got there, a lot of people were waiting in line but service was fast. I’m not really fond of eating street food but I wasn’t surprised that I was holding a couple of sticks after. The isaw was nothing short of heaven. It’s absolutely delish! Plus, it’s really affordable. We had 11 isaw for 66 pesos and still have 49 pesos left on our budget!
We had buko juice for refreshments and capped off the date by going back to Vinzon’s Hall. As with all good things, our time has come to an end. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways hungry for more. Total date expenses? 196 pesos.
Overall, the date with Kirby was memorable. We indulged ourselves with all the street foods we can get and inhaled pollution from jeep and car engines. Luckily, we didn’t end up at the hospital after the date. He somehow managed to make the most of what he had without even complaining. The date was a success and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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