Summer on steroids.

It's unnaturally hot.

I first noticed the unusual heat last Thursday when I was in Greenbelt for the launch of TOMS eyewear. I made the stupid mistake of wearing a blazer, knowing full well that the launch was in the park. I don't usually have problems wearing jackets outside, but the infernal heat was too much that I had to take it off and duck into Seattle's Best to refresh. I was tempted to dip my face in the iced tea, but I had to meet my friend Edrick. After cooling down, we headed back to the launch. It was still humid.

On Saturday, I met with Nikko to celebrate his upcoming birthday. He had to review two restaurants for When In Manila, and I joined him on both events. The first was for Lia's Cakes in Season, a bakeshop along Kapitolyo in Pasig City. It's a small joint that specializes in avocado cake, but I personally liked their calamansi tea cake and their meals. The cream dory is just divine.

I could feel the heat throughout our trip to Pasig that when we got to the bakeshop, I was in dire need of a shower. Luckily for everyone, the place was airconditioned, or else Pasig would have gotten a taste of my fierce bitch realness, which is twice as zesty as Lia's calamansi tea cake.

Going to BGC was twice as bad. We met up with our friend Jan (who recently won an award from the Embassy of Chile), and the summer season seemed to decide to have an extended stay. I practically bathed in the restroom of High Street, swathing my chest and even my armpits with wet tissue and washing my face. To my horror, the minute I stepped out, I started perspiring again.

I was so sticky that I was afraid to bump into anyone because they might not be able to extract themselves off me. I wouldn't mind if it was a hot guy, but what are the odds of that? I hate sweating and that slimy feeling you get when it dries. I hate feeling oily, sticky, and itchy. I read somewhere that jeans aren't appropriate for the Philippine climate, but I was already wearing shorts!

I was never a beach person. I never had that uncontrollable urge to fly to the beach and dive in murky waters whenever the summer season strikes. I'd rather stay home in controlled temperatures, or go to malls. I guess it took a trip to Boracay last year that changed that. Then again, I didn't sweat as much.

We had our snacks at The Stock Market in High Street. The place is beautiful - it reminds one of a summer villa or a plantation, and the pineapple logo extended itself to the floor and the hand soap. Turns out, the logo is a pineapple because the owner is Del Monte. We had a lovely salad and a filling sandwich, plus two interesting desserts, one featuring a huge slab of pineapple.

And it was still hot. I knew it wasn't just me because while one of the restaurant's representatives was asking about our meal, I noticed beads of sweat on her forehead. What is happening to the Philippine weather? Could it be climate change? Could it be the approaching end of the world? Why does it have to be so damn hot?

Yesterday, I was reading Jessica Zafra's Book IV: The Twisted Menace. There was one essay where the protagonist rode a cab with Plate Tectonics as its name. The cab driver explained that he read that we were once a huge island that broke apart and separated, and we would eventually re-join again. When that happens, I hope we connect with Antarctica. That way, I can incorporate fur in my wardrobe.

Also, I'm part of the When In Manila team!