I wouldn’t dare say it out loud lest you call it favoritism and for the record, I like all my coworkers BUT… Cristina may be just a teeny bit higher up on that list. Partly because she was the one who taught me the ropes in Recovery way back when I first started in Endoscopy in 2017; mainly because she oftentimes brings me lunch which means I am spared from eating company Arnott’s Jatz Crackers when I’m not dining on cat food canned tuna.

Lately, she has been inviting me for lunch and playdates, too. I’m starting to feel like an adopted dog. A very happy and eager one at that, with a little puppy in tow. Last time, we had kare-kare which her husband cooked the night before. We paired it with bagoong. I ate too much. Something I have the tendency to do as I’m a social eater. Or, whatever. As long as I’m not cooking.

Raven gets along with her daughter really well. Turns out, I get along really well with her, too. We have the same level of sass when it comes to play. Meanwhile, Raven was very busy running her restaurant and preparing our orders, oblivious to her customers in a cheeky verbal battle.

“When are we coming back here?” Raven asked sulkily when it was nearing time to go home.

We hadn’t even left yet and already she wanted to come back!

Also, this was us in the morning modeling for Jeff who wanted to practice on his new camera. The lawn obviously needs mowing but the wildness of it sure makes a pretty good backdrop.

*Raven at 5 years old