Signing In ...

Its been while since I last signed in. Super duper hectic at work.. just launched a new project so super dumog na naman ang monitoring and inspection activities... haggard ever! =)
school is also catching up, what with reports on a weekly basis pero the good thing about it is .. last stretch na to! compre na on feb (hopefully i'll pass... ) then graduation na! yey! i can finally say na i survived MBA!! hahaha! =)
until then, i have to keep things in order and working smoothly both at work and in school and to do this, i need to keep my sanity! which by the way is constantly teetering on a rather dangerous slope hahaha! (as if i am completely sane to start with...)

Komyuter Files: Sta. Lucia

Kanina nang papunta ako sa Katipunan may nakasakay ako sa jeep na magkaibigan. Super chika to the max ang dalawang eto na para bang alang pakialam sa mundo. Kahit na super sikip na nung jeep, cla yung tipong alang pakialamang nagkukuwentuhan ng crush nila, crush nung prendship nila, crush nung kapitbahay nila at kung sinu-sino pang crushes chorva ng mga kaibigan at buong neighborhood na yata nila. So anyways, nung mejo lumuwag na ang jeep kasi madaming bumaba sa Sta. Lucia Mall, kwento ever pa din ang dalawang bruha at deadma to the world. Nainis pa nga yata yung katabi ko kasi nakasabit na lang yung pwet nya eh ayaw pa din nilang umurong para man lang makaupo sya ng maayos kahit super luwag na dun sa kabilang side nila.

So non-stop pa din sa chika ang dalawa hanggang sa umandar na ulet ang jeep. Maya-maya eto na ang nangyaring eksena sa jeep:

Girl 1: Magbayad na nga tayo

GIrl 2: OO nga ate, bayad ka na

Girl 1: Bayad !!! (at ayaw pang iabot nung katabi nyang bruha ang bayad, at ayaw din magstretch ..... aba...aba... cge na nga iaabot ko na....)

Habang inaabot na ni Kuya Manong Driver (KMD) ang bayad...

Girl 1: Dalawa yan... Sta Lucia

Huwaaaattttt?!? nanlaki ang mata ko at nang lahat ng pasahero sa jeep, sabay napatingin kami lahat sa kanilang dalawa...Si KMD, natigilan at nagbagal sa pag-drive .. by this time nasa may Ligaya na kami, mejo malayo-layo na din eto sa Sta. Lucia...

KMD: ANO?? san kayo bababa??

Girl 1: (umiikot pa ang mata na parang bingi ang manong driver) sa STA LUCIA nga ...

Everybody (as in everybody sa jeep): LAMPAS NA....

Girl 2: Ate (or ati yata... mukang day-off nila eh), Di ka kase tumitingin sa daan!!!

Girl 1: Lampas na daw .. lampas na daw o! Hihihihihi! (Gagah...lampas na talaga..sinapian na yata si ate)

KMD: Bumaba na lang kayo dito, tapos tumawid kayo sa kabila tapos sakay kayo pabalik

Girl 1: (by this time na-realize na nya na lampas na nga talaga sila) Sasakay pa?!? Di ba pwedeng lakarin na lang?

Ako : HUWAAAT! (sliently eto .. sa loob-loob ko lang) .. "naku, malayo-layo na din yun" ( eto cnabi ko na to talaga...eh mukang naka-malling outfit pa naman sila, sayang naman ang porma pag naglakad)

KMD: Malayo-layo na din yun, nakikita mo yung malaking bldg na yun sa may kalayuan?? Yun yun.. pero kung kaya nyong maglakad nasa sa inyo yun (sabi ngisi ni KMD na parang nakakaloko, sabay iling..)

Girl 1 and 2: Baba na tayo...

Pagbaba ng 2 nawawalang day-off girls, nagdakdakan na ang buong jeep.

"Mukang first time nila pupunta sa Sta. Lucia"

"Eh bakit kasi daldal cla ng daldal eh di pala nila alam kung san sila bababa"

"Naku, sayang ang porma ni ate... baka mapilitang maglakad yun"

at kung anu-ano pang sapantaha ....

KMD (tingin sakin) : akala ko ineng sa Cubao pa sila, kasi parang ala naman clang pakialam sa dinadaanan natin at kanina pa sila daldalan nang daldalan eh

Ako (kibit balikat) : onga po eh, antagal na din po kasi nating nakatigil sa Sta. Lucia kanina di naman nila pinapansin (gatong mode ako).

Ano na nga kaya ang naisipang gawin nina ate?? hhmmm... muntik ko na nga sabihing "ate, sa SM Marikina na lang kaya kayo bumaba? malapit na din naman tayo dun"... kaya lang baka lalo silang mawala, kasalanan ko pa...

Isla Verde

pambihira......

Dahil hindi halos tumitigil ang ulan nitong mga nakaraang araw, ang aming village na dati rati ay Vista Verde ay na-transform na naman to the waterworld village of the future --- ISLA VERDE!! OO! Korek! nagmistulang Isla na naman ang aming mga kabahayan sapagkat sa paligid-ligid namin ay puro tubig .. OO tubig ... sinalo na naman ng buong Cainta ang sangkatubigan na binuhos ng masungit na panahon sa bayan ng Rizal. Ang Imelda Avenue na major highway namin dito sa Cainta ay isa na namang major parking lot. Ang mga kotse ng mga residente sa mga tabi-tabing village, este water parks pala, ay naka-park na sa highway ... baket kanyo??? eh baka kasi anurin ... baka paggising mo eh nasa kabilang ibayo na ang kotse mo ... buti sana kung ang mapapadpad sa garahe mo eh Benz (sosyal!) eh pano kung tricycle??? good luck na lang talaga ...

From my class ay nag-meeting pa ako kasi may report pa kami sa saturday kaya nakauwi ako sa aming water park village mga 11 pm na. sabi ko na nga ba eh, nagbabadya na naman ang noah's ark mode ng aming lugar kasi super daming tao sa daan, mula sa katipunan-aurora area, at lahat cla papuntang Rizal. So yun... pagdating ko sa gate .. dyaraaaaaaaan...... tubig galore!!! ilabas ang mga canoe! ang mga bangka! ayan na ang baha!!! "hello daddy...nasan na si Damian?? ipasundo na ako dito sa gate .. oo sabihin nyo dalhin ang speedboat!"...

so anong nangyari??? eh di ala... lusong sa baha ang byuti ko... deadma na kung naka-maong at sneakers... lusob eto... (remind me to bring slippers next time ... kelangan ingles para may impact!) so yun, habang bitbit ko ang aking mala-tokador na malaking backpack na may lamang uber kapal na readings at laptop, nagmistulang water adventure ang pagtahak ko sa aking landas pag-uwi. naglakad ako sa baha mula gate ng village hanggang bahay namin... o di ba? eh kesa naman maghintay pa ko dun sa gate eh andami na ngang tao dun na ewan ko ba... naghihintay na bumaba ang tubig ... sabi pa nung isa... ay mababasa ako ... sheeeeet ateeeeee .. nakatsinelas ka na nga eh!!!!! so bago ko pa sya majombag nang bonggang-bongga eh lumayo na lang ako ...

so yun... muni-muni sa baha ang nangyari .. in fuhrnezz, napagod ako!! pramis! workout etoh. mga 30 minutes din ako naglakad, doble ang oras kasi ambigat maglakad sa tubig hahaha!

sana pag mga ganitong panahon eh biglang ma-makeover man lang ang village namin para kahit na baha eh fiesta mode pa din .. o diba?? parang feeling bakasyon ka.. paggising mo sa umaga ang nakatambang sa yung paningin ay water! para kang nasa beach! ... mai-suggest nga yun sa aming homeowners association... dapat pag tag-ulan maglabas sila ng decree na all residents should have their own canoe o kaya raft o kaya bangka ... ang saya nun! hehehe =)

o di kaya ang tag line ng village namin ay Vista Verde - your ultimate summer getaway all year round! the water world village of the future ... sosyal! eto pa masaya .. pag nag-overflow pa ang mga palaisdaan sa Rizal, may mga makikita ka pang isda! korek! isda ... so pag wala ka na makain at tamad ka lumusong sa baha dahil ala kang canoe, mangisda ka na lang ... pihadong makakabingwit ka ng gurami o kaya hito sa harap mismo ng bahay mo! sosyal di ba??

ano daw???

I came across a book entitled "the more the manyer - pinoy cliches and other words of wisdumb" by Tahanan Books sometime ago in powerbooks. kanina, di ko na napigilan ang sarili ko kasi tuwing madadaan ako sa powerbooks, nakikita ko sya at parang tinatawag nya ako (shiet ... haunted?? hehe) anyways, kakatawa kasi sya and everytime i pick it up and peek at the pages (peek lang ha, hindi basa to death wehehehe!), natatawa ako. why? well, to prove na nakakatawa nga sya (sana may ma-prove at nang ma-justify ang pagtawa-tawa ko sa powerbooks mag-isa), here are my top 10 favorite lines from the book:
1. Can you repeat it again once more for the second time around ? (ulitin natin, baka hindi naintindihan...)
2. That's what I'm talking about it! (sabi ko nga ... yun na nga yun...)
3. Every cloud has a silver lightning (ano yun? bagyo?)
4. Don't just do something! Stand there! (bawal gumalaw ha!)
5. The idea crossed at the back of my mind (na-traffic cguro...)
6. Give him the benefit of the daw! (huwat??? ano daw yun???)
7. I always go there sometimes (teka.... nalito akoh...)
8. Well, well, well, look do we have here! (well..well...well indeed! :P)
9. And where do you think you are off to running to? (malayo sa yo! ...)
and my peborit:
10. Hello? For a while. Please hang yourself. My Boss is out of town, would you like to wait?

And there's more ... hehehe =) kaya lang di ko na sya isusulat at baka ma-IPR chorva pa ako. If you want to read more, go grab a copy of the book. Available sya sa powerbooks =), btw, sale sila ngayon until the end of the month (libreng plug etoh... hahaha! halata bang adik ako sa libro?).

excuse me... are you MBA???

imbyerna! hahahaha!

last saturday morning while the gradcom of batch 09 (kami yun ... hehe ... formal introductions needed... mas may effect pag third person ang kwento...) was conducting their yearbook meeting sa MBA discussion room, one guy (who looked quite older than us ... pramis!!!) came over to their table and asked: "excuse me... are you MBA?" 8 pairs of eyes turned in his direction and they all basically said YES, iba-iba nga lang ... yes, why?  OO, why? pero isa lang ang sentiment ... poot hahaha! after that, he said, "ok, thank you", sabay atras, talikod at balik sa kwartong pinanggalingan nya. ay wait, before he closed the door, he told his groupmates, "they're MBA students.."

BAKEEEEETTT ???? mukha kaming undergrad?? (hhmmm, flattering... o baka kasi naka jeans and shirt lang kami halos lahat)... o mukha kaming nag-gate crash sa BA para lang magbalitaktakan at maghasik ng ingay at lagim sa MBA discussion room... pambihira....

anong napala nya? wala ... parang sya pa tuloy ang natameme. O cge, we were maingay ... granted, but he could've just asked us to tone it down, kasi they were discussing a case for finance ( i think..) we could've ended up remorseful and we'll try harder to keep the noise down. but noooooooooooooooooo.... excuse me, are you MBA????? are you insane??? asking 8 people that question??? parang galit sa buhay nya yung taong yun... (hahahaha! di kami war freak, pramis! ... kaloka lang)

isa pa, in all my years in UP hindi yata ako naka-experience ng nang-sisino ... SINO KA? parang ganun hahahaha! dapat pala cnabi namin hindi kami MBA, ano kayang gagawin nun, papalayasin kami? isa pa pala, they were 1-2 batches lower than us ... kaya guys, know muna your upper batches before going out and asking people who they are lalo na if the way you plan to ask them is not really friendly hahaha! baka umuwi kang may poknat...

excuse me, are you MBA?? yes... why??? we're you're upper batch... *irap, taas kilay ... poot ever* hahahaha!

di kami affected ... pramis ... nagkukuwento lang.

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 11)

Day 11 (July 6, 2008)

Sunday today =) yey! baket? wala lang happy ako... shopping day today eh hahaha!

So we went to church with Joy's family today. It was my first Christian service. Maganda sya, it wasn't what I expected kasi para cyang isang malaking cell group. The sort of thing we have during my days in UPSCA.  So I really liked it =).

Nag-bonding kami ng kids ni Joy ngayon, mula sa church hehehehe =) Zyjay and I were playing during the service hahaha! super sweet nung batang yun talaga.. tapos nun inseparable na kami hahaha! nakahanap ako ng playmate! =)

After the service may merienda pa sa parang session hall dun sa church tapos meron silang isa pang worship service may acoustic chorva. Again, kahit sandali lang kami dun, I really liked the service. Zoe was there na din kasi her sunday school activities ended na by that time. Zyjay had lots of cake ... natuwa ang bata kumain ng independence day cake! he ate around 3 slices yata! =)

After church we went to Costco to buy pasalubong and to look for the other stuff the people back home asked us to buy. We pretty much got everything pero super ayaw ko na bitawan ang iPod na kulay pink! haha! ... need mag-isip-isip muna ... hmmm... sapagkat laptop ang mas kailangan... need to rationalize expenses muna... shet ... that was a hard time hahaha! PERO... naibsan ang aking stressful to buy or not to buy iPod moment nang makit ko ang chocolate covered almonds! as in nagningning ang mga mata ko ... at yun na lang ang hindi ko pinakawalan... hahahaha! kahit pa sabi ni Joy na matutunaw yun .. i don't care haha!
So tapos nun, ang katuparan ng pangako ni M'Ed haha! we ate at I-Hop! =) dapat breakfast ang kakainin namin dahil yun daw ang specialty dun, kaya lang since we had merienda sa church, nag-lunch kami dun. The food was good =) yummy... I had steak and mashed potatoes =). Pagkatapos nun, natupad din ang prediction ni Joy ... ang choco almonds ko ay natunaw haha! pero i still don't care hahaha! peborit ko pa din sya!

After that, we went around a few stores muna for M'Ed's shopping needs. So yun, after that we went home to Joy's muna to start arranging the stuff we need to pack and list down th ethings we still need to buy. While Joy was doing some work Zoe, S'Arnel and I played Wii! aliw! mali... super aliw!!! as in nag-enjoy ako at si S'Arnel! nag tennis at bowling sila ni Zoe hahaha! nate-tempt na nga yata si S'Arnel bumili ng Wii eh =).

We went out again to buy the stuff we forgot and to look for Balikbayan boxes and buy dinner. We ended up in BBW ulet (for the nth time haha!) While waiting for S'Arnel, Joy, Zoe and I went to Starbucks muna located inside a Barnes and Nobles store. Ang ganda nung set-up nila... nate-tempt na nga ako mag-browse ng books kaya lang super mahal kasi dun eh, compared sa pinas.

Tapos nun, we finally decided to just buy fish and shrimp and cook dinner na lang at Joy's house imbes na lumabas pa kami or bumili sa Max's. We went to a Filipino supermarket and bought salmon, shrimps at kangkong ... ang kangkong na matagal inisip ni S'Arnel kung talagang kangkong nga ba yun at pinagtanong pa nya yun sa kinauukulan ha! di mapakali ang lolo ko at baka hindi daw kangkong ang mabili eh ang dapat daw sa sinigang na isda kangkong!!

matapos ang kangkong moment ng lolo ko umuwi na kami. Joy and M'Ed cooked dinner while S'Arnel and I packed the stuff we were going to send home. Zoe helped me with my box, while S'Arnel busied himself by making the boxes impenetrable ... o di ba??? totoo! nag-adik ang lolo ko sa pagbalot sa balikbayan box ng packaging tape para daw matibay... kaya ng puting balikbayan box ang naging semi-silver sa dami ng packaging tape hahaha! pero in fuhrnezzz.... matibay nga naman sya.

So yun, matapos ang lahat, nagdinner na kami ng super sarap na sinigang na salmon at chili garlic shrimp ni Joyski =) yummy yummy! dami namin nakain! That was one of the best meals I had dun!

After nun, uwi na kami sa hotel, super aga kasi ng flight namin the next day for Washington. I'm really going to miss the kids =(. Di na ako nakapagpaalam kay Zyjay kasi tulog na sya nun. Zoe was waving goodbye sa window until we left ... sana when I see them again, playmates pa din kami =).

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 10)

Day 10 (July 5, 2008) - Los Angeles

Back to work today. Joy picked us up from the hotel and we went around a few stores in LA to check on store procedures, product standards and stuff. So its basically a real work day today. I don't want to bore you with all the boring details but what we pretty much did is observe store practices then do product tests. By product test i mean we taste the products sold in the store. So i got an overload of Jollibee products ... as in super overload. Kaw ba naman, eh we went around 4 stores and we did product tests for all 4 stores... waaaaaaa! oh well, i liked the halo-halo... wala kasi sa pinas nun eh hehehe... and the iced coffees! its really yummy! if you're in LA, try our Jolly iced coffee, masarap sya, pramis!

BUT, we did manage to sneak in an hour or so of shopping hehe =). Nasa mall kasi yung isang store so we took the chance and went around a bit to buy the stuff that people back home asked for .. so yun, pati si S'Arnel na-engganyo naming bumili ng BBW hehehe =).

Lunch was super nice .. we ate at a japanese buffet restaurant c/o M'Beth, our country head in LA. Super duper yummy sya! Joy and I has a blast eating haha! buti na lang ala na sya allergies kasi andaming seafood! pyesta sa sahimi, maki at tempura ang nangyari sakin! hehehe =)

We also tried other fastfood chains and as usual tasted their products so, lunch lang talaga ang naiiba today. All in all, it was pretty much uneventful ... We went back early sa hotel so we could start packing na our stuff and the stuff we needed to ship out.

BUKAS ... itinerary: church and shopping ... hehehe... teka, may utang pang breakfast sa I-Hop si M'Ed samin ahhhh... tuparin kaya bukas? abangan...

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 9)

Day 9 - Los Angeles (July 4, 2008)

Happy Independence Day!!! nyahahahaha! It's a HAPYY DAY!!!! We're going to DISNEYLAND woohoo! (di ako excited ... hindeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee wahahahahaha! <<< sinapian).

seriously, super happy ako kasi makakadaupang palad ko na si mickey =). the last time na binalak kong pumunta sa disneyland when I was in HK last year, eh naunsyami... kaya ngayon, hangga't hindi nagkatotoo hindi ko iniisip (drama queen etoh hahaha! <<< nag-iinarte).

So eto na sya ... we went to a few stores first since S'Arnel wanted to work a bit and check out a few of our equipment in the stores before we go to Disney ... work effect muna hahaha! so mejo late na kami nakarating sa anaheim. pero i don't care! basta makapunta lang .. grabe! feeling bata ako as in ... kulang na lang magpabili ako ng lobo at cotton candy sa tuwa! hahaha! totoo pala yun .. someone told me kasi na when you step in the magical world of disney, as in instant yun ... feeling kid ka ulet ... kahit cna s'arnel nag-iba ang aura - pramis! he looks happy and free! o di ba!!! as in nabawasan ang stiffness ng lolo ko! kakaaliw!

pero eto ang glitch .. dahil 4th of july supeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrr daming tao! as in! ang pila sa rides took around 1 hour to 1 and a half hours = average pila time, tapos the ride is like 5 mins - 10 mins lang. pero i don't care ulet! ininda ko ang pila ng rides at kung anu-ano pa, pati ang pagkirot ng namamaga ko pa ring paa na may benda na ngayon na tunay at hindi na sya naka-bandanna (yey!) tiniis ko ... para kay mickey ... pero hindi ko man lang sya nalapitan =( ang layo kasi namin nung nag parade, pero okay na yun, masaya pa din ako .. belat ... hahaha!

we rode the amazing rivers chorva, kaaliw syang ride! may kwento eto at nagsusulputang hippopotamus na nambubuga ng tubig at ang daming PEPANT!!! woohoo =) (adik ...) tapos we went to Indiana Jones the next. It was the best ride I had doon. As in! saya sya... para kang kasali ni Indiana Jones sa kanyang adventures at feeling mo eh sasagasaan ka din ng higanteng boulder =) (sasagasaan na nga masaya pa din ako hahaha!)... tapos nun we rode the pirates of the caribbean ride - it was a relaxing ride, more of sights and stories lang .. pero nakakaaliw yung mga wax figures .. para kang nanood nung mga lumang palabas sa COD pag pasko pero mas high tech eto at nakasakay ka pa sa bangka .. with matching movements and song and dance numbers - - - worth the pila =).

next we got on the magic mountain ride - - - super saya as in super saya - take log jam and multiply it by 20!!! hahahahaha! yun lang ang masasabi ko .. pumasok ka nang tuyo, paglabas mo sabon na lang ang kulang, bagong ligo na ang dating mo hahahaha!

last ride we got on was the matterhorn - - its a fast ride with lots of twists and turns --- it was exhilarating (sosyal! - - salamat manong webster for this uber descriptive word hehehe). Pero I think the ride was bitin ... either that's really true o sadyang adik lang ako haha!

after nun, we were supposed to ride the submarine thingy kaya lang super haba ang pila at ang pila time daw is almost two hours - - ay pass na eto .. need na namin pumunta dun sa harap daw ng castle kasi malapit na ang fireworks chorva.

sa super dami ng tao, hindi mahulugang karayom ang paligid ng pagdadausan ng fireworks ... we waited ... and waited... and waited some more .. pero patigasan etoh, alang alisan!! hahaha! .. tapos biglang may nag-mega announce... "due to the weather, we may only be able to show the modified version of the show .. we hope you understand .. blah blah blah" sabi nung katabi ko... "what? they shouldn't have announced that ... now we know that we are getting the modified one .. as if we knew what the original one was ... " good point ... feeling mo tuloy naisahan ka hehehe.

so yun... start na sya, it was great ... and everyone was really into the fireworks thingy kaya lang parang halfway pa lang ... boom... they STOPPED THE SHOW ... shet ... kasi nga due to weather conditions .. pero in fairness, malakas nga talaga ang hangin and the disney people were just really being careful .. and realistic .. mahirap na .. pero we were still disappointed nonetheless.

so yun .. uwian na lang eto, di na kami nanood nung laser light show as originally planned, mukhang pagod na din kasi ang mga thunderbolts na kasama ko... kaw ba naman, buong araw ka na-hyper eh parang hindi naman sila ganun lagi hahahaha!

bago umalis, nakiusap ako na if i can go visit a disney store to get souvenirs. Umoo naman cla pero hindi na daw sila papasok, wait na lang daw nila ako ... ay pressure etoh!!! marathon ever ang ginawa ko sa loob ng store ... para akong bata na may dala-dalang basket at load ever ang ginawa .. i just rationalized the cost nung mejo halfway na hahahahaha ... kaya nagbawas ako bigla .. ala tuloy ako disney jacket =( pero hindi ko binitawan si mickey!!!! may mickey ako .. pinalitan ko nga lang ng mas maliit na size yung stuffed mickey ko kasi feeling ko mahaharass sya sa bag ko pag-uwi ko ng pinas hehehe =).

after nun we went out to get a ride home, pero sa kasamaang palad... alang taxi .. as in ala... di yata nila nabalitaan na naputol ang fireworks show kaya late na cla nagdatingan. ang ending .. lumabas na kami ng disney at naghanap ng makakainan. Well, across the park is a restaurant strip so mejo malapit lang naman sya. We ended up eating in Tony Roma's. As usual, the servings were super duper big, as in fiesta plate ... este fiesta bandehado size eto ! pramis! pero the food was good ... until that time feeling ko happy kid pa din ako .. na may dalang loot bag hahaha!

after nun, we went out to search for a taxi .. swerte naman, nakakuha kami agad kasi it was getting really cold, and i only had a shirt and a light jacket on. nanginginig na ang mga bilbil ko eh hahaha! ... pero sa kamalas-malasan (na naman) bago ako sumakay ng taxi .. cnara ni s'arnel ang pinto nya sa front seat at NAIPIT AKO!!!! ano na!!! walking danger magnet yata ang drama ko dito sa states .. pambihira!! pero luckily hindi sya masakit .. at hindi naman ako nabalian .. may magic ang pinto ng manong taxi at puro rubber ang tumama sa kin... God loves me today hahahaha!

so yun .. umuwi na kami at naramdaman ko lang ang pagod nang nakaupo na ako sa taxi. all in all i had a wonderful day! as in .. i really felt like a kid again .. thanks to the magic of disney =)

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 8)

Day 8 – Los Angeles (July 3, 2008)

I had a good hearty breakfast today sapagkat may breakfast buffet ang hotel namin ngayon!!! Yehey!!! (lets do the dance of joy!!!!). Simple lang naman cya pero happy na ako dun, sa New Orleans nga ala eh, 1 cup of coffee lang sa umaga tsaka unlimited supply ng green apples ang libre haha! =)

I ate waffles that I made myself (proud etoh!) pero nakagawa lang ako ng waffle pagkatapos ko basahin ang procedure na nakapaskil dun sa waffle maker at para maging sigurado eh nagtanong pa ko kay S’Ariel kung tama nga ba ang pinaggagagawa ko sa buhay ko. Ang resulta – tostadong waffle hahaha! Pero masarap sya (justifying haha!) ... pramis!!!! cross my heart and hope to ... to... hhmmm.. pramis! hehehe... Try nyo 'to : waffle with maple syrup, butter at peanut butter!!! Yummy!!! =)

So pagkatapos kong mag-adik sa waffle sinundo na kami ni Joy and we went out and checked our stores in the vicinity (sosyal … vicinity…. Thank you Webster for this valuable word haha!). That’s what we pretty much did the whole day, checking store procedures, product testing sa stores and checking documents. We went to our US head office and did the rest of our work there until the afternoon.

Kakainis nga lang kasi strict sila sa US kung ilang tao lang ang pwede sumakay sa sasakyan. So, since sina S’Ariel ay babalik na sa Pinas earlier than us eh need na nilang mag-shop. To make the short story shorter, susunduin nila ang mga bossing ko na galing Arkansas tonight at 2 lang ang pwedeng isama ni Joy sa kotse (gumugulo ang short story ko teka… rewind)… ganito kasi yan, may outlet store na malapit sa airport kung saan susunduin ang mga bossing. So, ang sistema, Joy will drop them off sa Outlet Mall tapos dadaanan na lang sila pagbalik .. whew!!! Naikwneto ko din … hirap magsulat pag bangag … need to catch up on sleep na …

Ang ending? Naiwan ako haha! Sapagkat pag sumama pa ko sobra na sila sa car … unless isakay nila ako sa trunk hehehe =) (pero in feyrness, inisip ko yun hahaha! Malakas ang tawag sa kin ng mall ….). Nagpaiwan na lang ako sa hotel para tapusin ang mga nararapat bago pa dumating ang aking mader boss at baka matanong ako kung anong pinaggagagawa ko sa buhay ko habang wala sya =). So yun, martyr ever ang drama ko sa hotel habang hinihintay ko ang kanilang pagbabalik.

When they arrived, nagdinner kami with Joy’s family sa Taipan, a Chinese restaurant na super like ko yung beef wonton noodles ... sarap!!! (hhmmm… puro pagkain ang pampasaya ko today ah! Haha!) Joy’s kids were super-duper cute! Ang laki na nila Zoe and Zyjay =).

After dinner we went back sa hotel at nagpahinga na. Unahan na eto matulog!!! Haha! Baka matanong pa ko eh hehehe =)

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 7)

Day 7 (July 2, 2008) – New Orleans / LA

Last day in New Orleans today =) am sooooo looking forward to LA, mejo tahimik kasi sa New Orleans tapos ala pa masyado mapasyalan. So ganun na nga, we flew to LA while two of my bosses, went to Arkansas for a plant visit. Yey! I have one night na ako lang sa room haha! (sama ko ba?) Eh kasi naman, roommate ko yung boss ko since we got here, so parang mula paggising hanggang pagtulog sa gabi eh mejo conscious akesh … you know… hahaha! So anyways, isa yun sa nilu-look forward ko … ang matulog mag-isa =)

When we got to LA, Joy met us sa airport and drove us to our hotel. We stayed in Quality Inn and Suites in Maple. It’s a nice place, comfortable enough, and homey =). Pero bago kami makarating sa hotel, kumain muna kami, ang request namin?? Filipino food!!!! Haha! Naloka si Joy!!! Pero grabe, namiss namin ang kanin at ulam. Buti na lang sa LA dami Pinoy at maraming Pinoy establishments. So we ate in Pinoy Pinay and we really enjoyed the food! =) parang nakauwi ka ang dating, plus the fact na we were surrounded by Pinoys doon hehehe =)

So, ang unang purchase ko sa LA pagkatapos kumain??? Hulaan nyo … hhhmmm… MALI! Hindi sapatos, tama na muna ang kasapatusan .. hehehe… ang una kong binili ay BANDAGES at SALONPAS o di ba???? Sapagkat namamaga pa din ang aking napetot na ankle and its sporting a new look – mejo may violet and green tinge na sya – parang talong ang combination. Kaloka – pero in fairness, nakakalakad na ako, and that’s what matters. Ibig sabihin lang alang nabaling buto – okay na yun, napilipit lang hehehe =). So yun, my mom went ballistic as in all caps ang text when I told her about the petot incident and she called Ghina (ang pinsan kong PT) kaya eto mega text na need ko bumili ng bandage at dapat daw may support ang ankle ko until the swelling subsides, plus a host of other instructions … itaas ang paa sa gabi … I-hot compress chorva chorva ….

We went grocery shopping in a Filipino supermarket … natuwa ako dahil may C2 apple kaya bumili ako ng apat!! Adik kung adik etoh atsaka eto ha .. only in the US … Goldilocks Biscotti! Sosyal! Ala sa Pinas nyan, sa pinas meron lang mamon tostado.

The day passed by quickly and we retired early .. need rest at bukas eh trabaho etoh. It was really great to see Joy again =) at super naaliw ako sa car navigation system chorva nya hehehe … may nagsasalita na “turn left … if possible make a LEGAL u-turn” … aliw!!!!

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 6)

Day 6 (July 1, 2008) – New Orleans

It’s a miracle!!! I can walk!!! Yey!!! Slowly nga lang … but still, hindi na ako parang kangaroo na kumakandirit ever!!!! Wehehehehehe! Thank you Lord! =)

It’s rinna’s last day today and she met us sa may lobby before she went off to spend a few days kina ate hess in ohio. We went to church today. The church is located near the French Quarter so parang pasyal na din eto, so to complete it, may fecture-teyking na naganap sa loob ng simbahan pagkatapos ng misa =) tapos fecture-fecture ulet sa labas ng church at sa may park. Tapos nun balik na kami sa convention.

So dapat pakitang gilas ako ngayon kasi bukod sa napetot ako, kulang pa ako sa enthusiasm! (kaloka ever …) so dapat bubbly and hyper ang dating ko .. makalaklak nga ng maraming asukal – sugar high ang kelangan dito…

I was able to attend a session I enjoyed today – sa wakas!!!! Wehehehe kaya happy ako =) tapos nun we went around the convention hall to catch the other exhibits. I discovered where the books are displayed!!! Piyesta!!! Kaya lang super mahal .. discounted na din daw yun … ala kasi masyado technical books available locally kaya aliw na aliw ako dun … enthusiasm pala ha ????

The day passed by uneventfully … we had dinner at a restaurant near the hotel that served good food =) yey! Nakakain ako ng kanin sa wakas! Actually, the restaurant was a second option. The first option was Ruth Chris Steakhouse – sabi kasi ng boss naming super sarap daw dun… kaya lag bukod sa mejo mahaba ang waiting list eh super mahal ang food … hhhmmm …. Steak o per diem considerations … obviously the per diem consideration won :P

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 5)

Day 5 (June 30, 2008) – New Orleans

Yey! Kasali kami ulit sa session today!!!! Pero sa kamalas-malasan ever .. NAPETOT ako! As in!!! tapilok ever. I knew na it was bad the moment I landed. As in nag-twist ang ankle ko eh L. Pano nangyari etoh??? Ganito yan … pagbaba ng bus tinanong ako ni S’Ariel habang naglalakad … kumain ka na? Hindi pa po .. blag … kabog ever, feeling ko may hinilang rug sa kinatatayuan ko … nawala daw akong bigla sa harapan nila hehehehe. And right then and there , I knew .. I twisted it baaaaaaddddd. Can’t walk for a few minutes pero dapat I-keri eto pagka’t kasama ang mga boss. Smile ever hahaha! Pero inside I was screaming MEDIC! MEDIC! Call 911!! (emote ever) pambihirang mga sidewalk naman kasi yung andun, pang higante ang height! Di tulad ng mga sidewalk dito sa tin, pang 5 feet lang, sakto sa may paa ko ankle ang sidewalk, eh dun ang taas kaya … oh well, sige na nga, isa’t kalahating bulag din naman kasi ako eh hehehe … buti na lang sanay ako madapa.

ETOH PA!!!!!! Sabi ko na nga ba eh… di ba kinontra ang sessions na gusto ko puntahan kaya nasira ang mood ko yday… eto ang nangyari sa obvious reaction ko kahapon. I was told na I lacked enthusiasm kasi I wasn’t really showing any signs of it yesterday hahaha! Haller you should know who said this di ba??? My gas … cge, dapat ultimate pagpapanggap etoh. I can’t even react without being reacted to (huh? Nalito ako sa statement ko …)

The day went by in a blur. Sayang .. excited pa naman ako umikot ngayon at today lang ako may session, yesterday kasi wala =(. Anyways, I realized that it was like any other food show I attended, mas extensive nga lang ito and the exhibits were more technical and the people you get to talk to are also technical compared to the shows back home. The exhibits were good and the freebies were way better than the ones in manila. My bosses were having a field day! Getching bag don, ng ballpen dito, sample doon at sample dito hehehehe =). I for one was not that into the freebies thing though I did get a few canvas bags, iniisip ko kasi kung pano ko siya isasaksak sa gamit ko pag-alis namin eh hehehe … remember 50 lbs lang ang allowed pag domestic flights, eh nung pagpasok ko sa US I was already around 60 lbs or so. Plus may dala pa kong samples for Joy. We got books din for the office so yun pa lang at mga sandamakmak na samples at handouts eh bigat na agad … and malakas ang kutob ko na ako ang kakarga ng load na eto kasi ang ibang boss ko eh pupunta pa sa Arkansas after this. Susko eh 2nd day pa lang namin sa convention ngayon e hanggang Tuesday pa etoh! Ang kwarto namin eh umaapaw na sa handouts at kung anu-anong chorva. Good luck na lang talaga.

My ankle swelled to twice its size by lunchtime. After my session nung hapon I asked if I may be excused and if I could go back to the hotel. That was around 3 or 4 na yata. Buti naman pumayag. I was literally jumping on one leg just to get from one point to the next. Buti na lang M’Elvie was really kind enough to walk with me and sumama na din sya pabalik ng hotel. Good thing din na there were shuttle buses to and from the venue to our hotels. Kung hindi talaga, stretcher na etoh.

When I got back sa hotel, first aid ever – cold compress na ito.. deadma .. kinuha ko ang malamig na bote ng juice sa ref at nilagay ko sa namamagang paa ko. Nang matapos ang cold compress hot compress naman. Anything to make the swelling subside. Masakit na sya super. I really needed to stay off the ankle, baka lumala. I knew it well enough when I saw the angle that my ankle went through na both sides were affected .. tama nga ako.

Pagbalik ng boss ko sa room ,she said, patingin nga ng paa mo .. and when she saw it sabi nya .. my God!!! Namamaga pala talaga!!! Haller????!!!!!! Sabi ko na nga ba eh. Buti na lang talaga pinilit kong magmagaling at mag-ikot kanina dahil kung hindi feeling nya pala eh nagpapacute lang ako… leche.

Buti na lang rinna was there and she waited until I can somehow walk and we ate dinner na lang sa hotel kasi hindi na talaga ako makalakad. Kaloka naman kung kakandirit ako papunta sa ibang restaurant di ba???? Feeling kangaroo etoh.

Anyways, naloka ang hotel staff when they saw me limping at tinanong ako kung san ako natapilok … nung cnabi kong sa convention center, obvious na they all heaved a sigh of relief .. baka kasi magdemanda pa ako kung sa hotel nangyari yun eh hahaha! They were very kind actually, they said na in case I need anything, anything at all kahit yung tungkod na cnabi ni rinna na hingin ko, they will give it daw. Hahahaha!

So yun ang aking 5th day here in the US … hhhmmmm .. .ang pagsusuot pala ng violet ay may masamang pagbabadya … bago matapos ang araw kasi mejo nagiging violet na ang napetot kong paa.

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 4)

Day 4 (June 29, 2008) – New Orleans

Sa wakas!!! Kasali na kami sa convention! May gagawin na kami! Hahahaha!!! The day started out okay, maganda naman ang exhibits pero I realized na para din syang yung mga shows na na-attendan ko sa Manila, mas extensive nga lang. What was worth attending were the sessions. Maganda yung ibang topics, pero haller .. when my boss asked what I wanted to attend, kinontra yung ibang gusto kong attendan. Attendan ko na lang daw yung mga hindi nya ma-aatendan … my gas! Eh 2 sessions na nga lang ang allowed sakin, dictated pa … nasira ang mood ko .. pramis. Kaw ba naman eh, pano kaya ma-pipique ang interest mo kung yung session na pinaatendan sau eh yung ayaw mo. Oh well … kasali yan sa pagiging aliping saguiguilid .. tanggapin ko na lang .. but she shouldn’t expect me to be way too excited.

We met a few of the suppliers and talked to most of them, set dinner meetings then went around the floor. Kakapagod din, ang laki ng venue, pero sabi nila, this was way smaller than the floor last year.

We had dinner at a local restaurant that served local specialties as in tipong creole, gumbo at kung anetch anetch pa…. I ordered cod fish, the others near me ordered rabbit … curious ako sa rabbit, pero di ko kaya orderin, feeling ko kakainin ko si bugs bunny hehehe. I tried a bite and it tasted like chicken pero medjo malansa sya. Di ko din mashado type ang local food nila. Halo-halo ang lasa .. as in halo-halo .. nakaka-confuse (no offense to others who like it ha … subjective kasi eh). Sa start okay sya, madali lang makasawa, ganun.

We headed back to the hotel after dinner … sa wakas tulugan na… kelangan na eh, mejo nosebleed na etoh, whole day spokening English na eto mga kafatid. Di na kinaya ng blood pressure ko hehehehe =)

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 3)

Day 3 (June 28, 2008) - New Orleans

We started off early today, pero my boss is super tamad na to go to the convention. Matutulog na lang daw muna sya .. sosyal!!! Sana ako din hahaha! Anyways, we walked to the Hilton to have breakfast (sosyal x 2) and to go check out if we could “attend” the pre-sessions for the convention being held there. “Attend” meaning singit, salimpusa, seat-in kumbaga. My boss said she can get us in … well the thing is the pre-sessions are paid sessions that cost around $500.00 … so you could not blame me if I was a wee bit skeptical … pero sabi nya kaya daw nya yun .. tingnan ko nga kung kaya nyang magpa-cute o madaan nya sa kanyang pinagmamalaking impeccable negotiating skills ang mga tao dito. Approach the person in charge - - hmm, talk daw to the speaker chorva – here he is … okay … hhhmmm…. I’m really sorry but we have to consider the fact that the people inside PAID to get in to these sessions so if you want, you can pay and attend the sessions … but .. blah blah blah … but … I’m sorry ma’am, but it think that’s not fair. With that last line, our chances of getting in the pre-sessions went poof! … hehehehe … di po pwede ma’am?? (adding insult to injury … haha! … well, the opportunity presented itself, sayang naman kung hindi ako makakapang-asar di ba?) … masungit yung speaker, di daw pwede,, hmp! Wehehehehe! Sana pala nakipagpustahan ako, may extra dollars sana ako ngayon hahahahaha! (S’ Ariel!!!!! Pustahan tayo o!)

Well, aside from that, the high point of my morning was breakfast. Nun lang ako nakakain ng matinong almusal. I had corned beef! =) (ay! Corned beef ?!? – di masarap yan eh .. pero well, yan ang gusto mo eh – bossing) Oh well, sabi ko eh gusto ko eh … bakit ba? During breakfast may nakapasok na mamang may sayad dun sa Hilton. Kaloka di ba???? Dire-diretso sya sa buffet table sabay kuha ng plato at sandamakdamak na bacon. Nung tinanong sya nung supervisor nun ng can I help you sir, ang sagot nya, I’m eating .. what are you going to do? Help me eat??? TARAY hahahahaha! Pero in fairness, natakot ako sa kanya … kasi malapit sya sa table naming nakaupo, eh nakatalikod ako sa kanya, tapos maya-maya nagsasalita sya tapos tumatawa. Ako naman, akala ko may kausap kasi super tuwang tuwa sya as in tawa with tipong hampas moment pa … ayun pala wala syang kausap as in wala!!!!! Naloka ako !!! natalo ako sa pagka-animated!!!! Kung iisipin mo, sa isang banda, parang ang saya ng buhay nya… kasi ala sya ginagawa .. or di naman nya alam ang ginagawa nya (may sayad nga eh) … pero parang ang saya-saya nya … kahit na ang kasama nyang mag-breakfast eh yung imaginary friend nya lang, ang saya nila di ba??

So, eh di hindi nga kami nakapasok di ba? (well, in the first place we weren’t really supposed to attend the pre-sessions kasi nga expo lang yung tickets namin) … anyways, we just walked to the convention center so we can pre-register na for tomorrow’s official opening. ANG LAYO! Naloka ako … hahahaha! After staying there for less than an hour, we walked back to the hotel .. again … ANG LAYO!!!! Pagod ever!

Pagdating sa hotel, dead to the world na ang boss ko …as in!!! she slept a good part of the day as in … namutla na ako sa gutom, tulog pa din sya. So nung tumawag si rinna (yehey! Sa wakas, dumating din! ) sama na ako agad so I can grab a bite to eat. Pero ang siste pala, ang mga ofcmates ng rinna eh gusto muna pumunta sa convention … hayyy .. okay sige, lets go, total lapit lang naman din dun yung mall. Pero gutom na ang mga bulate ko nun, pramis .. pero dapat smile pa din hahaha!

After half an hour, NAKAKAIN NA AKO!!!! Sa wakas!!!!! Hehehhe, tapos umikot muna kami sa mall. TAPOS, after a while … nag-ring ang phone ko .. TXT MSG from bossing – please buy us food since you’re in the mall …. Hayyy … the rigors (or rigor mortis haha!) of being the ONLY lowly employee in a party of big shots is being the errand person – the “go to” girl .. “ano po ang maipaglilingkod ko sa inyo mam/ser? type… so balik ako sa food court to buy their specific food cravings. Ambigat ha!!!! I needed to buy food for 4 eh! Tapos I walked back sa ULAN … hahahahahah! Good luck! Wag naman sana ako madulas or mapetot di ba??

I got back safe and petot-free sa hotel that night … pero my gas! Feeling ko napagod ako the whole day pero super uneventful naman ang araw ko… haaayyyy … sana bukas may maayos na pangyayari sa buhay ko … sana may kabuluhan na … hahahah!!!! Iniisip ko tuloy dapat Sunday na lang ako ang fly in di ba???? Nakapasok pa sana ako sa UP at nabawasan ang absent ko na need ko pa bawiin pagbalik ko … haaaayyyy….

The day started out okay actually, filled with snippets of fun sprinkled in between long walks and talks pero the afternoon turned sour as everything else went out of whack. Ala pa naman maikutan dito .. kakatakot din umikot lalo na pag gabi. Mejo probinsyatic ang dating ng New Orleans eh. Isa pa, may 2 shoes na ko the last 2 days eh. I need to break my buying streak … hahahahaha! Super strong conviction needed for this goal … as in….

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 2)

Day 2 (June 27, 2008) – New Orleans

Uneventful day… the day started off late, around 10 AM. Jet lag is catching up, especially with my boss. We ate brunch in Riverwalk Mall. I had a taco salad na super laki hahaha! Serving portions here nga pala are HUGE!!! So solved na ang tyan ko hanggang late afternoon.

We had the day off pa din and it got us wondering why we were booked this early kasi the convention proper start Sunday pa. There are pre-convention sessions but my boss and I were not part of it. Super sayang, sana nakapasok pa ko sa class ko nung Friday … haaaayyyy….

So ayun, we spent the day walking around, which lead to my feet being super painful na naman kahit na naka-flats na ako. Di pa yata nakakarecover sa kanyang kapaguran yesterday. My boss went to look for shoes, unfortunately her size is smaller compared to the average shoe size here. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me, size ko ang size range ng paa ng mga tao dito around 7 and up. So, dahil masakit ang paa ko (justifying --- pero masakit sya talaga --- pramis!!!! ) I got white slip-ons. I actually wanted silver slip ons para cute (hahaha!) kaya lang ala na kong size, so white na lang. So now, I am walking around wearing my white slip-ons and my feet are happy and well on their way to recovery =) yey!!!

So the thing is, my boss couldn’t find a shoe that fits her. Ang ending, ang nakabili is ako at yung wife nung isa pa naming manager na kasama. So now, I think until she finds a nice shoe, we are going to be on the hunt for the perfect shoe :P.

Mahirap na mejo di mo ka-age group ang kasama mo kasi andali nilang mapagod at mawalan ng gana sa mga bagay-bagay. My boss was tired and just wanted to sleep and sleep kaya nung dinner, we basically stayed in. We ate sa restaurant sa hotel na super mahal ang price. I didn’t enjoy dinner much kasi I really wanted to go out sana. The food was good kaya lang yun nga, mejo ala ako sa mood (haha! Arte!). Anyways, dessert more than made up for it. If you happen to be in New Orleans, check out the desserts in Zoe Restaurant located in W New Orleans in Poydras Street. Super sarap ng Fig Cake – which was served with vanilla ice cream and placed in a wine glass – yummy! And the super sinful and super rich na Chocolate Decadence. Makakalimutan mo ang nasa paligid mo. Baka lang din sa case ko lang yun ,haha! I totally spaced out and yung cake lang ang pinagtuunan ko ng pansin …as in! It may be the chocolate or it may be the company … I don’t know for sure =)

Nga pala, we ate also yung beignets sa Café Du Monde. One of New Orleans’ attractions. Sarap din sya, fried square doughnuts liberally sprinkled with confectioners sugar – yummy! Lalo na pag mainit =). I ate it with their signature café Au Lait. The coffee is sweet na even without sugar pero it was good =) Puro pagkain ang kinukwento ko. Halata bang yun lang ang major attraction ng araw ko??

At dahil nga mejo hotel lang kami nung hapon, nakapanood ako ng “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” starring a super young Leonarde do Caprio at Johnny Depp. Nice pala yung movie na yun. One good thing that came out of staying in was that I was able to read a bit for school. Yey!

It rained…. It really rained… sana lang wag lumakas at maging storm. Nasa likod lang naming ang Mississippi River. Ang pagtaas ang pag overflow ng Marikina at Pasig River kaya ng powers ko, pero eto?!? Ayaw!! My gosh! As in tankers ang dumadaan sa river na to on a daily basis so you could just imagine how deep and how big the river is… pano pag yan ang umapaw???? Ayokong isipin. Eto pang boss ko alang alam itanong sa locals kungdi Katrina, lalo tuloy akong naloka.

Inaantok na ako… grabe, ala pang 12 inaantok na ako. Nahabol na yata ako ng pagod .. finally … after 4 nights ng 2 – 3 hours sleep lang, it finally caught up with me. Akala ko pa naman nakabawi na ako sa plane, di pa din pala.

Dami pa ko kwento …… ano nga ulit ang cnasabi ko?? Ahhh kwento … zzzzzzzzzz…

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 1)

Day 1 (June 26, 2008) – New Orleans

Grueling travel experience. Super long time to reach New Orleans. I slept at 1:00 AM, woke up at 2:30 and was at the airport before 4AM. Our plane left Manila at 615 AM. Landed in Nagoya for a stopover that lasted for about 2 hours. Boarded again to go to Detroit. Flight time was 10 hours, then waited in Detroit for another 2 hours or so for our connecting flight to New Orleans which took around 2 and a half hours. Kaloka, I was wearing heels because my mom insisted that I wear them kasi daw I am travelling in business class. Gosh! Overrated ang image ng mga taong sumasakay sa business class. Sure, there were a few who were wearing ties and long sleeves, but most of them wore casual clothes na. Most westerners are even wearing sandals – tsinelas!!! My gosh, sumakit ang paa ko dahil heels daw should be worn for such flights – times really have changed … my mom needs to know that, dapat ilibre nya ako ng foot spa. Na-harass ang mga paa ko kakalakad. Oh well, as if naman ang taas ng heels ko hahaha!

Its my first time to fly in business class and kaloka! Sosyal ever! Aside from having your own video terminal, food and drinks abound. The meals were not the usual “do you want chicken or beef” fare chorva you get in economy but you get the whole gamut! May choice ka pa rin kaya lang kumpleto na eto, mula appetizer hanggang dessert! With overflowing drinks at may meryenda pa. What I love most is the reclining seat. You can almost lie down straight! Plus the fact na alang sumisipa sa likod mo habang natutulog ka.

Teka, rewind pala muna sa airports. The airports and customs officers were all nice, from Nagoya to the US. Mukha yata akong nawawalang bata at people here were extra nice to me haha! How do I know kasi I saw the difference when they talk to me and to the person before or after me … I may have a certain charm that I don’t know I possess … hmmm… or maybe I was just plain lucky that the people I happened to come across with are all super nice. One funny incident was in Detroit. The officer was all business telling me to remove my laptop from my bag, take off my jacket and my shoes… tapos when I placed my shoes on the tray, he looked at it and said “nice shoes” sabay smile … my gosh, my shoes were nice daw! At least they got noticed kahit na they almost killed my feet haha!

Fast forward to New Orleans… when we got there super harassed ever ang feeling ko – super pagod. Pero super gutom na din. We are booked in the W New Orleans – cute name di ba? The W stands for whatever/whenever and the people here are super nice. Dapat lang, the hotel is kinda pricey, good thing roommates kami ng boss ko. The room we are staying in is nice and adequate but not what my boss expected. Oh well, her previous hotel list includes the Marriott so she has higher expectations than I do. What I like about the room is the bed – ang lambot pramis! Tapos dami ko pillows!!! Adik eto … and we have a plasma TV na super laki … nice =) at may plantsa!! Hahaha – adik talaga eto … kaya lang, times are really hard now at mejo ramdam ang onset ng inflation kasi ultimo tubig may bayad … OO, may bayad eto … alang complimentary water di tulad dyan sa pinas. Super mahal ng tubig sapagkat ang tubig na nasa room ay galing pa sa Norway!!!! Biruin mo, tumawid pa ng ilang bundok ang tubig na yun bago makarating dito. Samantalang nasa may likod lang namin halos ang Mississippi River.

Speaking of tubig na may bayad … pati sa restaurant, ang house water ay may bayad na $0.25. sosyal! It’s a little over 10 pesos, eh satin may 500 ml ka nang bottled water nun. Super mahal ng tubig dito, ang 1 liter na bottled water ay $3.26. My gas! Parang isang gallon na ang presyong ito satin sa Pinas! Hhmmm… ala naman ako masyadong poot ano … lumalaklak pa naman ako ng tubig by the gallon .. tinitipid ko tuloy ngayon ang tubig. Mas mura pa ang COKE!!! … hhhmmm … coke … mag-adik na lang kaya ako sa coke?!? Hahaha! Pinagdala naman ako ni mama ng sandamakmak na antacid eh … kesa naman mauhaw ako to death (OA! – to justify the coke drinking spree I am planning to embark on sa mga susunod na araw, dapat mejo dramatic ang effect – bawal magreact blog ko to hahahaha!).

Sakit pa din ng paa ko pero sama pa rin ako sa kanila paglabas then we walked around the area after dinner. Papaiwan ba naman ako eh lakwatsa yun!?! At kahit na naka-slacks at blouse ako with matching ribbon sa may leeg ala may-ari ng hacienda o di kaya plantasyon and effect (Damian!!! … tara na sa vineyard!!! Dalhin ang karwahe!!), nag-tsinelas ako!!! As in! pero in fairness, mejo formal naman ng konti ang tsinelas ko (hehehe – justifying!). Napabili tuloy ako ng black walking shoes =) (justifying muli).. sale naman eh, tsaka super comfy yung nabili ko. The purchase was for a higher purpose – to ease the pain of my feet (justifying 3x).

O sya, tama na ang sapatos chorva, day 1 pa lang may sapatos na ko … MUST … RESIST … SHOPPING … yeah right … God help me … PLEASE?

Alang wifi sa room. Meron pero may bayad … sa lobby lang libre. Masubukan nga bukas. Di tuloy ako naka-online. Sa mga lola at kaanak kong hindi ko nachika kanina .. para sa inyo ang chika sa blog na eto =) para di nyo mamiss ang kadaldalan ko haha! In truth, di ako masyado makadaldal dito, mejo pa lang. What with the thunderbolts and lightning around? Bunso na naman ang drama ko, literally. Hindi pala bunso .. naliligaw na bata. Buti na lang dadating si Nini sa Sabado, at least may makakasama na ko maglakwatsa after the convention at dumaldal (during and after the convention .. hehehehe).

Antok na ko … pero nakita ko bigla ang deal or no deal at ang kalbong host nila sa TV.. nawala antok ko .. naalala ko si Kris Aquino … hiwalay na nga ba talaga sila ni James Yap?!? Yan ang huling tsismis na nakuha ko sa prof ko. Totoo ba? Someone confirm it please!!!!

Wish ko habang andito ako eh masilayan ko man lang si Fafa David Cook. Malay natin pag nakita nya ako ma-realize nya na kami pala ang soul mates hahahahha! (warning : bawal magreact – blog ko nga to eh hehehehe! Isa pa, masakit ang paa ko, pagbigyan na ang mga ilusyon …). Super sayang kasi parang ayaw kami pagtagpuin ng tadhana. The day they will do the Idol tour concert in LA, yun yung araw ng pag-alis ko papuntang Washington. The day they will do the concert in San Jose, ala pa din ako dun, parang a day or two days bago ako dumating sila pupunta dun … ano na???? Hay … dead ang plano kong makapanood ng Idol concert tour … hahaha … all for the sake of David Cook (Go Cookies! Go Word Nerds!).

Nagugutom ako … teka, kanina we ate sa Crazy lobster sa may Mississippi River. Sarap!!! Kaloka ang seafood dito! Sarap nung soft shell crab (tita asela!!!!! Super namiss kita bigla … buti na lang may Claritin akong baon, just in case). I ate Cajun crawfish etouffee (tama ba spelling ko? Basta its pronounced as EH – TU – FEY – sosyal!) sarap sya! =)

Nagugutom pa din ako … buksan ko kaya ang cookies na baon ni m’ed?? Hehehehe … sabi ko pa naman kanina hindi ako gutom … need … to … sleep … na….. may convention chorvaloo pa kami tomorrow. Buti na lang late na ang start.

Day 1 ends with aching feet, a plateful of crawfish with spicy sauce and rice and the ever expensive 1 liter of water … will enjoy the goose down feather pillows now … sleep beckons … blag … zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz …..