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 …..