Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Day of Pleasant Surprises

November 10, 2009- Today is a day of pleasant surprises for me. I spent the whole day doing nothing and so I tried to invite some of my friends to my house.
Unfortunately for me, Ellaine and Jen were not able to come. Jen, because she was shopping for her trolley, and Ellaine, who was not replying to my messages. Rome, on the other hand, didn't text me the whole afternoon. So I was not expecting anyone.

That made me decide to just bring my sister to church. Then as I was pulling out of the driveway there was an annoying red Honda Civic who i thought seemed to not know where to go. I was about to blow my top when the car pulled alongside my van and lo and behold there was Ellaine who tried to surprise me. She was the one surprised because I was leaving. We ended up hanging out in Ortigas Center with Nick. We had a nice talk then we had to go our separate ways.

As I was getting gas, Rome called me and asked where I was. To my surprise she was waiting for me. What made it even more surprising was she had something for me- a book about the lost pilot Amelia Earheart. I was touched and it made me really happy.

Yun lang. :-)

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Spur of the Moment is the Best Policy

On September 7, we finished our training and we all thought that we would start right away. But no! I was running out of cash and the only way that I saw to earn some cash was to go to the States. When I learned on Sept 14 that it was still light years before we start our work, I thought of it. On the 15th, I called up our office to inform them and they told me that I should be back by October so off I went on the 16th.



It was funny because I really did not have any cash with me anymore. I only had 50 pesos left that day. While I was packing, I had this conversation with my dad:



Papa: O pupunta ka na sa States mamaya.

Me: (Big Smile)

Papa: May pera ka ba? May dollars ka ba?

Me: (Smile disappears) Wala eh.

Papa: Puny3tuh ka. Pupunta ka dun na wala kang pera? (Rummages through his drawer, then pulls out some dollars) Ito lang ang dollars ko. Bahala ka sa buhay mo. Hindi mo kagad sinabi bago nagsara ang bangko.

Me: Twenty-five dollars? Thank you. Sorry.



So off we went to the airport. After eating dinner, we had another conversation:



Papa: So may pambayad ka bang P750 para sa terminal fee?

Me: (Sheepish smile in place) Nasa wallet mo pa, pa.

Papa: Puny3tuh ka talaga. (Then pulls out P750)

Me: Bye! See you in October! (Smile in place)



At least during the flight I forgot that I was poor because I was seated in Business Class, care of our Philippine Airlines benefit. I was excited because it had the refurbished cabin, which means that the entertainment system is AVOD, or Audio-Video on Demand. I had a great meal, a great seat at the upper deck (RP-C7472 Seat 15A, exit row), and a great bumpy flight.



When I arrived in LAX, I was dreading that the Immigration officer would ask me how much money I brought. He did ask me that.



IO: So are you employed?

Me: Yes I'm going to start working on October.

IO: Are they paying you already?

Me: Not yet.

IO: Then you're not employed.

Me: Okay.

IO: How much cash did you bring?

Me: Just under a hundred bucks

IO: You're staying here for two weeks with a hundred bucks???

Me: Ah-- eh-- I'm staying with my relatives. They will pay for my stay here.



After this he got my biometrics and let me proceed to the baggage claim area. I heaved a sigh of relief. That was close. That officer was neither welcoming nor courteous, like the ideal characteristics described in the Immigration poster.



I just spent the entire two weeks doing things that I could have done here-- except that the cash flow was towards me and not away from me. :-)



This is what I wrote during our tech stop in Honolulu :



Aboard Philippine Airlines Flight PR103 bound for Manila. PR 103 is a very gloomy flight because from take-off in LAX to landing in MNL it is nighttime. The only plus factor in this flight is that they let us keep our window shades up throughout the flight. Meal service started soon after the fasten seatbelt sign was switched off. We started with the mixed tapas, which is Balik Salmon with Pickled Cucumber and Ginger Melon Balls with Mint Citrus Zest. For our appetizer, there was a choice of hot or cold and the flight attendant suggested the hot appetizer, Seafood Newburgh but unfortunately I am allergic to shrimp so I took the cold one. Foie Gras with Quince Paste and Smoked Duck medley. Lesson learned: Do not eat food that you can't even pronounce. When it was served, it looked so pretty in the plate that I had a hard time eating it. For the main dish I stuck to the basics: the Western Specialty, which was Mustard Crusted Salmon Steak Barbecue in Parsley Lemon Butter Sauce with Mashed Potato. It was all fine. Of course I drank Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne to push all the food down (with a little help from Pepsi and H2O). For my "After Meal Delight" I was given a fresh fruit plate with Coffee Creme Brulee and of course, Haagen Dazs Ice Cream.

Then I took advantage of the Recaro seat and lay it flat for my sleeping pleasure. Before I went to sleep I watched Just for Gags, I made a music playlist, which also featured songs by Connie Talbot.

The music, the moonlight, the dim cabin interior, and the flashing of the aircraft's position lights made me realize that that flight was kinda romantic. Sadly though, there was no romance for me 35,000 feet in the air.