some days

it's my birthday. i got up at 4am, finished packing from where i left the luggage late last night and took a very cold shower. at 5, i called the taxi service to take me to the fastcraft terminal. i didn't bother waking up anyone, as i always don't bother doing whenever i take early trips.

there weren't much people taking that trip, so i got myself booked on a really hot seat: one close to the tv.

by 6 i was heading for leyte.

by 6:15 my mother was looking for me, called me on the cell phone to tell me that i somehow spoiled their birthday surprise. aw, c'mon, i mentioned that i'll be leaving around dawn, remember?! oh well, the gifts would have to wait until i get back next week.

as luck would have it, i DID have excellent view of the tv, but the craft's dvd player was on the fritz, so the movie didn't start until after precious crucial time had elapsed. i knew that would mean arrival to the destination well before the movie wraps up. syet.

as luck would have it, i LOVED the movie ("miracle" with kurt russell as coach herb brooks; the true story behind the US hockey team of lake placid winter olympics), but the untimely discontinuation had to come at the climax: when herb's team was about to skate into the ice to face the formidable undefeated soviet team, the same country whose president declared that their people will prove their supremacy against the US by beating them in the olympics (remember, this was at the height of cold war). so i disembark from the craft all sullen and grumpy at having to guess how it ends. yes yes yes, i know the heroes are going to win, but i wanted to see how they did it in true "miracle" fashion.

as luck would have it, i realized i only had a crisp 500-peso bill, so i couldn't hire the services of a porter, as i would have nothing to pay him with. i don't mind carrying the luggage, but i mind carrying training materials. they're some heavy stuff.

on my way out of the walkway, the lady before me collapsed in a semi-fainting spell. she and the baby in her arms on the pavement. gentlemen rushed to help her up. i would have, but my hands were plenty full. i wasn't so unlucky after all.

i wasn't able to make the necessary bookings, so i hotel-hopped. the first one only had vacancies among their executive suites. forget it, i haven't got enough gall to charge the company that much. besides, my cash advance hasn't been released yet, so i'm using my own money for reimbursement in a few days.

the next hotel i went into had a standard single-occupancy available, but it had no tv. are they serious? they said the other single rooms with tv are booked. are.they.serious?! i asked them to check again. and double check. there's bound to be a room WITH TV available. a few minutes later, there it was. the bridal suite. the price is within my range. i'm no bride, but i'll take it.

i slept 'til lunch.

i went out to a fancy restaurant to treat myself to a birthday lunch at 11:45. i ordered some fancy-sounding steak and tangigue kinilaw. i stayed out in the pool area so i could smoke. when the food arrived, a few flies mysteriously appeared from nowhere. i had to eat with one hand while the other incessantly waved the creatures away.

i didn't like my food.

i walked around town to look for a present i could buy for myself, since i've been well-behaved these past few days. i found the pair of shoes i've always been trying to get my hands on, the pair that's been out of stock in cebu for quite some time. charge it. i love it!

i bought toiletries and breakfast drinks. and lots of gatorade because i've been sick with dehydration. it's dehydration season in cebu. in the past week alone, an alarming number of patients have been rushed into the hospital for treatment. some of them didn't make it out of the hospital. you know what i mean....... casualties include one of our teachers in college (although i've never been in his class, i feel really sorry). i didn't have myself admitted. just missed a day of work to rest, didn't stress myself out in the office, ate nutritious food, took my vitamins religiously, drank tons of gatorade, and prayed like a fanatic that i will not drop like the others. i wasn't so unlucky after all.

but that's not part of the main story.

i spent the rest of the afternoon watching tv and admiring my new shoes.

tonight, i'm running a hot bath. a hot bubble bath. i'm no bride, but the bridal suite is good enough for a birthday girl.

some birthdays are just more meaningful than others :))))