Ilang beses na akong magstokwang mag-isa, out of a whim.
yung una, sa Terengganu, Malaysia. heartland of Muslim Malaysia. pinagtitinginan ng mga tao kasi mukha akong Malay pero wala akong tudong (headwear), tapos babae ako at mag-isa. naconcern sa akin yung concierge ng hotel where i stayed.
second, nagpunta sa Brunei. bonggang takas sya–as in di pa ako nagpopost about that. natawagan ng boss, buti na lang malakas internet connection ng bahay ng tinuluyan ko kaya di ako nabuko. walang nakaalam na nagpunta ako at nakabalik hehehehe
January 2019. Bagong break. Nagpunta sa SG mag-isa para “hanapin ang sarili” haha! Nag book ako ng Singapore Airlines na business class (first time ko) at sinulit ko lahat.
Habang naglalakad sa tapat ng Marina Bay Sands, wala ako kamalay malay na may rehearsals pala ng fireworks display that night. Ayun maiyak-iyak ako sa surprise na yun ng Universe sa akin.
Na-delay flight namin kasi may passenger na nagsisisigaw gusto niya bumaba eh nakapila na kami for take-off. Bigla siyang tumayo at kinuha yung bagahe niya. Nakita ko yung FA calm lang tapos tumawag ng tulong. Wala pang 15 minutes ayan na mga pulis.
Delayed flight namin ng mga 2 hours pero luckily the passenger didn’t cause any harm and was escorted off the plane.
2018 - crossing from HK via Shenzhen Bay Border
Because of SARS, laging may health screening pagtawid mo ng border between HK, Macau, and Mainland China. May sinat si baby pag balik namin nung temp check.
Agad-agad kami dinala sa isang room with a bunch of immigration officers asking about bakit sinisinat si baby (teething) tapos they asked if we need anything like his meds for his slight fever and if we know a doctor we can go to (sagot namin yung local Chinese pedia niya). Mga about an hour kami na-interrogate tapos we signed a paper stating na baby had a slight fever of X-degree C while crossing the Shenzhen Bay Border, have informed officials in this border, and that we will seek medical help as soon as we arrive at our destination (our apartment).
Sydney 2018. After weeks of being apart, jowa visited me while I was on a business trip. We went to Perisher to experience snow for the first time. Memorable kasi isa sa mga wishes niya yun and naexperience namin together with snow ball fight and actual falling snow. A week after we went to Auburn for the cherry blossoms festival. Ang ganda, parang nasa Japan! Also a first for us.
Pagkalanding ko, I got a message from my friend if I heard from my ex. Sabi ko last ko kausap nasa Thailand sila ng friends niya. Sabi ng friend ko he’s gone. Saklap.
I learned he passed away on a freak accident in Laos after we had our last convo.
We were traveling from Bataan pabalik ng Pampanga, madaling araw na yun. I got shotgun and my frat brod (the best man) was driving. We were all tired and I fell asleep and woke up around Florida Blanca na yata. Trip was mostly uneventful and we had lunch sa bahay namin sa Pampanga before going back to UP. Eventually nung nakauwi na kami ng QC, sabi nung brod ko, nakatulog daw siya habang nagmamaneho (nung pauwi from Bataan)! Napadasal ako ng di oras sa pagpapasalamat sa Diyos.
Maghabol ng connecting flight tapos nandun pa sa luggage belt ang handcarry mo at pinapabuksan para icheck ang laman. Mahilig ako magcram at sa mga buzzer beater na events pero natest talaga ang bladder at ang bilis ko sa pagtakbo dito.
Isang beses na nasa Thailand kami, papunta kami sa isang show ng nanay ko, tapos yung van may susunduin sa kabilang side ng rotonda. Puwede talagang tumawid yung couple na susunduin, kaya lang ayaw nila gumalaw, kahit na ma traffic. So umikot ang van, to my mother’s buwisit.
Pagsakay nila, sabi ng nanay ko: Hay naku. Yan talagang ibang lahi, ang tatamad. Di na lang tumawid. Walang konsiderasyon.
Tapos ilang beses pang nag rant ang nanay ko kasi ma l late kami sa show. Feeling nya ako lang naman kasi nakakaintindi.
Nung nakarating na kami sa destination namin, sabi ni Kuya dun sa couple: Nay, tiga san po kayo sa Pilipinas?
Senior year, nasa immersion kami sa zambales. Nung pabalik na ng manila naabutan kami ng lahar. Luckily one of our friends in the group is from Bataan, may house sila. We ended up getting stuck there for a week. They took all 7 of us in, fed us, and lent us clothes. Grabeng worried families namin wala pa mobile phone noon so kanya kanyang tawag sa phone stations when we had the chance.
Ako nagpupumilit sa friends ko na tawirin namin ang lahar dahil may exam ako sa natsci 2. Gusto na nila akong ilublob sa lahar
Cambodia/Vietnam 2010. Pabalik na kami sa Ho Chi Minh from Siem Reap by bus. Maaga kami dumating sa station so iniwan muna namin bag namin sa bus at nagbreakfast. Pagbalik namin sa station, UMALIS NA YUNG BUS!!! Kakaloka! Umaalis pala yun ng maaga sa schedule! Buti nalang may bantay yung bus company at hinatid kami sa bus (by motor na kakaloka sa bilis). Pag-akyat namin sa bus gulo-gulo na yung gamit namin at may nakaupo na sa seats namin.
Super long layover ko sa fco kaya nag plan ako lumabas. Sayang din yung nakikita. So dumating ako ng rome ng umaga tapos next day pa yung flight ko pa aux. Balak ko bumalik before midnight kasi di ko napansin na mag eexpire pala visa ko. So before midnight asa airport na ako pero hindi ako makapasok kasi 4 hours before flight lang pwede. Nakiusap ako sa police na payagan ako pumasok kasi sabi ko mag eexpire na visa ko. Pinayagan naman.
Pag pasok ko. Ikot ikot saka kain. Tapos mga bandang 11pm inisip ko tingnan yung gate. Wala pang naka lagay kung sang gate ako kaya tiningnan ko sa net ying gates na ginamit the day before. Buti nalang hinanap ko kasi saka ko lang narealize na hindi pa nga pala ako nakadaan ng immigration control. Puros local flights pala yung mga nadadaanan ko na gates nung umiikot ako.
Ayun. Buti naman natatakan passport ko before mag expire yung visa ko. Hays.
Work trip sa Istanbul about 3 years ago, wintertime. My colleagues and i were coming from different countries, so first time din namin mag meet in person. We were told not to take the metro (uso ang bombing at the time) and to stay close to the hotel. We broke rule #1 and took the metro to sultanahmet. We walked everywhere, even reached Galata tower, near there Bosphorus, had dinner, and walked some more, had drinks and walked some more. We had so much fun that whole week exploring and just hanging out. I gained friends that trip.
Exactly a year ago, I was deployed to Mozambique to support the humanitarian response following the devastation of a cyclone. On a local flight, I was sat next to a German who struck up a conversation by guessing that I was either a Filipino, Indonesian or Malaysian. He spent a good chunk of his years in Southeast Asia and is married to a Malaysian, hence his familiarity with the Malay features. Anyway, sinabihan niya ako that the expats at the capital meet every weekend for a run and I was welcome to join if interested.
So one weekend, nagpakita ako sa meeting place with expats and locals preparing for the run. I was asked to pay 200 Mozambique meticals (PhP150) upon registration, tinanong ko “what for” at ang sagot ay “for refreshments.” The run took the group to various parts of the capital city - from the business district, the suburbs and slum areas - and in the middle and end of every run, we had to rehydrate with beer!
The group is known as the Hash House Harriers, formed in the 1930s, rooted in British military colonial tradition and aims to promote physical fitness, encourage socialization, and acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer. The HHH is a global network renowned as a “drinking club with running problems.”
2004: US Trip (Business and Pleasure)
First airplane ride syempre window seat.
Napaka-liberating ng trip na ito kasi na enjoy ko much ang Land of the Free. At kahit san magpunta (casino, convenient store) hinahanapan lagi ng ID akala kasi minor pa kame
Since bawal ma homesick araw araw na gala at shopping
At totoo nga napakadali magbalik ng mga binili mo no questions ask babalik ang pera mo.
