a saturday to remember

beloved ling-ling, she did me well yesterday. her skills in planning and her excellent handling of my dilapidated revo had seen me finish all my errands before the sun even kissed the horizon. she was so efficient, i was able to squeeze in two more not previously planned tasks into my super tight schedule, and i still had time to spare for some shopping and a nap after.

the day started very early. kuya bolted into my room at 6am to pack for his flight to bacolod that morning. i usually dislike being disrupted like this as its puts my body out of sync, kuya unfortunately, is not really the type who can pack quietly. i eventually got up knowing all attempts to get more sleep was futile and started to prepare for my monstrous day.

saturday was a day for the books! i recall having had days like this before where i found myself crisscrossing the metro but today, by far, beats all those other days by LIGHT YEARS! i really thank God that the saturday traffic was in my favor since, apart from certain areas, my "flight" through my day's tasks went about pretty smoothly.

sparing everyone of my detailed itinerary, it simply went about like this.... though, i didn't feel all that simple.

1. drive from manila to drop off kuya at the airport.
2. drive from airport to retiro to pick up paints from boysen.
3. drive from retiro to eastwood to drop off paints and pick up glass tiles for cutting.
4. drive from eastwood to delmonte to glass supplier. draw out sketches for furniture while waiting for cutting.
5. drive to araneta to check on my construction site.
6. lunch at some japanese wannabee place since jolie-beh! was full!
7. drive to ortigas ave, to drop off drawings in client's house.
8. drive to eastwood to drop off cut glass tiles.
9. drive to meralco avenue to check on kuya's flat.
10. rest!

by 4pm, everything on my list was ticked and accomplished. ling-ling was brushing off stray hair off her linen blouse, trying to contain her satisfaction, looking as if asking "is that all? ppffft!"

****

i got an invite through text from mcvie a while back asking if i would like to attend his group's x'mas party. this was quite a surprise actually since i just met mcvie a week prior and here i was being invited already to a gathering. pardon me for thinking such but i never really considered my presence to serve any social impact, more so in someone else's barkada's party (unless if i was hired as the party clown, in which case, i'm sure they will never invite me again!). so to be asked if i would like to be amongst bloggers, some whose blogs i read on a daily basis was almost like getting a VIP backstage pass to a rock concert! i was so game, i was typing out my con-FEERMation as fast as my fat fingers could strike my minuscule phone's keypad.

the venue was at the linden suites in a room rented especially by one of the bloggers. after managing through the security points and the almost dizzying corridors of the hotel, i was finally able to get myself to the designated spot. i rang the door bell but no one was answering. the door was kept ajar though and basing from the sounds of madonna playing inside, i knew, at least that i was at the right place. soon enough, a couple more of the guests arrived and i followed them in.

this is my first blogger get-together and i certainly have to say, i had a blast! i have always enjoyed parties wherein the mood is light with no pretenses. everyone is just there to meet new people, see old faces, share good food and good laughs and just HANG! despite being a stranger to all of them, i felt warmly welcomed and it did not take me long to let myself relax and enjoy the evening as well (natas'ya was working it!) i soon found myself getting into conversations, introducing myself to people and asking about them, making side comments and basically, feeling familiar... without, hopefully, over stepping my boundaries in the process.

i got to meet people from different backgrounds and the authors of a lot of the blogs i read (and will now read). the experience of seeing the persons behind these sites was almost as close as being star struck! there were moments where i found myself saying "so you're (name of author) of (name of blog), OMG! i'm such a fan!" i actually had to tell mcvie at one point that i did not feel exceptionally worthy to be surrounded by authors of such caliber in the blogsphere. my wee little ranting vestibule of an online journal was a fart in the wind compared to the "legends". my brief spurt of humility was however quickly brushed aside as nonsense, a gesture that i truly appreciated, it having come from these blogging demigods!

as it got later in the night, the party started to wind down as well. we eventually found ourselves saying goodbye to new found friends, hoping that we would see (and should see) each other another time. i stayed behind until morning since i had no place to crash. me and those who were still there found ourselves deep in more stories from topics that ranged from politics to showbiz to ghosts to fitness. anything and everything that would catch out fancy, really.

the sun was staring to rise and i too had to leave since i had church in a few hours. i bid farewell to those who so warmly accommodated me and took me into their fold and thanked them for a great night. it definitely was a perfect way to end my day.

to all the people i met again! super super super thanks!!!