quotable quotes why i left my heart in iloilo

“eeeww!!!” i wrote this? hayaan na ang konting kahibangan ko noon. :s

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it’s funny how signature shirts that read “i left my heart in _________” have no marketing significance for me at all. but for whatever reason, it’s the “in” thing for souvenir-shop goers. however, a recent trip of mine got me contemplating that this is more than just a shirt design but a fact that hit me hard on the head.

cast of characters:

sir – the he-who-is-not-meant-to-be; the one who heartnapped me

ma’am – yours truly

• a great night-out at imay’s and pirates during my first night there was concluded by an escorted ride to my hotel to make sure, according to sir, that i was brought home safely and in one piece by my driver.  sir was just there behind my convoy. before sleeping, i texted him my thanks and appreciation,

ma’am: sir, thanks for the night. sensha kung nadistorbo ko po kayo. i had a great time. halong papuli. good night.

sir: i had a great time too, ma’am. ok lang yun basta ikaw. good night.

• after two failed attempts in our quest for the perfect beach place to stay overnight to accommodate my chillaxin’ request,

ma’am: am i causing too much trouble already? it’s getting late na tapos we’re not settled yet.

sir: no, ma’am, no. it’s definitely fine.

ma’am: (back riding in silence, feeling guilty despite sir’s attempt to assure me that everything’s fine)

sir: (noticing that he didn’t sound quite convincing the first time) ok lang ma’am. sabi nga nila, it’s not the destination but the journey and the person you’re with.

• a walk along the beach was the perfect thing to do that sunday dawn with clear skies filled with stars and very cooperative weather. how could i say no to sir’s invitation (when he’s half the reason why i didn’t want my weekend to end)?

ma’am: (pointing at a special star in the sky) yan ang southern cross. star namin yan ni manong and ni ex.

sir: diin? i couldn’t make out a cross. all i see are stars. yun lang.

ma’am: ayan o… (outlining the group of stars that resembled a cross) in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit.

sir: hehe, i’m just kidding. i also love the stars. if you’re also fond of the stars and the southern cross, then there probably were nights when we were just looking at the same star.

josko! totoo na itoh? i think i heard an imaginary musical scoring: we’ll be wishing on the same star//looking at the same moon//when i’m thinking ‘bout you baby//are you thinking of me too//and no matter where i go//i’ll be there with you//wishing on the same star//looking at the same moon (kung mali ang lyrics, pardon my song hits syndrome)

• tired from the seeming death march cum walk with faith on the moon, sir suggested for us to have a seat on the shore.

 

sir: (taking off his new honda jacket) dito ka maupo o.

ma’am: ngek! are you sure? bago kaya yan. pauupuan mo lang sa akin?

sir: sus! mas special ka pa jan.

and may i upo naman ang beauty ko with a hidden silly smile on my face. baka kasi makita nyang ngumingiti ako eh.

• during lunchtime, we were sharing a good laugh only the two of us understood from the bonding moment we had during the walk earlier that day,

ma’am: sabi sayo di ako judgmental eh. tolerant pa nga eh.

sir: hahaha! hay naku bam, diin ka tong soltero pa ko man?

oops!

• before calling it a weekend, he held my lighter that he had been borrowing since i arrived,

sir: bam, gaano ka-special sayo ang lighter na ‘to?

ma’am: bigay sakin yan ni manong ko. yellow pa sya at may small flashlight which i could use sa dilim kasi bulag nga ako sa dilim, di ba?

sir: ah so ganon pala talaga ‘to ka-special sayo? sige…

ma’am: sige, you can have that. 

4:00pm, i headed for bacolod with a nothing but heavy bags and a heavier heart. it has been five hours since i left iloilo and eight hours since i last saw him. ten or so hours since he made me kilig with his sweet nothings, be it said with meaning or just plain “wala lang,” yet the sound of his voice resounds so clearly in my head.

regardless of what it suggested, i know this stupidity of the heart had to stop somewhere… and that somewhere, i know, is the port of iloilo. but then again, i couldn’t deny the fact that i left my heart there… with him. no matter how hard i try to put up an indomitable front, i am still vulnerable inside. so until i become invincible, i’ve got one more request from you: sir, paki-pouch naman po ng heart ko sa head office. sa gb cam building, monteverde street, davao city. i’ll be there by thursday. make sure you no longer took even a teensy part of it. bring it back to me unscathed. please?

originally posted on march 31, 2007 @ multiply blogs

in excess

just another re-post…

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sharing the night together

i was listening to ivan’s music room when the song, “sharing the night together,” was played. reminded me that i was brewing up a blog entry when i was in manila november of last year with the same title but never got to finish. (here’s some excerpt from my draft)

reming, a.k.a. durian… ruping, katring, gloria, milenyo… call it however you want, it’s still “bagyo” to me. for somebody who hails from somewhere typhoon’s the last agendum on the weather bureau calamity list, “bagyo” is one great scare. simply put, di naman kasi bumabagyo sa davao eh. in a place where mt. apo’s filibustering powers reign supreme and strong winds got no place for sovereignty, storm is the most daunting catastrophe to ever hit land.

so while i was staring from my bedroom window in that transient quarters where i stayed, i couldn’t help but wonder how things were like if i was in davao that very night… not that cold, not that dark, not that sad, not that alone.

oh well… so much of that night shared with reming. nothing’s more relieving than being and staying here.

sparky, sparky night

i probably ate something of electrode in nature coz i seemed to be attracting ignitions of some sort that night… the eve of bagyong reming. (yah, not done with my typhoon sequel)

during the ride home from the office, we opted to keep the car windows up coz it was starting to rain. caught in traffic at some intersection at global city (basta somewhere near essensa), smoke was starting to fill the interior of the car. wwaaaahh!!! and there was a small spark that sent the carpet ablaze. ate thata was in her amazona senses to get me out of the car and turn off the small fire, with mr. snappy soldier-driver, in time for the stop lights to turn green.

and you thought that ended there? i thought so too. upon arriving home, i changed clothes and went downstairs to pee. seconds after closing the toilet door and turning the light on, another spark from the ceiling with a faint blast sound startled me. milliseconds after, all i saw was darkness. opening the door, still darkness greeted me. oh, and there went our lights.

boy, was i spark-jinxed that night?!

tabang!

yah, yah… it was that fateful night experience. i need not say anything more. it’s written na naman sa previous blog ko eh.

eto lang masasabi ko… is it just fate or am i just jinxed?

accident aftermath

i swear to the gods of space and demons of the underworld that i will never… i say never… ever ride toril/mintal/calinan-bound jeepneys. i don’t wanna generalize but for the longest time now, these jeepney drivers are the most abusive when it comes to speed limits, stereo/radio volumes and traffic rules. i’ve had my fair share of nerve-wracking drive-to-heaven rides that really send passengers clinging to dear life in overhead bars, even before my accident.

see, ever since then, i never actually finished gathering my shattered confidence just yet. mulagput pa gihapon akong kalag ug musaka akong kabuhi the moment my ride picks up speed. it would still take a while before i get trusty and comfy with my ride again. but until then, i’m all cautious and on guard wherever i go.

special mention to you, mr. driver of PWM 999 en route toril… you scared a hell lotta guts out of me. if i ever see you again, di ka na sisikatan ng araw sa gabi. huh! maghahalo ang balat ng manggang tinalupan. tandaan mo yan!

originally posted on february 2, 2007 @ friendster blogs

a dance with death

wow! this is the first time in almost four years that i got to read this entry again. i had goose bumps and butterflies in my stomach, yes. thought i wanted to cry but, boy, am i ever thankful for dear life. thought i wouldn’t turn 25 but God is good. with all that i’ve done wrong, i must have done something right to deserve this second life He has blessed me with. thank you, dear Lord!

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reading the title, you may find it unfitting for a birthday post. judge not prematurely coz you’re reading no blunder.

dec 21. the day was supposed to start right until a below-par news struck us at 8:30am. it may haven’t struck the majority equally disappointing as it hit me but i had my reasons. the news: our office Christmas party which was supposed to start at 10am was moved to 6pm (bcoz of human disregard i don’t wanna elaborate on). the catch: i had to distressingly miss my javlon sukobers Christmas party with utter remorse as it should have taken place at 7pm that same day. i love these people so much that missing a get-together with them after a month-long separation broke my heart terribly. yet i had responsibilities with GIPI and i couldn’t afford to fail the people counting on me and the royal bloods all the same so i had to break the bad news to the sukobers.

6pm. from what started with grouchiness turned into a delightful night as the 2006 gentrade Christmas party was a blast! my hosting stint turned A-ok – even warranted me compliments from some suzuki friends. the RB Christmas dance, though crammed up, was well-applauded and appreciated – left our trusty jurors speechless. games were all fun. dinner was superb. videoke challenge indeed gave an uproarious highlight of the night – sent us giggling our hearts out and rolling on the floor with laughter. it was an all-smiles conclusion of the day as gentrade employees started going home with individual Christmas baskets for noche buena. with all our exhausting preparation efforts finally paying off twice as well as we hoped for, nothing else could go wrong.

… or so i thought…

after the restoration committee piled up the last of scattered chairs in the office, anne, ivan, chealot, miss nanie and me made our way home, still recapping and recounting the fun-filled party we just had. getting a cab to take us south route was quite difficult but on our third attempt, we got our ride home. nanie, chealot and i were the ones south-bound so we bade anne and ivan goodbye, good night and “see you tomorrow.” still so overly pleased with the party turn-out, the three of us couldn’t stop talking and joking about it.

dec 22, 12:30am. we dropped miss nanie, who was sitting on the front passenger seat, at tinikling street, matina. then off we proceeded to bangkal (where chealot would get off while i make my way home to skyline) taking the matina aplaya route. my conversation with chealot turned from funny to more serious as we contemplated on what lies await for us in 2007 re: office reorganization cum cost-cutting issues. turning left in matina crossing from aplaya, the street was deserted and the two of us slouched lazily in the back seat. chealot silently weighing her options of partying with the royal bloods at water world the night after or not, and me, in slight nostalgia of sleeping beside mom. just as we turned at the curve approaching mabini high school, the taxi driver and i noticed a what-seemed-to-me-as-drunk guy in oblivion from the rest of the world taking his awful damn time crossing the street unmindful of vehicles which may run him down at any given time. our cab made a slight left to avoid bumping mr. alcoholic’s sorry ass but to our panic, he continued walking slowly towards the direction we were heading instead of dodging off of our road right of way. in an attempt to steer clear of the drunk bastard’s trajectory, we skidded away a little farther to the left crossing the boundary and into the inner lane of north-bound vehicles… and into an approaching panel van!

everything was in slow motion… yet it happened so fast… right before my very eyes! i closed my eyes split seconds before we hit something hard that sent us in giddy circles and another loud bang! i heard a car screech, broken glasses and a gazillion bangs and thuds!

i saw both our lives flash before my eyes

i didn’t even have time to cry

i sooo scared

i threw my hands up in the air

then after some ghastly twists, turns, bumps and jolts, i heard silence and felt cold wind wipe my forehead gently. for a moment, i thought i was dead. i felt no pain yet i couldn’t move. i heard nothing but the loud thumping of my heart. i opened my eyes but darkness greeted me. “Lord, have you come to take me with you?” was all i asked. the first image i could make out of the darkness was my mom’s face… then the vision turned faint… fainter… gone…

and a clearer picture took away all obscurity: shattered pieces of glass from what seemed to me was the cab’s windshield, the lifeless and still body of the cab driver, the shabby front of the panel van and the totally wrecked front of our cab as if “kissing on the cheek.” first sound i heard which assured me that i was still on earth was that of chealot’s, “gang? gang, nahihilo ako…” it was only then that i turned towards chealot’s side of the cab. and as i did, i saw fresh blood streaming down her face from a huge, clean cut in the forehead. i could hardly see my friend’s features through it. then came the driver’s groan, “agay! kasakit! tabang!” i think i mustered a sigh of relief upon hearing that. painful and struggling it may have sounded, but at least i knew he was alive. turning back my attention to chealot, she reached out to me in tears and with blood-stained hands, as if asking for help or comfort or assurance. and in the middle of all these, i was pinned in between the backseat and the driver’s seat with my left leg stuck under the driver’s seat, knee down. i couldn’t move my leg nor open the cab door. helpless as the situation was, what i did was shout the loudest my sore vocal chords could get me… “TABANG!!!”

… and help came.

12:45am. from dreaming of pillows and comfort of my bed at home, i found myself holding on to chealot’s trembling hands, drenched in blood i didn’t know from whom, beside the emergency room bed where she laid with face still covered with blood. i looked straight at her unceasingly blinking eyes, asking her badly to stay with me. i tried so hard to keep her awake bcoz of fear that if she fell to sleep, she might find it hard to wake up again. with shaking hands, i managed to dial a few numbers for help and back-up: sir doods, mamang betty, chealot’s boyfriend and chealot’s mom. what scared me even more was chealot’s manifestations of head trauma as she asked me same questions over and over because she didn’t remember a thing of what happened and where we were from.

it seemed like ages before i could let out a loud sigh of relief. i just thought, chealot is lying down while i was standing… so as long as i don’t see anybody i know come near us, i have to put myself in charge of myself and my friend. i didn’t feel secure of my taking charge though but it was the least i could do. silently, little bamba on my shoulder did some of the encouragement, “you were sane enough to call 911 at the scene of the accident and put compress on your friend’s bleeding face, i know you can pull off a little more tending until your sir doods arrives.”

as soon as sir doods arrived, i immediately relinquished my throne to him and let him do the bossing of the nurses, one of the things he’s effective and so good at. bossing = managing people, that is.

mamang and manong finally arrived… the mere sight of my mom’s worried yet calm face got me over the scare of my first vehicular accident experience and gave me the most reassuring gesture of security, comfort and safety as she enveloped me in a tight hug. it was the signal for me to start feeling the pain of whatever injuries i got: throbbing pain on my left shin, twisted left ankle, hefty bruises on my lower extremities. manong, nurse-to-be as he is, escorted me to the xray room after seeing me wince in pain.

3am. as the adrenalin anesthesia started to wear off, my entire body was in beating pain. [writer’s note: when i’m better, remind me to sue hospitals for using injections… those anti-tetanus shots made everything more painful!!!] all i wanted then was go home and just hold on to my mom. i didn’t wanna be in that hospital to get away from reporters, nurses, policemen and i-dunno-who’s who kept on bugging me with their interviews as if i was more of a witness than a victim myself.

3:30am. finally peace and silence drowned the clutter in the ER. everybody was tired yet calmer. nuisance creatures were gone. left are the families of manong cab driver, chealot and mine. whispered something to chealot one last time, “pahinga na tayo gang ha. kwentuhan tayo bukas… ‘pag may naalala ka na.”

i turned to my mom and gave in to what i was fighting to do since 12:40am… with trembling hands once again, i burst into tears while mom took my hand in hers. after three hours of ordeal, i cried like i’ve never cried before.

[writer’s note: recounting every single detail of what happened still sends shivers down my spine. a fresh pang of fright is brewing in my stomach.]

the odds may have worked against me that fateful night but my unwavering faith in His saving grace helped me make it through the accident. i may have suffered pain, trauma and shock, yet today, i’m whole, undented and alive… and yes today, today is my silver birth anniversary.

originally posted on december 29, 2006 @ friendster blogs

pinoy dream academy 10th expulsion night

i am a certified fanatic! i was still in love with ronnie liang this time. now, ronnie’s way out of the limelight after withdrawing his membership from star magic. oh well, where ever he is, hope he’s doing good. and i’m still not over the fantasy of seeing him in person again… more intimate this time. ;) i know iya is doing great in guam so i wish her nothing but more success in career and lovelife. naks!

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contrary to the ill-fortune of scholar joan ilagan, luck seemed to be on my periphery that fateful november 18 night. why?! i just can’t believe i was positioned at the bottom of the stairs leading to the PDA concert hall stage. up front, where my view of the performance and expulsion night was free from obstruction. forgive me but such fanaticism possessing me ever since kaye abad’s day 1 appearance in ang tv from way back when has taken over me once again. a visit to pinoy dream academy was actually one of my weekend agenda while on exile and it was just an enchanting twist of fate to have entered headmaster’s kingdom on the eve of my mom’s birthday.

… and without a ticket, for that matter. tickets have been exhausted a week before the 10^th expulsion night so i basically went to battlefield with no-nada weapons whatsoever. it’s just that big brother and headmaster love me and the fanatic in me dearly, they blessed me with an ever-supportive paps, who sapped out his network for sources of gate pass in the person of mr. bedimpled crowd controller i-forgot-his-name. but i would want to believe that it was still my charm which prompted him to stamp the pass on my arm.

then bambacute came running, er, strutting her butt towards the concert hall 10 minutes before the performance night started.

it was indeed an unexplainably awesome feeling… being there inside the concert hall, watching toni gonzaga and nikki gil practice their spiels, direk lauren having one last quick check on all logistics, abs-cbn staff and PA’s ushering the mentors and jurors to their spots on opposite sides of the dome, ex-scholars and dream girls making their way to their reserved seats, and fans here and there waving pictures and banners of their fave scholars who were then inside the academy still.

i was in the middle of these all… awe and star struck with everything and everybody. you probably saw the 10^th expulsion night, ok, so i won’t go blabbing about it anyway. just some behind-the-scenes unforgettables…

mom’s fave, scholar panky trinidad, really shook the entire dome with a powerful rendition of santa claus is coming to town, that is. maderloo, panky simply is superb! and ey, after a chitchat with ex-scholar chai fonacier (panky’s bestfriend), i found out that we’re neighbors pala in skyline. uhmm… not exactly mega neighbors, but neighbors with their relatives. greatness! hui, fitness master, teacher gege, has humongous feet. no wonder she kicks pretty damn hard, huh! early fave, gemma fitzgerald, was accommodating enough to enthusiastically smile for the digicam with me. such a lovely gurl!

jena, you should’ve seen your chad peralta in person. hunkable, papable is he! yoko na magsalita pa baka sabihin mo na namang inaagaw ko sya sa’yo. “let jena know it’s christmas time again…” flunked by an all-bisaya assemblage, jay-r siaboc easily spotted me amongst the audience and flashed me a big smile. hay naku, kung di ka lang bf ni bestfriend iya, akin ka na rin. oh well… “have yourself a very merry christmas” yes, I’ll have myself a very merry christmas, thanks to you, fafa jay-r.

toni gonzaga is a tunganga queen pala. in between spiels and takes, she sits quiet in one corner, stares blankly at nothingness with tired eyes and slouched shoulders. that’s how grounded she is, then takes a 180-degree turn of emotions right when the camera lights on her. aba, ganyan ka pala ha?! and nikki gil… she just answered why geoff eigenmann and gab valenciano went gaga over her.

waitness! correct me if I’m wrong ha, but was that a long second glance my ronniekins just gave me before going backstage? nah, no need to correct me coz i know deep in my heart twas really me his eyes were searching for in the crowd. “sana ngayong pasko ay maalala mo pa rin ako…” -- of course, babykins, we’ll be together by then. but for now, you have to come across that nomination clean, okei? mashado ka kasing na-distract sa beaming presence ko last saturday eh. -- ex-scholar michelle bond a.k.a. my ronniekins’ “cat” (puh-lease) may be there but i effortlessly over-powered her influence on ronnie by my mere existence. simple as that!

and to top it all… bestfriend iya ginez, who haven’t been watching the performance nights after being expelled, was there in support, of course, to boyfriend jay-r. what a sweetness sight to see! she was just there with chai, taking pictures and videos of jay-r and cheering on him. mind you, she’s not that chubby and dark in person as she is on tv yet still genuinely pretty. no-need-to-bat-an-eyelash pretty. and this… this picturesque is the main reason why i braved the crowd amidst the noise and haste.

mababaw and crazily funny, it may seem for some, but for an extremist fan (reads: fanatic!!!) like me… spare me the ridiculous-look in your eyes… coz i just had a definitely great night to remember.

originally posted on november 20, 2006 @ friendster blogs

bambacute's good flying tips and etiquette

this is one blog i’ve always liked to read and re-read. never mind the side notes, just dig into the content and surely you’ll mug up useful info when you get into the situation. quite outdated as terminal fee is still P40.00 in this entry but spare me the ridicule as i wrote this in 2006 pa. hit the books, readers!

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of all the flights i ever flew in, flight 5J 962 bound for manila last nov12 was the most exasperating and stressful. i dunno if it’s the waking up early so as not to miss the first flight or just the gruesome process that prompted me to notice even the small details of the trip and write my own book of flight tips and etiquette with slight grumpiness.

thanks to that bomb expert cum ego-tripper moron who sneaked a bomb replica into our beloved airport (that scarred digong’s ego) for the strictest airport security SOP ever to transpire in the land of promise. at least now it’s not “random bag check” anymore that’s good as saying, “ey, lemme check your bag coz you look like a terrorist to me.”

PRELIMINARIES

as i entered the gate leading me inside the departure area, mr. inspector with his sniffing K9 scoured my stuffs for suspicious looking gadgets. lucky them, all they found were kikay buting-things which merited me the kalokong-natatawa look from inspector mills. but my scent spray was not spared from his nagmamagandang strictness, which was sent from my hand-carried bag to my check-in luggage.

the checking didn’t stop with the bags actually… as i was about to pass through the human metal detector, i had to remove my shoes, belt with buckle, and coins in my side pocket to have it x-rayed too. so imagine me scurrying to get to the other end of the x-ray machine, bare-footed, to scoop my belongings while maintaining balance as i slipped my shoes back on. fortunately, i was advised of this protocol already so i had on a wash-and-wear bootee.

with all these hassles and hooplas of check-in preliminaries, here are some tips you might want to consider:

1. have a footwear that’s way easy to remove and put on. save the rest of the people in line the agony of waiting for you to finish tying your shoe laces.
2. put all liquids and fluidish toiletries in your check-in luggage.
3. as much as possible, wear your belts as you deplane na lang. and keep your coins in your purse. (di ba coins are not made of metal, then why are they detected through a human metal detector? OA naman!)

CHECKING IN

proper flying manners start on the ground. have these essentials in handy to speed up the process: ticket, valid ID… and lots of patience for the lady behind you who keeps bumping her trolley into your heel and the man in front of you smelling like damp trash at 5:50AM. for foreigners (as if may foreigner na nagbabasa ng blog ko), leave some peso in your wallet in case you have to pay for excess baggage. Davao international airport doesn’t have a money changer and an ATM in its premises. lastly, be pleasant to the person behind the counter (who’s in charge of the seating arrangements) so he won’t sit you next to the stinking man… and not extraordinarily pleasant to the stinking man coz he might want to sit next to you.

ONCE CHECKED IN

prepare 40 bucks for the terminal fee and present your boarding pass ONLY, not your ticket anymore. at matuto kang magbasa ng instructions.

untie your shoe laces, unzip the zipper of your boots and brace yourself for yet another shoe-removing activity. at pakiusap po, di ako poste na pwede mong sandalan o tukuran habang na-a-out balance ka na while putting your shoes back on especially if you’re taller and bigger than my skinny stature.

BOARDING

wait for your turn, for heavens’ sake! we are all assured of a seat in the plane and nobody would take your seat away from you so stop pushing me around!

prepare your boarding pass once again and be aware of your seat number. you wouldn’t wanna get lost inside the plane, right?

ON BOARD (madugo itoh!)

according to the civil aviation rule, all cellular phones and communication devices must be switched off. and as preparation for take off, please make sure to have your seat in an upright position, seat belts securely fastened, tray tables stowed and window covers open. – these simple rules are self-explanatory and needs no further elaboration so leave your texting “miss you! mwah!” for later. learn the drill!

the real test of manners is when you’re thousands of meters above the earth, familiarizing yourself with a bunch of strangers’ odors and annoying habits. pay attention to personal hygiene; nobody wants to sit next to halitosis harry as he yaps away about his first time in davao and his nth national youth day experience. before boarding, brush your teeth, deodorize those armpits and wear clean socks. taking the earliest flight may be an excuse for your not taking a bath but never a reason for your worst grooming. 

ok, i’m as ecstatic as you are for having stepped foot at the biggest city in terms of land area, but please naman refrain from swinging your yellow nyd bag kasi may tao sa likuran mo na umiiwas sa hagupit ng bag mo! hmph!

here are some other obvious don’ts:

• don’t kick the seat in front of you.
• don’t pull yourself up using the seat in front of you.
• don’t recline your seat if the person behind you is still eating off the tray.
• don’t recline your seat as if it were a bed convertible. again, may tao sa likuran mo at naiipit na ang tuhod ko!

then there is the armrest argument: which passenger gets which armrest? according to the International Airplane Armrest Arbitration Committee (IAAAC) – of which I am a part-owner, in consortium with bambacute’s Code of National Flying Etiquette, of which i am president, the following rules apply:

the passenger on the aisle seat gets the aisle armrest.

the passenger on the window seat gets the window armrest.

The passenger in the middle gets both middle armrests because that is his only luxury.

(little bamba on my shoulder: what’s so luxurious about sitting in the aisle seat, anyway?)

in the case of a four-seater row (PAL airbus), the same rules apply. the two middle seat passengers usually settle the Great Armrest Debate with a game of rock, paper and scissors. international gaming rules apply: nail and rain are not valid moves.

during the in-flight game of bring me brought to us by cebu pacific air, give chance to others is the cardinal rule. don’t be the eager beaver and offer your entire possession to the host-attendant. i also have that credit card, toothbrush and picture of a loved one with dedication noh! kala mo ikaw lang?!?

LANDING AND BAGGAGE CLAIM

after the plane has landed and the crowd applauded, wait until the “fasten seatbelt” sign is turned off before rushing to get your carry-on bag from the overhead bin. another eager beaver dropped something on my seatmate’s head kaya ayun, napagalitan. buti nga! kulit kasi.

save some of the patience you brewed up at the check-in counter for the baggage claim area. we will all get there at the same day so no need to rush, you brats! once you’re at the carousel, leave space for your fellow travelers to get their bags, maletas and boxes reeking of durian. if your luggage hasn’t come out yet, step aside and let others grab theirs first. if you have a tot with you, don’t let your little monster stand in my way with utter rottenness coz i could get monstrous with kids who doesn’t know the meaning of discipline. and so do other people.

watch out for identical bags, a stranger might mistaken your bag with his wife’s. good thing i had four eyes then, easily spotting the man scooping MY bag out of the carousel and into his trolley. 

if you see an elderly person or a woman struggling with heavy bags, offer to help – that is, unless you are that elderly person or woman, then you can holler for a porter. or, like i did, ask the help of the fine man who, by mistake, took my bag. *wink*

sa lahat ng tinamaan, buti nga! (asus! di nyo rin naman ‘to mababasa kasi di ko naman kayo kilala eh.)

nerve-wrecking as walking in mexico with a manny pacquiao stuffed toy as it may seem, if we only adhere to some simple rules of flying pointers and etiquette in bambacute’s book, an enjoyable journey can be more than just a flight of fancy. after putting all these together, i realized it’s all those little things that put the fun back into flying.

originally posted on november 15, 2006 @ friendster blogs