Unavoidable circumstances

the week is full of action. i'm out of the office almost everyday to follow-up papers that i need for my visitor visa application.

i emailed the travel agency to book my flight and also to ask for a booking certificate (not being online just when i need it is really annoying and tiring coz i have to go out during office hours). i also have to get the money to open my dollar account. i bought some additional dollar so that i dont have to close the account when i have to withdraw the money. after opening the account, i have to wait after a few days before asking for a bank certificate (which is better than if i have to wait 6 months!).

everything is organized. planned to the very detail. but sometimes you can't tell nature what to do. it just does.

typhoon caloy decided it's time to pay bicol a visit and stayed so long we weren't feeling very hospitable anymore. it was a thursday.

i have a bus reservation to leave sunday so that i can submit the papers first thing on monday of the coming week.

i was hoping this was just an overnight very-heavy-rain-with-strong-wind typhoon. but it wasn't. caloy continued to circle around the bicol region until the following day, friday. of course if i wasn't able to go to work, all the other office workers wouldn't too, including bank staff. the irony is that now that i have all the time to call all the agencies that i've always wanted to call but couldn't because they would put me on hold for hours and i can't do that at the office - i can't! i can't text, i can't call long distance.

i went to legaspi the following day, saturday in hope that i can contact anybody from manila. nada. even internet cafes are offline.

so i had no choice but to reschedule my ticket and leave monday. it's pointless going to manila wihtout the papers that i need.

luckily, by the afternoon of sunday, i was able to call NZ. boy was i glad to hear the phone ring! *smiles*

so i asked him to check my email, in case the airlines already sent me the booking certificate or if they tried to contact me in any way. he did and told me that the airlines tried to fax me the booking certificate but couldn't get a fax tone. tried to call my cellphone but can't.

that was a relief. to hear that they were prompt and they tried to contact me any way they can.

sometimes it's refreshing to get a prompt response when transacting business in the philippines. and it still happens, thankfully...