a very long day

So after waiting in line for all the naval officers, students and other guys to finish taking a bath (that's where my dad stays now), i was finally able to shower and clean up and head to the NZ embassy.

The taxi driver was kind enough to take us (my dad and me) there (without asking too much) and so i was still fresh and clean when i walked up the BPI Buendia Center Building. There was a specially assigned security guard for NZ embassy guests only.

special guard: saan po kayo ma'am?
ma'am: NZ embassy po.
special guard: purpose?
ma'am: magsusubmit po ng documents
special guard: ilan po kayo?
ma'am: isa lang
special guard: paki-fill-up po dito. tapos pahiram po ng ID nyo.
*scrambles to get ID, gives it to the special guard who gives ma'am a visitor id*
special guard: 23rd floor.

My dad decided to leave me now coz he has other things to do himself.

(ding)
*gets in the elevator*

(ding)
*gets out*

another guard: good morning, ma'am! pa-check lang po ng bag.
another ma'am: saan po cr nyo?
another guard: sa labas po ma'am. for personnel use lang po yong dito.
*another ma'am goes to find cr*
another guard: good morning, ma'am. pa-check lang po ng bag.
*ma'am looks back*
another guard: ma'am, bag po.
*ma'am looks back again*
another guard: check ko lang po yong bag ma'am.
ma'am: oh.. me? *smiles*

(beep beep beep)
another guard: ano kaya 'yon, ma'am?
ma'am: baka yong cellphone po.
another guard: sige na po ma'am. ok na po.

*ma'am goes inside embassy office. waits in line*

embassy staff: anong purpose?
ma'am: mag-susubmit po ng documents
embassy staff: pangalan?
ma'am: mermaid po
embassy staff: ilang application?
ma'am: isa lang po
embassy staff: ok. paki-off lang po ng cellphone.

*turns off cellphone. opens door*

ma'am: oopppss! how do you open this?
applicant: ok na. bukas na.

*smiles*
*waits*
*looks around*
*reads*
*pretends to read*
*can't understand what im reading*

visa officer: number 10?
*gets up, walks to the visa officer window*
*shows visa officer all papers*

visa officer: yong mga letters po?
ma'am: anjan na sa loob
*visa officer shuffles the papers*
visa officer: yong mga pictures po?
*ma'am got confused*
ma'am: ano pong pictures?
visa officer: pictures po ninyo.
*ma'am remembers she might have brought one picture, rummages through her envelope, found it, smiles and gives it to the visa officer*

Visa officer: eto lang?
Ma’am: opo. Di ko naman po kasi alam na kailangan ng pictures.
Visa officer: ma’am kailangan po kasi yong mga letters na magpapatunay ng relationship ninyo tapos mga pictures.

Ma’am: nasa bahay po kasi.
Visa officer: taga-san ho kayo?
Ma’am: Sorsogon pa po
Visa officer: ay ganon? Baka po sa email, meron kayo. Kahit san naman pwede yong email di ba? Kahit mga chat ninyo tapos mga pictures
Ma’am: wala pong ibang pictures eh. Yong sa cellphone lang po.
Visa officer: pa-print nyo na lang po. Kailangan po kasi yon para hindi na maghanap yong visa officer.

*ma’am goes out to look for an internet café*
*walks*
*walks*
*asks a policeman. Pointed to ayala avenue*
*walks*
*walks*
*walks*
*still walking*
*walks*
*walks some more*
*can’t text or call*
*grows tired of walking*
*decides to take a bus*
*looks up and saw the building to the airline office, smiles and surprised she’s walked that far*
*looks out the window while bus passes by*
*gets off bus*
*walks some more*
*goes up an overpass*
*walks*
*walks*
*waits for a bus*
*rides the first air-con that she sees*
*realized the bus goes back to where she was from*
*gets annoyed and ashamed with how stupid she’s been*
*gets nervous that she might have taken the wrong bus*
*comforted when another passenger said he’s going to the same place*
*looks out for that passenger*

he jumps, I jump.

*gets off the bus*
*reloads cellphone*
*walks again*
*walks further more*
*smiles and remembers walking along that path with a martian*
*buys phonecard*
*gobbles a grande-sized crème brulee zagu*
*calls home to text dad to meet up with me*
*waits and had lunch*
*dad arrives*
*mum got confused so dad has to go back to get my bag*
*goes to internet café to start printing emails and chats and pictures*
*chats with martian*
*dad arrives with my bag*
*returns again to tell me his cellphone got snatched from the MRT*

mermaid: what?!!!

*texts my cousin to fetch me*
*logs off and calls my cousin and mum*
*waits*
*waits*
*waits*
*can’t text cousin coz my battery is drained*
*looks around*
*waits*
*waits*
*looks around*
*pretends to read*
*waits*
*gets really annoyed and tired*
*feet hurts like hell*
*gets tired of waiting*
*goes to the foodcourt*
*takes off my sandals and puts on a pair of sneakers*
*feels a little relieved*
*calls mum*
*mum texts cousin*
*waits*
*thinks of where I can stay for the night if gets really annoyed with cousin*
*calls mum again*
*cousin already waiting at meeting place*
*meets cousin*
*dinner*
*goes home*

*chats with cousin a little about my favorite topic – martians!*
*cleans up*
*pet dog barks at me like crazy*
*still barking*
*in bed, still barking*
*dozed off*
*dogs barks again*
*barks to my ear*
*barks terribly*
*tired and annoyed and pissed off*
*wants to strangle dog*
*dog barks still*
*mum of the house yells at dog*

mum of the house: pag di ka tumigil, pupukpukin kita, patay ka bukas.

*miraculously, dog whimpers silently*

silence finally.