buslag, if there is such a thing
traveling more than 20 hours in the space of just over a day is something i would suggest to people i don’t really like. i left for isabela again last sunday just before midnight, arrived after 9am, tried to sleep as calls and SMS came in rapid succession till 12nn, had lunch with the PENRO, then left for my 2pm hearing only to find out that it won’t push through, “in deference to the newly-appointed judge”, took a bus back to manila by 3pm, and arrived, grim and lacking sleep at a little past 1am. this, notwithstanding the fact that sunday itself was a terribly hectic day for me. at 6am, i was in ULTRA for a run to condition us for our halcon trek. i was there 5 minutes before the appointed time, only to find everyone arriving later than was agreed. other than myself, arnel, bing, roland, and dan came for 6 rounds around ULTRA’s perimeter, which was over 9kms of uphill, downhill, and even terrain.
6 rounds? i complained, and i hinted to roland early on that i’d only do 4. after my third round, i was well ahead of everyone, and bing was trailing in a close 2nd, so when i finished my 4th, i prepared to sneak out. but bing had to call my name. he said, “nakakaapat pa lang tayo.” yeah, like i don’t know. i resumed the run with a few muttered complaints. after our run, i went to wynsum to basically try to sneak in some sleep at the new fitness first there, and to possibly take a bath. the showers are particularly nice, as they overlook ortigas. being on the penthouse, the views around the gym are quite fantastic. after that, i went to podium for lunch. tin had scheduled a bash for some friends, and as luck would have it, i was among those invited. i had lunch at pinoydon, and all around me were these upper-middle class families and their armies of yayas, and some teenage and yuppie bible-toting christians. in a nearby table, 3 yayas were busy tending to 5 kids. the parents were seated at another table, and the yayas had meals different from what the restaurant served. there are some things about the rich i can never understand.
since i still had a few minutes to burn, i sort of went around podium and popped by columbia sports. got to talk to its brand manager, a young, freelance mountaineer named dino. then it was off to elbow room, where a sign on the door read: “VIP. melay camara. 3pm.” little by little, guests arrived, and so did food, and a whole lot of beer. kuya mar held on to the mike 90% of the time, and i was surprised he knew the songs 90% of the time. melay, despite the weird hour, had one bottle too many, and by 5pm, was already drunk enough to belt out the aegis’ “luha”. i had my own share of alcohol, and with more than 5 bottles, i was already a little groggy. after i made the mistake of telling kuya mar that the first person i looked for was malvin (only because he was going to lend me his thermarest, so much so that kuya mar said: “mas mahal mo pala si malvin kesa sa akin, eh sya, magpapahiram lang ng thermarest, ako bibigyan pa kita!”), i bade goodbye to my new friends, and rode with bing to kamias where i bought my ticket early in order not to repeat what happened the last time i went to ilagan. funny thing though is that the entire trip, i had 2 seats all to myself.
earlier today, the reason for which i had to return in a huff was the PI of this illegal logging case i’m handling. SMTD was supposed to swear in his reply-affidavit, but a meeting in malacañang on the occasion of the official state visit of the president of the people’s republic of china prevented him from appearing. i explained it with so much conviction, i actually believed the excuse! what an utter waste of time. and i’m so so sleepy, but at half past 1am, i’m still up! i actually just finished packing. and i still have some room in my new bag for the food, and around 4 more liters of water. gosh, this is really suicidal! i must say that i’m thinking of this halcon trek not just with a little dread. i’m really quite concerned. but with a pack of almond snickers and a lot of prayers, i’m sure i’ll make it to the summit and back again.
6 rounds? i complained, and i hinted to roland early on that i’d only do 4. after my third round, i was well ahead of everyone, and bing was trailing in a close 2nd, so when i finished my 4th, i prepared to sneak out. but bing had to call my name. he said, “nakakaapat pa lang tayo.” yeah, like i don’t know. i resumed the run with a few muttered complaints. after our run, i went to wynsum to basically try to sneak in some sleep at the new fitness first there, and to possibly take a bath. the showers are particularly nice, as they overlook ortigas. being on the penthouse, the views around the gym are quite fantastic. after that, i went to podium for lunch. tin had scheduled a bash for some friends, and as luck would have it, i was among those invited. i had lunch at pinoydon, and all around me were these upper-middle class families and their armies of yayas, and some teenage and yuppie bible-toting christians. in a nearby table, 3 yayas were busy tending to 5 kids. the parents were seated at another table, and the yayas had meals different from what the restaurant served. there are some things about the rich i can never understand.
since i still had a few minutes to burn, i sort of went around podium and popped by columbia sports. got to talk to its brand manager, a young, freelance mountaineer named dino. then it was off to elbow room, where a sign on the door read: “VIP. melay camara. 3pm.” little by little, guests arrived, and so did food, and a whole lot of beer. kuya mar held on to the mike 90% of the time, and i was surprised he knew the songs 90% of the time. melay, despite the weird hour, had one bottle too many, and by 5pm, was already drunk enough to belt out the aegis’ “luha”. i had my own share of alcohol, and with more than 5 bottles, i was already a little groggy. after i made the mistake of telling kuya mar that the first person i looked for was malvin (only because he was going to lend me his thermarest, so much so that kuya mar said: “mas mahal mo pala si malvin kesa sa akin, eh sya, magpapahiram lang ng thermarest, ako bibigyan pa kita!”), i bade goodbye to my new friends, and rode with bing to kamias where i bought my ticket early in order not to repeat what happened the last time i went to ilagan. funny thing though is that the entire trip, i had 2 seats all to myself.
earlier today, the reason for which i had to return in a huff was the PI of this illegal logging case i’m handling. SMTD was supposed to swear in his reply-affidavit, but a meeting in malacañang on the occasion of the official state visit of the president of the people’s republic of china prevented him from appearing. i explained it with so much conviction, i actually believed the excuse! what an utter waste of time. and i’m so so sleepy, but at half past 1am, i’m still up! i actually just finished packing. and i still have some room in my new bag for the food, and around 4 more liters of water. gosh, this is really suicidal! i must say that i’m thinking of this halcon trek not just with a little dread. i’m really quite concerned. but with a pack of almond snickers and a lot of prayers, i’m sure i’ll make it to the summit and back again.