Out of a Suitcase
Left Manila Friday night. I was absurdly early at the airport (threats of heavy traffic because of the rain not actually materializing) so that there was no line at the check-in counter and only a very short line passing through Immigration. The security checks in Manila for international flights have definitely eased up, since they're no longer asking us to turn in our water bottles or rustle through our carry on luggage.
CebuPac as usual is strict about the weight limits on their bags. Fine, I was 3 kg overweight. I'd actually packed very light on this trip, clothes-wise, but as usual the extra matter you throw in at the last minute gets you down. I didn't see the point of the weight limit, since I promptly took out one binder and put it in my handcarry instead. The same total weight boarded the plane, and no one had to cry. This is also because CebuPac doesn't actually weigh handcarries (I've never actually had mine weighed EVER, that I can remember) and would like to be ignorant to the fact that my handcarry is probably also 15kgs since it feels just about the same weight as my actual luggage for all that it's more compact. Paper is heavy.
Got stalled in Immigration though, because woman raised her eyebrows when she found out I was headed to Bangladesh. Had to chat with her fellow immigration officers about me and ask me suspicious questions before she'd stamp my papers and let me through. After brainstorming potential reasons why, came up with she possibly identified me as the agent of an evil human trafficking ring sent to scout for potential slavemasters in Thailand and actual slaves in Bangladesh, or my mother thinks that I could be some kind of fetish-prostitute on my way to the Middle East (and immigration official had to ask others because she didn't know that Bangla is not in the ME).
Stayed over at Elsa's on the first night here in Bangkok since Mom wasn't actually in town yet. She's also rooming two other 19 yo-s, both of them British and just entering university. Was internally headdesking myself repeatedly after one of the girls, headed to the London School of Economics, told me that she didn't know the difference between psychology and psychiatry. I have thus resolved not to wear my LSE shirt anymore, having lost some respect for their undergraduate selection process. Kidding. Not that I can say much in comparison about Ateneo anyway, but at least I have no pretensions.
Did some lovely shopping... picked up Mother from airport... and possibly doing more shopping today! Hooray! (Worried about how to send stuff home, but solution is to have it sent all back via messenger? This is evil?) Plan of action is to matterload at night, and all of Monday and Tuesday at mother's office.
I'm here in Bangkok until Wedneday; flying to KL to transit through there overnight before moving on to Dhaka. After Dhaka, returning to Bangkok for a little extended vacation with Steph, Ely, Vinny, and Berna. Couple of days later (the 23rd), back in the good ol' RP - but out from the 25th to 29th in Palawan.
Don't know where I'll get the energy though, since on the 30th/31st it's already tryouts for Australs. Blurble. But that's May for you, I can't tell yet whether it'll turn out well or badly, but at least there's a lot to do.
CebuPac as usual is strict about the weight limits on their bags. Fine, I was 3 kg overweight. I'd actually packed very light on this trip, clothes-wise, but as usual the extra matter you throw in at the last minute gets you down. I didn't see the point of the weight limit, since I promptly took out one binder and put it in my handcarry instead. The same total weight boarded the plane, and no one had to cry. This is also because CebuPac doesn't actually weigh handcarries (I've never actually had mine weighed EVER, that I can remember) and would like to be ignorant to the fact that my handcarry is probably also 15kgs since it feels just about the same weight as my actual luggage for all that it's more compact. Paper is heavy.
Got stalled in Immigration though, because woman raised her eyebrows when she found out I was headed to Bangladesh. Had to chat with her fellow immigration officers about me and ask me suspicious questions before she'd stamp my papers and let me through. After brainstorming potential reasons why, came up with she possibly identified me as the agent of an evil human trafficking ring sent to scout for potential slavemasters in Thailand and actual slaves in Bangladesh, or my mother thinks that I could be some kind of fetish-prostitute on my way to the Middle East (and immigration official had to ask others because she didn't know that Bangla is not in the ME).
Stayed over at Elsa's on the first night here in Bangkok since Mom wasn't actually in town yet. She's also rooming two other 19 yo-s, both of them British and just entering university. Was internally headdesking myself repeatedly after one of the girls, headed to the London School of Economics, told me that she didn't know the difference between psychology and psychiatry. I have thus resolved not to wear my LSE shirt anymore, having lost some respect for their undergraduate selection process. Kidding. Not that I can say much in comparison about Ateneo anyway, but at least I have no pretensions.
Did some lovely shopping... picked up Mother from airport... and possibly doing more shopping today! Hooray! (Worried about how to send stuff home, but solution is to have it sent all back via messenger? This is evil?) Plan of action is to matterload at night, and all of Monday and Tuesday at mother's office.
I'm here in Bangkok until Wedneday; flying to KL to transit through there overnight before moving on to Dhaka. After Dhaka, returning to Bangkok for a little extended vacation with Steph, Ely, Vinny, and Berna. Couple of days later (the 23rd), back in the good ol' RP - but out from the 25th to 29th in Palawan.
Don't know where I'll get the energy though, since on the 30th/31st it's already tryouts for Australs. Blurble. But that's May for you, I can't tell yet whether it'll turn out well or badly, but at least there's a lot to do.