i cant remember how many times ive said the “its been a week already” line. glad to hear from the weekend news that ely was discharged from the hospital today. by this time last week, eyva, fifi and I were having late dinner at north park, talking animatedly about the event that must not be named while munching on noodles, dimsum, squid and chicken.
by middle of august, philboro and I were still doubting if that event was really true. yes there were a lot of talks about it but only in the blog and email world. no confirmations were made by anybody except for the video interview of ely in 24 oras and raymunds mail in the subsandwich mailing list confirming the event. plus, there were controversies about the sponsorship. plus, its august already. plus, many other pluses. but despite all those ifs and buts and pluses, we still registered in that website set by the cig company, ideally for smokers 18 years old and above. philboro met the two requirements. i met only one. but who cares about the facts? magkakaroon ba ng smoker test sa gate to check if people going in are real, blue-blooded, nicotine addicts? i guess not.
so i clicked on ie. typed in the address that i guess everybody knows of already. responded untruthfully to the questions posed. and voila, done! i only needed to submit my id showing my birthdate. my company id doesnt have a birthdate box on it. so is my school id. i have neither an sss nor a drivers license. so theres no other option but to scan my passport and send it. and thats what i did...only after a few days later. and what did i get? the message telling me that they would need at least a week to verify and process the information. huwat? one week? pero sige lang...sige lang...
a week after, no words from the organizers yet. i was getting anxious. buti na lang i was adviced by one of my classmates to call the organizer and follow up on my username and password. she got hers the day after she submitted her id. so i did the same the following day. kaya lang i wasnt that lucky. by some stroke of (bad) luck, i cant get through the line. nauna pa si philboro na mapadalhan ng password kesa sa kin. umaga pa lang meron na sya. ako hapon pa. but when i logged on the website, huwaw! very informative! hindi nga lang tungkol sa banda haha in short, walang kwenta. i also adviced eyva and mayo uno to follow up on theirs, just in case.
aug 26, there were some gossips about the cig company cancelling the show. seemed like they werent able to get through the legal prohibitions of sponsoring the event. but eyva delivered the good news, theyre now selling the tickets! huwaw, salamat! and theyre holding it at the fort open grounds.
so the next day, my productivity dropped to almost zero since i did nothing but to call ticketworld and surf the net for new information about the golden ticket. umaga pa lang, i was already calling ticketworld every hour and theyre also consistent in telling me "maam hindi pa po available, try nyo before lunch". and when i did, the dialogue was "maam hindi pa po available, try nyo po after lunch". after lunch, philboro found this info that they were selling tickets at 1300 for the back area and 2000 for the front. syempre, 2000 na for a better view! and before the working day ended, philboro got the confirmation that ticketworld is indeed selling the tickets for 800 and 1300. ang saya saya!
pagpatak ng ikalima ng hapon, naglog out na si philboro. sumabay sya kay polar bear na may klase sa araw na yon. pagdating ng 6, ako naman ang naglog out. excited akong sumakay sa elevator pababa, sumakat sa shuttle at naglakad papuntang mrt. but when i got to the platform, lo and behold, napaaga ba ang concert? bat ang daming tao? kung sa ordinaryong sitwasyon, ok lang sa kin yun. mag-aantay lang ako ng tren at siguro ay sa pangalawang tren na sasakay para siguradong makaupo ako. pero ang sitwasyong kinalalagyan ko ng mga panahong iyon ay hindi ordinaryo! i was in an ordinary situation, an emergency that will compromise national security! buti na lang may dumating agad na tren. but lo and behold ulit, they were announcing the worst information i could think of in that situation "hindi po magsasakay ang parating na tren. hidni po magsasakay ang parating na tren". ano? baket? putik!
pero syempre wala akong magawa. wala akong magawa kundi magtext habang nag-aantay ng tren na magsasalba sa akin sa gitna ng kaswertehang iyon. tinext ko si sezy dezy, o ano pare, magpapabili ka ba? pasakay na ko ng tren. in 30 minutes asa cubao na ko. katext ko din si eyva na nagsabing hindi na magpapabili si mayo uno ng tickets dahil sya na lang ang bibili ng para sa kanya at sa pinsan nya. maya maya nagtext si philboro, tinatanong kung ang ticketworld ba ay nasa araneta mismo. oh no, hinde, ito ay nasa national na katabi ng gateway. dun sa bandang breadtalk. maya maya nagtext ulit, sabi hanggang 7 lang daw ang ticketworld. huwat? aabot pa ba ako? 30 minutes ang byahe mula taft hanggang cubao tapos tatakbo pa ko mula istasyon hanggang national. hmm mukhang medyo malabo. kaya kinapalan ko na ang mukha ko at tinawagan si philboro. tinanong kung pwede pa ba nya akong ibili ng 3 tickets. ngunit sa kasawiang palad, hindi na nya kayang magpaluwal pa ng 3 tickets dahil 3 din ang binili nya. huhu
maya maya, i saw the light. muntik na kong pumunta dun. akala ko yun na ang liwanag na magdadala sa kin sa langit. ngunit hindi pala. medyo lang. dahil ito ay liwanag na nagmumula sa headlight ng paparating na tren. agad akong pumuwesto sa may dilaw na linya kung saan magbubukas ang pinto. mangyari na kung anuman ang dapat mangyari pero kaylangan kong makasakay sa tren na ito. buti na lang magaling na kong sumiksik at sa wakas ay nakasakay din ako ng tren at nakaupo pa. pagdating ng magallanes station, may tumapat sa king buntis na ang tyan ay nagsusumigaw sa aking mukha ng, "paupuin mo ko!". ok fine, upo ka. kahit masakit na likod ko, sige lang. positive karma.
pagdating ko ng guadalupe, mga 645, nagtext ulit si philboro. nakabili na daw sya ng tickets. at may mga nakapila pa daw sa likod nya. kaya mula guadalupe hanggang santolan, wala akong ginawa kundi magdasal. sana po umabot ako. mula santolan hanggang cubao, inisip ko naman kung anong ruta ang dadaanan ko para mabilis akong makarating sa national. lalabas na ba ako agad ng farmers? o dadaan ako sa walkway tapos baba na lang ako sa hagdan sa may araneta? o diretsuhin ko na hanggang gateway tapos baba na lang dun sa may pizza hut?
paghinto ng tren sa cubao, para akong nasa amazing race. minumura ko na ang mga tao sa escalator dahil hindi ako makatakbo pababa. paglabas ko ng istasyon, lakad takbo na ginawa ko habang bumubulong ng sana po, umabot ako. lakad. takbo. hingal. takbo. lakad. daan ako sa walkway. baba sa hagdan sa may araneta. takbo ulit. pinapawisan na ako. pero wala akong pakialam!
pagdating ko sa national, diretso agad ako sa counter. sabay tanong, ms san yung ticketworld counter? hindi nagsalita si miss, tinuro lang ang katabi nyang babae na mukhang nagbibilang na ng perang pinagbentahan nya ng araw na yun.
ako: ms, pabili ng tickets para sa event that must not be named
ms: maam, sarado na po ako
ako: (cursing in my head pero nakangiti outside) ms baka naman pwede pa, please...(sabay ngiti ng pagkatamis tamis)
ms: sige maam (isinoli sa lalagyan ang pera at nagbukas ng pc)
ms: ilan po maam?
ako: 2 sa patron. tumatanggap ba kayo ng card?
ms: opo (sabay kuha ng card. nagtype sa pc. niswipe ang card sa terminal)
ako: (nagtext agad kay eyva, pare, may tickets na tayo yahoo!!!), text din kay philboro, yey! umabot ako!)
sa mga oras na yun ay may pumila na sa likod ko. mga 3 o apat yata sila.
ms: nagdadial sa telepono. hindi daw sya makakonek
ako: kinakabahan
ms: dial.dial.dial. sabay dialogue ng "hello, may credit card transaction ako. hindi ako makakonek sa server eh. hindi ko alam kung nacharge na to". mahabang patlang. baba ng telepono. click ulit sa mouse. hidni pa rin makakonek. click ulit sa mouse. wala pa rin. sabay dialogue dun sa katabi nya ng "hindi na ko makakonek"
ako: sa loob loob ko, ay wag na wag mong sasabihin saking hindi mo ko mabebentahan ngayon. magwawala ako dito.
pagkatapos ng ilang minuto...
ms: maam hindi na po ako makakonek.
ako: pano yan?
ms: try nyo na lang po ulit bukas. 10 am po kami magbubukas
ako: ano? available na ba tickets online?
ms: hindi po ako sure.
ako: *nakasmile* ms patry naman ulit. baka pwede na. (wag na wag tatarayan ang mga nasa counter pag klangan mo ng pabor. yan ang natutunan ko sa 2 taon ko sa trabaho)
ms: try ulit. click sa mouse. wala pa rin. click sa mouse. wala pa rin. sabay dialogue ng "maam ayaw talaga eh"
babae sa likod ko: sa ibang outlet ba, meron?
ms: maam, buong ticketworld po to eh. til 7 lang po kasi kami kaya baka hindi na kami makakonek kasi magaalas otso na". bukas na lang po maam
ako: eh pano yung card ko? pano ko malalaman kung nacharge?
ms: checkeck ko po. *sabay tawag ulit sa telepono*
ms: maam, nacharge po pero papavoid ko na lang.
ako: ha? nacharge na? (isip isip ng paraan to use that fact to my own advantage) ms since nacharge na, pwede bang pagprint mo na ko ng tickets bukas tapos daanan ko na lang?
ms: naku maam, hindi po ako ang tao dito
ako: eh di ibilin mo dun sa papalit sa yo.
ms: naku maam, hindi po pwede. ipapavoid ko na lang po yung transaction
ako: *still not giving up* eh paano ko malalaman? wag nyo na lang pavoid, print mo lang ako ng tickets bukas.
ms: hindi po talaga pwede eh.
ako *resigned* sige kunin ko na lang name ko para just in case hindi navoid, may babalikan ako
ms: sulat sa papel ng pangalan at phone number.
ako: lumabas sa national na luhaan, at lulugo lugo. sabay text kay eyva ng, pare, i failed (or something to that effect). and asked her to check if the tickets were already available online.
while walking towards the foodcourt where i was meeting my sister (we're supposed to study together), i was still thinking about the golden tickets. pagdating ko sa foodcourt, i found my sister waiting. hay, hidni ako makakapayag. so i just dropped my bag, got my card, went downstairs and headed to netopia. i was already at the ground floor when i realized that i had no cash with me. ang galing! so i went to the atm machine but boy was i so lucky that day, allied was out of service. so i had to go back to the foodcourt to get cash.
when i got to netopia, 815 na. whew, siguro naman aabot ako. so i typed, www.ticketwolrd.com.ph. opening website. error. argh! so i typed again. error ulit. type ulit! type! type! type! sa wakas, nag open. at andun sa may header, earserheads reunion concert. buy now. syempre click agad. pero ang bagal. so open ulit ako ng 1 pang window. ticketworld ulit. mabagal ulit. pagcheck ko sa isa, uy choose seats na. click patron. submit. pagkatapos, account information naman. at dun na ako sinwerte ng todo todo. biglang nag error. argh! 845 na! but i tried one more time. wala pa rin. so i resigned. sige na nga.pag uwi ko na lang sa bahay.
when i went back, hindi na ako makapag aral. i was just staring at the labor code in my hands. my sister and che were reviewing spanish and i was reviewing the events that just transpired. ano ba to?
by 1030, nag aya na kong umuwi. pagkabihis ko, inatupag agad ang laptop, at nagconnect sa internet. once again, i opened the site. buti na lang online din sina dory, henyo at polar bear so we chatted while i was waiting for the site to open. nagopen naman, ang bagal nga lang. so i asked the help of the dsl powered people, i.e. dory and polar bear. we simulatenously were trying to buy 2 tickets for the event that must not be named. at around 1145, polar bear was officially the winner. yeba, may tickets na ko! syempre, text agad kay eyva.
the following morning, i excited na ko kahit na hindi ko pa makukuha ang tickets kasi may klase pa kami ni polar bear. we were supposed to claim it at moa friday night. but since i was already assured of a seat, i emailed everyone na. fifi replied and said that she wanted to go too! haha we have a problem here fifi. told her to drop by ticketworld but since we were worried about the availability of the tickets, i volunteered to check if i could buy tickets for her online. but just like my previous attemps, i failed. but that night, i was able to buy tickets for her and mayo uno, hassle-free! *isang tulog na lang, jollibee na naman*
tapos, sabado na! i went to work early so that i could leave early. twas a great day. or so i thought. like the usual, i attended my 207.2 class. by 230, biglang umulan. ng pagkalakas lakas! oh no, doomsday na ba? so i texted eyva, fifi and mayo uno but gladly, they said na wala namang ulan sa makati. at around 345, i was already anxious. naku, baka mag overtime ulit si sir. by 4, the report was cut. but to my dismay, namigay pa ng exam questions. and worse, nagdiscuss pa! huhu while he was discussing about the concept of prisoner's dilemma, i intentionally shut my mind off. ayoko ng makinig! gusto ko ng umalis. after a few minutes of talking, he finally decided to let the class go. woohoo, ako yata naunang lumabas sa pinto. but lo and behold, ang lakas pa rin ng ulan! not the ambon-like ulan or the tikatik-like ulan. when i say malakas, its the kind of rain that we have pag may bagyo. as in malakas! pero bahala na si batman, for the love of the band! sinuong namin ni donna ang kalakasan ng ulan papuntang waiting shed. there we waited for a cab. wait lang ng wait. but you know cabs, when you need them, wala sila. and when you really really need them, walang wala talaga sila. so again, armed with a tiny umbrella, we braved the heavy downpour and walked towards the checkpoint. buti na lang ang mga jeep, hindi kasing corny ng taxi at nakasakay agad kami. at buti na lang ulit sa edsa pa lang, wala ng ulan. god is so great.
when i got to mrt's ayala station,bumaba ako sa may forbes side. but wait, sino tong mga taong nakikita ko. mga nakaitim. dementors ba sila? it turned out, madami ding nakaisip ng iniisip ko so i had to change my strategy. masyadong madaming competitor. so akyat ulit ako ng stairs and went to the other side.
first stop was sm's taxi line. but no, ang haba ng pila. try ulit sa glorietta. at oh no ulit, haba ulit ng pila! buti na lang sa hindi kalayuan, may nakita akong isang taxi lane pa, na walang pila! so ipinagpara agad ako nung guard ng taxi.
at si manong, sya ang favorite kong tao nung oras na yon. when we got to mckinley, the traffic was terrible. as in hindi gumagalaw ang sasakyan! buti na lang nahahawa ako sa pagiging kalmado ni manong. he was listening to this radio station where you could hear people say amen every minute. and manong was making a sign of the cross every so often. after maybe about 30 minutes, madami na kong nakikitang direction papuntang event site. grabe ang saya saya ko. when i got to the honda entrance! yahoo, gusto kong ihug si manong sa pagdadala nya sa kin dun safely. i was so happy that i gave him a hundred bucks even if the meter said i just had to shell out 70 bucks.
pagbaba ko ng taxi, grabe, festive atmosphere! pagkakita ko pa lang stage, gusto ko nang maiyak sa tuwa! jusko lord, totoong totoo na nga! hindi pa rin makapaniwala eh haha
when i got inside, gusto ko agad sumigaw! woohoo...parang isang malaking up fair! familiar get up. jeans, chucks, dark-colored tops. at may mga taong nag-aaral habang nakaupo sa damuhan. hmmm...asa sunken ba ko? syempre, hinanap ko agad sina eyva at fifi na nakita ko after 100 years. hehe para kaming nagtataguan.
we didnt go near the fence between patron and vip. dun kami sa elevated area near the mcdonalds booth. since it was only a lttle past six, medyo maluwag pa. nakaupo pa kami ng maayos. pagdating ng 7, ayan medyo sumisikip na. at pagdating ng 8, hindi ka na talaga pwedeng umupo dahil sa siksikan.
at pagdating ng 810, gustong sumabog ng puso ko sa tuwa. at todo lakas ng boses ko sa pagsigaw. grabe, talo nito feeling ng inlove! wahaha it was pure bliss!
and the rest is history.
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this is the 3rd reconstruction of what i wrote earlier. i was almost done. nasa kalahati na ko nang bigla kong mapindot ang hindi ko alam kung anong key at nawala ang sinulat ko sa loob ng 1 oras. tapos nung tapos na ko, as in tapos na, bigla naputol internet connection ko. ano ba!
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