When I woke up yesterday, June 24, 2008--I thought it's gonna be just another ordinary day. Well, I was wrong.
I hit the showers early for my appointment at the Philamlife Head Office, UN Ave. Manila. My friend Vins will bring her 56-year-old housekeeper Fanny for the required Medical Exam. When I sat down at the dining table, only Gio's breakfast was there. I realized the cook didn't know I was leaving early for Manila. It's good there was a bowl of left-over QUAKER OATS in the fridge. I had breakfast in a jiffy.
Lesson # 1: Don't forget to inform your cook the night before if you're leaving early so you won't be facing your client with a rumbling stomach.
After bringing my son to school, I dropped by my friend Mila's mansion to get her Authorization Letter so I could pick up her Medex results. The 3 of us (Nanay, Sister Mila and me) had our free VIP MEDEX at Healthway ATC then enjoyed our free breakfast buffet at Vivere Suites last June 9--a benefit exclusively for Philamlife VIP clients.
Anyway, it only took me less than hour to reach UN Ave. although I was driving at a relaxed speed. When I was about to enter the parking area of Philamlife, I was blocked by the big rope tied to the 2 ends of the posts. The first thing that entered my mind was, maybe the parking lot was under renovation.
I proceeded to Taft Ave. then turned right at Padre Faura then right again at M. Orosa. I parked my car along the pavement but was shocked to find out that the entrance door was also blocked. I asked the security guard and he informed me that (sigh) there's no office because it's "Araw ng Maynila" (double sigh). I immediately called Vins (thank God she's still home) that the office is closed. We agreed to meet Tuesday next week.
Lesson # 2: June 24 is Manila Day, hence all offices are closed. Before you make an appointment outside your residential area, consult or ask the proper authorities whether that date is a holiday or not. This way, you conserve time, energy, and most especially--the skyrocketing price of gas!
I left Manila with a heavy heart. How could I not know that June 24 is a holiday in Manila? In order to lift me up, I decided to turn right at MOA with the intention of buying a mini-cooler bag for Gio where he can place his Mango juice and ice-cold Milo. It's good that before I entered the open parking, I asked the attendant if the Hypermart was already open. I found out that it opens at 10 AM, simultaneous with the Mall. Strike 2! It's useless to wait for one hour there so I just went straight home.
Lesson # 3: It's a common notion that the supermarket opens ahead of the Mall itself. Well, not in MOA. Before you go to a supermarket you don't normally go, ask your neighbor or friends first what time it opens. Again, this is to save time, energy and gas.
Eia's class was 1 PM so we left the house @12:30 PM. Our cook asked me to buy a loaf of bread so after dropping off Eia in school, I parked in front of a bakery store just inside BF Resort Village. I went out to buy the bread, leaving Ate Ella inside the car. I was giving my money to the sales boy when I heard a feeble sound "Nora".
When I turned around, I saw the car going down the slope, stopping in the middle of the road, almost touching the car behind it. Faster than a speeding bullet, I raced to the car and brought it back to its former spot. The hand brake was up so I was really perplexed why it still went down the slope. We're just so lucky that there were no cars on the road during the time that it went down.
Lesson # 4: Pull the hand brake all the way up, making sure that it's in place when you're parking on a slope or anywhere for that matter. This is to avoid accident of any sort. What if there's a little boy or girl at the back of the car?
By mid-afternoon, I got an overseas call from my Aunt. She told me to check my BDO Account where she deposited money for the insurance premium of his son. Before going to BDO, we dropped by PETRON for gas. I looked for my SM Advantage Card (you earn points at PETRON in case you don't know) but it was nowhere to be found. Maybe it's in another bag, I said to myself. And I was right.
That night when I was fixing my bag which I was supposed to bring last June 22 for the Manila Run, my SM Advantage Card was there--together with my DRIVER'S LICENSE! That's when my knee trembled and I slumped on the bed.
Lesson # 5: When you change your bag, make sure all the important documents/things are transferred. What if the "accident" that afternoon affected cars or people? I didn't have my driver's license to show to the police! Just the thought of it caused me to shiver.
