DAY13: VIDEOKE AND MORE

it was my 13th day in singapore, and i went to see a couple of friends and former kids from the radio. i went to the eunos crescent to grab some breakfast: the usual. and SMSed a friend of mine, asking if the after-lunch meet-up was going to push through. he obliged after a few minutes, and so i went home to prepare for that.

1pm. first up was a lunch with my high school buddy, gilbert. on my way to orchard road, since we were meeting at the ion, i took the city hall interchange going to orchard. when i boarded the train, there was an old couple who were around 70 or 80 years old, already inside, clinging with their flimsy, old arms and hands to the center railing of the train. i was reminded of my own grandmother at home, and so i smiled at both of them. along with me went in a younger couple (compared to the two who were already inside; they were around 50). the train started moving and the lady of the younger couple lost balance and moved towards the older lady, almost squashing her to the railing. the next scene startled me. although she spoke in chinese, i could decipher from the hand gestures and tone of the voice that the younger lady was blaming the older lady for having been there, like it was her fault she almost got squished. i was speechless.

when i arrived at orchard, i went straight to ion (this is my first time to go to ion, and only my second to orchard road; i am so glad singapore is riddled with signages). i went up the escalator and the swarovski store welcomed me to ion. i let out a grin. gilbert SMSed and asked me to meet him in front of the Rolex store near the entrance to LV (are you reading this!?).

we took an escalator up to food republic and he treated me to apparently the most-soughtafter noodles in that part of the orchard, hokkien mee (fried shrimp with noodles), along with a drink made of carrot and oranges, plus poppia, which was like the lumpia back home. it was a scrumptuous lunch. gilbert then took the liberty of touring me around the malls in orchard road, inclusing takashimaya, ion, tangs, wisma atria and the infamous lucky plaza (where i could hardly breathe with all the kababayans who were there to buy) suka, toyo, boy bawang, chicharon, shingaling and everything else pinoy. (lucky plaza was indeed sort of the little philippines of singapore).

around 3pm, i got an SMS, and i had to rush to clementi to borrow a laptop, to see what the buzz was (and whether the email was good news or bad news). i bad gilbert goodbye, and thanked him for the great company, as always.

at that time, joei, my former DJ from lybat, who now works as a CSO in changi airport (you can find her easily; just ask around for the star of terminal 2), was well on her way to clementi. and so i rushed to the mrt station. below the station was a bus station, and joei was there waiting for me, and for bus78, which led to jake's house (another former DJ of mine).

at clementi, jake was gracious enough to cook dinner for us - heaps of macaroni. joei had her MAGIC SING with her, and we sang a couple of songs. and celebrated some good news. after a few hours, we went home... with jake offering that i use her laptop for the time being since i had none to use. i was hesitant at first, but jake insisted, and i was more than thankful to accept her offer of using her vaio.

on the way home, i realized how lucky i was, compared to other people who came to singapore empty-handed. i had the support of friends, my radio kids, my wife and kid, and everyone else whom i carried with me when i came to singapore. honestly, i only have money that is enough to keep me going for a month or so. but He makes ways to make sure i get by day-by-day... plus He also keeps watch of my two girls back home: grace and carla.

still here. pray for me. it'll be a helluva week. hey.