it has been awhile since i've been in quezon city as a commuter. the last time i toggled from FX to jeepney to bus to cab to trike and all things in between and back was when i reviewed for the bar examinations at the UP Law Center in 1998. wow, that's 15 years ago! oh well, to make the long story short, i didn't make it in the bar exams, and have since carved a niche elsewhere. :)

anyway, it was a journey filled with great intentions (curative education for children with special needs) but it was likewise fraught with apprehensions especially when it came to traveling to, around, and from quezon city. but what do you know...angels were everywhere!

day 1 - iloilo-manila

arrived at the NAIA on time! but oh wow...the wait at the airport taxi cab terminal took me an hour! i could practically still remember that i was seated to a couple to my right and an american to my left. we were like playing trip to jerusalem as we transferred from chair to chair as our turn approaches.

the driver was a talker and he has a heart for special children (he supports a special child) so our conversation was a great one. i was so glad to have helped him about referring the child to a developmental pediatrician for assessment. 

with a backpack and a big bag, i arrived at the senate of the philippines garbed in jeans, a t-shirt, and raincoat, with only my fuchsia lipstick reminiscent of my corporate look in days gone by. ( i used to work in this place :)).  it was a good thing one of the guards remembered me so even if i looked suspicious, i was led in after they checked on my bags, of course. i went to the office of senator bong marcos where my friend works and also went to the office of senator serge osmena where my other friend works and met up with another friend who works at the gsis, who used to work at the senate, too! we ended up dining at cafe breton where i indulged in my favorite - la pinay (dessert crepe with mangoes, chocolate, and ice cream).

at cafe breton, sm mall of asia . photo courtesy of sheryl

day 2 - fairview to seameo-innotech to UP teacher's village

i used to hear jokes about fairview being referred to as "far-view" and i experienced it myself to validly say that indeed, yes, it is quite far from everywhere! via cab, it took me around 15 minutes to reach the venue of our workshop and it costs around php155.00. but the route was so easy coming from fairview because all you have to do is travel straight along commonwealth avenue and then make a right to PNRI.

i spent the entire day at the workshop and had lunch at ayala technohub by default. (we were not allowed to have lunch at the cafeteria of seameo because the food for the employees weren't enough so we had to make a 15-minute trek to the nearest food place). lunch at bon chon chicken where i ended up eating bulgogi. :)

one of my artworks at the workshop

after the workshop, my kind-hearted seatmate offered me a ride to UP teacher's village where i was going to meet a friend for dinner at their house. the thing was, she got stuck in traffic from makati, and i was bored waiting at seattle's best coffee along matalino road (where i had sea salt caramel mocha) and explored the area instead just walking around. pretty soon i already found myself at the philippine heart center so i literally had to go back before i get lost! i went to a korean grocery store, dropped by 7-11 but still no sign of my friend. eventually, i took a trike to their house upon her advice to meet her husband and two lovely girls. she arrived around an hour later still! we feasted on her husband's cooking (soup with ribs, sausages, shrimps, and ginger tea). i had so much fun playing with the little girls so time flew so fast! they brought me to fairview.

day 3 - fairview to seameo-innotech to rockwell to airport

for 2 nights, i stayed at the house of my friend in fairview. it was eid ul fitr last friday so my friend finally had the time to have her driver escort me to the venue. arriving at seameo, i immediately asked one of the organizers if there's anyone going to makati after the workshop and lo and behold i got myself a ride! during lunch, it was yellow cab (spaghetti) for us, again at the ayala technohub. after the workshop ended, i got a free ride to the powerplant mall where i met up with other friends from the senate at a tea place called twg. they serve dinner, too! i had their lasagna infused with morroccan mint tea and chocolate tea.

with my cup of chocolate tea

the culinary expert and the lawyer

we capped the night by having another cuppa (this time a hot choco for me) at ucc one rockwell before they brought me to the airport.

all's well that ends well?

well, just before powerplant mall closed my shoe broke and i had to buy a new pair at the trunk show! i arrived at NAIA at 12 midnight and my boarding time was 4 hours later so...i slept on the floor of the terminal because the pre-departure area wasn't open yet. after i checked-in, i slept again on the chairs this time. oh well, when the plane touched down, my husband and son fetched me. i'm home.