Lesson One

*I posted this more than four years ago, during my first week moving to Cebu. I quit my job with People Asia and decided to take a marketing post for a film school. It was an interesting time in my life. 

Things I learned from my first day moving to Cebu

- My problem is not that I have too much crap. My problem is I cannot part with any of them. Like, to the level of me panicking and bringing along six pieces of luggage and boxes through the airport counter.

- I have found the solution to my air tummy sickness (I just made that up. Can you tell? Like, really?): Don't sleep the night before your flight, walk half-dazed and half-stressed out through the airport, sleepwalk your way to the plane, fall into a coma during the flight and wake up tummy-ache free. A little crazed, but still, tummy-ache free.

- Bringing a plate from the canteen to your department's pantry can be a cause of controversy. Really.

- The fact that our company system prevents me from logging in to blogger and my personal E-mails is a source of great distress. Like I want to kill one of the owner's ostriches and slather its blood all over our building's orange facade. Where are my pills, damn it?!

- The presence of a 24-hour internet cafe pleases me.

- My anxiety over the possibility of embarrassing myself in public transportation is alarming. Especially in multicabs. (This might be attributed to the fact this appears be one of the remaining few types of PUVs where I have not lost a cellphone.)

- The absence of 50 or so fast food restos within 100 feet of my stomach would apparently be good for me. However, I am already feeling crazy-wild, like I am in some sort of evil-cholesterol-and-sugar-binge-eating-withdrawal-and-want-a-spicy-chicken-sandwich-like-right now.

- I find comfort in P30 meals and P6 fares. It's like I can live off the coins in my pocket.

- I should really stop being so shocked over malls that close down at seven-thirty pm and accept the fact that there are people out there that do not take into consideration my after seven-thirty pm retail needs.

- There is something really endearing (or depraved) about missing people whine, scream, play tag and lapdance at three in the morning.

- Sometimes people (my brother for instance) can really surprise you with I-never-knew moments that can cause you to tear up in the middle of the line at the airport. And I'm serious. Those are the moments that make me rethink my whole plan for world rulership and make me think that maybe the idea of me having heart isn't some myth.