Hola I am back home

November 7, 2017 Tuesday

My sister prepared a delicious dinner of sinigang na kanduli, fried flounder fish, salsa, steaming hot rice. Dessert was halo-halo ice cream. The photos were in my Tmobile phone I left with her so she could answer calls and texts for me. I am leaving some work behind so for easier responses I left my phone with her.

I got two balikbayan boxes, one big maleta and my aqua blue handcarry.
PAL told me I was allowed 3 luggages free so I bought some Christmas decor pasalubong, not for us.

When I checked in, the PAL counter told me my box was too big. Dapat daw no bigger than 20x20x20. He advised me to bring it to this section so the guy could cut it by 3 inches. Good thing is my box is not over weight. I am allowed 70 lbs but all my luggage only weighed 30-40-50. Ang gaan.

For only $11 plus a dollar tip, this good guy cut my box by 3-4 inches, taped it, wrapped the whole box securely.

Bong and Len get up for work very early each morning so I told them to leave and not wait for me because they have work the next day. Inihatid pa rin ako just before I entered the security check area. My sister used to cry whenever she brings me to the airport but lately, she has no time to miss me because I show up at her door every so often. I’ll see her again next month.

My hand carry was singled out for drug or bomb testing so I spent some extra 15 minutes waiting for the security personnel to do it.

I stayed at the Mabuhay Lounge on the 3rd floor for only a few minutes before I went down to board at gate 9. PAL used to be at gate 7. When the airport manager saw me, he said “Ms. Annie Tan Yee! nabalitaan ko nagrepack ka daw. Sana tinawagan mo ako”. He was referring to my ovesized balikbayan box. Someone probably told him. Okay lang yun.

I am trying to avoid bringing an extra handcarry because I now find it hard to lift it to put in the overhead bin. Mabigat pa rin because of my laptop.

The flight attendant proudly told me the plane daw is PAL’s newest. Meron ngang additional box which is really very useful. Before, I had to keep my handbag in the overhead bin during taking off and landing. This time, it’s just right in front of me and anytime I need something, very accessible.

I ate a lot of rice and sinigang na kanduli for dinner o by the time PAL was getting my food choices, I had no appetite yet.

Just as I was about to pick up the small canape with tomato, the plane started shaking. Ano ba yan, nerbyos agad ako.

I took half a tablet of Bonamine to make me sleep.

Cheesecake with raspberry

Sleep, eat again, sleep, eat again, that’s what happen during long flights.

Midnight snack, arroz caldo

Ay salamat, breakfast time na, meaning malapit na kami sa Manila.

My dinner or lunch, tortang alimasag.

My breakfast, daing na bangus

Aside from y tortang alimasag, the pretty flight attendant went around serving gourmet tuyo, pampaalis ng suya.

The garlic bread was so matigas, muntik ng nalagas ipin ko.

Every flight, lagi na lang bakit ako lang ang tayo ng tayo. How come I am the only who goes to pee every hour? The other passengers don’t pee. Are they wearing catheters or diapers?

November 9, 2017 Thursday

We landed at NAIA Terminal 1. The airport looked nice and clean. Mabuti naman. And the immigration officers were at their booths all ready unlike before, nagkukwentuhan dun sa gilid.

I needed hands to help me with my boxes. I think I broke my right elbow, namamaga and it’s painful 24/7. I cannot lift heavy or even light stuff, ang sakit.

Nice Christmas trees.

I gave P50 tip to the guy who helped get my boxes and luggage from the conveyor belt. I paid P150 for each of the luggage and I gave this porter P50 tip. All sulit otherwise I would do all those things eh masakit nga braso ko and I lacked spinach.

Ayyy salamat meron ng taga buhat. They’ve been there since 4:30 am daw. Antok na ito. Our driver got his immigrant visa and is leaving us before Christmas. We will just visit him in LA where his nurse wife and family resides. Big time ano? US immigrant.

Lucy greeted me with a wag.

Antonia greeted me good morning and welcomed me with her tinolang manok for breakfast. I forgot to tell her I didn’t miss it.