Jan 28 – Friday. Fast and Furious!

I set the alarm for 530am, as usual. When it rings, I look to the other clock in the room, see it’s 530 indeed, and turn off my phone’s alarm.

Here’s the killer part. When I open my eyes again, it’s 8 friggin 30 already!!! Holysh1t! And I have a 9am meeting!

So I rush off to the bathroom, take a quick shower (what can I say, I’m Filipino. Kahit malamig, Kelangan maligo.), dress up and haul @$$ to the office. Jetta, don't fail me now!

Luckily, I’m right on time. 9 am Hahaha! Meeting was supposed to be from 9-12, with a continuation if needed at 1. Junjun comes by at around 1130 to remind me about his favor - for me to meet him at the Sun Valley mall so we could return his car and I could drive him back home. I tell him, maybe 1-130 is a good time.

I cancel the lunch with Bey at 12, coz it seems Balaji and Albert have no plans of relenting at our meeting. Hehehe! We finish, thankfully, at 1 pm. Balaji has to go to an outside appointment, and Albert is asking where to eat. I told him, I gotta step out first.

I rush over to the Mall, get there at around 115 pm, and see Junjun waiting outside the Avis office. He says I’m right on time coz no one’s inside yet. I come up with this idea: what if I traded the Jetta for his Malibu, which he praises to high heavens for its features, comfy ride, heated seats, XM radio, and less thirst compared to the Jetta, all for the same price?

As we walk to the car to head for the gas station, the Avis lady arrives. She’s Karen, a Filipina who Junjun has met previously. I ask her if I could trade the Jetta for the Malibu. She agrees, and immediately asks me about the mileage. I said, I’d check the mileage first, and gas it up, since I only came up with the idea 5 mins prior.

So we gas up at the nearby Chevron, where I find out it’s different here now. You’d have to pay first. The last time out, in 2006, you could just swipe your card first, gas up and then get your receipt. Now, even if you’re paying with a card, you’d still have to pay a random, estimated amount first then pump after. Oh well.

Back at Avis, I get the Malibu transferred to me. Yahoo, I think. We engage Karen in some banter about the Philippines and coming home. When she’s done processing the papers, I sign them, and we’re on our way.

Yes, the Malibu indeed feels like a bigger car. Bigger than Buzz. The ride is comfy, but not as sharp as the Jetta. Power comes earlier, I suppose thanks to the v6, but it’s not a swift kick, coz of the vehicle’s weight.

I bring Junjun back to the hotel, where we find his limo waiting for him already. (Note to self, be ready early when you go home, they’re punctual and you don’t want to keep them waiting.) I then head back to the office, and have some time to appreciate the Malibu alone. Its rims remind me of the stockers on the Camry. Hehehe! And its size will be just right when Rain, Shirley and JM arrive. Imagine us in the Jetta. Hahaha!

I work till I get hungry, which is about 4. I IM Bey and ask him for food. He pops in a little later, with some goldilocks polvoron. Hehehe! And he’s the one from here. But more on that later.

Bey takes a walk with me so we could buy food. He suggests Jollibee at Seafood City. I look at him and blurt out, “You serious?” So we drive over to a Mexican place a few miles away to get a burrito. He orders it for me and pays for it. Thanks Bey. And then we head back to the office, where I devour it at the office.

Inom! Bey suggests. So I say why not at my hotel. He declines. Ma-am would kill him. Hahaha! I can imagine if the situation were reversed. Hestia would have my hide.

So he counter-offers. Why not just drive over to Tracy and spend the night with him and his family. Why not?

I call Hestia to tell her about it, and she encourages me to do so. It’s about 30 miles or so to Tracy, if I remember right, or about an hour. Garmin knew where to go, so I was confident I’d find it.

Bey calls me back to ask about the plan. I say, it’s a go! I’d have to go back to the hotel, unload on my throne, pack, and then get going. So I told him to go ahead and I’d follow. It sure beats having to convoy all throughout.

I also call our friend, Gigi, who I’ve met once, in 2006, and who also lives in Tracy. Junjun and I were supposed to treat her to dinner last Thursday, but she declined coz she had a prior appointment. She’s pleasantly surprised to get the call, but happy to meet up the next day at lunch.