one day...

Ever had a full day? Here's mine:


Worked for eight hours in the office, battling about 150 emails, answering calls, drafting reports. In the middle of it all I had to pick up the books I ordered, requested new ID pictures, and filed a loan. I ate lunch with Susan at Yoshinoya in SM Megamall, then we went to the home section, where Susan somehow convinced me to buy 30 neon green dinner plates for when we entertain at home. (I had not stopped to think that 30 people will not actually fit in my house.)


At 4pm I opened my notes for my Management class. I missed the first session last week because I was taking care of my dad's wake, and we had a case analysis to submit. By the time I progressed to the list of my assignments for Managerial Accounting I was seriously rethinking the wisdom of my decision to get an MBA at Ateneo.


Had class from 5:30 to 9:00 pm. I declined my husband's offer to fetch me because I thought there'd still be a shuttle--- but there was none. So I took an aircon bus to Alabang. But the bus stopped at the queue in Ayala. After half an hour people were muttering their annoyance, and since it was already quite late I started asking the driver how much longer we are staying in the queue.


The driver would only say that it's the way it's done; they have to queue and pick up passengers, and if we're in a hurry, so is he. He even said that if we were such in a hurry we should have taken a taxi home. The nerve! So I decided to get off and transfer to a new bus. The driver was outside. I asked him if they would charge a different fare for my ticket since we were only in Ayala, but he said they don't allow refunds, and I could complain to authorities if I wanted to. Besides, he said, his conductor was somewhere else at the moment, so we could not discuss the ticket. We started arguing, and I realized that it was 10:30 pm, I was wearing a nice dress and high heels, I was hungry and I needed to pee, and I was fighting with a loud-mouthed, ill-mannered, long-haired driver over a P46.00 fare.


So I transferred to an ordinary bus that bounced and roared and rattled, but I could have kissed the old sweat-smelling, road-grimed driver when we reached Alabang in 15 minutes. I got there ahead of my husband and had to wait 15 minutes more. I cursed the aircon bus driver all the way home.


When we got home I thought of eating only some oatmeal, because it was already 11:30 pm and I had to wake up early, but the food on the table was ginataang alimango at kalabasa, and in the fridge was buko pandan. I forgot the bus driver and the oatmeal. I was still eating one hour later.


Since I was afraid to sleep on a full stomach I rearranged my clothes cabinet, and by 1:30 am I decided my digestion process is well on the way, so I went to bed.


Then the baby woke up at 3 am for her bottle. And again at 5 am. I have to get up at 5:30 am because I have to bring my 7-year-old to school.


Sometimes you have to sigh. :-)