Let me tell you how my week has been. Including pictures minimized to a mere 3×2 inches, with 70% resolution. Hey, I�m helping out your server here: it�s approximately 250kb download all in total, so it�s pretty fast, me thinks. And yes, I also realized this was this first reason why I was so excited to have a digi cam: to add pictures in my blog at any given time. (the vain side, of course, screams �all the time�)
Crashing in Binondo
Mark had bullied me into conceding to accompanying him to Quiapo last Tuesday, July 27. He had said Maycee, my editor (news), asked him to take pictures of the fallen building in Binondo, Manila, and after which we should head over to Capitol Hospital near Pantranco in Quezon City. He had reckoned maybe I should be my unusual caring self and visit our close friend Liza�s mom who recently had a stroke. I don�t have qualms about that, really, and I�d gladly visit my friends� moms at any given time, of course, but I do feel a bit sad, not really on the fact that Tita (I�d call her that now; I�m sorry I forgot her name) had a stroke and all but more on I didn�t really have a chance to get to know her more; this would be the second time I would meet her and she would be in bed.

While waiting at Mc Donald’s Baclaran
So we trekked over to Binondo, with Mark cussing every now and then for my being late. I had to nag him a lot into taking in my (somewhat valid) excuse (I did a postcard for my cousin�s birthday using Fireworks) which really didn�t do much because basically, what can he do? I was already there anyway. He he. We took a jeep to Lawton because we didn�t know the jeep we rode wouldn�t pass Divisoria (insert Cambio�s DV [DiVisoria, get it?] song here), so we still had to take another jeep to reach the site. Mark didn�t know the place, and being the usual proud person that he was he wouldn�t ask the driver for directions, so we ended up unloading ourselves a mile away from the site.


Mark clicking away.
You should have seen the way Mark gasped when we finally reached the site. Upon arrival he immediately went to the nearest OIC and flashed a press ID, and you can almost hear his photographer instincts ticking while looking at everything. The crumbles, practically occupying every place it could land on, prohibited people to pass by the site. A few people still came to look at it, even though the wreck was a few days old. It would have been better though if there were wisps of smoke everywhere, but you could still imagine it by just looking at the broken stones everywhere.

Apparently there were no casualties because they vacated the place before it finally fell down at around 4pm�good news to everyone, bad news to the press. The building was already obviously reclining for a few hours before it gave way, so it gave the people ample time to clear the streets. Mark asked around, looking for possible witnesses, checking on the stats although he knew much about the incident. �For caption,� he reasoned. I just shrugged off.

Amidst the crumbles everywhere, a nearby pharmacy flashes this sign in front of their store.
We left the place in search for fruits next. We were asked to buy for pasalubongs earlier, so the task to find suitable apples and oranges (staple visitors� fruits, whaddya know) were on us as we trudged upon the street where the Divisoria mall is standing. I could see Candice and Tina everywhere, heh heh. The place is, of course, one of the majorly Chinese inhabited places in Manila, and although the place is no Don T. Mapua (we used to go there for this favorite restaurant, Hap Chan), I couldn�t help but smile while resisting the urge to grab my phone and text the ladies up.
We emerged with a bag of Fuji apples and oranges along with a few Kiwi fruits on the side. Predictable, really.
The White Corridors

Her room was overlooking a couple of red rooftops, which gave the illusion of a reddish afternoon. Not too distant was the Iglesia ni Cristo main church, which never failed to remind me of an alien starship (forgive me, dear Iglesians. It�s not a negative thing, really) if not a huge castle, ever since I was little.

The red rooftops.
It was a slight attraction for me, of course, but I highly doubt it if it served the same purpose for Tita, although if it seemed such a sad thing for me she apparently didn�t show it. She was really jolly, and it was as if her energy didn�t level down much what with us being her second batch of the younger generation visitors she had that day. Some classmates went there earlier, and they were already loitering around the halls while we chatted with Tita inside her room.
�Dadalawin ka daw ni Dao Ming Zhi,� Mark boisterously claimed as he came to Tita�s bed seconds after he entered the door. She was the second biggest mother fan I know of, aside from Mark�s mother. Once Liza asked me to use photoshop on her mom�s portrait, putting Jerry Yan on her side.
�Andito rin po si JC,� piped in Blessy, another classmate who came in with us. I shyly recoiled to the back a bit, hiding myself behind the towering figure of Mark.
�Ah, yung Best Actress?� she asked. She then motioned to the other visitors inside the room, �Eto yung bida dun sa ginawa nina Liza, oh! Siya yung Best Actress! Ay naku, mahal na mahal ko itong mga ito,� she was showing off a huge grin. I cautiously went near her, although wanting to slowly melt what with the others assessing me curiously, and I could almost read disappointment in their minds. Eto lang pala yung batang yun.
�Kamusta po?� I asked. She was still cheery.
�Eto. Baka lalabas na ako sa Sabado,� She launched into a dozen more stories of her condition which she didn�t seem to mind too much, like as if it was not stroke she got but some flu bug she caught. Later on when the other visitors left everyone filled the room, and the noise obviously transferred from the corridors to the room. Laughter. Stories. More laughter.
At 4pm we decided to go. Everybody bid their goodbyes one by one and promised to see her when she�s well again. I was the last to go. I held her hand, smiled, then bid my goodbye. I was about to head for the door when I stopped, realizing I was alone with her in the room.
�Alam ninyo po,� I started. I didn�t know how I was going to launch it. �nung nalaman po sa klase na nagkasakit kayo, lahat po gustong pumunta para bisitahin kayo,�
She smiled. �Talaga? Salamat naman.�
I nodded. �Opo. Lahat po sila nagkukuwento kung gaano po kayo kabait sa kanila.�
She grinned even more. �Talaga, ha?
I slowly nodded. �Nalulungkot nga po ako kasi, ngayon ko lang po kayo talagang nakilala. Nung una ko po kasi kayong nakita, saglit lang. Nung piyesta kina Mark. Kaya po gusto ko rin pong pumunta dito, eh.�
�Huwag kang magalala,� she tapped my hand, �pag nakaalis na ako dito sa Sabado, magpapawelcome party ako,�
�Sige po!� I laughed.
We exchanged more smiles. Then I bid my goodbye.
Yesterday’s Saturday. Hopefully, she already left the hospital for home.
Late na naman.
Late na naman ako for our meeting at 1pm last Wednesday sa office. At late din ako for our class, which was slated at two o� clock.
Sometimes, I really don’t know what�s making me do all these.

JD and I after class.

Me using the internet at the HF office. The guy behind me is Eric James, the brain behind the ingenious site, http://ijames.co.nr

J.E. checking his Nicksplat account.
Beneath the tall buildings

GT Tower. Sandwiched between RCBC and LKG Tower .
Thursday saw me accompanying Mark to Facial Care Clinic over at GT Tower in Ayala for a consultation regarding his facial sensitiveness. I waited at the lobby flipping over this Bluprint Magazine–something about architecture and arts, if I�m not mistaken. I was getting bored.

Bored stiff.
There was this feature about ten �hot� men of the arts and architecture world, which included Kuya Robert of the former GMA 7�s Art-Is-Kool main man and Manu Sandejas of Studio 23�s Detour. I didn�t know the latter works in advertising aside from being a host. After flipping a few pages, I chanced upon the write up on the fourth man, Cesar Augusto S. Concio III. I wondered if he�s related to Conch, which is also funny because Cesar uses the same nickname Clarissa S. Concio, the managing editor of MTV Ink, uses. Conch. Also known as the huge shell you put near your ears to hear the ocean.

Cesar Concio III. His grandfather apparently designed the Melchor Hall at University of the Philippines.

Inside the elevator.

Outside the building, with Mark on the side reprimanding me.
It required P28,000 to continue the treatment, Mark soon learned. He was glum all the way to Glorietta. Everybody knows as much as I do that he wanted more than anything to finally have his skin tested for its sensitivity which induced a lot of pimples, but 28,000 is not exactly in his priority list right now. To cheer him up, we decided to raid all the boutiques we wanted and invade their fitting rooms while silently taking pictures of ourselves inside. Mark found this really good sweater at Marks and Spencer which he reckoned looks good on him, so that somehow cheered him up.
I didn�t have copies of HIS photos, but after he found out I’d do this, he willingly gave me his poster. You’ll see him on the bottom of this page. For the meantime, this is my batch of weirdness:
Over at Calvin Klein. No, I was just wearing my usual clothes.


THIS was from CK.

From Whoops!

The cheerleader skirt Mark took from the racks and threw at my face.


No, I’m not pregnant.

You can click on the pic to see the large size.