Alabang Shebang

28 July 2013

Been currently employed! What a surprise for me! I’ve been given access to prestigious research institutions in the Philippines, first was NIH, now RITM. And I am still apprehensive as to where this would bring me.

First was emailing my CV. The next thing I was called for an interview. The interview last Friday, July 19 led me to travel to Alabang. Instructions on how to get there care of ivanlakwatsero. What an inspiring blog he has. I was bold online to attempt chatting him on FB. The same day as that fated interview, dad called to tell us he would being arriving in Manila and that we should be prepared to meet him a little after midnight. Sam and I rushed on our general cleaning preparations. The three of us had no sleep until the next morning.

Before the interview I didn’t get to bathe and that was how it was when I traveled early Saturday morning to Calapan. Mom was to meet with dad and I was to look after Shiela. The travel went well. I was into my thinking mode again through window glimpses at the SLEX and how poetic I thought this sounded: Let the grass and the running asphalt intertwined tell the story of my life. The recompense I had was the trip inclusive Thai action movie with all its slow-motion different camera views for the action scene. They made muay thai appear as the art of both force and grace. I felt I have not given it the credit it deserved by enjoying it not as immensely as I usually would if I were on my receptive state. Back home with Shiela, I was able o do nothing. I was at odds about where I should be, what I should be doing, what purpose there is for my lie. For the first time since The Voice local franchise aired, I was able to watch it after that tear-streaked viewing time for Carlo Aquino’s MMK episode. I slept with Shiela on my arms. She’s such a wonderful, very blessing and inspiring child. As much as I would want to stay with her, I have to grow too.

I knew that. Even if belatedly, I accomplished what was expected of me. Michiko looked like a gray tiger cub in his three little pig’s-like stone house. Fluffy still looked juvenile, the same as when I left her.

The next day, I did nothing again until I had to rush on getting back to Manila for the first day of work on Monday. Mom and dad arrived before I was even ready. Our kind-natured neighbors dropped me off by the municipal road where I rode Ka Pael’s trike to the port.

On the bus, Jack the Giant Slayer was playing and I missed most of its parts because one of my fellow passengers started preaching. It was a novelty. My seatmate was all fatherly he was laughing at my reactions to the movie.

Since then it has been work time for me. I don’t want the idea of I don’t belong and I am not needed here again to take root in my being. I was carefully observing what everyone else was doing, trying to make small talk with each one.

Day 1: Not so late. Still trying to find out what I should be doing in the lab. Sir Philip and Ma’am Pearl were the people I talked to and was with most of the time. Why not? We were on the Enterics team. Basically. I was like Sir Philip’s shadow, trailing after him. Had a free ride in Sir Edson’s lift from RITM to the terminal with Ma’am Pearl, and Sir Jun. Though I was exhausted, I pushed on with shopping for groceries. Made use of tape as hair clip for today.

Day 2: No buses in Manila starting this day. I scrambled to make it early. Good thing I heard Ma’am Jo and Ma’am Pearl and Sir Mark (He just told me last Friday to not call him Sir but this was last Tuesday, an exception) talking about how I would get to Alabang via the LRT-Alabang jeep route. We had ice cream too during lunch. I was almost sure I am late since I was struggling to find the cybervan to RITM. I wasn’t late and I followed Sir Philip around again while humming and reading to myself about Department of Micro basics. Way back home I was on the bus marked Plaza Dilao. Just where could Plaza Dilao be? I was seated beside a man whom I thought was drunk. He was friendly but his breath smelled differently during his frequent coughing that I was somehow alarmed that he might be infected with TB. He reminded me so much of Tetsuro from About His Brother. I was almost sorry I had to be indifferent to him. There was this ruckus at the street by Quirino cor. Pedro Gil. Soon a man, a civilian in black, was helping the traffic enforcer with the traffic under the seldom tiny drops that were still falling. The road decongested. Only then did I realize that that man was Carlos Celdran. The bus driver told me I was impatient. Oh yes I was. I attempted to alight somewhere before P. Gil and Vito Cruz. Good thing the bus driver intervened with that foolish plan. I came home to cook dinner and sleep. I felt drained from lack of sleep.

Day 3: I went on the wrong route. This commuting adventure got me a late mark on my timecard. The bus travelled the Las Pinas route and the jeep left me more impatient in the Alabang Metropolis traffic. Commuting is teaching me patience and prudence. I have short supply of these apparently.  I’m sorry that when I arrived Sir Philip was done with bench A work, receiving specimens and doing preliminary work-up. He was still kind enough to allow me to work with API 20 NE. It’s fun! Bought rice and upo from Don Robert’s with Ma’am Joy for lunch. Sir Armand and Ma’am Mel shared me their meatballs with misua and upo meal. Pushed on to get load using paper bills from the automated load machine despite the pains we both got during our last encounter. Through Ma’am Bing and Ma’am Winnie’s help, I got my load! Dad arrived today back in Manila and it made me more taxed that I had to endure this FTI – Pasay Rtd jeep line. I didn’t know better. I just overheard Ms. Pearl telling me that I should ride the Rotonda jeep. It’s raining again. I came home to tinola and fried chicken cooked by dad. I came home late I didn’t do anything more.

Day 4: This time I’m early. API reading for me! I was ‘microscoping’ on India ink and Gram stained smear.  This was my “atribida” day. It was implied to me that I am an atribida. Maybe because when Alissa was asking about ONPG and she said ornithine I said yes. My bad. It was very easy to assume that I was playing know-it-all.

Day 5: Plating! Oh how fun! I was actually practicing somehow. When I was performing API tests last time, I was thrilled and fulfilled. I had my quiet concentration time. I loved it! There’s peace in what I was doing. And now, plating, Sir Philip said I had to have a light hand during streaking, akin to painting and coloring. It was my first time to buy barbecue from the cafeteria I accidentally subscribed myself to the COOP discount. How much fun this is! Ma’am Sally was also giving a lecture on sensitivity testing. I am in a place where I would work with experts. It’s great!