CW:        (sleepy voice) Boozie…     

JC:           Good morning sweet.

CW:        Booziepie… good morning.

JC:           I thought you’d call me on my landline.

CW:        Tamad pa ako bumaba eh.

JC:           Aah…

CW:        What time are you leaving? Breakfast ka na?

JC:           Not yet. 10 minutes.

CW:        Is Joyce there?

JC:           No, I think she left already.  I think I saw her in my room earlier wearing a uniform so maybe she went to school.

CW:        Ha??? Okay, bye!

JC:           (laughs)

CW:        Si Joyce ang gusto ko makausap eh.

JC:           (laughs) Wasn’t she so cute last night?

CW:        (laughs) Ya, she’s burping while talking… parang ikaw!!! I wanna see her in her uniform! (Blah blah) 

JC:           Thanks for calling sweet.  Bye.

CW:        Bye. 

I unhooked the phone from the charger, grabbed my iPod and stuffed it in my bag. By 8am, I was all set to go.  I took a last look at my room before I locked the door and slowly went down the stairs.  As I approached the dining area, my eye caught a strange figure in the living room.  I did a double take! I saw a white Chinese face!  It’s Bubba!!!  My heart totally leapt.  I don’t think I’ve ever felt that surprised in recent years.  It felt like my heart did a somersault inside my rib cage. I dropped my bag and ran to him.  I kept saying, “Oh my G. Oh my G.”  And I haven’t said that phrase in a long looong time.  I had to cover my mouth because I was gaping. I hugged him and I couldn’t erase the dumb smile off my face. We kept laughing and when my excitement died down, we went to the dining table and had breakfast. It was not the first time that he brought me to the office. He had given me a ride to work several times before. But this morning, I had no idea he was going to bring me to work. I kept yapping how it was so unbelievable for him to wake up that early. We had garlic rice, egg and the crunchiest and yummiest ham (I don’t like ham) I ever tasted. I checked my packed lunch of apple slices and seasoned it with pepper, which Bubba found weird.  Then we were off.   As we were nearing the drop-off area of the building, I collected my things. Sigh of happiness.  A little random thing on a normal day makes a huge difference.  I gave him a peck on the cheek and sauntered off happily. 

What a truly great start for the week!

We went straight to Sofitel (formerly known as Westin Philippine Plaza).  Bubba didn’t know what I had up my sleeves.  Maybe he was thinking I found a new restaurant to discover.  Early that week, I made a call and inquired about the 4^th of July event from the American Association of the Philippines (AAP), whose number I lifted off from their website (http://www.americanassociationphilippines.org). The AAP in collaboration with MTV Philippines and Sofitel Philippine Plaza hosted its annual July 4^th U.S. Independence Day Celebration on July 1, 2007.  This event was held at Sofitel poolside gardens and sunset pavilion, which I used to frequent back in college for solitude and tranquil afternoons. It was really set for a family day with different activities such as Uncle Sam’s costume parade, kid’s on-the-spot painting contest, other kid’s games and activities, Philippine Marching Band parade, fire truck and canine rescue demonstration, patriotic art contest, auction, raffle prizes and a 4^th of July Barbeque Buffet!  MTV organized a Battle-of-the-Bands where the winning band will get a music video fully sponsored by MTV!  Bands from Brent International School, De La Salle, Ateneo and Assumption joined. Maggie Wilson, MTV VJ and reigning Binibining Pilipinas Ms. World, hosted the celebration together with “Uncle Sam.”  It was an all-afternoon party with great American music from the Bloomfields and song and dance performances from Paris Hilton, Shakira and Beyonce impersonators. The winning band was the youngest in the competition.  Their music was some kind of Fall-out Boys and Gin Blossoms mixture, which was the music that most in the crowd liked. The barbeque buffet was not the long stretch of food I was expecting.  I was craving for “falling-off-the-bone” ribs that night and didn’t get it.  Sofitel wait service could have been better though.  Nevertheless, the food was good.  I liked their nachos and chili con carne (almost as good as mine! Haha, j/p.), which had a little kick to it but it didn’t destroy the savory tomato and beef flavor. We also had grilled burgers, gigantic fries, potato gratin, creamed dory, grilled hotdogs, among others.  I guess it was kind of limited because the proceeds mostly go to the fundraising. To cap the event off, a spectacular fireworks display painted the night sky with sparkling hues.  It was one of the most beautiful fireworks displays I’ve seen and standing next to my LP on the luscious greens of Sofitel really made it all the more special. 

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/193/07_0701-_4th_of_July_at_Sofitel