For those of you who've been to Manila, you'll know that this place is crazy... way crazier than Singapore but not as crazy as say Bangkok. Leaving your hotel late for a flight is not a good idea. In fact it's very far from a good idea. I think it's what you might call a bad idea. A really bad idea!
It all started last night. Went to the Podium (or Pojioom as the cab driver would have me call it) for dinner. Pojioom is a mall about 5km from my office. But in the evening it should take about 45 mins. Not so bad. Caught up with a long lost old friend who I saw after a gazillion years! Had a couple of coffees, the first of which was weaker than Munaf Patel's throwing arm (if you don't know cricket - just ignore the reference to it.. but read on). For the second one, well, I asked for a strong coffee. And she went around the entire mall and the 3.5 barangays and 2 villages surrounding the mall, found all the caffeine she could find, and pumped it into my coffee. I suspect she also added a dash of red bull in it... just in case.
Headed back to the hotel soon after and was bouncing off the walls while watching FoxCrime (Really cool crime channel!) for about 4 hours!!! Watched Law and Order, CSI NY, PI something and Masterminds! Slept at 4. Now the bad news here was that I had a flight at 8.20am. Needed to wake up at 5.45am. Decided I couldn't go wrong with 3 alarms. It turns out I could.
Yes - I have the ability to turn off 3 different alarms, placed, by careful design, in 3 different parts of the room. And I went back to sleep. Next time I woke up, it was 7.19am! I had 1 hour and 1 minute to my flight. Fortunately I had packed before I slept (not usual for me). So crashed out of the room. Paid my bill. Got into a hotel cab and gave him the promise of a hefty tip if he pulled off a miracle for me.
Got to the airport at 7.50am (thanks to an in-car preview of the formula 1 season that kicks off in Melbourne today - GO FERRARI!). Gave Filippe Massa the tip I'd promised. Crashed through the customary baggage check line before check in. But alas. The counter was closed. I had officially missed my flight.
Now unfortunately, the Manila airport is shit when it comes to spending time there. So I headed back to the hotel and had my breakfast buffet - apple juice, yet another coffee, scrambled eggs, baked beans (watch out SQ afternoon flight!) and toast. Now I'm at the lobby reflecting on my Thrilla in Manila. I wonder what else the day has in store for me!
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5 comments:
manila4evahhh!!! hahaha... dont we just love manila!?!?!? NNGGGG!!! hahaha
Ur such a nutcase. Y am i not surprised that you missed ur flight. Only U can manage to do these kind of things....
How come it shows 'posted by of runs, catches, sledging and good old over-intellectualization'? That your new avatar? You killed Gajman? Or did I kill it by the way I pronounce it?
I did a similar thing in Manila a few years back and got to the airport 20 mins before the flight. even though the check in counter was closed and there was not an SQ person in sight, i still managed to make the flight. someone actually came up to me as i was calling to arrange to head back into the city and asked if I was PPS. I said yes and she called up to the ticket office on the second floor on her walkie talkie and someone threw a ticket down from the balcony and she got me on the flight. AND i had check-in luggage. simply amazing. i still use that as an example of why SQ is probably the best airline ever.
jops - indeed!!! :)
hiren - gotta live life on the edge bro!!!
beta - good spot - i have no fucking idea why. but fixed now!
mara - good to hear from you. unfortunately i had no such luck. and I'm only a mere gold! no pps for me!
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