BLACKOUT!

I am now back here in KL, after one week in Manila. This time around, I am staying here for 3 weeks. The last week, I attended various conferences and meetings, and this week is more on getting accustomed to my new job as the market analyst of the company. Next week I will be back with our special project (the one that requires me to go here in KL every other week!) which will probably be finalized by the end of this year.

I had fun last week: meeting people that I met some 2 years back when I attended the first conference of the company; serious but at the same time entertaining activities; good food (Imagine seafood fest for me on the first night! Lobsters, crabs, prawns... get the picture?); and a trip to the KL Tower and Chinatown, to name a few highlights.

But the one thing that I will never forget, and probably is an experience of a lifetime, is the blackout that happened on my first night here last week!

I know some people have different phobias, but mine is a special one...

I was fast asleep already, when suddenly there was a blackout. I immediately sensed this and woke up confused and scared. The room was very dark, I was alone in my hotel room, there was no Filipino colleague, and I was in a foreign land. This was my phobia coming to life! It took me so many years to get used to sleeping alone in my room, then this happened!

I couldn't move at all, I was sweating, and tears were beginning to form in the corners of my eyes. My heart was pounding so loud and I had difficulty breathing, I really thought that was the end of me. I gathered all my strength to call the operator and asked what happened. She said that there was an electrical problem within the hotel, and she wasn't sure when it will be resolved. I was soooo mad.

I immediately tried to call my Enrique, and the connection just kept getting cut. Finally he got to call, and I told him what happened. I begged him to keep me company and talk to me until the power failure gets resolved. And he did. When he finished up all his phone cards, I called him. When my phone alerted that my battery was low, there was still no electricity, I just called him using the hotel phone.

Finally there were lights again, and I was so relieved. We still talked for about an hour after that, but since I already had a sense of security, I felt sleepy and eventually bid each other goodbye.

That was one big experience for me, and I truly thank my lovable Teletubby (I call him that, though he doesn't really have a teletubby figure!) for staying with me even if he was so tired and sleepy. Well, that’s probably what love is all about!