Two weeks in a row and health's on a toll.
Just got off on the wrong foot with luck last week. Bad luck's on a roll on my side. It started when my two wallets disappeared along with my new external hard drive with every of my video material in it, at the dying of November.
And what luck! It has my ATM card and cash card inside. Along with the budget cash, which now I have to pay for. I could not even joke about the amount.
I'm worried about the external though. It has surveillance videos we haven't used before. It's pretty important up until it expires on the time we can't follow it any longer.
Then, Mr. BL started to mess around with me during an operation. Mr. BL decided I need to have a visitor and manifested when I was on another person's car. The operatives' car. Great. Just great. It couldn't get any better when the operation was called off. There was miscommunication on our part and we had to reschedule next week. The fault was hugely pointed at me.
Great, Ms. newly-appointed SP. Great.
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How quaint though. When the tables were turned. We saw the business still on-going despite being burned. I got my operation going. I got the story. It aired just perfectly. :D
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The next week, I was all along the lines of doing follow up stories for the December and January stories, but just as I was getting busy for it on a Tuesday afternoon, I got called on to another story - all the way to Cebu.
At first, I was a bit excited. I mean, I knew Tina was airing this week for one episode. Meaning, I'll get to experience Cebu all the way. Only to find out there was a switch. Tina's airing the week after, and I have to air one story again.
The story was all about a father who butchered his own son, believing the son to be the child of another, as revenge against the mother. Turns out, the thing is just hearsay and the father is behind bars. We just had to have an expose.
So, after the company christmas party that ended twelve in the eve, I had to fly over to Cebu. I was surprised though, to find that our host, Sir Erwin, was coming with us.
It was my first time to ride an aircraft. And was all giddy about it until I realized where we were seated.
At the back seat.
Sir Erwin and his news crew was seated way up in the front.
Great. Just great.
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During the flight, I couldn't hold still, as I was craning my neck to get a glimpse of morning on other people's windows. Good thing I was good at yawning to get off pressure in my ears. Hehe.
Although there was a nagging behind my head. The thought of what would happen if I lost my baggage?
We arrived fifteen minutes earlier at Mactan Airport. Just as I was thinking of our itinerary and service, I found that my baggage was lost.
All my clothes, facial wash and cream, and especially my LAPTOP CORD was there.
I was still wearing my party clothes, since we were hurrying. Great. So four hours later, I found myself walking up on a muddy road, towards the top hill, in my long dress and elevated slippers.
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Sir Erwin offered to hand a budget for my clothes. At first I turned down that offer. It's completely embarrassing to be looked after by my host when it should be the other way around. But in the end, he did. I was totally grateful.
He even chided me about it, saying he felt like being a father like this. Hehehe.
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We spent the rest of the day shooting with Sir Erwin before he returned back to Manila. It is a surprise to know that my host knows Bisaya.
It did give me a lot of headache, since I couldn't understand a speck of what they're talking about. Just the feelings though.
Speaking of language, allowing my interviewees to say what they want in their own language wasn't completely a good idea. I did have a translator. But the translator was also lost in her own translation. It didn't work well with my itinerary.
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The next day we have to finish all the shoot to catch up on our reserved seats by 3:40 pm. Meaning, we should be there fifteen minutes before it closed.
As the day took place, I didn't realize that shooting a reenactment could be draining. What was crucial, we had to hurry for the next interview and transfer to Cebu Provincial Jail.
I was working my head double time. And my assistant camera man wasn't playing well with my patience.
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After shooting in Cebu, we realize too late that we haven't had establishing shoot in Cebu, no marks, no places to indicate that we're out of town. Too late. We had to cover one last interview in Camp Cabahug. It would take three hours to go back. And by that time, the sun would be pulling its blankets from twilight.
Despite being awarded with moved plane ticket, we were back to hurrying to 3:40 flight. It was 3:00 at that time. And we were eating lunch.
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At 4pm, we were at the airport, and we couldn't switch the tickets. We had to buy another set. But we couldn't buy the next flight since we're out of budget. Budget friendly ones are set on 11pm.
We couldn't possibly wait for that hour, since I have to pass a script the next day. So time went by, and the office cannot provide or settle the amount on their side. We could've used that time to shoot more of Cebu before turning back, right?
But no. I had to think of a reroute. We ended up buying the last flight.
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On another hand, we met a woman who was in trouble with immigration. Apparently, she had been duped by her agency into coming to Singapore for work, with connecting flight Manila-Cebu, Cebu-Singapore, using a tourist visa. Well good luck with that.
The Cebu Immigration refused to let her off the airport to Singapore, but she couldn't get back to Manila since like us, she's out of money.
Using our ID, and presenting ourselves as media, we helped her talk it out from the officers. Fortunately enough, our trouble became her grace.
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As we were waiting for the plane, my fellow co-worker confronted me with his insight. That the plane didn't lose my bag. I did. He said he couldn't remember me putting my baggage on the counter.
I said I did. After they put their equipment, I put mine in, along with them. Earlier, he said he was sorry he didn't realize my bag wasn't there. And then this.
I was a bit shaken up with that. I mean, how careless can I get to just simply leave my bag behind? How absentminded am I to run off to another place without securing my property.
I was very dumbfounded to be confronted just like that, and have my memory questioned. Honestly, I do remember putting it in. But the way a person can cross question you, it makes what happened like a flicker of imagination. Like what was supposed to be obvious was taken for granted.
I lost my confidence after that.
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Though I did have a flicker of hope. If it was the case, then my bag should still be back in Manila airport.
Which turned out to be negative.
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We pulled out of the airport, me thinking of the script, a bit saddened by the fact that I could never see my bag again. Some of my favorite shirt were there.
I was also thinking I had to ride on a taxi so that the service and crew could head straight to TV5. My place is out of the way after all, just as my crew suggested earlier.
I did try to talk it out of them, that I'd like to be taken back to my apartment, take some clothes, and write at the office. But they said they have another schedule so earlier the next day. So I was a bit sad, disappointed, but willing to make take that route.
So I was a bit happy that my driver was insistent on taking me home. I was silent all through out the journey after all. I was really ticked off with our assistant cameraman.
Glad to make it back safe and whole.
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Only to find out that bad luck was clinging on to me badly. I tripped on the stairs and was forced to drop everything.
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I was able to pass my script by 8 am at home and a few moment's rest. And by the time i was able to send the next gap, I was hurrying to Novaliches.
When I got there, I realized I had no bay for two gap-story of chopchop. And no editor.
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It was early evening when I have my own bay. Good thing, my translator was also there to guide me. Thank God for her.
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I got a new editor.
Meaning, a new editor.
Yup, a new editor whom I couldn't get comfortable with.
And sure enough, by the next morning, I wasn't satisfied with his work. So I waited for our other editor to master mine. At least with that, I can tell him how I want the story to appear.
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Fortunately, with a big turn of events, I got a second bay. So both first and second gaps were working on two bays.
I finished it off earlier than intended, earlier than my one-gapper fellow co-worker. I say that's a miracle itself.
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Now that I had work done and all, I think I am ready for a week long vacation... or so I think!
It's been a good year after all. Life's not life without bad luck.
Though I'm not counting on it to come and visit me again. Haha
