April 06, 2010 - Everything that happened that week was unplanned. On Wednesday night, I texted Urie that I was planning to go to Tabaco City because I didn't have anything to do the next day. That was the start of my Holy Week.
I arrived at Tabaco City at 10:30 in the evening. As I expected, the streets were still crowded by Tabaqueños though normally in other towns, people would have gone to bed in that hour. Father was waiting for me at the bus stop. When he saw me, he started scolding me like there was no tomorrow. He complained about my idea of travelling at night. I wasn't listening. In my head, I was thinking, "Yeah, this feels like home. Tomorrow will be awesome."
The next day I woke up late. Father said he's not going to give me allowance for the week. I told him I won't be back that night because I'd sleep at Urie's place.
I arrived at Tabaco City at 10:30 in the evening. As I expected, the streets were still crowded by Tabaqueños though normally in other towns, people would have gone to bed in that hour. Father was waiting for me at the bus stop. When he saw me, he started scolding me like there was no tomorrow. He complained about my idea of travelling at night. I wasn't listening. In my head, I was thinking, "Yeah, this feels like home. Tomorrow will be awesome."
The next day I woke up late. Father said he's not going to give me allowance for the week. I told him I won't be back that night because I'd sleep at Urie's place.
My first stop was at Ald's. He asked me to download songs for him.
Then I waited for Urie and his brother near the church (luckily going near the chuch didn't harm me, whew, but I must tell you it was blazing hot). He then informed me he was planning to go up Mount Mayon Rest House for his penitence. It's an annual tradition for Bikolanos and other Filipinos. I was like, "Ooookay? You know how far that is, right?" With an altitude of 2500ft, who thinks it would be an easy walk?
Last year, I heard him talk about going up MMRH and he said everyone he saw was catching his breath in the first quarter of the way.
Secretly, I was objecting to the idea. I was praying, "God, please let me know he's joking," though I wasn't really sure if God would ever listen to me for I haven't visited his home for a long while then.
When it was 9 in the evening, Urie's friends started to arrive one by one. They were all excited about going while I was praying like crazy.
When the clock struck twelve, we all went outside to go to the plaza and looked for a jeepney to take us to where everyone would start walking. I only brought thirty pesos with me. Something I would regret as soon as we start heading up.
At 1am, we were inside a jeep, more than a dozen of us, side by side. The jeepney ride costed fifteen pesos (15 pesos left. i was like, "okay, rei, gudlak. i hope you survive everything with your fifteen pesos").
Then, at exactly 1:52 in the morning (it was Good Friday already), we started walking.
We were talking about anything on our way up just to entertain ourselves. From Chuck Norris jokes to (wait, all I can remember were the Chuck Norris Jokes).
We stopped to pray at Stations (14 in total).
It was already 4:15 in the morning when we reached the top. (When I get the picture on facebook, I'll put it here.)
At 8 am, we got back home and fell asleep for what felt like decades.
At 6 in the evening, we were in a procession (prusisyon). We met up at Grace's house. It was a reunion of high school friends. Irene came back home from Manila. It was our first time to see each other again for more than ten months. The last time she visited Bicol, I didn't get the chance to see her because I was at school. We talked about the outing/swimming the next day. The plan was that everyone should be in the waiting place at 7am or he would just go to the venue... ALONE.
After the procession, Irene, Urie, Harold, Ruel, Rieu and I went to Mister Donut to eat (after an hour of brainstorming about where to eat).
Then, when we were loud (because we are really loud when we're together), the manager requested us to leave because people were coming in. AND! because we're gooooood, we left. =)
(Saturday). I slept at Urie's place again. We woke up late in the morning. We woke up at 9, we were late for the outing. And, boy, we were moving like turtles on out way. Sleepy-heads, weeeee. I brought the shirt I wore the last day because I was running out of tshirts.
We saw AlDindo and Jodel halfway to the venue. We arrived at 11. Then came the diving action, the eat-like-you-haven't-eaten-for-centuries, the "hey how are ya" and the immaculate camera flashes.
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