100 units = 100 pisos

1PM

I woke up thinking I'd be spending today cramming for everything that needs to be crammed (note: final project halfway documentation in three days, exam in two, project updates and french homework in one). That's what I thought. Instead, I spent most of the day riding trains, waiting in queues, browsing through books, getting lost in a mall.

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2PM

The MV Doulos is the world's oldest passenger ship, built two years after the Titanic sank. If you took a look at the link to Wikipedia, yes, it is now a floating bookshop. I left home around two-thirty in the afternoon to meet someone. Fifteen minutes later, we're off to Port Area, Manila! It was lucky my dad worked near the ports, and I knew how to get there. Actually, I forgot how to after getting off the LRT1 but mon* amie refreshed my memory. It was 'go go go' after I saw the right jeeps. There were three ways of getting there from where I live. The easy way: take a cab. One comfy ride. Hard way: Take three jeepney rides. dirt and pollution get on your nerves. Not-so-easy-not-so-hard way: Take the MRT/LRT1 + a jeepney ride. As you might already know, we took the third option.

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4PM

We arrived at Gate 1 of the Port Area after about an hour and a half of travel time. There were signs saying "DOULOS" and there was also a courteous security guard at the gate helping people so nobody gets lost. We saw a short line of people (just about 20 meters) at the end of the street we turned into and got in, assuming it leads to the ship. The line turned to the right on another street and from there, the view of reality was clear. We were just in the tail end of what seemed to be a line that stretches for around (from where we're standing to the ship itself) 1.5~2 kilometers! And I am not exaggerating. Good thing was, there were activities the Doulos people set up to keep the people in line entertained. Another hour and a half passed, and we were on board the famed floater. PHP10 per person to enter, free for children below 16.

~~~

5:30PM

We're now on the white ship's deck, following the people in front of us to wherever they lead us. A few steps after and we are now inside a bookshop, full of books, full of people, on a ship built in 1914! You'd be astonished at first sight of the books, the number of 'em, I mean. Most books were Christian books, mainly because the people running the ship were, like, missionary. What I was excite about were the books about football and cooking! You can't find books like these here. If there were, you won't be able to buy them this cheap. The books weren't really dirt cheap, but they were cheap. Instead of prices on the books, you'd find unit costs on them. Signs were conveniently placed on aisles to remind people of the conversion to local currency. 100 UNITS = 100 PISOS. One that was posted listed unit conversion from 1 = 1 to 1000 = 1000, in increments of 5, I think. I was almost ready to buy the 400 peso Italian cookbook, but I didn't in the end. I didn't buy anything! Haha, so much for the excitement. My friend bought some books. There was also a part in the ship where books and music CDs were really cheap. PHP50 for 3 CDs! These were Christian bands, so I didn't know any of them (except for Sixpence None The Richer, but they were not included in this dirt-cheap section).

Me: ( showing a cool-looking CD with a nice cover to my friend, P ) O, mukhang okay 'tong bandang to ah.

P: Tingin mo?

Some random guy (RG) behind me was talking to his friends. He picked up the same CD I was pertaining to.

RG: ( knowing tone, showing the CD to his friends ) Eto magaling 'to!

Me: ( speaking quietly with P ) Mukhang okay nga ah, alam nung katabi ko e...

RG: Pili tayo, minsan 'di mo alam, makakatsamba ka ng maganda eh!

P: ( on the verge of laughing, not saying anything )

Me: ( going to P's other side and speaking in a low volume ) Langya! Hindi pala niya talaga alam e! Akala ko alam!

P: ( with a soft voice, too ) Nagogoyo ka pala eh! Kala ko maganda mga reviews mo!

Me: ( scratches and shakes head ) ...

~~~

7PM

We now disembark the ship and head home. We passed through a mall connecting the LRT1 and MRT stations. We spent 15 minutes doing this. We got lost inside this effin' Metro Point mall trying to find an exit to Taft station. The layout of this damn mall was terrible. It's built so that one gets lost after entering. You'll walk in circles, literally. We went up instead of going down. After gong down twice to where we were supposed to be, we found out the exit was closed. So we went out to street level and took the station's elevator instead. ( P: Hindi tayo nawala papuntang south pier, pero dito sa loob ng mall nawala tayo! ) Damn mall.

~~~

9PM-ish, Dinner

Me: Kaw naman ilibre ko next time, sa Metro Point...

P: No! ( some words essentially saying how loser the mall is )
Kaw kasi sabi sayo dun na lang tayo sa isang way eh!

Me: Tinanong nga kita sa passageway kung saan mo gusto dumaan eh! Sabi mo "Dito na lang..."

P: Ano ka?! Sabi ko kahit saan, ang sabi mo "Nandito na tayo eh!"

Me: Namamasa ka pa! Ikaw may kasalanan eh!
( softly in admission, after racalling what I really said ) Hehe. Sinabi ko ba talaga yun?

~~~

10PM

I was home at last. My sister got mad because I wasn't with them today. They, apparently, celebrated her birthday today, which wasn't until tomorrow. Haha, I forgot to buy her a present. I forgot to buy one even after spending a lot of time inside a bookshop, full of books, full of people, on a ship built in 1914! Happy Birthday, sis!


~~~

Tu es vraiment quelque chose de spécial. Quelqu'un que je voudrais savoir mieux encore.

* Previously, this post read "ma amie," which is dead wrong and thus showing how weak I am in French XD. I came across this mistake when I reread the post. I edited this post before any French guru could embarrass me.

~^_^~