Distemper

I just wasted 450 pesos, not to mention Johann's time and mine, on an ill-planned and ill-advised outing yesterday.

We were supposed to have this picnic at Villa Del Prado in Sariaya yesterday with my students, and the assembly time, take note, is 10:00 am. And so I woke up early, bought a kilo of chicken lollipops and cooked it, sweet and chili. My primary contact, a student-friend of mine, proposed to meet me 10:00 am at a waiting shed near the house of another student of mine (we were supposed to go there to COOK FOOD for this... this outing.) I arrived at the suggested meeting place at about 10:20, so as to give allowance if ever she would be late, too.

11:55 AM

See that? That's when she arrived. I was fuming, since she was clearly not displaying any appreciation and respect of my valuable time. And there she is, in a dressed-up-to-kill attire, telling me "Wala na akong load sir."

I did not speak, because I was cautioning myself not to explode, to wave my fist, to bang my head on the concrete, telling her pretty face that everything's supposed to be PULLED TAUT. That this time, time is money, is mana. Mind you: she did not apologize, and I don't know if she's thinking of doing that in the future. So I didn't talk to her, the whole picnic.

When we arrived at the house, her friends there (also my students) are not yet ready, haven't started cooking yet or even buying stuff to cook. There was some problem with money, which clearly they did not collected early. Since they are not prepared, are not anxious enough to arrive early and get things done especially when their p-r-o-f-e-s-s-o-r is with them, I asked for a glass of cold water to drink, to cool my head. And because I was hoping that things will get fine, I didn't leave.

Then stuff were bought and cooked (the latter by me). Because of other self-conceited-VIP-people, we got off at, again, take note of the time, 5:30pm. Can you imagine that?

12 hours later I realized something; that we have no food already and no money, so I told Johann that we'd have to go because it would be meaningless and impractical, not to mention downright stupid, to stay. And still no apologies made. So we left the resort at 5:30am this morning. The sunrise was immaculate, and the morning breeze the best I had in months.


There are times that impatience is a virtue.