mini-boss in another foreign land: land of the rising sun

i went to japan last week. it was neither a job-hunting trip nor a sightseeing tour. i was there on official business -- to gather requirements for some of the projects we will be doing for our clients in japan.

since i am too lazy to write, i will just quote some emails i sent while i was there.

---

i'm already here in japan :P my flight was delayed for almost 2 hours. the client wondered why i was detained at the ticket counter -- he thought my booking was good and that there was no need for a ticket number. anyway, i didn't wanna think about whose fault it was anymore, although i really wanted to cry! because aside from the hassle about my ticket, it was already boarding time when i passed immigration, so i had to run towards the last security check. then, the flight was delayed because of some bad weather somewhere, so they had to come up with a new flight plan. when it was approved, they found out that one of the plane's computer systems was broken! my gulay! i think it was already 10am when we left manila.

my first authentic japanese noodles!
soba with radish and mushroom -- yum-yum!

of course, i was nervous when i disembarked. i had no roaming signal, i lost my contact numbers and i was late for our agreed meeting time. the client and i agreed before that he would meet me at the airport. i wasn't sure if i should go directly to the hotel, since it has been 2 hours since our agreed meeting time. i wasn't sure if i could go directly to the hotel, because the room was reserved under his name. i had exchanged some of my money to yen because i thought of calling him. the problem was i couldn't figure out the vending machine for the call card nor the public pay phone. i went back to the information counter to ask if they knew the airport control center phone number, because i thought i would just look for the client there. good thing i saw him! apparently he went back to meet me because he knew my flight was delayed.

anyway, we went straight to the office for some meetings and stuff. then we left the office to go to the hotel around 5:45. we got here around 6:30 (had to wait for the shuttle). we ate at 6:40 at the sports bar downstairs. i think we talked for about 3 hours, about work and life in general. it's hard to speak english for three straight hours :P anyway, i have to get up early tomorrow. and i'm already hungry now :P i might play first in a little while, and then i'll take a shower. i'll also eat a cup of noodles because i'm really hungry already :P

anyway, i hope it would be better on my flight back. it's already cold here -- it's a good thing that i brought my jacket. my room is lovely; it even has complimentary internet :P good night :)

---

i'm here in my parents' house. i've unpacked some of the stuff, as i would be leaving some here coz i'm bringing home my laptop first.

i flew first class! the client upgraded me. the food was really good, and you can tilt your lazy-boy seat way back. we talked about many things. i didn't get to sleep coz i watched "john tucker must die" (though i didn't finish it) after talking with my boss for a long time.

i panicked when i got to manila, coz my phone's battery is almost empty, and my mom wasn't responding to my text or call. i texted her earlier that i had low battery, so she didn't text me. anyway, i figured that if they were there, they'll probably be in the parking lot, as my dad hates traffic and the hassle of waiting for me by the curb. i slept all the way back home, though i was sweating coz i've just been to an autumn weather, and you know how hot it could be in manila (also i was wearing a turtleneck blouse).

anyway, i might be coming to work after lunch tomorrow, as i'm really tired today, and the buses here take so long to get moving, as the drivers are still waiting for passengers. the client doesn't really need me in the office anyway, since we've talked about work for 3 days now, and discussed most of his plans for our team.

i'll sleep in a little while. i'm really so tired. i'm just charging my cell so that i'll have an alarm clock to use :P good night.