Sunday, March 14, 2010

San Francisco Trip (part 1)

this is going to be a long one...

i woke up tensed as i realized it's time for me to zip up my bags and catch the last flight to san francisco... it wasn't as if i was never coming back but i made sure i got my favorite pairs of SHOES (mind the plural form... SHOES!!!) tucked in my luggage and ready to be the first one to step on foreign ground... it had been a while since the last time I've been to the states... lemme see, i guess it's almost 7 years... i haven't really missed it but i guess the reason why i was so excited is because of the friends I'm going to see again after that very long 7 years...

my best friend (lance) knocked on my condo unit door... i knew it was him, using his signature knock... he was with a FRIEND I've never seen before and by the looks of it... it's more than that... i didn't bother asking him who he really was and I'm sure lance thought of it as weird... I'm really tensed to go to the airport and lingering on some juicy gay stories from my best friend isn't helping... i finally zipped my luggage... which had been slowly bulking up as the days approached my departure... it always seem that I'm forgetting something but I'm oblivious what it is... another shirt... another underwear... a scarf... a bottle of after shave... a small paper back book... some cologne... another cologne... at some point it was my roommate who made the effort and finally locked my red suit case to end my endless dilemma... but of course i have my other bag... which on its own weighed almost as heavy as that jam packed crimson suitcase... but i have mastered the art of travel now and packing was one thing I'm very good at... i could fit 4 pairs of Italian shoes, 10 undies, 10 socks, 3 aviator shades, 2 jackets, 3 leather belts, 4 shirts, my passport, a lip balm and even slip in a can of Altoids in what you might say a small trolley bag... every thing would fit, but the weight is one whole story altogether...

on the road, i suddenly got an SMS from my other close friend (i didn't know that this was going to be a convoy ride to the airport... but i was flattered) and finally after getting off the car and unloading my baggage, we made small hugs and kisses (like I'm not going to come back or something like that... oh well... it's part of the gay thing... drama is just seeping out of everything... QUEENS... DRAMA QUEENS... haha...) and soon i was right in front of the check-in counter...

i saw myself squeezing thru the small aisle of the aircraft all the way to the back... that's what you get when your tickets are for free... but in some magical way, the people in the plane was kind enough to give me a seat with the whole row unoccupied... the first unfriendly looking flight attendant told me that it was going to be an 11hr flight so i better get myself comfortable... and so i did...

my nuzzling was cut short when i heard somebody complaining, seated behind me, woke me up... "i was suppose to be seated in the center aisle!" he kept on going... it seems like i'm the only one bothered by his ramblings... "excuse me, can't you see everyone is sleeping in this damn plane?" i said while i was still lying down, sprawled across the 5 unoccupied seats... then he stopped... for a moment there i was a bit scared, i was imagining a huge man coming over my seat and was going to beat the living daylights out of me... i scrunched a little and pretended to be sleeping when i felt the guy stood up behind my seat and hovered above me... "what did you say?" he asked.

"i said could YOU at least keep it down... we still have to bear another 8-hour flight... so just..." i answered trying to gather what little courage i got... and then to make my words a bit scary i stared straight up at him... "YOSHI???" i whispered, trying to keep my racing heart from shouting... what the hell are you doing here???

"THE CAPTAIN HAS TURNED ON THE FASTEN-YOUR-SEAT-BELT-SIGN
..." the public speakers went on to notify the passengers that we are approaching San Francisco Airport. I opened my eyes leaving that blurry vision of my dreaded past in that dream and thought that it was a bad sign... well i can't turn back now... I'm already in San Francisco...

(end of introduction)

It was a long line at the San Francisco Airport of Entry.... there was a whole row of Homeland Security Officers, it wasn't that long when it was my turn to present myself to this adorable officer... he looks very Latino, had the most dreamy eyes I've seen in years... "please step behind that line and look straight at the camera please..." officer Latino ordered me while i was putting my two huge suitcases aside... "it's a chilly end of year huh... when was the last time it was this cold here???" i blabbered out my desperate act of making a conversation... a part of my brain is laughing its heart out (... you little Asian slut!!!) "sir, can i request that you stop talking and look straight at the camera" he interrupted my pathetic small talk... "certainly, officer..." i blunted out the best British accent i could muster hoping i would at least get some degree of respect from this rude but extremely cute guy... (i forgot... he saw my Philippine passport... you hopeless Asian whore!!!)

after that short photo shoot the Latino officer told me to go to secondary security... WTF???!!! did i get too far??? i have been in that line long enough to notice that I'm the only one told to go to secondary security... so i dragged my disappointed Asian ass to that dreaded room and waited for me to get cleared... (EMBARRASSING!!!) "

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