Lintik Lang Ang Walang Ganti

I think may malaking galit sa akin si Orman Manansala.

If you have been living in a cave or have been hiding under a rock and don’t know him yet, he’s the Royal Gandaness of the blogosphere. Last August 1, nag-one year na ang blog niya. He asked me and Brendel, to go to GenSan. According to his facebook invitation, di daw pwedeng tumanggi.

Left with no choice, kahit puyat ako the night before, I forced myself out of bed and prepared myself for a 3-hour trip to GenSan.

Pagdating pa lang namin, a plateful of King Crabs in butter and garlic, adobong squid, and grilled tuna belly agad ang sinalubong sa amin. Pagkatapos ng mala-piyestang welcome lunch sa Gusteau’s, dumiretso na kami sa East Asia Royale Hotel. Nagbook na pala ng room para sa amin si Orman. At this point, nahahalata ko na na may inis si Orman sa akin at kay Brendel. Just look at our room and you’ll see what I mean.

Probably thinking na tatakas kami ni Brendel pauwing Davao, Avel Manansala, Orman’s brother na equally may tinatagong poot sa amin texted that he’s coming over to give us company. It was then that I fully understood the meaning of the words: house arrest.

Pagdating ng 6PM, dumating si Doc Remo, sabay na daw kami in going to Le Jardin Arnevel’s para sa GandaEverSoMuch blogoversary party. By this time, I realized that there’s no turning back na.

Nakapunta na ako dati sa Le Jardin Arnevel’s kaya may idea na ako what to expect. I knew a food spread befitting a king would be prepared. At pagdating namin doon, I was right, bumabahang pagkain na parang reception ng kasal ang setup. Sa harap, two big tables full of giveaways ang naka display. Nandun din ang giant frog mascot ng blog ni Orman na GandaEverSoMuch.com. Sa likod naman, 4 huts na puno ng pagkain. Now, I know the feeling of death row convicts having their last meal.

Sir Gilbert Tan, Ate Jinky, Kuya Arnel, Mandi, Romarie, Sheng, Kyawster, Lito, and the other SoCCSKSarGen bloggers were there too at wala silang ginawa to help us out of our misery. Just like in our previous meetings, they were all smiles and just talked to us na parang they were happy to see us.

Sa anniversary party ng GandaEverSoMuch.com, walang katapusang pamumodmod ng prizes at giveaways ang ginawa ni Orman. Kung makapamigay sya ng t-shirts, mugs, tumblers, plates, at iba pa.. Aakalain mong refugees ang mga tao dun or mga biktima ng bagyo or sunog sa dami ng natanggap nilang “relief goods”. Feeling ni Orman, sagip kapamilya sya.

And he didn’t spare me either, isang malaking bag full of “relief goods” din ang binigay sa akin.

Di pa na-kontento pagkatapos ng party, dumiretso pa kami sa Sun City Suites where we had a night cap at Caffe Firenzo. 2AM na kami natapos.

Kinabukasan, umeksena ulit si Avel. Dinala ba naman kami sa Grab a Crab resto for a Bloggers WiFi Party where Robinsons Place GenSan gave us loot bags filled with shirts, cookies, food items, and 1K gift check. I said to myself, “when is this gonna end?!”

Finally, natapos din ang WiFi party. Akala ko tapos na kalbaryo ko. However, pagdating sa Piyesta KTV and RestoBar, may plano din pala si Donna Mae Congson na farewell snacks na pancit bihon, iced tea, and clubhouse sandwich. I said to myself, tiisin mo na lang Lyle. At least uuwi ka na in a few hours. Pero di pa pala tapos sa kalokohan ni Orman, may inabot pang isang malaking styro box ang hitad sa amin. Prawns daw yun.

Haynaku, I can’t believe these people. Ano ba ang nagawa ko sa inyo for you to treat me like this?

Sa inyong lahat… makakabawi din ako sa inyo, lintik lang ang walang ganti!