Jinx

I BELIEVE there's nary a bad day; today is a rare occurrence.

I should have sensed lady luck was in another dimension when I woke up at six in the morning. That's really early for some journalists like me who slept in his clothes after nursing a bottle or two or three, maybe more (who's counting?) as the graveyard shift began.

I thought waking up without a hang-over and with a warm body rubbing on mine: i'm the luckiest guy around.

I should have seen the curveball: the cuddling stayed only at that level and I lost in three levels of Plants vs. Zombies.

If there're omens, the latter is on the A-list.

Arrogant as I am, I went about my schedule for the day: a 9:30 a.m. coverage about Children's Hour in Makati City and an 8:30 a.m. coverage on contact centers at Sofitel in Manila.

I went first to Makati since the latter is scheduled up to 6p.m.

The game plan I had was to get to Makati on time, rush to Manila after getting the story, and go back to Quezon City to write.

The Makati coverage was the clincher: it was postponed to December 1. I learned that from Joy of Granvia Cafe and not from the host.

Uh-oh.

Brushing away my spider sense that a domino effect has started, I dropped by National Bookstore to buy a refill for my Cross pen. That should have also set out alarm signals: the branch only have blue.

I should also have seen the odds were against me when I took a jeep after waiting for 30 minutes for the bus going to De La Salle University in Taft Avenue. After paying for my fare, the bus I waited for overtook the jeep I was in.

I could have kicked myself but I knew that was impossible so I just uttered cuss words mentally. There goes my space in heaven.

Sensing the day is nowhere going right for me, I  gave a beggar P10 to appease whatever god is making things difficult. Then a young boy rushes by and swipes in less than a second the money off the palm of the frail old man who may have been so weak or blind he didn't notice.

I may have been praying on the wrong god.

The barker broke my reverie and said the jeep going to Sofitel would be taking off. So I chucked my half-smoked cigarette, boarded the jeep, and waited for 15 minutes.

Either I'm too gullible or the barker churns out lies like second nature.

Naturally, I arrived late because the driver waited for passengers and I went to Makati first.

Having achieved nothing, I decided to at least accomplish some things on my to-do list: go back.

Then it rained. Heavily.

When I thought getting a seat in the MRT reflects an upturn, I missed my stop as I slept during the ride, having been traveling since 8am.

Fellow journalist VG says this is not a unique experience and I was right to not getting angry.

I agree since I still feel luckier than the journalists in Maguindanao.

I can only wish lady luck will always be nearer them than me.