Lost in Quiapo and Binondo

Friday night, while settling down to a night of Heroes, I grabbed Tony (my camera you pervs) as I was planning to delete a few pics so that Joannaman would have primo memory for her trip to Tagaytay. After several frustrating attempts to turn it on, I charged the battery, but found that it wasn’t the problem when the charger stopped flickering after a few minutes. After several frazzled texts to my fellow d40 users and failing at everything they told me to try, i set Tony aside and drifted off to a troubled sleep.

I just got the camera a month ago. I really didn’t get what went wrong.

So when I woke up the next day I tried to turn the cam on again to no avail. Frustrated and panicked I brought it to work thinking the people who use the same camera would know what to do. Asked Steve, asked Ronan, even asked Nan, they all told me to take it to where I bought it. As i could not find the receipt that morning, I sighed and resigned myself to paying whatever it takes to fix Tony. For my peace of mind. Already saying goodbye to food trips until the next payday, I left the office at lunch. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t think. I knew i was overreacting (especially with the tears, wtf was that about anyway) but it just felt all was wrong.

So i dragged my depressed butt home and searched halfheartedly for the receipt i thought i threw away while i waited for Pao to pick me up to go to Quiapo (There was no way i was going there alone, I already was a helpless female at the phone with Mayer’s i wasn’t going to humiliate myself in person alone). Lo and behold, the receipt was tucked away in one of my old wallets, Thank God.

Feeling a little better i headed to Quiapo with Pao in tow. Lugging every single thing the cam went with at Berto’s advice (the box too i was that nervous about the return). Got to Mayer’s at half past three, talked to a cheerful Mang Ramon who told me that it was just a simple repair and I would get Tony back within the next week. I felt bad about leaving Tony there, but we do what we have to do.

Feeling loads better, I dragged Pao to lunch at Dong Bei at Binondo. I figured, I was at Quiapo already, why not make the best of it, so I did. It was an extremely late lunch (about 4 pm) but it was worth it, even if i did lose my way once or twice to get to Binondo church (my landmark to get to Dong Bei). Had the chicken, two orders of soup dumplings and rice.

Have i raved about Dong Bei yet? It’s a hole in the wall place that’s somewhat of a cult favorite of bloggers (as i discovered when i looked it up online) that servers the best soup dumplings evar. The chicken’s great too. And the rice. I always order the same thing (the things i just mentioned) but i never get tired of them. And they make the dumplings themselves right there in the restaurant. And even if I am that person that hates to know what goes on in food preparation, I don’t mind seeing the whole process right in front of me, coz i love the dumplings that much.

Only after eating did we realize that it was pouring outside. Having no umbrellas we ran all the way to the church. Took a trike to quezon blvd (who ripped us off btw, 80 pesos for a freaking trike ride? give me a break). Squishy ride home that took a reaaaaaally long time (we kinda forgot that Espana doesn’t have a Saturday cooling off period for traffic). But there it is. A saturday for the ages. And i got my Tony fixed.

So who’s coming with me to get him? 🙂