The International Leaders Conference in Dumaguete City was a big success, with no less than the President of the Republic of the Philippines, gracing the ocassion and contributed 30M pesos to support the CFC crusade to build homes for our brothers and sisters. I wish I was there, but with my visa problems still to be settled, I opted not to go out while promising to get myself involved in the next conference.

It so happened that the next in line was to be held in Indonesia - the 3rd SFC Southeast Asian Conference. Elmer had been inviting the group since the end of the ILC but despite not knowing the expenses it might incur, I was determined to take the ride.

Fast Forward

August came without a warning. I found myself in a meeting with fellow participants Barbie, Jenny, Shasha, Belen and Elmer planning on things to prepare, clothes to wear, food and drinks to bring, the dance steps for that dreaded dragon presentation. With the help of the architects in the community, we have conceptualised the idea of what the booth would look like. And looks like I am bound for another sleepless night preparing things, that came naturally. Day 1
I am still confronted with the phenomenon that on the day you are supposed to be prepared and ready for an out of town trip, loads of work come your way. As for my case, I work in a one employer-one employee company, my boss would look after me on every task I am capable of handling. No wonder there are times I need to stay late in the office.

Thursday was not an exception. Even if I slept late at night, things still have not been in order. I verified about the roasted goose at Yung Kee for pickup, I went to a sporting house to get a pair of jogging pants after I failed to find a suitable partner for my black Chinese shirt.

The day was described in one word: rush. I rushed to office to get things done early. I rushed out of lunch from an Indian restaurant to fetch the goose. Hurried to the bank to exchange US dollar currency and quickly dropped off Watson's to have my last minute buys. I had to catch the next bus stop to make the 3pm rendezvous with the whole delegation.

I realised I was not the last one to reach the airport. The Schindler girls are still on the way, with Shasha patiently waiting for a reasonable moment to go undertime.

We are to take a Garuda flight to Indonesia which will make a brief stopover in Singapore. We are expected to reach Jakarta by 11pm after an arduous five-hour flight. There I saw other delegates from China whom I met for the first time: Edwin Lee, a Filipino-Chinese who works for Procter and Gamble in Beijing; Cielo Broñola, a Journalism graduate at UP Baguio and a fellow Davaoeño who works in Globalsources in Guangzhou; and Shane Patrick Morisson, a Washington, DC native who has been a member of the community just before he moved to Beijing. It's ironic we represent China, yet nobody is pureblooded Chinese. Well, save for Edwin.

China delegation during a brief stopover in Singapore. Jenny Perez Photos

I did not feel much excited about the (duration of the) trip as I expect it to be long and would only drag me to boredom. But what a relief to have Elna, our delegation muse, to be a seatmate that amidst her quite demeanor, provided me an avenue to crack jokes. Edwin, on my other side is a wide-reader whom I conversed in various topics from Falun Gong to toothpaste to NBA draft picks.

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