Jackie Chan in Securitex Hong Kong

There's something I forgot to post last May and I was reminded only when my friend, Jason, told me he has already blogged me and my accidental meeting with international star Jackie Chan last May, when I attended a trade event in Hong Kong, the Securitex. I looked at his blog and decided to post mine. Hehe, embarassing.

He was there as a special guest for the opening and in one of the booths, Segway. They said Jackie was a part owner of the company that manufactures this short-distance two-wheel transport device. Well, I never got to confirm because he was swarmed by reporters and photographers who found out he was there. I was in the middle of the demo floor, about to try out the Segway device, when he came in followed by the "paparazzi".

Stuck to where I stood, I realized this was the feeling of being a star. Jackie was quite tall and good-looking, fair skinned. He looked nice but he appeared to me as someone who was aware he was attractive and is using this charm.

Our HK assistant bureau chief Pradeep Chakraborty kept on teasing me that I was star-struck and couldn't move out of my place. He took pictures of me smiling like silly beside Jackie Chan. I decided not to tease Pradeep that he was the one who alerted me to Jackie's presence and that he was the one who hurried towards him even before I could reply. Haha! I hand it to Pradeep but he was good. With big strides, he aimed for Jackie and, as if long-time friends, he said a loud hello and shook hands with the star. Bravo!

And that's how Jackie can affect you...up close.

Send-off

Before ending our day, my team mates and I in the office met for our proposed send-off game plan for our boss, who recently resigned and will be off to New Zealand at the end of the month.
The meeting was jolly; all of us laughing over funny gift ideas and other such matters. We were thinking of cooking up a short, emotional moment for him during the overnight surprise…Then one of us, Emper, said, “Huu, baka kayo maiyak.” “Baka ikaw, Emper!” someone shot back.

After the meeting, our boss, Sir Romy, called my male team mates and asked if their drinking spree will push through. So they went off to a nearby diner that offers a few drinks, the 121. It was the boys’ usual haunt on Fridays or weekdays, when they feel they needed some break. We girls usually hang out somewhere more conservative and cozy—like, say, Delifrance—for a chat.

About 15 minutes after Monch and Marco left to join Sir Romy, the latter called me up on the mobile. He asked who was still around and if we wanted to join them. We were all still finishing some work. And I was actually rushing things up so I can watch the telenovela I’m becoming obsessed in, Sa Piling Mo (because of Piolo Pascual). So I told him, we will try but we are not expecting to leave the office yet because we’re still pushing the laserproofs to L2 or L3 to keep with our Monday deadline.

Several minutes after, Sir Romy called again to ask where we were and if we were coming. I felt guilty because the past days, we have been “rejecting” his invitations to lunch due to so much work and now we are turning him down again. But it was really short notice and impossible for us to accept. So again, I told him I will ask the others but we cannot promise. I asked Melanie but she was buried under piles of lasers. I was about to ask Cecile but she has disappeared—apparently she went off to have a quick dinner with her husband before coming back to finish her work. Emper wanted to go to 121 but she had to finish many things first.

So I had to text Sir Romy that we couldn’t make it and that we promise to have dinner with him next week. And he said, “Okay thanks.”

Last night, I thought of this, and of how it would be like to be leaving the company, and of Sir Romy. Had he been a good supervisor to me? Did I like his management style? Would I miss him? Would Melanie be the same? What will I miss in Sir Romy?....