WHERE IN THE WORLD

I am so familiar with LAX airport now. I spent the night rolling on the floor near Gate 48B and dodging the vacuuming Latina. When the noise was too much to bear, I crankily rose from my foetal position and sunk into my crushed In' N' Out burger. I lived there. I dished out a payphone number to my peeps and parentals, and kept an ear open for its ring through the night.

So yesterday I failed to make it onto 3 consecutive flights to Miami, between the hours of 1pm and midnight. Finally, some seats freed up on the 6am flight and now I'm here; a day too late to meet up with the Fam, and chilling in a room at my grandparents' house in Pembroke Pines.

There's more.

I was supposed to meet up with my parents right? To catch a Delta flight to NY, then onwards from there back the Dubai. But, like I said, day too late, ticket expired, no ticket, stuck. Well, same thing happened to my family. Their flight to NY got cancelled due to the hurricane. So their tickets expired too! So then, dad buys them all new tickets to NY that somehow pass through Atlanta, they get there next day. Now what's left is to get me a new ticket to meet them before our next takeoff date to Dubai on the 1st of Sept. Not to mention they were overweight. Not to mention either that tomorrow is my parent's anniversary! Sheesh, huh? Hope they can grab a romantic evening in Little Italy away from the other kids. Dangle room service and the TV remote in front of them and they should be able to escape for a couple hours me thinks.

Anyways, all before my flight drama out of L.A., I found myself completely stark naked broke there. It happened ironically on the day I was planning to buy my best friend Panda a late birthday present. We were in Fullerton, promenading the picturesqe Palo Alto-esque streets when I came across a Vintage Store armed to the teeth with goodies! There, I spent what I didn't know was my last $100, with a quick reassurance to Panda, "Don't worry. I'll still get you your Call of Duty game. We just gotta head over to an ATM first."

Well, ATM had nothing in my name but $40. Immediately, I figured theft over my own carelessness in spending and managing money. But this time, it turns out it was the latter. I won't get into all the dramatic specifics with my account's Standing Order, my dad pulling a fast one on me, bawling, bawling, overseas HSBC calls on Panda's cellphone (best friend for life who's always got my back. IOU + mwah x 100 = 1 big ball of juicy love sinigang mix), becoming a 5 minute beggar, Buffalo Exchange and more bawling. But you get the idea. ATTENTION SEEKING, ALCOHOLIC FASHIONISTA SUDDENLY BROKE IN LOS ANGELES. YES.

Regardless, I had a blast, and (dare I say it) would do it again.