(this is a long overdue post)
february 21. i was driving myself to work because pitt needed be at the office early and i didnt want to wake up to early for him to pick me up and bring me to work so he wont get late. i took my usual route (mind you, i wasn't even in my kaskasera mode) from our house passing by the side street shortcuts i have devised along Sampaloc which brings me to Nagtahan bridge. traffic was going smoothly so i took my time driving along Quirino and making a left at South Super. i always take a shortcut by making a left on Zobel Roxas even if there is a no-left-turn sign since i always see my mentors (a.k.a. FX/Colorum drivers) do this. the MMDA people even signal you to make a left since they know that making a right at Pablo Ocampo to be able to cross the South Super Highway via Zobel Roxas always causes horrific traffic and is such a waste of time (saves me 15-20 minutes).
this day however there were no MMDA people, but since some cars already turned on their left-turn signal, i did too. upon crossing, all of us (a total of 9-10 cars i think) were apprehended by men-in-blue (aka PP or Poging Policeman...men always look good in uniform. i wonder why...). i kept thinking "please let it not be the no-left-turn thing. please! please!" apparently, it was. crap.
Mr. PP asked for my license and was somewhat waiting. ulk. i dont want to bribe him. besides, i dont have any money. poor me. i was looking for signs from the other driving to see if they were getting the ticket or haggling with the other PPs. i was half-wishing he would think that i was just a clueless kid and send me off with just a warning. but not today, because i was wearing formal-looking clothes since i had a scheduled meeting with a client and was kind of made up. ugh. no choice. i accepted the ticket without even attempting to explain or argue. it would probably be a waste of time since i already know that i wasn't exactly following traffic regulations.
so there i was thinking, "oh goodie, at least i will still have my license since they have this new rule that they will just issue tickets!" but no! since Mr. PP is a blue-uniformed man, apparently they have the authority to confiscate licenses. boo! at this point, i already wanted to throw a tantrum. i will be going to cebu the following day and i need my license to serve as an ID for the e-tickets. grrr!!! and now im also late for office! good thing i took a half-day leave the following day so that i can go to Makati City Hall to claim my license.
I know i promised myself years ago that never in my life will i attempt to bribe or cheat or do anything that is morally wrong. but this day was different. i needed my license badly. when i got to the office, i immediately searched for Kuya Arman, our messenger who is one of Makati City Hall's suki, how to get my license...FAST! he proceeds to tell me that when you get inside just talk to the people by the gate, fixers, and offers no additional identifying description.
by 12 noon, i rush to the parking lot and speed off to City Hall. no lunch whatsover. this needed drastic measures. good thing i still remember how to get there and proceeded to park inside. a parking boy, aka PB3 or parking boy #3, approached me and guided me where to park. upon parking, he asked what was i in for. i told him that i needed to get my license for not following traffic signs. he told me that he could get it for me and the fine was Php500. i asked him how long it would take. "sandali lang yun, mga less than 30 minutes mam" he confidently replied.
jeopardy theme song started playing in my head. what is the worst thing that could happen if i ask PB3 to get my license for me? i could... a) lose my ticket and Php500 b) get additional charge+violation when i explain to the police how i lost my ticket c) be late for my flight to cebu thus missing out on ayen and pep's wedding d) get reprimanded by my parents and skip (if ever i ask them for help in getting back my license) e) all of the above plus a nervous breakdown from thinking of all the possible worst case scenarios!
on the other hand, if everything works out smoothly i could a) be hassle free and sitting pretty b) get home earlier and squeeze in some last minute packing and shopping c) arrive on time at the airport for the flight.
i decided to risk it. what the heck. i gave PB3 my ticket and the Php500. after a few minutes of comtemplating if i made the right decision, this guilty i-should-never-have-done-something-so-morally-wrong-im-going-to-hate-myself-for-the-rest-of-my-life-for-doing-this-because-its-absolutely-against-everything-i-was-taught-at-home-and-in-school-which-i-always-nag-people-about feeling started creeping up my throat. i wanted to puke. i started calling people frantically. i called skippy about my "evil" deed. somehow, i still felt bad and called pj to ask for advice if what-i-did-made-me-such-a-bad-person-i-could-die-in-hell kind of thing.
after a few minutes, i managed to calm down and repress anxious goody cla. i decided to look for PB3 and get my license by myself. fortunately, he found me and was proudly giving me my license with a smirk. i gave him Php50 for the bother. i never knew exactly how much the charge for my violation was. he didn't give me the receipt. there was probably none. it was probably less than 500.
i swear never to violate ANY traffic rules and regulations ever again! and im proud to say that i've been good since then. 
note: kids, don't try this at home. hehe. you know what that means.
Sudoku