Last Day of the ACI World Congress

Last day of the ACI Congress. Got up early to be able to watch the PNB cheerleaders compete in GSIS' Synergy Cheerleading Competition. As luck would have it, the news stand at the bus station were selling Tagalog Entertainment Magazines. I couldn't decide which one to buy so I bought all.

The competition had not started yet when I got to the GSIS gym. The PNB team was second. We weren't the best, as it was obvious the team had little practice. We had the right idea though, just lacking in execution. The SSC high school and college cheerleaders could do better (but my school's teams have won first place many times, so it's not a fair comparison).

Headed to PICC after the competition. Saw Anke and she was pleased that I was able to find the Tagalog magazines. Told her to choose what to bring back to her maid and I'll keep what's left but she bought all. As she couldn't be bothered with change, the money she gave me was more than the cost of the magazines.

As many foreign delegates had skipped attending the last day altogether (probably off to Boracay or some other resort), only a few were expected to join the lunch at PICC hosted by ICAP. ICAP therefore requested the local delegates to show up (even bring along friends) so that the food won't go to waste. Too many showed up in response, that they actually ran out of food. Very funny.

There was nothing scheduled after lunch, with the next event being the gala dinner at the Makati Shangri-la. As part of the Logistics committee, Dennis had a room at the New Hyatt Hotel where Rey, Cristy and the others planned to hang around until the gala started. They actually planned to sleep there as they expect the event to last till midnight. Che found herself underdressed for gala night and with me in tow headed first to a nearby mall to buy something more appropriate. Actually, I watched Xmen 3 while she was shopping. Went to the hotel alone as I told Che to go ahead once she was done shopping.

Knowing only the floor where the room was, but not the room number, I merely entered the elevator along with two hotel guests and found that they had already pushed the button I needed ... we were headed for the same floor. I got a call telling me the room number while I was in the elevator, and was at the door in no time. I was surprised when they were surprised that I was standing there.

Apparently, if you're heading towards your hotel room in the New Hyatt, you can only get off the elevator at your floor if you push in your room "key" (which is a card) in a slot at the elevator's control panel. It was pure luck that I got into the elevator with other people billeted on the same floor. Ha ha ha! Come to think of it, I often find that some places/rooms I've entered were actually off limits to me AFTER I've been there... OR they are not always open to the public and I was fortunate that it was open when I visited.

Watched cable TV in the room. Others took a shower and changed clothes. The wall dividing the hotel room's bathroom from the bedroom was half glass ... it was opaque but you still see a shadow when someone's in there. When Rey got in to take a shower, naughty me had everyone's attention on his shadow. Everyone had a good laugh when Rey got conscious and moved far from the glass wall.

A shuttle bus took delegates billeted in the New Hyatt to the Makati Shangri-la. That dinner was probably the best meal in the whole convention. The Company sang a few songs, and everyone agreed they were good. A pop band was singing by the time dessert was over. Everyone can dance and stay till midnight, but as it was late, I excused myself and hurried to the Ayala terminal to catch the last trip to Pacita.

By the way, just in case you're curious, ACI stands for "Association Cambiste Internationale" ... and as the name implies, it's a society of foreign exchange dealers headquartered in France.