au.was.here.

yesterday, i was at Rockwell with Tin, Nita and Lee when my cellphone rang. we just had lunch at Pepper Steak and where browsing the array of desserts on display before we were to head off to Belair to check out a party venue.

"san ka na?" said Erwin's voice on the phone. "matagal pa ba kayo? baka gusto mo pumunta dito."

"san ka rin ba?" i said. he answered he was at Jerry Tieng's. my eyes widened incredulously.

for the past few weeks (months?), i've been stalking Jerry's website, dreaming of my next camera body. i had outgrown my trusty Nikon D40 in the sense that i wanted more controls and the ability to autofocus with non-AFS lenses. before the D90 came out, i really wanted the D300 for its sturdy build and great autofocus plus it meters with old lenses but the price range was out of reach. the D90, being less expensive, seemed more reachable plus it has recordable Live View. i was pining for it since. i thought maybe next year's birthday would be great timing to ask for it. so i just kept checking the website for price changes and for general daydreaming.

so when hubby called yesterday telling me about where he was, i wanted the ability to teleport so badly! see, it's our 21st anniversary the next day (which is today) and obviously he was up to somethin' tittilatingly magnificent! his next question proved it to be true, "alin ba gusto mo, yung D90 or yung D300?" my girlfriends in front of me were witness to how high i jumped in the air. i couldn't decide because each had great points. the D300 was the more prosumer camera though (sturdier magnesium alloy body, weather-sealing, 150K actuations, etc). i ended up telling him to just surprise me.


then, the girls and i we went about with the things we had to do. we went to Fully Booked at High Street to get coffee and talk and be amongst books we had a common love for. then, my cell sounded off again. the text message simply read: bili ka ng CF. again, Nita, Tin and Lee saw me jump up and down like a mad woman with a crazy smile on her face. i knew then it was the D300 that he went home with because the D90 uses an SD card. the D300 uses Compact Flash.

i texted him back some pretty hot stuff responses (heehee!)... and then coerced Nita to drop by Parksquare where i can pick up a CF card after our meeting. by the time i got home, it was pretty late and Erwin wasn't home. he decided to play basketball with his friends instead of hanging around to wait for me. as i passed my son Kiko by the computer, i noticed a little smile on his face. "o bakit nakangisi ka?" i said. "may nakita kasi akong box sa ibabaw the dresser mo e" he replied. he had good reason to be happy himself. he stands to inherit my old D40. i had promised it to him some time ago. but i told him it happens only WHEN i get my new cam. he has been pestering me to get a new camera for myself ever since.



it was a bit surprising that hubby would leave the D300 in plain site. he is quite the prankster and i expected the box to me empty just like what he did the other time he got me some glass and a flash. i excitedly picked it up and the box was not empty as i thought. hope rose. yet, when i opened the box, inside was just the old D40! i knew it! he hid the D300 again somewhere in the house. i thought i was going to be loooong night.


i immediately rang him up. "ASSAANNN naaahhh?!" were the first words out my mouth. after some cajoling, and bit of hunting, i found it....under the bed. i could hear christmas jingles in my head as i started tinkering with my new toy. then i put it down and took a bath to relax. a few hours later, i heard him at the gate so i went down to let him in. i already glimpsed what he was trying to hide behind him as he entered the gate. FLOWERS! goodness! it's been more than a decade (or two maybe?!) since the last time i got those from him! not that i miss them too much. live plants were more my style rather than cut flowers. neither was it Erwin's usual style. his brand of romance is too quirky for flowers but still, it was a pleasant surprise. and all i had for him was a little heart shaped caramel cake from Estrel's!


so what's a wife to do to repay such a gallant and sweep-me-off-my-feet anniversary surprise? hehehe... secret na lang... :-D