sarah in florida

call me crazy, but when sarah geronimo arrived here in florida (orlando, to be specific), i was there at the airport to pick her and the concert entourage up. actually, it was my friend Ronald who i'm picking up, but they are arriving the same day, kaya wait na rin ako at sumundo. hehe! at shempre, sama na rin sa pagpunta sa hotel nila. chika-chika ng onti, picture-picture. as i expected, sarah remembered me by face, but forgot my name. :p so i reintroduced myself as "ate beng". i was hanging around like i'm not an avid fan, shempre, trying to keep my cool. hehehe!

nakasama ko si sarah at yung parents nya sa elevator, chika-chika rin, and somehow i managed to pull a decent conversation without shrieking. wow, i think i'm beginning to be a pro in keeping calm. wehehe! usap kami about sa latest teleserye nya, Pangarap na Bituin (extra plugging: please watch the show, ibang sarah mapapanood nyo! ay, kakilig!). then nung nasa lobby couch na kami, pinicture-an ko sya, sabi ko "sarah, solo!", harap naman sya at smile. after i took the shot, she said to me, "ate kayo naman!". i thought sabi nya ako naman pipicture-an nya ng solo. *lol* biglang dagdag nya, "tayo naman po picture!", sabay tayo from the couch. shempre game ako, kaya eto ang pic namin...

~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~ O ~

the next day, i was flying through interstate-4 heading to DisneyWorld. i have to be there early. nakarating naman ako ng maayos. hehehe!

after what seemed like ages in trying to contact Ronald, i finally got hold of him, and we agreed on a place to meet at Epcot. after around 20 minutes, i saw the entire concert entourage appear from the Soarin' ride's exit. ayan na si sarah! hehehe!

the morning seem to fly by pretty fast. i remember lining up at the Extreme Training of the Mission Space ride, nang tinanong ako ni sarah, "ate, ok po ba to?", pertaining to the ride. i explained the ride to her: what to expect, what to do, what not to do. her parents listened in, and they suddenly chickened out. hehe! pero si sarah, game pa rin! di ko alam na matapang pala sa rides itong batang ito. =P

after that ride, libot-libot ulet, shopping-shopping. we also went to a "laos" 3D show, "Honey I Shrunk the Audience". it was more fun waiting in line than the actual show. hehehe!
and then we had another ride, Test Track, but this time without sarah, gutom na daw kasi sya eh, hehe! then nag-lunch na kami sa isang Chinese-themed resto sa Epcot. after lunch, libot-libot pa and shopping some more, and then we decided to transfer sa Magic Kingdom.

sa MK, halos puro pictures! shempre, andun kasi talaga ang mga scenic facades eh. unfortunately, not many pics on my cam, ako kasi ang photographer ng group, being their tour guide as well. hehehe! nag-rides pa kami ulet, 2 more rides. bilib ako kay sarah, antapang! hahaha! nakataas pa kamay nya sa isang rollercoaster ride. i know, kasi nasa likod ko lang sya eh. *lol* i looked over my shoulder, nakataas din kamay nya. hehehe! i'm sure she also had fun. i think if there were more extreme rides there, sinubukan nya. =P makes me want to take her sa Universal Studios at Busch Gardens. wehehehe! sana next time!

anyways, this disney gimik is probably what helped sarah remember me. kami lang ni Ronald ang hindi part ng concert entourage na kasama nila eh. she calls me "ate beng", and "ate beng beng" when being playful. several times, we walked beside each other. minsan nga pag nakikita nyang naglalakad ako mag-isa, she catches up with me eh. awwww. minsan ako naman ang humahabol. hahaha!

there was one time, we were sitting by a bench. napapagitnaan ako nila sarah at mark bautista. sarah, being observant, caught a glimpse of a couple kissing. she reacted "ano ba yan, nagkiss na!", sabay bungisngis. probably shocked at the casual way the couple kissed in public. we just had a small chitchat about how liberated the people are here in the US, compared sa pinas. it was nice. a small chitchat with sarah and mark, under the florida sun, sweating and tired and hungry. =D

ilang beses nya rin akong inalok ng popcorn. i suddenly regret not being a popcorn enthusiast. hehehe!

all in all, it was a wonderful, wonderful day. disney gimik with sarah and the rest. they are just like normal teenagers, enjoying a free day. shopping. eating. looking around. lining up for rides. asaran. lokohan. tuksuhan. sobrang walang ka-ere-ere talaga... bilib ako! and during shopping, hindi mo iisipin na limpak-limpak na salapi na ang kinikita ni sarah, she still inspects everything. picks up just a small item, looks at the price tag, puts it back if it's too expensive to her taste. if i were earning at a rate that she does, i'd probably take everything i fancy. screw the price. but not sarah. i witnessed how grounded she is, both feet on land, humble and moderate in everything.

i learned to love her more now as a kind, thoughtful, fun and witty person....who happened to have great talent in singing, dancing, acting, and whatever-you-can-think-of-in-an-artist. i believe the sarah i get to hangout with sa disney is the most unguarded sarah there can be. she is polite, conservative and reserved, that's true. but i also saw a carefree and fun-loving spirit in her. she loves to laugh, make jokes, make fun of herself to solicit laughters, and just simply likes to see people around her comfy and happy as well.

what's not to love with sarah geronimo?