Prologue

                                    

                                              
Walking around Binondo, Manila is a past time I developed after my summer internship shift ends. I enjoy the mixture of different architectural structures in the area and I always feel like I am transported to Europe and China at the same time.
                          
The people you see in the area are also a mixture of cultures, at one side of the district are Filipinos chatting madly in either Tagalog or Visayan. At the next corner,  you hear Mandarin, Fukien or Cantonese speaking Chinese high school girls walking behind you.
                          
This is what I like in this part of the city. It's never the same every day, there will always be something peculiar or special about this place.

                          
*****
                          
April 9,2007
I met Lin while I was assembling a toy robot I bought from a local peddler in the area. It was exceptionally hot that summer day and I couldn't wait to check out my weekly toy purchase. So, I settled and opened it in the comforts of the air-conditioned convenience store across a popular Chinese jewelry store.
                          
Lin was also in the same convenience store and she was buying a cold drink. 
                          
I did not notice that a small piece of my toy was on the floor, she was the one who tapped my shoulders and pointed it out to me. I looked up and that is when I felt "love at first sight" kind of exists.
                          
Lin is a typical Chinese girl—almond- shaped eyes, fair skinned, round face beauty but what caught my attention is the aquamarine streaks on her predominantly black, straight, shoulder-length hair. After she left and went back to her father's jewelry shop, I was already determined to get to know her.
                          
April 10,2007
                          
The next day after my shift ended, I went straight to the same convenience store and bought a drink. I sat near the window where I can see her from across the street. She was there, blue hair and all, fairly bored herself and playing a game on her PSP to entertain herself until a customer comes around. I was there to observe her, from the way she moves, interact with other people and if she can understand me. I , later on , found out that she was fluent in Filipino because she was the one talking to the curious local passersby who simply asked and rarely bought any item from their jewelry store.
                          
 I decided to talk to her and ask her name the next day but I debated with myself during my commute back home if it was the right move. I kept myself up that night thinking of what questions to ask and how I will approach her.

                          
April 11,2007
Time flew so slowly that day, I was not the productive trainee that I used to be and I almost got myself kicked out by my boss because I made a mistake that can ruin a big project the company was preparing for.
                          
When it was time to go home, I quickly packed my bag and walked straight out to the direction where I usually ride the jeepney to Binondo.
                          
My heart was racing and I started to become anxious halfway through the jeepney ride. I walked slowly to the direction of the store hoping to find her playing with her gadget or staring at the people passing by the shop. I talked myself through the plan I had formulated inside my head the night before, I was nervous but I really wanted to know her name and even have a short conversation with her.
                          
When I arrived at the area, I saw Lin with the same serious face I have observed the day before. She was playing with her PSP again when I arrived. 
                          
I stood in front of her, opened my mouth and blurted out, "Hello there. I'm Jake." 
                          
I was already face slapping in my head. "Great introduction, you weirdo."  
                          
She pressed pause on her handheld console and looked at me. When I saw her smile, I felt butterflies in my stomach.
                          
"Hi! May I help you with anything?" She asked, still smiling despite the unusual introduction I just blurted out.
                          
"Oh! Oh! I don't need anything." I shook my head and continued on saying, "I don't think you remember me but..." I then told her about what happened the other day. I was very honest in everything I said that time and I wouldn't replace any word I told her—minus the awkward introduction that I nervously put out.
                          
"...and I find you beautiful and alluring especially with your blue hair." I saw her cheeks turn red because of what I just told her.
                          
In the end, I asked her name and I still remember until this day her exact words...
                          
"Xiaoling. My Filipino friends call me Lin."
                          
After a long talk about toys and everything in between, I told her that tomorrow I will drop by again and that I want to talk a little bit more. It was my indirect invitation for dinner or a merienda date and she agreed. I went home feeling like Jack from Titanic, the king of the world.