I wake up to the sound of pitter patter come inside the room. My 2 year old grandchild, Andrea walks in, with a pacifier in her mouth. She sees a hunk under the comforter blanket thinking it is her mom. Andrea slides under the covers and stays beside me. Three minutes later, she slowly scoots her way to the edge of the bed, stands up and then runs back to her room, where her sister and dad are sleeping. I guess our noiseless communication says it all.

I have been baby sitting my grandchildren for 2 days now while my son and his wife are busy working. They have different schedules every week. My son works afternoon shift at a music store, while my daughter in law is a nurse and takes the evening shift. Somewhere in between, leaves my grandchildren without a caretaker so my husband and I fill in, when the need arises. Such is the life in America. That is why Mike and I would say that our mission here is 'apostolic'-- meaning bantay mga apo..

Today, Wednesday, both my son and his wife have their day off. This would give me a chance to go home to my own abode and do necessary chores. It is still 6 in the morning, too early to do anything much. After that intrusion from my granddaughter, I am wide awake. I go to the kitchen, make myself a cup of coffee and head to the computer to check on my latest e-mails. I turn on the t.v. for the news and weather report.

Just then, an idea struck me. Why not go to New York and see for yourself what NBC looks like when they do the TODAY show? As thoughts escalated through my mind, I catch myself getting excited every minute. The next thing I knew, I was dressed in my jeans and a denim blazer with my black Prada backpurse at my back. I told my son the previous night that I would go home today, but I didn't expect I would leave this early.

I caught the 7 o'clock Manhattan bound bus and about 20 minutes later, I was in Rockefeller Center. On a whole block side area between two buildings, a cordon was made and about 5 different stage sets were placed. A special walkway for viewers of the show and another for passers-by were made to instill traffic flow of people. I caught myself go in through the viewers path, where a man at the entrance asked to check my backpack for security purposes.

Inside the cordoned area, cameramen, crew, staff were busily moving about. Wires were like snakes winding their ways around sets. Lights were glaringly focused on sets. There were already viewers stationing themselves on the rails. The first set had a rectangular table with what looked like half cooked barbequed ribs, a chopping board and some sauces while on the side was a portable grill, smoke coming out from its sides. Walking further, I am standing behind a backdrop where I see two bar stools and with flowering plants accentuating the whole stage scene. A few yards was another set with what looked like a booth with a bar. Sand was its floor base and on the bar were bottles of sunblocks and lotions. A few yards from the bar was a step up of another beach like stage. A little farther had a different setting. This time it looked like a wedding scene where flowerlike spring ambience was in the air. Two wedding cakes were on different tables facing each other and behind it was a floral backdrop. And finally another table, much like similar to the previous stage was a rectangular table covered in cloth and on it were colored cupcakes in tiered plastic containers.

In between the last two stage sets was a small path that led to a door of the NBC headquarters. This was where Matt Lauer, Meredith Viera and the rest would buzzle from the indoor set to the outdoor. I then called up Mike from his slumber and told him to turn on to channel 4, just in case...

I was able to be on the second row of people already queing up behind the last stage set. The weather was cooperating although showers were predicted that day. The moment, the stars of Good Morning America walked through the door, fans started screaming. I didn't know what reaction to make but I could have sworn I had a stiff jaw from smiling ear to ear. The lady in front of me had a daughter who was dressed in blue graduation gear complete with a cap and hood. Meredith Viera went to her and congratulated her,and I was in full view. Behind Ms. Viera's wrinkles, lay a beautiful woman both inside and out. I am so impressed with her demeanor and her star personallity. She is the epitome of "the anchor woman" with such humor and wit. Matt Lauer didn't seem as friendly, but he did make an effort. The segment of the stage set where I was located was that of the amazing race-couples edition. The cupcakes that were on the table were for the couples to sell or give away and then to ask for donations for something. I dished out a dollar and got my chocolate cupcake with a domino shaped icing on top. When the segment was over, some people decided to move.

AT this point, I also started to move toward the exit area only to be slowed down by the throng of people blocking the first stage set. Apparently, that part of the show belonged to Martha Stewart. True enough, as I was about to leave, Martha and Meredit started to move towards the set and in a few minutes started their dialogues about barbeque and grilling. Sensing myself through the crowd, I was able to go right behind the Today banners. From that vantage point, I was still able to see Martha Stewart, within a few yards from me.

Since I was getting tired of stretching my neck and having a stiff jaw from smiling, I decided to call it a day and proceeded to the nearest exit. Walking to Penn Station, where a train would take me back to New Jersey, I was surprise at what I just did...Going to a t.v. station to look for stars. What else, di ba? Thank God it was only Mike who saw!