Measuring Life

Yes.

That was the answer I got from Ninang when I dropped the "Can I stay in Manila with you for longer than three months?" question on Saturday.

So now, the only obstacle left is the battle between me and my comfort zone.

P10,000 / P55 = $182/month. Traffic. Pollution. Being always praning of getting hold-upped, kidnapped, etc. Dirty public restrooms. ATMs that are hard to find. Feminine pads that are way too small and have no leak protection. Image-conscious citizens. Floods. Heat and humidity. Lack of order. No clean tap water. No hot tap water. Ipis, butiki, langgam, lamok, oh my. No health insurance. Not finding pants that fit.

Those are my biggest worries. Pero sabihin na natin na I have "everything" here in Seattle. Satisfied ba ako? Hindi naman, di ba? Hindi basta madami kang meron eh ibig sabihin na maligaya ka na. There are truly some things money can't buy.

I guess the solution is not to think in terms of money. Better yet, I should say not think in terms of money that I'm not getting. Let's see...P10,000. Out na ang obsession with Kamiseta. Starbucks will only be used for wi-fi purposes and not for drinks. Chalk magazine is P75 lang naman. I've come to terms with not having a car; mas mageenjoy ako sa MRT kesa naman being stuck on EDSA for four hours trying to get from say, Pasay to Quezon City. As far as friends naman, you don't need money for that. Kung magkaibigan lang kayo kasi may pera ang isa't isa, eh di hindi na yon totoong friendship. Tiyaka, hindi naman talaga ako nagpapautang or nagpapauto eh kaya it doesn't matter kung may pera ako or wala. LoL.

March 2005. March 1, 2005 is the end of my 6-month probation status as a "new" full-time employee at Job #1; March 17, 2005 is my one year anniversary. What "sign" did I receive on Saturday after asking Ninang The Question? She told me that they're going to Boracay at the end of March next year (before the start of the peak season). I've never been to Boracay; I've always wanted to go; What a sweet Welcome Back party it would be.

So, who thinks I have enough courage to pull this plan off? Promise, no hard feelings. The online voting polls are now open. HeHe.