Living a Life in the City

Being independent from other people brings so much fulfillment to me. I live in a city away from my parents, away from family, away from people whom I can depend on. I pay my own rent and internet bills, buy my own meals, explore on my own. Well of course, sometimes I ask for an extra cash from d-a-d-d-y (*chuckles) when i have nothing left.

My father told me to save from my salary, God knows how much I tried to do that. But then I think I just got so used to being provided with money weekly for my allowance when I was a student. I never saved anything at all. Now I'm almost broke, but still surviving.

Then I watched Ugly Betty again. It really opens up my mind. It gives me so much lesson that now, I've been thinking about the money I spent on things that were not really important. Like splurging on clothes and shoes whenever I get my paycheck. I usually buy at the ukay but I really SPLURGE. I spend too much than I can afford. And then I think of how many of those clothes didn't really look good on me when it's time to use them already. How many of them just end up being on my closet for a very long time then to anyone else who looks better with those clothes on them. How many of those shoes just end up being so dusty in my shoe cabinet until they finally wear off even if I only used each of them once.

I become so generous whenever I have a lot of money in my pocket. I treat friends to dinner or bars just so I could prove to them that, "Hey! I'm so young yet I have a lot of my OWN money to spend!" when in fact, the next day, I would end up eating noodles because I would need to be careful with spending for the next couple of days or so.

I have been receiving paychecks for more than a year now but my bank account says 131.72.

Sometimes we enjoy being independent so much that we don't care anymore. We don't care how we utilize (if we really do so) our independence, we don't care what we do because WE ARE ALREADY INDEPENDENT. But being independent doesn't just mean freedom to do whatever we want to do. It's more like discovering and learning more.

Independence teaches us how to handle our lives so that we become ready when we have to live alone without our parents to run to when we run out of cash or when we have huge problems. It should make us more responsible when making decisions, from deciding which things are really important to spend money on, to realizing that it's not really easy to live by yourself.

Experience is a really good teacher. Most people don't understand things until they are in that situation. My experiences while living in the city independently taught me a whole lot of new things. Starting with saving money, then doing my own laundry, cooking meals for myself, budgeting my money so that I could pay the bills.

It's never been easy to be on your own most specially if you grew up with pampering from your parents. But in one way or another, you need to take more responsibility so that it would be less of a shock for you when the time comes that you have to stand on your own.

xoxo

Taking the Ukay Thing SERIOUSLY

Usually, old places and buildings here in Baguio will mean a scary scene in a Filipino horror movie. Their dull, dark, and creepy appearance will push people away from these structures. But then, when you come closer and get inside, you’ll find that buildings like those will not scare you at all, rather, some sort of excitement and agitation will come rushing through your senses when you see hundreds of thousands of clothes, bags, and foot wears displayed right in front of you. They’re just there, waiting for a patient individual to pick them from where they have been placed. Yes, patience. When one goes to places like these, which we call Ukay-Ukay, patience is really a virtue.

Baguio City is not just the Summer Capital of the Philippines but also the Ukay-Ukay Capital since this trend originated here sometime in the 1990’s. Ukay-Ukay in Baguio, Wagwagan as it was called before, is the ukay of all ukays. If you think that finding a 50-peso original Bayo top is a jackpot, well think again. Ukays in Baguio can even offer you apparels for as low as P5! If you want a “shopping galore,” as shopaholics call it, while spending not too much, you’ll be needing your 500-peso bill and just like what I’ve mentioned earlier, patience. Of course, you’ll need some extra strength for some extra arm and leg workout when you start rummaging through stacks of clothes and going up and down the stairs and hills of famous Wagwagans in the city.

When I was just a newbie here in Baguio, going to Ukay-Ukay meant getting itchy and enduring the odd smell of the old and rubbish clothes that were stocked in a bodega for a very long time. After more than three years of stay here, just a few months ago, a friend invited me to go with him on a Saturday afternoon in Kayang St. just at the back of the City Market. There, I enjoyed my first Ukay adventure. For only P400, I already have two black tops, one hot pink maong jacket, one white cotton jacket, a gray cotton trench coat-looking dress, and two other tops of different styles. Since then, whenever I have time and money of course, shopping in Ukay-Ukays would be my pastime. As of now, with only a few months of going to the Ukayans almost every other week, my closet is half-filled with Ukay apparels.

I was christened in the Ukay stuff in Hilltop, where the cheapest of the cheapest could be found, right there at Kayang St. Along the busy street at the back of the Public Market are hawkers spreading their goods when the clock strikes 6 o’clock in the morning, 12 o’clock noon, and 6 o’clock in the evening. Their goods sell from as low as P5 up to P40 for ordinary shirts and pants will not exceed P200. Bags and shoes are also available. Aside from the street peddlers, there are also a few wide stalls alongside the same street. The items from these stalls are a bit more expensive than the ones in the street.

Another huge Ukayan in the city is located right at its heart, at Session Road, corner Calderon St.—the Skyworld. This three-storey building used to be taller than it is right now before it fell down during the 1990 earthquake. Stalls here sell the premium items and designer brands which makes it a Wagwagan for the rich and most of the time, the tourists. Since it actually offers branded and newer items, prices are highest at Skyworld compared to that of the other Ukayans.

Of course, Harrison Road has a few Ukayans along which are almost the same as that of the Skyworld. Most often than not, hawkers also spread their goods from 7 until 10 in the evening and early morning along Session Road and in front of the Prime Hotel.

No matter where and when you plan to do some Ukay shopping, it is always advisable that you wear your most comfortable outfit. It is actually better if you wear the simplest clothes that you have. The rationale? The vendor should see you as poor and almost hopeless that you have come to their place as the last resort for buying some clothes. This will make it easier for you to haggle later on and get the items you want at even more lower prices.

The main concern here is to buy the best ones in their lowest possible prices. So when you go to Ukayans, it is best that you have lower amount of bills with you so that you would not appear to be rich. Having smaller bills will also be to your advantage because you’ll not be a target of snatchers or hold-uppers.

It is important that you do not speak English as much as possible if you really intend to get those items in their lowest prices. If you know how to speak their dialect, for example, Iloco here in Baguio, it would be better if you talk in Iloco to the vendors. Though sometimes, some tourists try to converse in Iloco that they sound trying hard and funny. The main thing to keep in mind here is that if you want to spend minimum amount, then act like you only have minimal cash with you.

Unlike in the shopping malls, items in the Ukays have no other stock. So when you spot something that you like, grab it immediately and don’t let it go until you reach the cashier to pay for it. Chances are, when you put it back, someone might be waiting for you to do so for her to get a hold of it. When that happens, you have no choice but to let it go totally. You cannot go into a fight with the other costumer because even informal shopping areas like Ukayans have some sort of shopping etiquette too. In addition to this, when you found something that you very much like and you can still have money left to buy it, buy it on the spot because if you decide to just go back for it, somebody might have already bought it.

And of course, the first thing that I have mentioned—patience. As much as possible, see to it that you have seen everything along the rack. Among the hundreds that are there, there will always be that one great item that you will find. Believe me, you’ll regret when you see your friend wearing that P50-original-Guess top that she got from the same rack that you refused to scan properly. It is also important that you scan the ones you will buy properly for damages. Buying a P25-blouse with an ugly and unfashionable rip it its sleeve is just like buying yourself a rug. When you get home, the first thing to do is to bring those that you have bought to the laundry shop to be cleaned off the dust and other unwanted and awkward smell from other costumers who once tried them on their selves.

“Ukay-Ukay is the answer to a bargain-hunter-slash-fashionista’s prayer. With the onset of the deflation of the economy, this whole Ukay-Ukay mania is not just a solution to the coinless purse, it also keeps the average Filipino in practical style, literally.”

Salamat (Thank You) (12:49:03 am, 09 Jan 2007)

saamat sa'yo
salamat sa oras
salamat sa panahon
sa pagdating mo at pagbibigay ng kulay sa buhay ko
salalmat sa mga tawanan at iyakang pinagsaluhan
sa mga sandali ding tayo'y nagbabangayan
salamat sa pagpaparamdam sa akin kahit sandali na ako'y minahal mo at sayo'y naging mahalaga rin
salamat sa paglalagay ng mga ngiti sa aking mga labi
sa mga sandaling ang aking mga luha'y nangingilid
salamat dahil minsan ay dumaan ka sa buhay ko
kahit sa pag-alis mo'y tangay mo na ang aking sugatang puso

this is for a guy who taught me the real meaning of love and selflessness
he was once mine but not anymore, he belongs to someone, a lucky young lady.. for she has him...wherever he is right now, i hope he'll be safe always, i've loved him so much and i'll always will..i'll still wait for him to come back to me as he promised more than a couple of years ago..i've always believed in whatever he said and i'll always will..no matter how long it'll take, i'll wait for him .. i hope he gets to read this so that he'll know that i'm still waiting..
if this poem reaches him and he would be able to read it, that would mean that we're meant for each other...i hope he does read this someday..
PRETZEL and no. 8 adarna st., dizon subd.?????

-kacie-

From A Corner of Baguio City

Whenever I go to this place, I have to ride a Trancoville-Plaza jeepney. It passes through Harrison Road and Magsaysay Avenue. I would then get off the jeepney when I reach the fly-over going to La Trinidad. After crossing the two two-way streets, I would reach Adarna St. of Dizon Subdivision. From there, I would take around 200 steps to get in front of a brown grilled gate with a number eight on its side. Behind this gate is a three-storey, two-unit apartment with an off-white-painted body and green roof. The first and second floors are parts of the first unit and the third floor is another separate unit which has a separate entrance located at the side. I need not knock on the door anymore. I just enter the unit and there, an unusual living room appears before me—an empty, unfurnished living room with just a two-pane window and a mirror hanging on the wall. There’s this brown wooden stair leading to the second floor. On top of the stairs is a wooden harang to keep people from accidentally falling down the stairs. Facing the stairs is a mini refrigerator. Beside the refrigerator on the right side is the sink where a few used plates are still unwashed. Beside the sink is a plate organizer with only a few plates, and just in front of the organizer is a two-burner stove positioned sideward. Above it are three kitchen cabinets with other kitchen utensils inside. Beside the stove are the door of the restroom and another door of one of the three rooms in the unit. Two young ladies occupy that room—Mara and Ate Pate. To my left, a living-dining room appears. There’s an old television, a square monobloc table covered with a red table cloth, a few monobloc chairs, and a window with a peach-colored curtain. There are two other bedrooms. The room just beside the stairs is the room of Kuya Joey and Kuya Angel and the room adjacent to it is the room of Don and his older brother, Kuya Gel. Actually, Mara, Ate Pate, and Kuya Joey, Don, and Kuya Gel are cousins and Kuya Angel is Kuya Gel’s very close friend. I first went to that unit on June 8, 2005, Wednesday, with Don, who was my boyfriend at the time. I can still remember how hard the rain was on that day. When we got into the house, he introduced me to Kuya Angel who was the only person there at that time. Don and I had tocino and canned tuna for dinner, and went to bed at pass nine in the evening to sleep. The next day, I woke up beside a tall, chinito, and young man—this young man that I loved truly for the first time. It has become a part of my everyday life to go there especially when I have a lot of vacant time. Whenever he would take me to their apartment, our tambayan would be in their room, and there we would spend the rest of the time watching the television or just chatting about what happened to us that day. I sometimes sleep and often spend my weekends there with him and his brother and their cousins. Because of that I became a part of their family already. Whenever we were together, I would cook for him, we would do our school work together, clean their room which was most of the time a bit messy, and do our favorite pastime—eating. At night, before we go to sleep, it was our “ritual” to look outside the window beside his bed. From there we could both see the lights of the houses and buildings in the city. The tall buildings of the University of Baguio and Saint Louis University were also visible from that point. It was the best view I have ever seen since I came to Baguio. It was a very beautiful view that Don and I shared together from that spot of their apartment. That house saw how my 16th birthday celebration on the 22nd of June 2005 was spent, how I took care of him when he got sick for almost a week, how we worked hard to finish his Chemistry project, how he gently caressed my hair before we slept, how he pinched my cheeks after having tasted the food that I have cooked for him, how he hugged me so tight every time that I arrived there, how he whispered “Goodnight wifey…I love you,” when I was about to sleep. I was so overwhelmed by these experiences that I didn’t think our relationship would have an end. We both felt so secure with each other that the thought of having problems didn’t ever occur to us. Since we became lovers on May 18, 2005, we only had small fights which were just normal in a relationship, konting tampuhan as they say. But then, not every love story goes smoothly forever I guess. Even before when we were still friends, I already knew that he would be going to Spain, where his parents were working, sometime in November 2005. His flight was scheduled on the 18th of November. We were together for the last time on November 4-5 at their apartment with Kuya Gel and his girlfriend, Ate Lhai. Sadness and fear filled the atmosphere of the house. On the night of November 4, Don and I were talking in their room about how it was going to be once he’s already in Spain. We were both crying at that time. He promised me a lot of times that he would be back by May 2006. I didn’t want that night to end because I knew that that would be the last time that I would be with him. I was staring at his face, memorizing every detail of it. Although his eyes were wet because of crying, it still looked a lot like the eyes of Rain, the Korean actor/singer. His nose also looked like the nose of Rain. His lips were pinkish, though a little darker than the usual pink that we know. We almost didn’t sleep that night. We just wanted to talk while we looked outside the window and stared at the usual view that we were always staring at. The next day at around four o’clock in the afternoon, both of us had to go to the lowlands already—Don to their house in San Manuel, Pangasinan and I to my uncle’s house in La Union. Before we went out the house, I went back to their room to take a last look. I couldn’t stop myself from crying the moment I had a last look at the window beside his bed. I wasn’t sure at that time if I would be able to see the beauty of Baguio at night through that window again. I then closed the door of the room and had a glimpse of the entire second floor of the apartment—the monobloc table where we used to eat our meals, the stove where I would always cook his favorite foods, the sink that was always untidy, and the refrigerator that I once cleaned up because it was becoming so dirty and stinky. That was the last time I laid my eyes on that house.Then Don flew to Spain on November 18. From that day, when he flew to Spain, I lost communication with him already. I didn’t know what happened to the promises he made and to the love that we shared together. Until now, I still can’t get over him. I still have no idea on how could I ever forget the times we spent together, most of them in their apartment. That house that I used to go to may seem to be just an ordinary house when seen from an elevated portion of New Lucban. Jeepneys and cabs may just be passing in front of it. Different kinds of people for sure are to occupy that house as long as it stands there. That house was witness to a love that was pure and true. It was where I once experienced how to be loved purely and faithfully. It was wherein once in my life, someone made me feel special and loved. That house became a witness to the ups and downs in our relationship. It was where we started dreaming and planning our future. It was where we had tons of laughter and tears together. Nowadays, whenever I go to the veranda of SM Baguio and see the big area of trees near Quirino Hill and Dreamland, I know, just below that area is that house—full of cherished memories and unforgettable scenes that have stayed in my mind and heart. Until now, I still can’t go back there because of what happened. Once in my life, going there was a part of my daily routine, but now, going there means recalling every single memory and event that Don and I both knew, which just makes me once again feel the pain that I felt on the day he flew to Spain. I still love him as much as I loved him before he left. I think I’ll always feel that way towards him. I’m still hoping that I could be with Don to continue the love that we once shared together the next time I visit that house on #8 Adarna St., Dizon Subdivision, Magsaysay Avenue, Baguio City.

-kacie-