I was ready and dressed up nicely when I went to Shangrila mall a few hours before my son’s birthday blow-out. I was wearing the Jessica dress I received from Oyen last Christmas. It even has a matching bling-bling. The dress is simple but becomes a little formal with the crystal necklace. I was having second thoughts of wearing the necklace in going to the mall because it looks flashy. Baka maka tawag pansin, ng mga magnanakaw. Isinuot ko na rin, so that once in a while naman I would look fashionable. I would just tell the snatchers or hold-uppers that my necklace is japeks (fake).
Going to the mall is expensive. Before I could even enter the mall, P50 damage na agad for the parking plus the driver’s pamiryenda, lunch or dinner. Sometimes, they pretend not to have eaten yet at home para we would give them money, na-do-doble ang gastos.
Imagine parking lang P50 na agad. Ang mahal ano? Pang date na namin ni Edmund yan when we were in college. Sizzling steak with fresh mango juice, for the two of us, may sobra pa.
When I was in high school, my baon was piso. Gulaman at sago eh singkwenta sentimos na agad. Ni hindi kasya pambili ng Dari Creme sandwich. That was the amount my father pegged and I did not think of complaining or asking for a raise.
50 Centavos when I was in elementary, piso in high school.
There was a big jump when I went to college. Syempre, malayo sa Binangonan, kaya P25 na. A WEEK. 25 / 6 DAYS = 4.167 a day. A slice of puto 50 centavos.
Coke is 1.35 Pansit with hotdog is P4. Oops, deficit na agad.
I never thought of asking for more money from my father. I could see how hard they worked so I didn’t want to be a burden. I knew most of my classmates in elementary, high school and even those in college asked for extra money from their parents. They told me they would invent some school project to extract more money from their parents. Kunwari there’s a new book, library fee, laboratory fee, school contribution. I never did something like that. I felt guilty. Basta whatever my papa gave me, yun na lang. Kung maubos, eh di sorry. That’s also the reason why I sold stuff to my classmates, to earn extra money. I didn’t want to ask for extra money. I also didn’t want to cheat my parents. Once in a while, my Kuya Lito sent me money.
Our neighbors borrowed money from my parents. Tapat bahay, tabing bahay, likod bahay, kabilang kanto at kabilang barrio. Those kids who were not nice to me, who bullied me, who ostracized me for being too skinny and for being Chinese, who acted like they were above me, didn’t know that their parents were only borrowing money from my parents to help send them to school. To feed them. To pay for their bigas and electricity.
Tingin ko lang dapat sinasabi rin sa mga anak kung ano ang situation to keep your kids grounded and humble. “Anak, inutang lang natin kila Ka Felicing at Ka Cardo itong ipambabayad natin sa matrikula mo. Magpasalamat tayo at merong nagma-magandang loob na pautangin tayo kahit hindi natin sila binabayaran”.
I went back to Shangrila mall again to drop a few more raffle stubs. My husband told me to drop them towards the end of the raffle promo and just before they pick a winner para daw we have a better chance of winning. The raffle is in March, hay nihulog ko na rin, I might forget or misplace the stubs.
After I dropped off the stubs, I went (again) to the watch store. I like to torture myself. Luma na yung relo sa kasusukat ko (3x) pa lang naman. I told them to give it to me for 50% off. Syempre no way. The store’s staff know me already. Even the security guards. Dati-rati, when I come in, they would watch my every move. Ngayon, even if I am wearing the watch and walking around their store, the sales ladies leave me, and the guards don’t mind me. Kilala na nila ako that I am not a thief and I am not buying the watch. So either way, when I leave their store, they know I would leave the watch behind.
I couldn’t decide whether to buy a new watch or not. I would like to pero nababalot ako lately ng kakuriputan. I set a price ceiling and I don’t want to go beyond that amount. The watch I want is not compatible to what I am only willing to spend. I think of it every day. I know walang kwenta, but I just think of it. Analyzing, comparing, looking, it’s not a waste of my time. It entertains me. It keeps me excited. My daughter and Edmund are sick and tired of me analyzing the pros and cons aloud. Bingi na sila sa kakulitan ko.
E——–“Tart, ang kulit mo pa nga”.
One day I would announce, I am buying it. Then the next day, I would go back to my senses, and would text them, I am not buying the watch. Then the next day, I would tell them I am thinking about it. Edmund told me I should adjust my price point. At kung hindi, wala daw akong mabibili. Naghahanap ako ng mura pero super ganda. Nagsasalawahan ako.
Di ba nung araw P9,500 lang ang Volkswagen?
P500,000 lang ang house and lot sa Greenhills. Pero nuon naman kahit five hundred, wala tayo.
I always compare the prices in this generation with the prices of goods during my younger days. Kaya my husband always tells me I sound old. Felicing na Felicing ako. That’s how my mom was when she was still alive. Bago kami kumain she would make a litany of the prices comparing the before with the after. “Singkwenta sentimos lang ang isang sakong bigas nung araw, ngayon dos yentos na”. Ngayon naman dalawang libo na.
Four hundred pesos lang ang sweldo ng labandera namin nung nursery si Oyen.
From the watch store, I went to the basement, Rustan’s supermarket.
In 1983, P1,500 worth of groceries could fill up the trunk of our car. Ngayon isang maliit na supot pa lang ang P1,500.
Look at the prices.
I bought 1/4 crab meat out of nostalgia. When I was little, my mom always bought alimasag. She steamed them. When there’s left-over, she cooked tortang alimasag.
Pati toilet papers, sobrang mahal na. I spent a good ten minutes comparing the brands. Merong two ply 400 sheets, merong 200 pulls, merong 1,000 sheets. They make it difficult and confusing to compare apple to apple.
How do we get away from using toilet paper? Pag weewee, very easy, we just jump 5 x.
I am one person who doesn’t want to pay extra two pesos for a plastic bag. Kung ano lang ang libre, dun na lang nila ilagay. I am paying them P3,600 for a few things, tapos I will pay extra P2 pa.
How do they sustain their operation? No people.
When my kids were a lot younger, I brought them here all the time. This was where I bought our weekly supplies. There used to be a food stall at this corner. They sold squid balls and buko juice. My kids loved it.
I really miss my kids when they were little. Dito kami nag-go-grocery. They would ride this walk-a-lator back and forth, paulit-ulit, while giggling. Nyke would even sit on it. I could almost see his cute and chubby face. Those were the days.
