The_Grimwitch_Chronicles

This is a chronicle of a young woman who has chronicled her life in notebooks she had made herself and suddenly discovered the availability of Blogs and how she could share a part of her secret self to the virtual community.

2:29 pm

08. Turn of the 3rd Decade of Existence

Posted by Leto of Blood

In retrospect,I think 2006 has been a year of delays and stresses for realizing my true potential. It had been a year of separation for my family - separation from my brother, Body; from memorabilia that celebrated milestones in our lives; from clothes and other stuff that were unknowingly stolen during renovation; from our previous lifestyle. We all had to adjust to my mum's retirement, my new sister-on-law, our new business, and our financial situation.

The first quarter had been the usual routine - working hard to earn enough to pay for utilities and some money to spend for little luxuries (like silver jewelry, shoes, bags and hair accessories). We had a new business venture, a canteen launched before my birthday, that will ensure that my family eats for more than three times a day - something that we were never brought up on. Food had always been scarce for us when we're all in college since we don't eat breakfast for fear of being late for school, we eat very little lunch because we need to save enough money for school expenses and we can't really eat a decent dinner because we're too tired to eat at midnight and would rather sleep or do something relaxing. Along with that canteen came the new house helps, who are either weirdly psychotic or with awesome attitude problems. Body got married in church on a Valentine's day. Before the wedding, we had to ask our relatives to help out with the food and other expenses because we can't afford a grandiose wedding that they have been hankering for. My mum spent most of her money on computers (the one I'm using now), printers, copiers and mobile phones. She busied herself on the canteen, organizing files and of course, cooking food when we got fed up hiring cooks!

The second quarter had been tiring for me since I was working for 48 hours a week for SMCSJ and WJA. Added to that was the stress of my mum preparing for her long awaited trip in the US and Canada. She has been working for so long that going to that place is one of her achievements in life. Living with strangers (the house helps) is an adjustment that we all had to make. My dad, with his sarcasm and ironic sense of humor, have been making it difficult to make these house helps stay for more than a month. It's hell when I have to start training new personnel for the canteen every other month. I'm thankful that my boyfriend can put up with my tantrums during these times. I know how I can be such a pain in the ass.My boyfriend and I celebrated our 9th year of Visita Iglesia, with prayers and hopes of a brighter future for the both of us. When my Bo's birthday arrived, it felt so weird celebrating it without him. He was my pet, a frequent recipient of "blessings" from me (free cinema tickets, occasional fine dining, clothes, shoes, bags, etc.) and he was gone. I think I've been jealous of his new family because I had been his confidante and adviser but now, I'm a deleterious sister he despises like pestilence. He has changed and he has aged. I miss my brother and I hate to see him live his life like that.

Third quarter was the most traumatic period for me and my siblings. With my mum gone and having fun somewhere in North America, we have to put up with the recent renovation of the house, the business space and managing the canteen. Most of our stuff are (still)wrapped and hauled on a makeshift trailer. Then, major devastating storms, thieving construction workers, and nasty pests destroyed our precious possessions and along with it, memories when we had a normal life. We had to sleep on hammocks because the floor is flooded and slippery.We had to be content with modest clothing since we can't choose what we want to wear and some have already been stolen by the construction workers who are working on our house. I also had to contend with my father asking money for construction costs and balancing the budget for other house utilities. I was forbidden to tell my mum really bad stuff about what happened to our books, pictures and memorabilia since it would definitely break her heart and her savings. My boyfriend and I busied ourselves getting documents to migrate to Australia for good. We both plan to get married a year after staying there and saving up for the wedding of our dreams.

The last quarter was a little better than the horrendous previous quarter. My mum returned from the Americas with souvenir photos, lots of clothing from relatives and friends, chocolates from duty free and a little poorer than the usual. We had to put up with her endless stories about life in the U.S. of A and Canada. She liked her stay with friends and relatives. She would've stayed if she got hired there. It would've been better that way because when she got back, she saw the house is total chaos. We all thought she'd break down, luckily, she did not. She took it in stride. She managed to pull off a successful hermana mayora -ship of the parochial fiesta and still live off her pension from the bank. Our Christmas and New Year's Eve aren't that grand as with our previous years. My sister and brother's family didn't spend them with us, which caused my parents to feel a little lonely without them. My married siblings tried to make up for that by being present at reunions and family functions during the holidays. However, it breaks my heart to see my parents' eyes linger longingly as their cars drive away and my nephews waving like there's no tomorrow at their grandparents sitting under the mango tree.

They say I'm lucky to have the gift of foresight, to tell what the future holds with a flip of my contraptions(tarot cards/runes/dice), to be receptive to changes...but am I Fate that can truly dictate what destiny lies in wait for this year? I am, like other mere mortals, pray for a better tomorrow while savoring today and learning from the past.

Numerology states that I'm lucky this year since it's my 30th year. I'm a Fire Snake and a mutable watery Pisces...contrasting fortunes are predicted for me. All I know is that my choices affect the fate I hold.

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5:05 pm

Transient Tenants of San Marcelino

Posted by Leto of Blood



Before we ever inhabited our "ancestral" home (as my mum would fondly call it), we lived in a cramped apartment compound beside the MERALCO office along San Marcelino St. in Ermita, Manila. It was in front of the Technological University of the Philippines. The compound was at the back of a looming student canteen cum dormitory. That building and the compound used to be an old theater that belonged to a "Bumbay." Its long, tiled driveway had a canal for draining flood water from the compound and out in the streets. At the end of the driveway was a red, metal gate made of braided wires that was our only security from trespassers at night.

I can still remember its address (826-F San Marcelino St.)...The flat had one set of stuck windows for ventilation, a cold, glossy (but slippery!) red floor, mint green walls and no room divisions. It also had a small comfort room with a shower that does not work, a leaking sink and open shelves that were painted creamy beige. I don't know how much my mum rented the place but it was probably a little expensive because we would miss some month's rentals.

Despite the cramped flat, there was an open space for a watering hole - there was a big, red, metal water tank that was as high as the flat itself. It stored water for the whole compound just in case of emergency water shortage. Neighbors would wash their clothes there because the comfort room was way too small for washing clothes manually. My mum bought a twin tub washing machine to solve that problem.

My mum hired some people to create wooden dividers for rooms. There was this big cubicle that housed my mum and my dad's bed, the huge cabinets for our clothes, sleeping beds and other important stuff. Since the comfort room is at the very end of the flat, beside the dripping sink, my mum also had a small divider where my grown-up cousins slept and kept their things. In front of their room was the dining table and the sturdy refrigerator. Our living room is near the only window of the flat. Leaning under the window would be the battered TV, our bulky (old school) stereo and a small glass table. There was a small sofa set that leaned on the walls of my parent's divider. Eventually, that window that remained perpetually stuck was carved out and a used, 1 horsepower-air conditioning unit placed to relieve the stuffiness of the flat during summer.

The cousins who lived with us are the eldest daughters of my dad's older brothers. They used to live in the province and are very shy. They attend the university that was just a stone's throw from our flat. To relieve our boredom on Friday nights, we would put on our socks and dance on the slippery floor of the living room with the bulky stereo at full volume. Iolanthe, would teach my brother, Launcelot, crazy dance steps like "The Skeleton Dance" or the "Duckling Twist." My other cousin, Angelique, would watch over our then youngest brother, Michael, as he tries to imitate the choreography that the twosome invented. My sister Josette and I would pretend we're gliding on ice and dance the night away until we're all exhausted. The dancing nights ended when Michael suffered convulsions and was diagnosed with meningitis (to which he eventually recovered, with no ill effects).

My siblings and I slept on sleeping mattresses which we lay on the floor of the living room at night. We cannot sleep as late as we would like, even on vacations because our neighbors will definitely see us once the front door is opened. Delectable meal scents will definitely wake us up because the smell of food cooking in the unventilated kitchen will definitely waft its way up to the living room where we are. Garbage had to be thrown daily because rotting filth can be smelled from the outside. To fart anywhere inside the flat is a capital offense. We usually study in the dining room on exam days because our neighbors can get rowdy at night especially on "bingo" nights that was hosted by my dad.

When the landlords built a bigger flat near the big compound gate, my mum took the opportunity by transferring there. It costs a little more expensive than the old flat where we used to live but it had lots of windows (which relieved my asthma)and had a slightly bigger comfort room with exhaust.

My mum had used the old dividers to create two big rooms - one as the master's bedroom and the other for our bed spacers. Our living room in the new flat initially had a big living room that leads to the dining room. It used to have the sewing machine that my mum's older sister, Aunt Mary, used to repair clothes, create dresses for me and my sister, and sew uniforms for other people. Her youngest daughter, Magdalene, soon lived with us after graduating from the provincial high school. She eventually became a scholar of the T.U.P. and of course, graduated with honors. My parents commissioned my Uncle Jack (my mum's alleged twin brother) to make wooden double-deck beds for the bed spacers with an attached cabinet per bed. My Uncle Will (my mum's older brother, but my Aunt Mary's younger brother)was also hired to make the store at the very end of the driveway (near the streets of San Marcelino) for my dad.

My parents sold their property in Siniloan, Laguna that summer for all the expenses that were incurred during the whole shebang of transferring to another flat, refurbishing the new flat and constructing the sari-sari store at the driveway. By the time we had advertised that we can accept boarders (the room can hold 6 boarders)- it was full in a week's time. Iolanthe and Angelique slept in the same bunk in the boarder's room. Magdalene and Aunt Mary slept with us on the folding mattress in the living room. Soon after, the whole compound started accepting boarders as well.

I remember our old neighbors when we first moved in. There's Ms. Venus from apartment A, who lived with her beautiful but very shy sisters. There's Ms. Artemis from apartment B, a dentist who lived with her brother who's an engineer. She initially installed my dental jacket. Dr Hanzi Burns lives in apartment C with his small family. Elijah Spencer, a handsome homosexual, lives in apartment D with his female cousin that eventually married Mr. Crowley. A pet-lover, Mr Choiseul and his wife, lived in apartment E. He had cute pet dogs which he named "Richard" and "Snooky." Mrs Moll Maundrell and her family lived in apartment F. She's the resident gossip of the compound. There's Mr. Ahab Crowley, an old bachelor who lives in apartment G. He had 6 male boarders - from the universities nearby. Apartment H was always empty because it had undergone repairs. People from apartment I rarely mingle with the neighbors but I heard they're mostly cousins who live in the same house. People come and go in these old apartments and I have forgotten some of the short-lived ones.

Life in the compound is a lively one. Every morning, male neighbors (like my dad) would drink their cup of coffee sitting on a bench outside their houses reading their tabloids with the AM radio of different stations blasting out loud. One can hear the hustle and bustle of students and employees doing their morning routines. The driveway is wiped clean of the dust that settled on it overnight as the residents who are off to work rush to catch the bus or walk to their respective universities. The streets of San Marcelino will be congested with the morning traffic and not even air can move about the students and teachers in their uniforms as they traverse the dusty sidewalks.

Mid-morning is more peaceful. Students rush to and fro photocopying shops, canteens and school supplies stores. Smells of "student meal" mainstays waft to the compound's open grounds: pork menudo, beef caldereta, sinigang, fried fish, breaded pork chop, chicken barbecues, afritada and steaming white rice. Clinking soda bottles welcome each hungry patron as they scan the viand displays. Housemaids from each flat take the opportunity to wash clothes and gossip in their watering hole. Toddlers would run around their kiddie bikes or play with their rubber balls. Calorie-driven tykes would boast their latest trusty "sipa" or "text" cards moves - praying that the gusty winds won't ruin their act. Sometimes, they'd engage in "tumbang preso" or "patintero" if the sun isn't too hot.

When lunchtime arrives, the clinking of soda bottles, trays, plates and silver grow stronger. The compound's communal space is usually deserted since the transients are eating lunch inside their boarding houses. Residents of the compound are all watching game shows on TV while having their meals.

Early afternoon is quieter than on lunch time. It seems that after the canteen's clients have all gone back to their scheduled classes, dust on the streets of San Marcelino settles. Children in the compound are coaxed to sleep for their afternoon siesta - with a promise of their favorite snacks and more time for play. Ceiling fans work at their highest capacity to fend off the sweltering heat from the transient's small quarters. Nearby computer shops are crammed with students - researching, playing, chatting or checking emails. Loiterers read newspapers on display or rent out comics from the variety store.

Late afternoon is another burst of activity as the children awaken from their siesta - more energized than ever - and line up at the variety store to buy snacks of all kinds before they play till the sun sets. If lucky, the ice-cream man selling native sorbets will offer them fruit flavored treats till their throats go sore. Students from their afternoon class grab a bite at the canteen - a cheap buy one take one cheeseburger with ice cold soda will quench hunger pangs immediately. The less fortunate buy melon juice or diluted pineapple juice with the accompanying banana cue or "turon". Indigent students queue at the fishball vendor. They prick the floating (cooked) fish balls/squidballs/orlian/kikiam with their small bamboo sticks and dip them in a variety of sauces - vinegar with onion, garlic and pepper, spicy fishball sauce (thick brown sauce made of cornstarch, brown sugar and spices) and sweet fishball sauce (same ingredients as the former but without spice). The photocopying shops and the variety store are the favorite hang-outs of students - they buy soda and cigarettes/gum/chips while they photocopy an assignment/research/lecture from a studious classmate.

The boarder's early evenings are usually reserved for washing clothes (especially uniforms and underwears!), watching the latest TV drama, and studying for tomorrow's test. If all else is done, they eat their dinner - which is actually a reheated meal from the canteen - and chat till they become sleepy. Very few students roam the streets of San Marcelino as they often walk towards Taft Ave. where they ride a jeepney or catch a bus home. In the compound, people who had already done their washing and studying would often join other neighbors for a round of bingo (at 50 cents per card - that's cheap!) or challenge each other to chess. Sometimes, they would play basketball at our mini-basketball court when no bingo is possible. Young men would play guitars in front of their boarding house - secretly wooing the young women from the other house.

Late evenings are usually a quiet affair since the variety store closes and the driveways lights are turned off. The light outside the compound is also turned off at the stroke of 11 and the red chicken wire gate closed. Dogs roam freely the compound - ready to attack any intruder that happen to enter the gate without the whole neighborhood's knowledge.

As twilight descends upon the transients of San Marcelino - punctuated by the heavy wheeled trucks that traverses its roads - another day awaits for the transients, till they graduate and another set of transients move in.

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