When I decided to accept the offer for work in Manila, I knew that I wasn't going to be living on space of my own. I can't afford that, you know. I can't afford a 10k rented condo unit, or even a 6k rented space. Well, probably I could if I am not sending money back home. So I was prepared to live with other people. It should be a first in my life. This is the first time I have lived away from home.
In my one year stay here in Manila, I have moved twice, or I have lived in 3 different houses. First, I stayed on a condo on a share-a-condo set up. According to a friend, it means you're just a glorified bedspacer. I paid 2.7k for a bed space, in a 4 bedroom condo unit along Pasong Tamo. Yes, the place was good, conveniently situated - McDonald's, Chowking, KFC, and Shopwise were just a short walk away (you can go there in you PJs). What I find rather inconvenient was that in our room, there were five of us! And in that unit, there were 10 occupants sharing the kitchen, the dining-cum-reception, and laundry areas. So it was literally a "full house". Even in our room, we couldn't get all our clothes out of our luggages simply because there was no space. If all of us changed clothes together, we'd be bumping to each other. But of course, it wasn't at all that bad. It was fun, in a way. I had interesting roommates. We'd watch VCDs/DVDs on weekends, or chika to the max. Thus, it was a bit sad when I left after 3 months.
I moved to Taguig, where some of my Bisdak colleagues are staying. It was really okay. The place was well kept, quiet surroundings, good water supply. Although, our unit was a bit small but it was ok since there were only 4 of us. There were two rooms - a friend and her hubby occupied one. I and a new found friend occupied the other one. We loved it there at first. But later on, it didn't prove to be worthwhile at all. First, the owner was an AH. (Sorry for the word, but a lot of people would agree.) She was just too much strict. Too much "businessy". If it hadn't been for the one year contract we signed, we could have left that place after 3 months.
But what I really cherished on staying there was that I had friends. There were about 8 of us Bisdaks. And come Fridays and weekends, we'd gather for an all-nighter (or all morning?) of DVD, card games, mahjong, etc. It was fun and stress relieving.
When our Bisdak friends' contract expired, they had decided to move out. They couldn't take another year of dealing with the owner. Since my roomie went back to Cebu, I had decided to join them. They would become now my third set of housemates.
Now, I am staying in an apartment in Palanan, Makati with 4 friends - all Bisdak and working in the same company as me. There are 3 males and 2 females in this house. Allow me to introduce them. Let's start by age, the oldest first. His name is Roliver. He's 30 something. I don't know his age exactly. But I know he's "lapas na sa kalendaryo". He's married with 2 kids, and 1 on the way. He's more of like the father figure in the house being the oldest. But don't judge him as the most serious one. He's not. He jokes a lot, and is so game to watch one movie even on a weekday. Even if it lastas till 2am.
Next to Roliver in age is Ferdi or Ferdz. Well, he's the rather serious type. He's married too with a daughter or son? or just a daughter? I don't know really. I actually forgot. He wakes up the earliest. By 7am or 730am, he's out of the house. I don't know exactly what the reasons are although one is for the parking space. When it comes to watching movies, he's so attentive to what the characters say. You bet, he remembers their dialogues by heart.
Then there is Rossini. He's single and I don't know or care if his status is single. We're about the same age. He's a CPA as well. The Bisdak group pairs him off with Evir, a dear friend. Although we tease them, there hasn't been a confirmed relationship between them. We heard lately he's seeing someone else. But the more important thing is he's a great "asset" in the house. Because. He owns the "entertainment showcase" - a flat and wide screen TV with the superb sound system. How will our DVD marathons go without them??? Jecel and I pray hard he doesn't move out or get accepted in another job far from Makati. We'll lose the only other thing that keeps us sane on Friday nights and weekends. *wink*
The youngest in our "household" is Jecel. She's in her mid-twenties. Not only is she the youngest in age, she's also the "smallest" physically. But despite her petite figure, you can never underestimate her. She's a good cook (our certified cook in the house), a witty woman, and so fun to be with. She's my roomie. And I'm glad she's single too (and even unattached) and loves to travel and have fun and adventure. She's now my new partner in crime.
Then there's me. I cook but not in the full essence of the word. So my contribution in the house is on dish washing, and cleaning. I don't mind cleaning the toilet.
We love the place despite the ocassional appearances of roaches and the inconsistent water flow. Why? We're a happy bunch. So far, in our almost 2 months stay, we have managed ourselves pretty well. And the best thing too is our landlady who is all good and all loving. She is the exact opposite of our former landlady. We love her. She's our dear lola in Manila.
I do hope that I'll stay in this place longer. And I will keep the same housemates. But then I don't hold their fate. One will decide to go back to Cebu or work abroad. Or maybe move to his/her own space. So I can only hope for the best for each one of us - as housemates or not.
