BECOMING MS. INDEPENDENT

June 24, 2013. 

Today marks my 6th month here in lah-lah land .. and apparently also marks the longest time I've been away from home. EVER! I practically spent my whole life in Baguio -- born, raised, studied, worked .. everything! So to be away from my comfort zone for a mere 6 months is such a big deal! haha! 

Well, 6 months and how have been things working out for me here? ..
So far, so great! Thank God for making almost everything bearable for me even at 1550.3 miles away from home. The adjustments was not  as intense as I expected it to be, nonetheless, no matter how small or big the changes may be, I miss home everyday! 

I am now becoming Ms. Independent (legally!) .. not that I was a brat and overly dependent back home but it makes a difference when you are by yourself in the real world. The slightest decision of which shampoo to buy rests solely on me, myself and I! Ang hirap pala! That's already $6 off my budget agad agad! haha! And that's even another thing -- budgeting! Dati ang sinisiksik ko lang sa budget ko e pang load at pambayad ng internet! Now the list goes on and on and on -- house rent, grocery, bills, transpo allowance, lunch money, money to send home, money to save, travel allowance, foodie allowance and of course "luho" allowance for extra happiness, eeek! .. and before I forget, milk tea! extra pearls, 50% sugar! hehe. I don't know if I'll ever get to pass Budgeting 101! haha. 

And just when I thought becoming Ms. Independent is over and done after tackling budgeting issues, it gets worse with the 6-letter word that starts with letter "C" and ends in "S" and sounds likes whores? horse? pores? course? -- CHORES! .. Ok, ok! Before I send out the impression that I am the lazy daughter who sits around all day, I am not! I am actually the bully who annoys my sisters by assigning the dishwasher of the day and by raising my pitch higher when I nag them to clean their rooms! haha! Kidding aside, I am not a complainer when it comes to doing household chores. I am the master of chores at home! haha! .. BUT! there's one limitation I have, my weak point -- ask me to wash dishes every meal or even clean the whole house, sort the shoe rack, water the plants, do the laundry or even wash the car, anything -- but never .. to do the ironing! or else, world war 3 awaits! haha! I have never learned to iron properly no matter how neat and complete my notes were in my home economics class. Talk about ironing and my focus changes instantly and my patience lasts for only 3 seconds max! haha! I guess God has his own way of making us appreciate hard work that now, ironing is a main chore for me! My crisp-white  probie shirts and polos all needs ironing! So every weekend, on my day off and after an easy-breezy-no frill laundry (kase may washing machine na nga , may dryer pa!) -- konting stretching and all my energies are directed to the iron, the ironing board and 6 items! (6 lang yan pero violente na ako talaga! haha!). The first time I ironed those 6 items, it took me 2 hours, I was sweating and hungry after! (I called my mom to make sumbong pero hnd naman siya naawa sakin, tinawanan pa ako! haha!). The 2nd ironing episode, burned my arm. It was very minor and small but it was a painful reminder of my incompetency, tsk! Sigh! It's been 3 months since and I still do my ironing weekly -- because, who else would? haha! hnd uso ang taga plantsa here! and as if I had a choice this time, so I might as well do it and add ironing to my list of skills soon, watch out for that! :p

Food. As much I would to explore a variety of dining experiences here, it is surely going to kill my bank account .. and myself! haha. Therefore, becoming Ms. Independent means I have to know how to feed myself. For starters, I don't mind preparing my own meal. I admit, its not even Master Chef Kids quality (hehe) but I am proud that I am still able to make a decent meal.  So really that chore I don't mind, it's just that I miss the home-cooked dishes and always fun mealtimes I spend at home  -- table setting and all! Siiiiighhhhh! 

Smile now. These are all part of the choices I made and it's not so bad after all, at all! I would want to believe that 6 months of independence made me a much better person that I'm sure I have made my mama proud (despite of her separation anxiety, hehe). It has definitely changed me and my perspectives in a positive way .. and it makes me feel good knowing that I am able to handle this change well. It's not as easy as 1,2,3/A,B,C .. sometimes I still cringe when I realize that I cannot just lay down all day like a spoiled princess because I have bills to pay and chores to do, but at the end of the day, it is truly a fulfilling experience and having the right people surrounding me is a blessing that makes the journey to becoming the accomplished Ms. Independent that I want to be even more worthwhile and oh-so-wonderful! :)))

So to all you kick-ass Ms. Independents out there, cheers to our greatness! :p