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When I was a little boy I lived in an old house, and there was a legend that a treasure was buried in it somewhere.
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"Bodhi... I'm an En Bee Eye AGENT!" |
I actually went out of the house today for the first time in a long time to get the requirements I needed for work. Getting the SS number and the police clearance were easy enough, and then things took a turn for the worse when I went to get an NBI clearance from the bureau's satellite office at the Quezon City Hall compound.
It was approaching noon then, and the lines were kilometric. Fortunately (for me, at least), the guy ahead of me was funny. Whenever someone asked what he was lining up for he'd reply, "Lastikman. Dun sa kabila Dekada." Which made me think, if someone asked me that, I'd probably answer, "Comm 2 - B kay Garcia."
Anyway, the reason why I hadn't gone out at all was the fact that I didn't really have much cash on me, and this became painfully obvious an hour and a half into the line. I prepared the money to pay for the NBI clearance (P115), and I discovered that I only had P105 in my pocket! I had an ATM card with me, one I shared with my brother, but getting more cash meant that I had to line up all over again, probably for about an hour and a half, too.
So what did I do? I worked up the guts to tell this lady (who was about a little older than my mom) ahead of me of my situation, and offered to give her my ID so I could pay her back or whatever. She kidded me a little, "Dapat may interes yan ha." I smiled, and if I was looking pathetic and desperate then, it wasn't acting. It's not at all unlike what happens when I talk to my crush. She gave me twenty pesos, giving me a total of P125.
I was able to pay for my NBI clearance, and it left me with ten pesos. Then, when they took my finger print, the guy at the counter opened up a tissue for me (without me asking for it!), so I ended up having to pay five pesos, leaving me with only five pesos in my pocket. I figured I could still go home because I could get money from the ATM.
I was told to come back to claim my clearance at 3:30, so I still had about an hour to spare. I decided to get some money from the account, but then I discovered it had no money AT ALL! They probably used up all the money for Christmas shopping, and if there were any left after December, the bank probably took it away. Add to that the fact that last night, I used up all my cellphone credits (after two months), so I couldn't contact anybody with my phone. All my parachutes had holes in it.
All I had in my pocket to get home were five pesos and an MRT card. I had two options: I could take a jeep or a bus to Cubao and walk home from there, or I could walk to the nearest MRT station from the Quezon City Hall , take the MRT to Cubao, and then take a jeep home from there. I was sitting in a corner, and then a weird thing happened. I saw a relative.
She was my grand-aunt, a sister of my grandmother and my mom's aunt. I called her, paid my respects, and asked what she was doing there. She told me she had sent out her annual Christmas cards, and I couldn't help but laugh in my mind because a) it's already January; and b) those cards feature pictures of her, alone, in full splendor a la Imelda.
And then another weird thing happened. Even though I needed the money, I couldn't get myself to ask her. I don't know why, especially since just an hour earlier, I had begged a total stranger for money. But I don't know, I couldn't ask her. I figured I could walk, even though by that time I was already exhausted.
I finally got my NBI clearance. I laughed, because even though it said that I had no criminal record, dun sa picture mukha akong kriminal. Then I walked from the city hall to the MRT station, which was about a couple of kilometers. Soon I was home.
Now I'm dead tired, and I still couldn't believe I begged a stranger for money. And not only that, I'm broke. People always whine, wala akong pera; ako, wala talagang pera--piso lang yung natira sa bulsa, binigay ko pa kay Icay pag-uwi ko. I'm flat out broke. Hell, if Aubrey Miles called me up tonight and asked me to watch Lastikman with her tomorrow, I'd have to say no (and then kick myself). Forget about paying for the movie. I wouldn't even get to the theater.
But I'm not pissed off. I'm not pissed off at all, even at that jerk who opened up a tissue so I had to pay five pesos. I don't think you have the right to get pissed off at a world where there are still people who give strangers twenty bucks just because.
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[ Instant Pancit Canton ] [ More Posts for This Month ]
Your turn
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Lalo kang di magkaka-girlfriend nyan e :p
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January 03, 2003 10:59 PM |
First of all, punyeta, you walked from QC City Hall to the Quezon Ave. station?! Aaaack! Buti hindi ka nahimatay.
Second, I linked you to my blog. I thought you weren't updating yours kasi ang pinupuntahan ko lang yung main page. Yun pala, nasa "instant pancit canton." Ang bobo ko, hindi ata ako talaga taga-UP.
Third, I left a message at your guestbook a day or two ago.
Fourth, ang haba na nito for a simple comment.
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January 04, 2003 01:27 AM |
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kaw wala lang pera, eh ako nga nadapa... c",)
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January 04, 2003 01:55 AM |
Pasalamat ka hindi ka sa kin nanghingi ng twenty pesos... 
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January 04, 2003 12:28 PM |
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na-guilty tuloy ako sa lahat nang dinedma ko na nang-hihingi ng pera ...
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January 04, 2003 01:34 PM |
Oo nga pala.. hindi na ako manager...
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Hehe.. nangyari na rin sa 'kin 'yung ganyan dati...
Galing akong Ateneo, nung high school pa tayo, tapos nahulog 'yung pitaka ko sa jeep.. Na-stranded ako sa UP Diliman ng walang kapera-pera, kaya namalimos ako sa mga passer-by.. pati gwardya hiningan ko na rin...
Ang bobo ko pa noon dahil P2 lang ang hinihingi ko; balak kong ipangtawag sa payphone.. Magpapasundo sana ako sa ate ko... Di ko naisip na pwede na pala akong manghingi ng pamasahe...
Anyway, andito naman ako ngayon, at hindi palaboy sa Sunken Garden, kaya tinatawanan ko na lang 'yung sarili ko noon...
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January 04, 2003 02:15 PM |
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wahahahaha! ayos pre, sineryoso mo pagiging "bum"
Balita ko magkakatrabaho ka na! woohoo! GF na lang! tapos kelangan mo na manlibre!! :þ
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January 04, 2003 03:34 PM |
nikki! hahaha, bat ang corny mo?! at bakit lahat ng post mo nag-e-end sa ...?
frank! ano na nangyari sa trend?! musta SP? ga-graduate na ba? kita-kits na lang sa libis 
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January 04, 2003 03:52 PM |
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ako nga nahulog sa canal eh...
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January 04, 2003 11:49 PM |
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eh ako nga dine-dedma dedma lang ng crush ko eh
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January 05, 2003 12:17 AM |
...
ako hindi lang dine-dedma.. tinataguan pa...
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January 05, 2003 02:56 PM |
at proud ka pa talaga ha...
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January 05, 2003 03:06 PM |
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A stranger once gave me $20 just because. Siguro ako ang charity case niya for the day.
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January 06, 2003 11:18 AM |
di ko ma-imagine nanghingi ka ng P20 
mabuti na lang nde ka mukhang "pulubi"
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January 06, 2003 05:44 PM |
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Chika ni
tourni
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[
basta ]
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uy jae, long time no visit ako dito. tawa ako sa istrya mo. hehe.
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January 23, 2003 08:00 PM |
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pancitcanton poll
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If I were to write a novel, should I do it in English or Tagalog?
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