Manang na kung Manang

I’m sorry, but I guess I was born with a strong sense of being conservative. Actually, I make no apologies for being conservative, I actually think it’s one of the best values/attitudes taught to me by family, for the most part by my grandparents.

I’m trying hard to work here in starbucks but this group of students (freshies if I’m not mistaken) has made it impossible for me to do so. I have my earphones on, listening to music and trying my best to work but they are just sooo loud! I don’t need to eavesdrop to hear their conversation, they are practically shouting.

They are even more irritating because of the following facts:

Ø There are like 8-9 of them (1 or 2 leaves then somebody replaces them), and they only ordered 2 pieces of doughnuts. Hello! Pakapalan?! They are conquering a big space in the café, taking in the cold air, sharing the oxygen and they don’t even have the decency to order more? I seriously propose to all coffee places to require customers to have a ratio of 1order/2people to be allowed to stay in the place for more than an hour. Unless, they should be asked to either leave or order more…

Ø Ok, I get it that I have no control over public places, (but you just wait, when I become President, I’m soooo going to control level of noise in public places even if it takes dictatorship!) but do we really have to speak so loud? I mean, there’s just 8 of you, you are not giving a talk to a group of 25 people. And didn’t their parents or teachers ever teach them about sensitivity to other people in public places? They are not the only ones in the place and they don’t own it (I’m sure they don’t, they only ordered 2 doughnuts for crying out loud!)

Ø This young girl, the one nearest to me is the one of the most “haliparot, talipandas” young girls I’ve ever seen. Get this, all of them practically met each other today (I told you they were shouting), the girls have long been friends and so are the guys, and when the mother of the boy she’s flirting with called, she actually shouted, “hi tita! This is ___ girlfriend.” Duh?! (by this time they already left --- THANKGOD, FINALLY!) And all the time they were there, she was asking all these questions to the boy and giving him her number, advising him to shift from smart-globe for unlimited texting purposes, asked for their picture to be taken, viewed the picture and practically screaming, “bagay kami noh?!” The best of it all was this, by 630ish the boy excuses himself and tells everyone he has to go home, haliparot girl asks-“ha? It’s early pa, gimmick muna tayo? Why do you have a curfew?” Argghh! Talk about being desperate! I was practically screaming in my head and I so wanted to reprimand the young girl like I would to my younger cousins. Thank God she’s not my cousin or I would pulled her hair and dragged her out of that café. ANG LANDI-LANDI, DIYOS KO PO! It’s only the 1^st day of school in college, no need to hurry.

Can’t get over that young girl, I just understand how our young girls think these days. I don’t mean to be judgmental but I really don’t like how the young girls here in Manila are trying hard to be oh so grown up and oh so liberated and oh so aggressive. What’s the rush? And all the time and money spent for those clothes and makeup, hay, such a waste.

Amy just stepped in to return my Grey’s Anatomy DVDs because Tetet hasn’t seen it yet. Amy by the way is the youngest sister of my very good friend Pie. Amy’s in 4^th year college now and trying to recover from the group of youngsters, I suddenly remembered how Amy used to be that small little girl we sometimes made fun of. She was in Grade1 when we were in 2^nd year highschool, the first year Pie and I became friends. Oh she’s all grown up, and honestly speaking, I’m proud of the young lady that she is now. I remember Tita Alma, her mom, telling me to take care of her when she was still in 1^st year here in Manila since I was already working for JVP then. I didn’t need to be a strict ate with Amy, she was well raised. Although slightly kikay and slight shopaholic, Amy studies first and has never been that aggressive with boys.

“Ate, akyat ka muna (in their condo at Prince David) andyan sila Mama. Nagaluto siya ng kare-kare, dun ka din daw magdinner.” Amy says.

Shutting down my computer and heading for the home cooked meal. Plus, I intend to share all my manang angsts to Tita Alma.

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At dinner Tita Alma tells me – “Hay, bitaw. Lahi ra dyud mga dalaga ngayon Kang, labaw na diri (in Manila). Better pa din in Davao.”

(wrote this last Monday, June 19)