whatever it takes

this girl is living my life!!! well, almost (i think my daughter and i will do other artsy fartsy stuff and not cook this much).  when am i gonna have the luxury of time (not to mention my own house in a serene neighborhood, and a husband and kids to match)?!? 

Martha's Vineyard photo taken from La Tartine Gourmande

anyway, i recently moved out...of the room i shared with two of my sisters. hahahaha. kala niyo kung ano, no?! if i had moved out of my parents' house, i assure you, i would've made a spectacle of it.  i think family members above the age of 20 should never be forced to reside in the same space for too long--unless you're trying to pool enough energy to create a nuclear explosion. 

so, i've been staying three nights at the guest room thus far.  never mind that the door has no lock and doesn't even close properly.  i'm not really after physical privacy or isolation, after all, although that tends to help one achieve some peace and quiet in her brain. it has been such a long time since i've had that, actually.  when i still stayed at the dorm, i could get that.  i could easily turn to face the wall while lying on the top bunk, and my roommates will respect my need for solitude.  here at home, trespassing is the name of the game.  i recall that there were times when i was in my lighter stages of sleeping when my mom would burst into the room asking about yet another trivial issue and, although i wish it weren't so, it has already become my instinct to answer her while half asleep.  so i do appreciate that the leash has been lengthened, albeit by a short amount.  beggars would do wise not to be too choosy.

you might be asking, "why didn't i transfer to the separate room sooner?"  well, i had considered that option countless times but refused to do so, even if my sisters' light night TV-watching caused me irreversible damage in the form of dark undereye circles.  i did this because i also didn't want to further increase the carbon footprint of the Martin household.  however, i have come to a decision that the situation deserved drastic measures.  but don't fret, dear Gaea!  i'm still doing my best to minimize the effect of my moving out on the deterioration of the earth and consumption of its resources.

for instance, whatever i can do downstairs, where the lights are already turned on, i do so before even entering my room.  and, i also only turn on the AC when i'm about to sleep, and make sure it goes off at 5am, even though i usually wake up at 630.  i also unplug all appliances when not in use.  what's good about being alone, though, is having no distractions--hence, i am able to finish whatever it is i'm doing, whether it's writing in my journal or editing Jovy's book, at a much more efficient pace.

and what is the connection of all this rambling to the blog? well, moolah, of course. being the wannabe adult that i am, i'm bent on paying my parents for the extra electric consumption that will be caused by this step towards preserving my sanity, er...towards independence, i mean.  i'm praying to the heavens above that it doesn't set me back too much because i still have a lot of things to pay for too: future studies/projects/gadgets i'll be needing for said projects, sustenance, future independent living, and hwa rang do, among many others.  i realized that if i factor in the hwa rang do classes (a recent addition thanks to my choir-mate), the interior designer's fee that i offered to pay half of, and the additional lodging expenses, i will only have saved around 40% of my salary!  and i also realized that it's almost impossible for me to move out of the house on my current income alone.

but i'm not gonna let all these roadblocks stop me.  i think it is extremely important for myself to experience being fully self-supporting, no matter the heights i need to scale just to do so.  there are so many singles out there who don't contribute to the household and end up even burdening their old folks, and i don't want to be part of that group.  i remember asking some people why they hadn't moved out yet--almost all of whom answered that it was too magastos.  no offense you guys but, seriously? that is a lame-ass, selfish reason which i have no intention of using EVER.  my goal is to move out between the age of 25 and 28 and, unless, by some misfortune, my family needs me to stay at home (i.e. someone gets sick and i have to be the glorified katulong), i'm sticking to that goal no matter what. 

Photo Credit: Charlie Schuck/Getty Images

PS - what i do miss about sharing a room with my sisters are the spontaneous, giddy conversations.  admittedly, there have been less and less of those, but i still want that in my life.  maybe i'll have to visit the other room every now and then :D

PPS - i'm always on the hunt for future apartment options so if you have any suggestions, that would be super!  i don't mind flatmates either, as long as the space wasn't designed for hobbits.