Category Archives: memoirs of an old maid

About what happened today

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My mother went to my house at around 1PM and woke me up. She asked about the parcel which I was supposed to claim at the post office almost 2 months ago. Today, August 19, is the last day of claiming period. Because she’s going to SM Manila with her friends and Lawton Post Office is just a thousand steps away, she said she’s going to claim it for me.

Per final notice which PP sent me:

LAST NOTICE July 19, 2011

Claim your mail immediately upon receipt of this notice. See back for other important requirements. An unclaimed Registered mail or Parcel will be returned to the sender or disposed of in accordance with postal regulations after 30 days counting from date of issue of this notice. A parcel may be retained beyond 30 days upon request provided the storage fee is deposited before the 30-day period expires.

I received the first notice on June 27, second notice on July 7, and third and final notice on July 19. I was given more than 30 days to claim the parcel and today, August 19 is the last day. Two months. That’s more or less 60 days. And I wasn’t able to drop by the Post Office and get that mysterious parcel. To think that PP is just a 30-minute jeepney ride from my place.

What’s wrong with me? Choose your answer below:

a. You’re irresponsible

b. You’re soo lazy

c. Busy (-bisihan)

Anyway, my mother went to PP this afternoon as my representative but the lady in Window 131 said they already returned the parcel to Los Angeles, CA just this morning. LOL. I thought today is the last day??? But it’s my fault so it’s okay. I just felt “sayang.” Too bad my mom wasted her time and effort for that little thing. I mean, both are sayang – the parcel and mom’s effort.

Sigh.

So, why didn’t I claim it? Personal reasons. Like, I was totally clueless about where it came from and who sent it. Of course, I know it’s not a nuclear bomb :D Customs would surely detect that (?). Thoughts such as mistaken identity worry me. What if it’s not really for me? What if it contains something valuable? I don’t want to be accused of stealing or claiming something that isn’t mine. So all the while, I was just waiting for an email or a call from somebody to say “hey I sent it for you” but there was none.

However, the address is pretty clear. And I am the only person around this area with that name. It can’t possibly be for another person, can it? Mmm … but my name is also very very common. Maybe … if it’s not for me and I claimed it, then another person appears saying it’s really for her, it would be easy to defend myself because I have the same exact name and same exact address?

Here’s the good news. The lady in Window 131 told my mother that the parcel is still at Customs and that we can still claim it on Monday. My mom also asked if we will have to pay for any fees but the lady said it’s free. Really? Well, that’s good news. I don’t want to pay for anything. If they would charge us huge amounts for that mysterious thing, I think I’ll just forget about it.

My very personal thoughts on this matter:

  • Nobody from the internet knows my home address (except for Paypal and Payperpost?)
  • There are only three online friends who know my real name.
  • I don’t have relatives in Los Angeles (my mother’s mother is from San Diego and she will never send me anything without calling my mom by phone)
  • I don’t have a fan base in CA (chos! hahahaha!)

I am over analyzing things again. I think I already know who sent the parcel. Let’s see what will happen on Monday :D

 

About my non-sense thoughts

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Written on July 28, 2011. Forgot to publish it …

Tonight, I brushed my teeth for more than an hour which makes me feel like I’ve just eaten a whole basket of green mangoes. I was supposed to meet my dentist today for annual cleaning (is that also called prophylaxis?) but I was victimized by pickpockets last July 22 and all my money was taken including my budget for dental cleaning. So to make “bawi” with my crooked teeth, I felt the urge to treat them in one whole hour of brushing, flossing and gargling of water with salt. I hope they feel better now. I promise to take them to the doctor’s clinic as soon as I get my new ATM cards.

I saw her blog today. Let’s call her Ms. N. She was a former schoolmate in college and she’s one of my favorite bloggers. Though we were never friends, Ms. N knows my name. And for me that’s kinda cool because she’s like a star back then. She’s pretty and a very intelligent lady (read: cum laude) and yup, she’s from a well-to-do family. In our sophomore year, I heard the other students talking about her debutante gown. Purple, fancy and all the way from Spain. You see, when you are a second year college student, people act as if it’s the most important event on earth. I have no beef though, that’s normal. Anyway, I was happy when I discovered about her website months ago. Would you believe that Georgina Wilson, the model and TV personality, hyped two of her blog entries in lookbook.nu? Yes. She must be very proud. She deserves it. You should see her fashion blog: tumblr high in heels, it’s amazing.

I don’t know if this is just a side effect of me being victimized by pickpockets, but I’ve been feeling so alone these past few days. Perhaps, you already know that I don’t like Facebook. Not that I “hate” it, I’m just not interested. Anyway, I opened my account last night and was happy to see updates from friends and acquaintances. One particular thing that caught my attention was a post from a friend who happens to be a college dean now. That’s really cool. We were schoolmates from high school to college, same batch, so basically we’re of the same age. But unlike me, she’s such an achiever. I’m not envious though. She utterly deserves her successes in life. I just couldn’t help but think about my life. About their lives. About my family’s life. Well, maybe there are some things that I can’t confess even in my blog. In fact, I can’t even admit it to myself why I don’t like FB. It’s … never mind.

Speaking of success, I received an email today from a great leader. I have a free subscription to his blog so every now and then I’m receiving invitations and inspirational stories from him. The story for today is very inspiring. He was asked why he has become very successful in life and his answer was quite simple. It’s because he failed. He failed so many times that he already lost count of his failures. That made me think hard. Then my sister-in-law asked me if I want to become famous. Without thinking, I said no. That was the biggest NO in the history of question and answer portion between sisters-in-law. I don’t want attention. So, I’m thinking of ways to succeed without drawing attention from people. Is that possible? Cuz I’m such a lunatic person. I can’t handle fame. On the second thought, why would I ever be famous? Unless, something really miserable happens to me, God forbid, like murder, ouch! The thought is enough to make me cringe. Enough about success talk. It’s driving me nuts. Makes me remember that crazy FB app that can predict how a person is going to die. And yes, the app said, I’d be murdered in the future. I don’t believe that stupid app. Only God knows. Think positive. The only reason for me to be famous in the future is a book. A well-written book authored by Sterndal. Now that feels better :)

But a book? I can’t even write a good blog entry. Something that would be hyped by the likes of Georgina Wilson. LOL. Truth be told, I don’t give a damn. I don’t need fame. At 27*, I learned that it’s all about money. Everybody needs cash. Sounds evil, huh? That’s the effing truth. I want to earn lots of money but I also learned that writing is a cutthroat business. You wanna earn more? Then write some more. Write, write, write and write until your brain can’t take it anymore. I can do that too. I can also earn 50k a month. But the question is, am I willing to work 60-80 hours a week and do nothing but write? Maybe for some, it’s worth their time but not for me. I don’t want to grow old and look back and tell myself, yeah that’s all I did when I was younger. That’s BS. So, now that I haven’t figured out yet how am I going to earn much without doing much, I have to be contented with my modest income. Honestly, I’m confused. Maybe I should work work work and save lots of money so I can have a comfortable life when I grow old? I don’t know. Whatever. After all, the birds do not sow, or reap, or store away in barns …

On favoritism

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Recently, my mother told me to stop showing favoritism between my nephews and niece. It’s bad. I know I’m a horrible aunt for feeling this way. But I can’t help it. I really think that the funny little boy is amazing. One day, I gave them bread and the boy quietly sat in one corner and removed the sesame seeds on top of the bun. One by one. And he’s just one year and eight months old.

It’s just mind blowing to see myself in a little child. I used to be like that. I didn’t like sesame seeds when I was young. One of our neighbors saw me and told me there are a lot of hungry children in the world. And so I ran in our house where nobody would see me removing the sesame seeds. I was embarrassed. That neighbor should mind her own business. But it seems that her business is to mind other people’s business. Haha.

At some point, I believe that it’s absolutely okay for titas and titos to have a favorite nephew or niece. After all, it’s the parental favoritism that sucks right? Besides, I always make it a point to be fair when giving gifts and presents. Like when I buy toys and chocolates, all of them will surely receive one from me. Same price, same brand, only different colors. Blue toy car for Ash and pink toy car for Anya.

But my mother still disapproves of it. In all fairness, my parents have always been fair to me and my siblings. Relatives say that I’m dad’s favorite but he said that he loves all of us equally and that is exactly how my mother wants her grandchildren to be raised. Favoritism is a big NO in our family. What do you think? Is it okay for your aunt to have a favorite nephew or niece? I want to change my attitude starting today. I don’t want my other nephews and niece to despise me when they grow up.