Go north

All it takes is just a few phone calls for my mom to get into my case of pad-hunting.

Yep, you've read it right. Pad-hunting.

For the next months, I'll be spending more working hours in Libis and, eventually, in Cubao. Not wanting to suffer travel fatigue to and from Sucat, as well as to do away with living my life on the road, I choose to find a place to stay.

Hence, the pad-hunting.

So far, one "tita" suggested a condo unit owned by someone from Dumaguete. It is a brand new condo and is situated along e rod, across Christ the King. She said that, at least, when I need to hear mass, all I have to do is cross the street.

Right. I was thinking of maybe just opening the window from my unit to be blessed from a distance.

Another "tita" suggested that I should look at what Xavierville has to offer because the neighborhood is secure.

Ahm...wag na lang. Memories...

My aunt who is my dad's cousin has her own condo unit in Cubao. She suggested that I check out the units for lease in the Libis area. With Eastwood in the background, for sure, she said, that takes care of my "social" needs.

I'm not that keen on living in a condo bec I feel that it is so boxed that I won't feel the difference between office and home.

I'm more of a 2-bedroom-pad-with-a-carport person. The place must be suitable for pets because I plan to bring one of my dogs. Pampaalis kasi ng pagod yun. There are currently two maids in my house and I plan to relocate the other and transplant her with me in QC.

And so while my mom helps me find a place to stay, dad is still making his presence felt with regards to my auto-hunt.

Yep, I still have to purchase the car that isn't a gas guzzler. I guess, Dad will always be the frustrated Toyota "sales rep" but because, in the end, it is my credit on the line, he'll respect my decision.

My dad. He can be so Crosby-ish, I swear. The other day, he sat on the rocking chair and we had a heart-to-heart talk about my career. He philosophized good words and said I'm on the right track. And although what he imparted that day were worth taking heart, the moment made me feel uncomfy. I was partly distracted with the reality that my dad is a retiree.

He may have the 6-figure assets going for him now while he works on his garden and cars, but he doesn't wear the tie anymore and head out the door, to the garage and wait for us, his kids and wife, to join him and perhaps catch some sleep in the vehicle on the way from the suburbs to the city while he controls the wheel.

Matagal na pala yun. Matagal na talaga.

I guess I work so hard and put aside everything personal that when I get to think about my dad on a break, the very first thing that pops into my head is that father-figure that moves all of us every dawn on a school day.

And that memory inspires me to work because simply, profoundly, really, kinaya nya kaming buhayin.

The other side of being a Crosby is that, because he's well off and has been there, he has earned the privilege to "talk when I'm about to hit the golf ball." You know what I mean, right?

Sometimes, even when I assure him, "Dad, alam ko na yan, " it's not sufficient to keep him still in the background and let him watch me swing the iron.

* * *

kids should know that...

The Cosby Show is an American television sitcom that ran from 1984 to 1992. Starring Bill Cosby, the sitcom was first broadcast on September 20, 1984 and ran for eight seasons on the NBC television network, until April 30, 1992. The show focused on the Huxtable family, an upper-middle class family living in Brooklyn, New York. Patriarch Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, an obstetrician gynocologist, and his attorney wife Clair Hanks-Huxtable presided over a raucous yet loving household. The popularity of The Cosby Show was often seen as a symbol of hope and progress for African-Americans in the late 1980s and early 1990s. (wikipedia)