Kamusta naman?

Incredible how time really flies. I just realized that it’s been already a month since I left the Philippines in search of greener (kuno) pastures in the land of milk and honey. I know. One month is nothing—people who vacation in the US can sometimes take all of two months (the two months students have out of school for summer break). But for me, it’s a big thing. Because for the past few years that I’ve been here in the US, it’s as tourists in the country that I once lived in. Now, things are once again different. I’m now living in this country again. Wala lang. It’s just new to me the second time around I guess.

Truthfully, nothing super new or major eventful has happened to me for the past month. (Fine, six weeks.) When I said to my peers in the Philippines that I’m going to spend my first few months in the US vacationing and having a good time, I meant it. Of course there’s the usual things, like registering for job-search websites, having my driver’s license renewed (man, did I have huge cheeks in my new photograph—gotta watch the pizza and McDonald’s), and visiting relatives that I didn’t have the luxury of visiting the past years because of time constraints. I’ve also organized my portfolio of works for when I start peddling my wares in the Big Apple, and spent a considerable amount of money buying a business wardrobe. (Dang, I hope the industry I’m trying to get in is one where I won’t be forced to wear a suit everyday to work. Hindi ko kakayanin, kahit na may clothing allowance.) The reason why I said they’re nothing new is because they aren’t—everyone does these things at one point in their lives.

The closest I have in my calendar that you can consider eventful is a 15-hour drive with the family to Florida. There we’ll stay for a week at a nice resort and visit Disney Parks for four days. And if my cousin from the army can help us as well, we’ll stop at Sea World on the fifth day. Oh, admit it—everyone loves to go to theme parks. Sabi nga ng slogan ng Disney: “It’s the happiest place on earth.” Or something like that.

I have been thinking long and hard about my living arrangements, though. My folks are looking for a house where the family can stay here in down old Jersey (that’s still thankfully only an hour away from NYC) and I definitely will have to help with the mortgage payments. Now here’s the problem: Will I still look for a place to stay in NY once I find work? Or should I do what I did when I was still in the Philippines, living in Bulacan—uwian? Both have their own share of pros and cons. But this is a matter that I can and will only be able to seriously think through once I’m there. I’m hugely unfamiliar with how expensive NYC is exactly, so there’s no use speculating over something that I know very little about.

Anyway, that’s it for now. New post in a week.