Freedom

Last year, I wrote a post about wanting to be independent and having my freedom. I haven't really done that until two months ago.

I flew from Davao to Manila and lived in a boarding house. It was a very small room and it had no windows. I have this thing about windows. I just love them so much! And since that room had no window, I felt like I was in a prison. It was depressing. Not to mention that it was the first time I lived a hundred miles away from my family.

I also had to share the bathroom and the kitchen with the other boarders. I'm a very shy person so I'm not really comfortable meeting them every time I feel the call of nature or I have to cook my food.

Another things is that I got scared going out of my room because of a RAT. That boarding house has one super huge rat running around the kitchen all the time, scaring the boarders to death.

So after a month, I moved to a house in the province of Rizal. It is a two-storey apartment with a floor area of only 20sqm. I'm lucky because I'm the very first tenant who rented it. The wall paint is still fresh and clean. And guess what! The price is the same with the amount I pay for that tiny, prison-like room in Makati.

You see, I write for a living, so you have to understand that space is big deal for me. And windows? Yes, it has windows but unfortunately, the only view I could see is the neighbor's wall. I also have a terrace. But I have to look to the left before I could have a glimpse of the village playground.

Well, so far everything's going great and I just thank God for all of this. Here's what I learned so far while having my freedom.

• Freedom is not doing ALL the things that you want to do. It is choosing carefully what's right for you. 

• I actually know how to cook! You see, I'm the youngest in our family so I did not always have the chance to cook. I was scared, I guess. I didn't want them to criticize my cooking, so I did not even try. But since I only have myself to feed right now, I have nothing to lose. Haha.

• I now know what it feels like to go to a grocery store and get one item, put it in the basket, think for five minutes if it's worth buying, and then return it to the shelf. It was like that for almost every item!

• I got aware of my electrical and water consumption. I always try to find a way to save on those.

• I now know the wattage of all the gadgets and appliances I own! I was surprised that my laptop is only 30W. I thought it consumes too much electricity. On the other hand, the electric stove makes me want to faint with its 1000W. Argh!

• There's no one to clean my mess except myself. Ah, the price of freedom. ^__^

• I don't like electric fan. I barely use it. The downside? I've got mosquito bites on my legs! Good thing they don't leave scars.

• I'm almost 23 years old but people still think I'm too young to live on my own. Welcome to the Philippines. Haha.

• Always choose the head car when riding the MRT or LRT (train). It's not as crowded as the other cars.

• Cheese is AMAZING.