six / war on chores

Weezer  
Buddy Holly  
Weezer (The Blue Album)  

Today marks my sixth year as a blogger* as well as my first month with A. Normally, I’d write something snazzy to celebrate but I’m going through this phase where I feel like everything I write is crap. I’ve got about a dozen or so stories all in my mind or on torn up pieces of tissue paper and I can’t seem to make sense of them.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been sick. I haven’t been to work in ages. This stupid mosquito bit me and poof! It became dengue! It’s not the big D I’m worried about though. It’s the boredom that comes with it. I’ve been on reverse isolation for about a week and a half now and I’m about thiiiiis close to exploding from sheer idleness.

And so because I feel like I should post something but at the same time I feel like nothing I write is good enough, I figured I’d dig something up from the old baul. The article I chose is one of the first things I ever wrote with the intention of posting online. I published it in early 2004 when I still had my own website and before I signed up for a Blogger account. I reeeeally want to edit it but I know that would go against the whole activity. It’s all very whiney, self-deprecating and fake-cool which was how everyone wrote in those days.

Anyway, I just spoiled everything with a lengthy disclaimer. Here is my War on Chores.


There should be a law against chores. There should be. I mean it. There should be a law that makes it illegal for suburban homes to be without a maid. I hate chores. They’re messy and you get nothing in return for them. At least the maid gets a monthly check. What do I get? I get calloused hands and the distinct smell of leftovers. I hate chores and I hate people who assign them. They keep me from the more important things that I have to do like… hmm… I dunno… I’ve been doing chores so long I don’t even remember what a normal teenager does in summer!

Chores always upset me and when I’m upset, I eat and get fat. It’s what I do. So basically, the ten pounds that I lost last month is now down to a dwindling five. I got it! That’s what I wanted to do with my summer… concentrate on slimming down.

Do you know that fifteen minutes on a treadmill or a bicycle will burn you about 70-90 calories? I biked briskly in the gym two weeks ago and it burned me 96 calories. I was mighty proud of my accomplishment until I realized I didn’t even burn enough calories for the bag of chips I had for breakfast. 96 friggin’ calories means nothing.

Elections came again and I was assigned another chore. Bring my grandmother to Makati so she can exercise her suffrage. For the record, I never agreed to this arrangement. Next thing I know is people are waking me up to bring Lola there! I didn’t give in and I just slept the whole morning. My sister ended up going. It wasn’t so hard. They rode cabs to and fro and they didn’t have any heavy bags to carry. So I was a bit surprised when my sister came home tired and sleepy. Suddenly, she was exempted from chores! Aaargh! I was so freaking pissed! It just wasn’t fair! What do I get for walking fifty blocks just to deposit Lola’s money or mail Lola’s affidavits? Mind you, Lola’s a very picky person and you have to do things perfectly or you’re doing it again… So, what does she get for helping Lola out. She gets exempted for chores. What do I get for helping Lola out? A shitload more chores. There is just no freaking justice left in the world. And just to prove my point, here’s another story.

It’s no secret I failed trigonometry last semester. Trying to convince them a new school is best for me only terminated the possibility of future attempts. So I needed to accept the fact that I’m going to be an irreg. That’s basically the kiss of death for someone like me who’s unassertive most of the time. So I figured you got the car, might as well drive it. I was going to take some advance courses so that I won’t be soooo behind next few years. But in UST, that’s not even possible. I need to talk to a bunch of people who will then decide if I can do that. So I told my mom last Friday that I needed to go to UST. Guess who didn’t want me to go. Guess who didn’t leave me any money… Clue, she’s my father’s wife… It doesn’t get any simpler than that. Water under the bridge, I said when she got home. So I reminded her this afternoon and she said (and I quote) “There are a lot of more important things that you need to do that go to UST. What makes you so sure they even have office tomorrow? Mag floorwax ka na lang!” So I guess the floor’s future is more important than mine… and for further proof of the world’s injustice and the overabundance of chores… here’s another story, though somewhat unrelated.

I called Bleep’s cellphone last week in the middle of a chore. To my surprise, it wasn’t Bleep who answered but someone else who sounded like they were just waking up. Complete with yawning and stretching sounds. I quickly hung up and repeatedly told myself it was the wrong number. Several days later, Bleep calls me up. “Listen, I was checking my ‘Received Calls’ and saw this number. I don’t remember you calling me so may I ask who this is?” Bleep doesn’t know my number. That was the beauty of everything. Everything was casual, no strings attached unless I wanted them to be. But now I guess Bleep’s moved on. I faked (with expertise) a probinsyano accent and said “Sorry piru sari-sari store lang pu tu i kaya de ko talaga alam kong seno ang tomawag jan. Pusibleng kahit seno kasi madami naman nakeketawag deto eh” which was quite a change from my greeting (Good Morning, Hello!). There is no justice in the world and when I hung up, guess what was right there waiting for me… chores!

52 comments

  1. happy anniversary nyl..hope you get well soon.. god bless dear

    keep on writing. your posts, no matter how crap you consider them to be, are gems for me..

    be safe

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  2. wooot wooot! happy anniversary to one of my favorite bloggers! eee..!

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  3. happy anniversary, citybuoy! six years? gosh! get well soon. :)

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  4. Hahahaaaaaaaaaa!!! It's like reading someone else - which you were, at the time, dear Nyl.

    So cute and whiny, though - just like a brat. But see what six years can do, hm?

    Congrats on your sixth year on the blogosphere, and your first month with A. Hmmmmmm...A. And get well soon.

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  5. happy anniversary! keep floating!

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  6. happy anniblogsary!!!

    six years. mas inuugat ka pa pala sakin. :D

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  7. Happy Anniversary, Nyl!

    An oh, being an irregular student is KEWL! I miss the days. ;D

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  8. There's nothing wrong with a rehash for an anniversary post. I remember what this blogger, Lexan, mentioned once upon a time, he does gay blogging these days, and he said "Kapag nagkaka-jowa na eh madalang na mag-post" Of course I'm assuming that A represents the love interest of sorts.

    Funny you should mention how everyone wrote in those days. I have to agree -- we were all bitch fitting to our hearts content back then, and now I wonder why that is? It is a good thing, though, that bloggers these days have specialized in networking so much that they have learned to do less whining and more ass kissing. We used to mean what we say, because we were doing it as an outlet. It's more than that these days for some of them out there.

    But some things, like your word count, never change, and I suppose that's a good thing.

    Cheers Citybuoy!

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  9. @Anteros: Why thank you! That's so sweet of you.

    @Nimmy: Favorite talaga? Salamat!

    @Aris: Oo nga eh. Akalain mo. 6 years?!

    @Rudeboy: I was a pretty big brat back then. If I were to be honest, I still am. lol But 6 years has tamed me. I'm not as impulsive as I was back then.

    @Spiral Prince: Thanks!

    @Gillboard: Inuugat talaga? Hindi ba halata?

    @Ronnie: Naging irreg ka? In fairness, di naman ako naging irreg. Slightly irregular lang. lol

    @Momel: I don't think A is to blame for my inability to write naman. I think it's just a phase, hopefully one I'll get over soon.

    I think we all had an idea of what "good writing" was back then. It was all very pa-jaded and stuff. Your comparison is spot on. We went from whining to ass kissing. Question is, which one's better?

    @MkSurf8: Thanks! :)

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  10. @Momel: I don't think A is to blame for my inability to write naman. I think it's just a phase, hopefully one I'll get over soon.

    I think we all had an idea of what "good writing" was back then. It was all very pa-jaded and stuff. Your comparison is spot on. We went from whining to ass kissing. Question is, which one's better?


    That's easy. Whining.

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  11. happy anniversary!
    and just keep on writing, compared the way you write to mine, mas crap nman uns sakin,, but since i really do feel writing kahit panget, gow pa rin ako.. you may think it's crap, but other don't..

    cheers!!

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  12. Nyl! happy 6th anniversary! BTW, specia mention ka sa atest post ko.hehe

    Your post reminded me how I blog back then.haha mala-jejemon ako magblog nun.haha! :) Blog on!

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  13. 6 years? wow! sir! congrats! and yeah happy monthsary with A too :D double celebration! kelan ako makakatikim ng libre? :P


    i love doing chores. house cores that is. :P

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  14. and it's ALWAYS a pleasure to read your entries. here's to more years and posts!

    (trig is easy lang kaya :P )

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  15. greetings on your two occassions :)

    i'm also not a big fan of house chores. gusto kong sumigaw ng "yaya! paki-linis nga ang bahay", kaso wala kaming katulong. hehehe but i love washing dishes though :)

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  16. ikaw na'ng may love-life. hahaha. chos. :D
    six years! wohohoah. you so bratinella. haha

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  17. @Momel: Now that seemed a little too easy. I dunno. I kinda like all the ass kissing although it's pretty tough to get an honest comment in the proper context. Plus people were all so similar then. Not enough diversity and too many flame wars!

    @CJ: Thanks! :)

    @Ceiboh: Minsan ganun lang naman yun. You just have to sit on it for a while until you grow to like it. Or find the strength to re-write. lol

    @Drei: Oh really? That's so sweet. Sige, I'll check it out later.

    Jejemon? Parang di naman siguro. Haha

    @Ced: Libre? Sige pag-galing ko. I'll let you know next time na lalabas ako with bloggers so you can come with us. :)

    Ako, I still hate it. Kaya nga kahit ayaw nila, I still got a maid kasi the last thing I want to do after a long day of work is wash dishes!

    @Ternie: Awww... That's so sweet! Thanks Ternie. And if I ever need a trig tutor, I'll know who to ask.

    @Lee: Thanks! At talagang may sigawang nagaganap? Di ba pwedeng ask nicely? lol

    Ako of all the chores, the one na pinakabearable is the laundry. I find it therapeutic. Plus I love the scent of fresh laundry.

    @Yohan: Yeah, 6 years of bratting up the blogosphere. :) Thanks!

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  18. a very huge CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
    [makatagal kya ako ng 6 years?hehe]
    .
    .
    and i feel you about the Dengue thing. been there. and it SUCKS big time!
    .
    .
    cheers to double the 6 years!!!!and more!!!

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  19. Hey Desole Boy! Oo nga pala, you had dengue a few weeks back din. Sucks no? I'm super bored.

    Thanks for the warm greetings. At oo naman, longer pa if you want! :)

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  20. wow nyl, cheers to 6 years!! well i agree, you're different now, more mature and waaaay better than that post you made about the chores ^_^ hehe but i enjoyed it...
    well nyl, sometimes i find myself wishing/wanting to be like you... i wanted to be able to express myself effectively in blogging, share what i think with other people who reads it, to touch people, and also to experience those experiences that you've written about... haaayy but i guess blogging is just not for me. haha look at my new blog, it's not moving again. haha
    oh well, what i'm trying to say? not just everyone can accomplish what you have now, and just keep going friend! ^_^ thanks for sharing experiences through your posts... :)

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  21. Oh Carlo, you're too sweet. Ano ka ba, you know you shouldn't give up like that. This friend from the office was just telling me a few weeks ago how much she enjoys your blog, even more than she enjoys mine. lol

    But anyway, super thanks for the kind words. You've pretty much known me from before all this. I think you even took the picture I used for this post. Sa Masikap house yan eh. A relic from '04. :)

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  23. oh my god! no wonder it looked familiar... yah i remember that shirt too, and that wall. haha yeah...
    i suddenly remembered your pan-fried version of the garlic bread. still remember that? :) that round familiar table reminded me about it haha

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  24. Gawan na ng fanpage yan. LOL.

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  25. @Carlo: That shirt! I loved that shirt! I think nasa isang ex ko na siya ngayon. Bad trip. Ayaw na isauli. Sabagay, di na rin naman kasya sa akin. That picture was from 20 lbs ago!

    Pan-fried version of garlic bread? I don't really remember. But yeah, that was taken at the dirty kitchen.

    @Victor: Ang alin? Ang anti-chores advocacy? ;0

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  26. talaga naman when boredom strikes, pati chores gawan natin ng bill! hehe

    get well, boredom kills. =)

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  27. talaga naman when boredom strikes, pati chores gawan natin ng bill! hehe

    get well, boredom kills. =)

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  28. talaga naman when boredom strikes, pati chores gawan natin ng bill! hehe

    get well, boredom kills. =)

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  29. Wow six effing years! Happy Anniversary!!! Your award must be your chores haha...

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  30. Happy Anniversary! Six years of blogging is like a lifetime for me! I have just started my own blog for a month now and to think you made it for years is such a challenge for me.

    You got a new follower here. Great blogging!

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  31. my sixth year anniversary was on Sunday. i didn't realize we were the same age in the blogosphere.

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  32. @Chyng: Siguro exagg lang talaga akong bata. haha

    @Glentot: Cheh! Salamat sa pag-daan. Ahmishuee!

    @Pepe: Thanks! Followed you back.

    @LOF: Last Sunday? Wow. That's really close. At 6 years din. How interesting!!

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  33. nagyon lang ulet ako nagparamdam sa blog mo hehe.. i hope that is not a mortal sin.

    anyway kinilig ako dun sa line na may "A"

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  34. Don't be silly, David. You know you're always welcome here. :)

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  35. Wow. Happy Anniversary! Yes, that much time can really change you as a blogger.

    "It’s all very whiney, self-deprecating and fake-cool which was how everyone wrote in those days."

    Amen. Sadly, I still occasionally blog like it's 2006. Hahah...

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  36. Thanks James! And don't worry about writing from 2006. I happen to think it's lovely. :)

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  37. Is it? I just think it's cool. Plus a lot of other bloggers are celebrating this month too. What is it with the ber months? It inspires people to start writing! I hope it rubs off on me soon. I don't think I can live properly if I can't express my thoughts.

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  38. grabe nilulumot ka ni dito. haha
    congrats sulat lang ng sulat XD
    pwede na tong gawing libro! : )
    na miss ka namen! see u soon.

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  39. Nilulumot na ba? Haha that's a nice way of putting it, Ahmer. :)

    Yeah, I totally miss you all too. It's been too long. We should hang out again soon. :)

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  40. Hey. Anniversary well wishes. But sorry to hear that you got sick. Hope you're totally well and back in the groove. Take care.

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  41. i hope you're all better now. and say hi to A for me. best wishes

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  42. @Peter: Thanks! I talked to my doctor yesterday. My blood's back to normal he says so yaaay! :)

    @Mark: Sure, I'll say hi later. Thanks! :)

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  43. wow 6 years.. naku sir more years to come!

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  44. belated happy anniv sa blog mo Nyl and happy monthsary sa inyo ni A

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  45. belated happy anniv sa blog mo Nyl and happy monthsary sa inyo ni A

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  46. wowww 6 years of blogging!!! *bows* ...and no other way to celebrate it than a good ranting! well done! :) I should learn a lot from you about this blog thingy!!

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  47. Hey Fairysheels! Welcome to my blog! I'll visit yours as soon as I get the time ha. :)

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