Down To Earth

It's having my foot on the ground once more.

Do I blame it on supposedly our national inflation rate at its highest
in 17 years?

The tangible proof is, suddenly, I am at the mercy of
waiting for the next payday.

ATM balance says NIL, NADA.

This hasn't happened in years.

Suddenly "Lucky Me!" Instant Noodles is an attractive option to get by.

Weekend means cooped up in my room to avoid spending.
It's not avoiding spending actually, it's prison.
There's nothing to spend anyway.

So I traced back the expenditures I've had and it turned out,
I was doing the same buying, dining out, and other
disposable income activities.

But I still have my account bled dry.

It humbles me, someone who has embraced the urban lifestyle wholly.

Let inflation be my excuse.

But the culprit is still the refusal to save.

Living as if there is no tomorrow is a crime.

When I turn sixty, God forbid, I haven't had any investment
even in the form of real estate.

And the coming weeks, due to an anticipated change,
will make me spend more.

But what the heck.

It's what I want.

It's a new phase in Makati living.

I cannot reveal that for now.

But after a final New York hurrah, you bet that will be a big expense,
and some juggling of loans, I will make Fleetwood Mac's song my mantra.

"Don't stop thinking about tomorrow."

I wish I had the guts to finally practice it.

In due time. In due time.

Meanwhile, what else can I do at home since I'm imprisoned
by lack of funds... hmmm... maybe it's time to
finally write a new screenplay, or start watching
the whole kaboodle of Heroes 2 or Mad Men on DVD.

Suddenly, I appreciate the other urban comforts I have
in this downtrodden stage.

I still have the coolness of airconditioning
comforting my Olay-moisturized face.

I can still post a blog thanks to
a Broadband account that is still active.

Electricity is still running so I can play any DVD I like to watch.

Gym membership is still active so to kill time,
I can still kill the excess calories instead doing the treadmill run.

But still, still, I can't wait till payday. Arrrggggh!