Goodbye Makati, Hello Parañaque!

I've moved so many times in my life. From Fairview, the place where I grew up, to move to Makati, where I decided to work. When my parents could afford it, they bought my sister a condo. Eventually, I moved in with my sister and stayed in the smaller room. When my father died, my sister and I couldn't help the fact that my mom was alone in our house in Fairview, so we decided to adopt her. The next few years would be difficult. I was no longer used to being with my family. A few years later, I moved out of the condo and rented a place for myself. I stayed there for more than a year until we decided to sell our house in Fairview. My mom and my sister got themselves a brand new condo in Parañaque, Roxas Boulevard. It was too big for two small women. Three bedrooms, an extra room (if we had help, but we don't), three rest rooms, two parking spaces alloted for us - it was big and even I didn't live there with them.

I stayed in our Makati condo. Until, of course, the break-in. I decided that staying there was no longer worth it. My safety was far valuable than the privacy that I cherished for so long. So, I started packing up, again. I've moved so many times that I already know what to bring first and what to box. I initially bought 5 Balikbayan Boxes and realized yesterday that it was not enough, but I have two weeks to go before everything would be done. At least I've already defrosted the refrigerator and removed all plugs from the sockets. The clothes that I regularly wear and the items which I need for work have already been transferred to the Parañaque condo and I've decided to just leave all the other boxes in Makati until we get a buyer.

68 sq. m. 2 bedrooms. 1 parking space. Alright, that's enough advertising.

Hard to let go of the place. I love my freedom. I love my individuality. Not that I'm saying that I don't love living with my mom and sis. It's something I could get used to. Besides, there's a gym on the 2nd floor which I can take advantage of, until we have the money to purchase a new property. Now, where do I want to live next?

Privacy

I keep to myself most often than not and allow only a few to come a few inches near my personal bubble. I don't enjoy crowded spaces unless I'm surrounded by several girls from the mansion of Hugh Hefner. And when I'm at home, I expect my privacy to be respected - even my mom doesn't have all the keys to the condo.

On December 9, between 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. my personal space, the privacy that I've been protecting has been desecrated.

I just finished watching a tv show in my macbook pro when I decided to finally take a bath, go to Starbucks and have my usual sunday night coffee. That didn't happen, of course. A few hours later, I found myself talking to the local police and some investigators while their men search the house for fingerprints. It looked like watching CSI, but to be seeing it from the point of view of one of the actors is pushing it, really.

Anyway, as I went out of the room I saw my football boots on top of the counter and the main door was ajar. Quickly, I rushed out - not thinking that the miscreants may still be around - and saw the window leading to another rest room inside my house had been broken. The sliding panels and the steel grills had been removed.

I found myself shouting at the top of my lungs. I had no problem there, I was in the choir for so many years - my voice echoed throughout the building and the tenants of my building quickly rushed to my aid. I called up my mom and sis to inform them of what had happened and called my partners telling them that I might not be able to go to one of our meetings.

While my neighbors gathered outside my house, I quickly took a glance at what had been missing from the house. I lost four thousand pesos, my SSS and driver's license that were stuck in between the money clip. My house keys were taken as well, including one credit card and one ATM card, which I immediately canceled. My PSP was taken as well. Thank God I didn't leave my mobile nor my newly-acquired iPod Touch! But the worst of all (really, this was the one that pissed me off) they also got a ceramic bowl with all the coins that I didn't want to keep in my pockets! I don't even know how much the coins are worth, probably five hundred pesos or more even, but that thing is just way too heavy. Sheesh. What a bunch of idiots. There are so many things one can get from my place and then they get that instead.

Good thing I didn't decide to go out of the room when all of that happened. I wouldn't know what I would've done. Throw a chair at them? Go get the short and dull samurai sword hanging behind the door and see how much blood comes out of them? Scream like a girl? Hell, I'm just smiling now because my life has been spared.

But to think that they got so near to me ...

Now, I'm already thinking about packing up my bags and going to my mom's house for the remainder of the year. It's going to be moving out day soon. It's also a good thing that we've already made the last payment for the condo. I'm thinking of selling it quick and get to a much safer place. I don't know how long that will take but as long as I'm safe - that's all that matters.

I can't sleep now and for the first time it's not the coffee. In fact, at the time that I'm writing this, I can smell the full roast of hazelnut beans coming from my coffee machine. Thank God they didn't think about stealing that!

I'm fine. But this is one of those nights that I truly feel that I'm alone.