This rock was a hit with my family cause it looks like it’s flipping you off. We picked it up on the beach on the second day of our family/mini-baranggay outing in Subic. I know it looks like something else. But I didn’t point it out ’cause I was with my very young cousins.

The first day was an epic waste of time. And on our last day, my newly retired grandfather decided to give us a “tour” of the place. We went around in circles with the highlights being:

“This is where my office was (abandoned building).”
“This is where we ate breakfast/lunch/dinner/merienda.”
“I frequented this casino (repeat several times).”
“I bought canned goods here.”

And from my uncle: “This is where I parked and slept while waiting for him.”

Fun times.

It wasn’t all bad though. The 3 hour (11am-2pm=sunburn!) swim was fun. And I got my tong-its game back. But one of the best things I did was hang-out on the swings with my sister and tita. We were discussing our future (lalim, pare).

My sis is graduating this year and my tita is an incoming nursing junior. What we all have in common is our desire for independence. We all recognize our family’s inability to let go off their offsprings. My tita calls it ‘close family ties’, I want to call it emotionally unhealthy. So far, the only proven effective ways to move out has been through marriage and/or rebellion, none of which works for me. I plan to move out without marrying anyone or becoming a bigger black sheep than I already am. I will leave the country for independence.

Escape Plan:

• Third year in med school
• Clerkship/Junior Internship
• Internship + Phil Board Exams
• USMLE
• Residency in the US
• Practice for a year or two or come back immediately
• Take up Multimedia Arts.

My sis is choosing between getting a job or taking up a second course (Advertising/HRM/Culinary Arts/a fashion related course) or taking up a masters degree. But she is ardent about running her own hotel someday. My aunt also has plans to go abroad. We might even leave on the same year. When we come back, we all considered moving in together.

Anyway, as Shari’s multiply site says, one shot at a time. The first thing on the list starts in two weeks but the most urgent thing at hand is a trip to the beach with my friends. More sunburn, overlapping tan lines and hopefully more than 3 hours of fun.