A Glimpse of Sad Reality Abroad at My "Caregiver" Experience

So, I watched this latest and greatest movie "Caregiver" of Sharon Cuneta last night and I wasn’t expecting very much from it because I thought I’ve seen every forsaken and battered Filipino domestic-helper-abroad kind of movie flick….. I thought, what else could be new in this one? Until I caught myself wiping my damn tears at the first part of the movie... then I said, "So, this is what's new, pussy cat!" Kleenex please.

I don't know why I easily get carried away by these kinds of Filipino drama... Although this is quite far from my own story here in the US, I know I always try to seek something personal that I can relate to in any OFW theme movies.

Few scenes I want to mention that moved me personally:
1. The scene when Sarah (Sharon's character) spent her last days with her old grandmother. I remember I spent time with my Lola Salud before I left to the US. She passed away a year or so later and sadly, I was not there in her funeral.

2. The scene where she was buying her jacket with her son. I was with my mom when I bought my winter jacket in the same ukay-ukay market.

3. When her husband welcomed her at the airport. My husband (my fiance then) also picked me up from the airport and I remember we were promising to help each other fulfill all our dreams together here in the US.

4. The scene in the laundromat and the scene where she was walking in the snowstorm. Do I need to say more?

The story of Caregiver is very factual and convincing in my own experience and point of view. And really, you don't have to be a Caregiver in London to go through this cinematic experience. It is happening to almost everyone (no matter what your job is), and everywhere abroad, even in front of my own eyes, through the colorful lives of my closest friends and some relatives ...

For example: Good mother left child behind, good wife married to a jerk, good wife fed up and left jerk, good mom takes child, good mom leaves child to babysitters so good mom can work, child turned into problem child as good mom is always working, good mom depressed and looks for second chance in love to solve her problems, good wife marries another jerk.... and the same story goes on around again. Happy?

Or let's go the complicated story, good husband left wife for abroad to provide better life to his family back home, good husband works hard abroad, good husband gets lonely, another girl gets lonely, good husband abroad lives in with lonely girl who also left good husband back home to take care of family, who also wants to provide better life for her family.... sounds familiar?

That's the sad reality of life most Filipino abroad has to go through to earn this damn dollar or pounds, or whatever. And that's the quality of life that most families have to have, as chosen by their good parents only wanting to provide better life and future for their children. That's the kind of sacrifice that inevitably most Filipinos unconsciously fantasize when they think that the Philippines is hopeless, and that they need to work or live abroad, and leave their loved ones behind.

Lastly, may I say, I have a lot of respect to all these OFWs around the world and their own heroism to their families, especially the ones in the nursing and caregiving jobs. Here's the best lines in the movie that I believe have made impact to their chosen profession:

"Some time, when you least expect it, someone will come into your life and make you feel less lonely, less alone... For me you are that person. You care for people. You give them what they've lost to life down the years, their dignity, and hope and joy and even fun... There's not very many jobs that can top that!"

My own start-up story may not be as dramatic and worthy of a movie, but I've written a blog about it before. Click here to read my Promdi In America, Lost in Transition.

My Blah Moment of the Day - Maternal Exposure

I'm not sure if this is sensitive to share to all but I know it's hilarious (at least in my opinion)!

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a birthday party of my friend's son in Park City. After grabbing my plate of greasy but delicious Filipino food, I sat on a table next to a beautiful Mexican woman carrying her newborn child... alone in this patio table. Being my friendly self, I started the conversation about how pretty her baby is and how old and what's her name... blah, blah, blah.... and a minute later, her left boob happily and candidly joined our conversation. No kidding! I was totally disoriented for a minute and shocked how quickly this all happened, and I understood that very moment why there was no one sitting on her table. It was not a friendly nor a pleasurable site.

But that is not all.... I refused to move to another table. Instead, I stared at her exposed milkful boob ashamed to myself... and I thought, was that her freaking areola? I looked at it again, and again, and again... and yes, it was horrible and as big as her baby's face!!

I know I wanted to become a mother someday... but give me a break! I ain't having that thing.

So did I tell her? No. I was too ashamed to myself. I'll tell you if you have a bugger or if you're fly is open (no, I won't), but this time, I didn't say a word... until now.

Few days before this happened, me and my husband watched the 40-Year-Old Virgin movie of Steve Carrel (highly recommended to all but beware of the language!). My favorite funniest scene in the movie was the speed dating scene with the woman with exposed breast while she was casually interviewing... I didn't know that it was a premonition that I will encounter such blah moment in real life.

The moral of the story is, no plunging necklines to new moms, please! Yeah, your baby is cute but your boob isn't! Just keep them to yourself.

Recent Trip to my Dental Memory Lane

Hello friends! You're probably wondering whatever happened to me and my blogging... I just hibernated offline. That's all. Let me bring back my funny self here again. I know some of you miss my blogs and my sweet and innocent sarcasm. I know I do! Well, I haven't changed much except my hair is longer now... I'm still the same kind and loving person that you knew who will never raise a finger at you, even if you're a d-ck like Kanye West. Smiling now? Good.

Well today, I went to my semi-annual dentist visit. Nothing too exciting happened as everything is good, and I didn't swallow anything that they put in my mouth, and they didn't rip my lips apart. They always complimented my shoes and purse, then my teeth! My dentist always tells me that I have the most beautiful teeth and that I just saved my self $5K for taking good care of it all these years. I want to give that credit to my mother who's been very concerned of our teeth since we were little kids.

I observed all these years that I've lived in the US that kids visiting the dentists are always happy and excited. They are given treats and treated really well. They're all smiling and having a good time.

Let me take you back 30 years ago in the little town I grew up in, called Sta. Cruz, Marinduque. I have a different experience as a kid visiting the dentist. I can't remember the name of this only male dentist in town (I'm sure my mom or my dad can tell whom I'm talking about...), but I still remember his dental office was dark and scary on a second floor building near our church, and he was smoking and a bit drunk sometimes, and always has blood shot eyes. I was terrified of him every time! It only took forever before a new lady dentist came in town.

Maybe nobody ever knew this, but when I was a little kid, there's two things that I wanted to have in life.... I wanted to wear eyeglasses and I wanted to have dentures! No kidding! I've always looked at my grandparents' dentures at night with such delight in this clear glass... It was emerged in water and I thought they were so beautiful and special. One night, when I thought my Lolo Sabino was already asleep, I tried his dentures on... yes, both of them in my mouth... Ok, I'll stop now as it's gross. Long story short, I changed my mind that night and decided I have to take care of my own teeth and keep it as long as I can. I got my wishes on the eyeglasses at 6th grade, but no thanks for the dentures.

You want to hear my opinion on dentures and gums? I swore before that I will never marry a man with dentures, and I didn't. I also remember telling my sister before not to ever date a man with purple gums as they can't be trusted. I don't know where I got that from, but obviously I still think that until now.