back home
I was in Manila for 5 days due to my aunt’s funeral and cremation. The original plan was to go back last Saturday, which was the initial date of the cremation but my uncle insisted on coming home all the way from Los Angeles. Normally, my mother and another aunt of mine would not let him do so given how unstable his health was, but from his perspective he never saw his two older sisters’ funeral and to deny him the chance to see his third older sister would be well devastating.
So the funeral extended until last night. That also meant my leave of absence was extended and boy was that an issue at my work! My immediate supervisor told me it’s my decision to extend my leave but she also hinted that my regularization by July would be in danger as based on the employee handbook an employee under probation (no not the prison type although it’s almost the same I guess) is not allowed to be absent for more than three days.
And how long have I been gone? 3 freaking days. So by July, either my contract ends or my probationary period would be extended. I was so furious because it was like a relative died and here I had to think about my regularization?! Plus how insensitive could they get?
This resulted for my opinion about them to go really low and it also made me realize that I should not have gone back to the BPO industry. My brother was also annoyed at what had happened to me that he said I should have also said that I would email them my resignation letter (or chuck the death certificate up in their ass). I rarely come to Manila except in extreme cases and my work is giving me shit?!
But hey I need the money so I would grit it out.
I arrived in Manila on Friday and wow it was HOT. I was practically roasting and evaporating. How I survived the past few days there was a miracle (and with the help of the AC in one of the rooms).
Good things that happened: I got to see my parents again (they went ahead of me), my brother and his family plus my mom’s cousin who is really cool. Also my godmother in confirmation, I was able to have a chat with her. And also my brother taught me how to play poker and had ended up playing Black Jack with him and his wife.
I also saw my uncle and his wife after a long time. Going to their house to eat had brought so many childhood memories for me.
Bad thing? I lost my temper at my niece and nephew over a stupid placing on the dining table. My brother’s only and youngest son was giving slight pushes to his older and middle sister while saying to get off the chair she was sitting on since he usually sits there. His sister refused to move so the cycle continued. I was already in a really bad mood (and was trying to control it) when I suddenly snapped. I got off my chair and slammed it on the floor shouting at my niece to sit where I just left.
Then I added that they’re fighting over a stupid chair. My cousin’s son who was with them stared at me and I’m sure the others present which included my dad, aunt, her cousin and the maid were looking at me in shock. And yeah I walked out on them stomping my way upstairs.
I told my mom (who was resting) on what happened and well she lectured me for it. I told her I hate to see two kids fighting in front of me and I told her about my really bad mood.
I went back down waaay later and my mom’s cousin approached me asking what happened and I explained it to her. She said both my niece and nephew are now scared of me because after I left they were really quiet and my nephew sped off after eating. She also said that there should be someone they should be afraid of because it keeps them in line. Plus she was annoyed at them because they were fighting during dinner, which was rude (and an appetite killer believe me).
My dad meanwhile lectured the two saying that they should stop fighting if they don’t want to see me angry. I guess that was their first time that they saw me raging like that. Though I would rather if they don’t mess with my dad because when he gets genuinely angry he’s very, very scary especially since he rarely gets mad.
Moving on, the last day of my aunt’s funeral was lovely and solemn. Thanks to my uncle and his wife’s arrival, they also hastily invited the church choir and wow they’re really good that I was crying especially when they sang the song ‘Prayer’ by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church. And with the addition of a priest (who is the cousin of my uncle’s wife), we had a mass at home.
My aunt was cremated earlier this morning and it ended earlier than the scheduled time, which was good. The urn was heavy and during the cremation I felt I was the point person for the guys in the cremation from food requests to asking if the clothes my aunt died in should already be burned in a different pile (it’s a custom of ours).
This also launched a discussion between my mom and I in case on where to hold the funeral if any one of us died. It sounds creepy when one is still alive and then talks about plans for death in such a casual manner, but one of these days we will die. It’s just a matter of how and when that would happen.
So now I’m back home and would also be returning to work tomorrow evening. Yay.