Matandang Dalaga

Prince Charmings, Hollywood happy endings , and the perfect pairing of Barbie and Ken are all to blame. They form our expectations and set the standards on the kind of story, relationship, and men we want to have in our lives. These tales of a prince from another castle and how his kiss awaken a princess from a long sleep and guys desperately running after a girl he decided to let go just to catch her right before she boards a plane and other bone-tickling stories all make us giddy. And yes, it all makes us want to feel that someone could be that desperate for us.

Ilan ba sa mga bagong graduates ang nasa trabahong hindi nila gusto? Ang katwiran nila, “stop over lang ito, pag nakakita na ako ng trabahong gusto ko talaga, aalis din agad ako.” Hindi lang din iilan ang mga nasa relasyong hindi naman nila talagang gusto. Stop over lang nila ang mga lalake o babaeng kasama nila ngayon hanggang mahanap nila ‘yung totoong mamahalin nila at makakasama pang habang buhay. Madami ding, lalo na sa babae, bumibili ng mga damit na mas maliit kesa sa size nila. Ang katwiran nila, nagda diet naman sila. Stop over lang ang size nila ngayon.

... and so here I am. A 33-years old single woman living in the Philippines. I have had some amount of success in my career. Yes, that's plural, thank you very much. I have traveled the world, met interesting people, experienced different cultures, and saw remarkable things in all sizes, shapes and colors. I own my own house, drive my own car, and pay for whatever I buy with my own money... money that worked and continue to work hard for. I provide for my family and the families of my family. People come to me for help financially, emotionally, and for some other stuff in their life. I give back as much as I can whenever I can. I'm doing alright, by all accounts. Yet, the most famous question people ask me is 'when are you getting married?'. ... because marriage is all that matters, gaddamit. You just gotta love this country. ... and this is how to be a matandang dalaga in the Philippines