"Usapang Baha(y)"

 By Nancy D. Galang, M.A.

"A house is made of brick and mortar, but home is made by people who live there." - M.K. Soni

It's been two weeks since.

As I scan through pictures of Ulysses damage in Marikina, Cagayan, and other greatly affected areas, I am still very, very thankful na ganun lang ang "Ulyssesperience" ng G Skwad. (To read about it, go to: https://nancydavidgalang.blogspot.com/2020/11/ang-kuwento-ng-g-skwads-ulyssesperience.html?m=1)

However, di ko inasahan na major repairs ang kailangang gawin sa aming munting tahanan!

Sa gitna ng paghahanda ko sa "baby room" for my apo Amara Catrice (na dapat sana ay nung November 21 pa dadating pero tila natatagalan pa), sumabay ang repairs dala ng leaks sa walls at ceiling ng bahay.

The aftermath of our "Ulyssesperience". 

Looking back, I realized, I committed some mistakes in choosing this house. So in this entry, I'll give you a few tips on how to choose the best house for your family (based lang po sa experience ko, I am no expert on this topic).

1. Take your sweet time.

When I decided to buy this house, I fell in love with its interior. It was painted white. It was quite modern. It was spacious. Kaya't nagmadali ako. Ang feeling ko ikamamatay ko kapag hindi ito mapunta sa G Skwad (s'yempre exaggerated lang ako). But it was so wrong of me to do so. Due to over excitement, I overlooked some major factors.

2. Choose a good location.

A. Make sure hindi bumabaha.

I failed to consider this one major factor. Alam ko na bumabaha in this part of Cainta, pero nag-pursige pa rin ako. Not that I did not interview the neighbors kung hanggang saan ang tubig dito during "less stronger" storms. 

Ang sabi nila, of course, ang pinakamatindi pa rin was Ondoy. Pero lately, since the Mayor improved the drainage system, ang tubig was hanggang gutter level lang. So I thought, manageable na since ito ang pasok sa budget ko. (Update: Hanggang waist po ang itinaas ng tubig sa street namin, while sa gate ng subdivision ay hanggang dibdib)

Two weeks ago this was my view from
my room's balcony. 

B. Accessibility.

Since nagda-drive naman po ako to work before the lockdown, I told myself, dahil enjoy naman ako mag-sound trip while driving, kaya ko ang distance na tatahakin araw-araw from Cainta to Novaliches where my office was located. Ang kaso 'yung araw-araw na one hour and 45 minutes, nakakapagod din pala! Lalo na kapag pauwi ka na, kumakalam ang sikmura, at gusto mo na lang magpahinga. Napaka-traffic!

So, I did not consider its proximity to my workplace as well as to that of my kids' school (pareho po sila sa Taft area nag-aaral at nagre-rent naman ng condo at that time).

However, isang malaking factor sa akin ang budget.

3. Do the math. Make sure you can afford it.

This was one major consideration for me. As a singleD mom, I could not afford the houses in QC. Townhouses would range from 4M to 8M, sometimes even as high as 10M! Where we are now is a duplex, much bigger than the usual sizes of townhouses that I checked which were ranging from 50-60 square meters. So, G! (game!) I decided to get this because I wanted a big space for me and the G Skwad.

4. Safety and security.

S'yempre isa ito sa mga naging major consideration ko. The house is located inside a subdivision which has 3 guarded gates. May license scanner ang bawat gate. Visitors are not allowed to enter the main gate. So, for me, okay 'yun, kaya G!

5. Decent neighborhood.

As I drove around the subdivision before making the purchase, I saw a lot of medium to big houses, so I told myself, okay ang mga nakatira dito. They were probably from middle B to middle A income families. Belong kami dito malamang. So again, G!

6. Ventilation.

The house has good ventilation. Kahit pa sandwiched ako ng 2 houses, dahil malaki ang garahe, ok na din. Sa likod, sa dirty kitchen, mayroon ding lusutan ng hangin. 

Our spacious garage which gives good
ventilation in our house.

Sa dalawang kuwarto sa itaas, may adjoining veranda. And most important, ang master's bedroom has a balcony. Isa 'yan sa non-negotiables ko dahil gusto ko na nagkakape ako roon habang nagbabasa or nagjo-journal. Or umupo lang nang nakatanga sa walang kawalan. Hehe. 

The balcony in the master's bedroom
as I found it.

My balcony now where I prefer to have
my quiet time. 

7. Nice, clean looking, and spacious toilet and bath.

I love the CRs (comfort rooms) of this house kasi malinis tingnan ang mga tiles and flooring. Although wala pa s'yang glass shower enclosures, alam 'kong that's something na puwede 'kong idadgdag later. In fact, excited ako sa projects that I plan to do sa mga banyo ng bahay. My own CR is big enough para malagyan pa ng walk-in closet. (Ayan, sumusumpong na naman ang pagka-frustrated Interior Designer ko!)

The CRs still need a lot of improvement. But as 
it is, pasado ito sa akin dahil malinis tingnan.

8. Spacious enough for the dwellers.

This is one more thing that I did not consider seriously. Although I mentioned earlier that the house is bigger than most townhouses I've seen, hindi pa rin pala siya big enough for the G Skwad. I thought that the 2 rooms upstairs (excluding mine) would suffice kasi magse-share silang apat by twos. Hindi na pala puwede! Nasa age sila na they not only cherish their privacy, but they desire it!

Hindi ko na-consider that Nix would stay with us this long. Pandemic kasi kaya't she is on prolonged leave of absence from her work abroad as Flight Attendant. Kaya lately, may tampong parinig na "Hindi n'yo ako inisip when you decided to buy this." I did tell her, however, na tuwing uuwi siya she rooms with me, that my bedroom is as good as hers.

Alam n'yo, mga Nan-sis, siyam kaming magkakapatid. Four girls and five boys. Ang naalala ko lang na nag-solo ng room eventually, ako at si Neil, 'yung bunso namin, dahil naiwan na kami at nag-asawa na lahat ng sibs (siblings) ko. Pangwalo kasi ako sa magkakapatid. 

                  All nine of us with Mom and Dad: 

                       The original G Skwad.

Before then, kaming apat na babae, share sa isang room. 'Yung boys, solo kasi three of them kasama na ang mga asawa sa mga kuwarto nila.

Pero that was one of the fondest memories of my childhood. Parang dorm! Imagine, nakahilera ang four beds sa isang room! Tapos laging may nag-aaway dahil sa kalat ng isa't isa hehe.

So dahil nga manganganak na si Nastassia, it seems na mas lalong kailangan now na gumawa ng extra-space dito sa bahay. I had to fix the extra room downstairs that could actually be a guest or maid's room. Pero ilang taon na po kaming walang maids, I think mga 7 years na. (May kanya-kanyang chores ang G Skwad ever since).

Anyways, I decided to convert that into a baby room as I mentioned in my earlier blog. It was such hardwork kasi lahat po ng gamit ko, like luggages, extra-furniture, etc. doon nakatambak, and bringing them all out now was a major challenge. Chaos! And up to now I am trying to create more storage in the house. Nagde-declutter na rin po ako.

Louie (Nastassia's BF), Nastassia, and I did team
effort to convert the extra room into a baby room.

The result of our hardwork. We just need to 
set-up the crib. (hindi ko pa po kasi na-disinfect)

9. Check with the contractor/seller if the walls have been waterproofed and if they guarantee that it will not have leaks. (If meron man later, this should be under warranty.)

Ito ang isa sa mga sakit ng ulo ko po ngayon, mga Nan-sis! After our "Ulyssesperience", ang daming lumabas na leaks, and out of too much pressure from the roof, nabutas ang ceiling ko.

Nag-crack din ang paint ng ibang walls. Not to mention the marks it left on the walls sa sala and dining areas.

Although nakakapagod kasi more than one week na akong nagbabantay at nagsu-supervise ng repairs sa bahay, I must say, enjoy din ako because it's so nice to see the output. 

So nowadays, mistulang foreman po ang peg ko. More than one week na po ako nagbabantay ng mga workers na nagbakbak ng ceiling, nagre-repaint ng walls, at nadagdag pa ang mga nag-renovate so we can come up with a baby room.

I had cabinets installed for more storage in the baby
room just in case. Here, I was putting back the
handles after I had the cabinets repainted.

Kaya't mga Nan-sis, Pagoda Philippines (pagod) na naman ang Nan-sis ninyo. In fact as I write this, I am suffering from body ache that zeroes in on the stomach. (Ganito po ako kapag nakakaranas ng too much stress and anxiety.) Pero, iniisip ko na lang, tiis-ganda. Para sa ikagaganda ng G Skwad crib at para sa pagdating ng first apo ko. 

10. Make sure you can create a lovely home out of the house.

Ito, mga Nan-sis, ang top priority. The moment I saw this house, ang sabi ko nga eh nain-love ako agad! Love at first sight! I guess totoo 'yung papakiramdaman mo ang vibes at aura.

When I first entered this house, maaliwalas s'ya. Maliwanag. Presko. Na-imagine ko kaagad paano ko aayusin. Na-imagine ko actually being here with the G Skwad. I wanted to finally settle down in our own house.

Ito ang bumungad sa akin when I
 viewed the house kaya't di ko mapakawalan.

And now that we live here, masaya kaming lima na magkakasama. Dito sa bahay na ito kami ulit naging "kumpleto." Parang first time ulit after 3 years. Dati kaming dalawa lang ni Clarice, kakalog-kalog! (dahil nga nasa condo si Rocky and Nadja, while Nix was abroad)

If there is one thing good that was brought about by the pandemic, ito 'yun.

Now, we are able to enjoy this home and happy ako because we are complete! It is here where we have began enjoying each other's quirks and idiosyncrasies. It is here where we were able to dream again together. It is here kung saan ko madalas nakakausap ang mga anak ko about their dreams and goals. At ako naman, s'yempre supportive lagi hangga't makakaya ko, just like most parents. 

This home means so much to us because it's like a symbol of our new beginning na kami-kami na lang, wala ang dad nila but kahit papaano, we feel complete. We learned that a family does not mean having 2 parents, a dad and a mom and then having children. You may be just a couple with no kids, a singleD mom or dad, or simply unattached, but have your friends as your family.

The G Skwad is finally home. 

So ang importante, mga Nan-sis, magkakasama kami ng G Skwad. Binaha man kami for the first time nung Ulysses, ever since we live here naman ay bumabaha ng pagmamahal ang bahay na ito (naks!) which is one of our many blessings. 

Kaya't despite and inspite, thankful pa rin. So on that note, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Until then! Catch you later!

Nancy Mommy

P.S. As I publish this, Nastassia (my second daughter, who is pregnant) is already in labor and checked in at the hospital. So mga Nan-sis, next entry, I will share with you about my pretty apo Amara Catrice! Meantime, Lolabelle is busy cleaning the whole G Skwad household.

She made me a mommy... and soon a
Lolabelle!