My dad’s here and I decide to go with him to Fairview (dubbed as “farview” by some people because it’s so far from Makati) to visit my stepcousin Airic.
Stepcousin. Now there’s a term you don’t hear everyday.
Airic is actually the son of my dad’s sister. So that makes him my aunt’s stepson, and my…stepcousin! I don’t know what else to call him.
The last time I was in Fairview was more than 10 years ago when our family came to Manila for a vacation. Made me realize how much of Metro Manila I have not yet seen. I don’t know, but I usually limit myself to Makati, where both my home and office are located. The other cities just feel alien to me.
The first time I saw Makati was in 2003, while I was still reviewing for the board exam. My cousin Arvin fetched me from my dorm in Manila and drove us to Greenbelt, where we would have dinner with his then girlfriend (and now wife) Mayet and our cousin Arnel.
When we passed Ayala, my jaw dropped as I stared at the magnificent buildings. I fell in love with the place at first sight and promised myself, “I will work here someday!” It was all I could say when I got back to our dorm.
Perhaps it’s ridiculous that I’d want to work somewhere just because of the buildings, but what could you expect from a probinsyana who came from a city whose tallest building is 7 stories high?
A year later, I kept my promise. I was back in Makati with two of my friends (who are now my roommates) and for the first time, saw its not-so-magnificent side. Somehow I had always imagined Makati to be all buildings and landscape and order, and this seemed out of the picture.
I admit, our neighborhood is quite crowded and a bit dumpy-looking, but I can definitely say, now that I’ve lived there for more than two years, that apart from the floods, it is an ideal location…so close to everything…work, mall, market. And very safe, too. Everyone who has stayed there has said so, including my dad, who has also fallen in love with Makati.
Though the buildings have lost their allure and I have become immune to the greenness and cleanliness of the streets, I still remain subconsciously drawn to Makati, perhaps the reason why I keep within its boundaries most of the time.
And I am so happy that I somehow always find myself keeping promises I make to myself inside my heart.