October 28

Written by chickaywrites

So, Halloween’s knocking again and I should be preparing my kids’ costumes for the activities lined up – but we’re not attending any this year. Our son simply outgrew it. While there is no issue with our ever-sociable 3-year old, I have to say I just feel lazy to think about a unique costume for any of them. The RTWs in the malls are tempting, BUT those wouldn’t cut it – my munchkins shouldn’t be anything like the other kids. It’s a mommy-G-must.

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In a previous post, I marked the annual appearance of The EPH Lady. Yep, I think she’s around again (saw her floating on my screen a few days ago). She’s her usual Rapunzel self minus the fairy tale aura, displaying a hunched posture, and maybe randomly popping when you refresh a page or simply load the EPH homepage (I am not sure if there is a horrific sound that accompanies her because my computer is forever in mute mode.) She’s an EPH icon.

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I absolutely appreciate the mute button option but it does not work on the noise my kids make whenever they wage war against each other. The eardrum-breaking shriek and wails of our youngest versus the nonstop blabber and taunts c/o the older boy are enough to cause a splitting headache. Sometimes, all you can do is totally shut the scene in your mind and just wander (hoping against hope that they will stop before any one of them gets hurt).

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Household helpers also contribute to everyday horror. I remember this one helper we hired. She’s one loud person. She couldn’t express herself without hitting the high pitches and volume. When I call on her, she would scream her confirmation. She also would often shout our names that neighbors would always know if we were around or we’ve arrived. One thing I would always remember about this woman is that night when I went down from our room upstairs to go to the restroom. She was then newly hired so I really wasn’t used to her oddities yet. It was around 5AM (weekend, so no classes). It was dark and just when I was about to complete the flight of stairs, she popped from nowhere with her really, really huge, kinky-curly hair down and a big grin displaying lack of front teeth. I screamed and nearly fell. I scolded her – for the life of her, she didn’t know what she did wrong. After almost a year, she ran away with her textmate, leaving her hubby and 5 kids in the province clueless.

My current helper is very efficient. She reads the Bible during her break. She is not the outdoor type so she rarely goes out during Sundays. She can follow instructions to the dot. She is not the smiling or cheery type, but I have learned to adapt. She is not in a relationship with her cellphone too, so that is a big plus. She’s almost perfect. Yes. Almost. After only six months, she threatens to leave if we won’t give her a Christmas bonus. (Kill me now, please).

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The Meralco bill is a regular dose of horror for us. We often would take a deep breath first before we open the document. No matter how much we try to preserve the status quo (which we have learned to accept only after several months of paying twice our regular consumption), it seems as if the amount wouldn’t budge and go back to what it used to be. We never added an appliance and we have the same lifestyle – but the bill soared like h*ll.

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There’s more where these came from but I will throw the ball to you now. I am sure you have your own list. Share with us some horror stories that are not necessarily Halloween-related. Just type away below.