Chugi na si Simang. Sino si Simang? Si Helper 14. Kasi laging nakasimangot.
Pero bago ang lahat, I'll relate muna one thing I noticed sa aking dalawang helpers, si Helper 12 and Helper 14 (si Simang). Whenever TheHusband's home, they would become suddenly enthusiastic about cleaning. As in.
Si Helper 12? Ay naku, kulang na lang ay maglambitin sa sapot ng gagamba kakalinis.
Mapunta naman tayo kay Simang. Nung Wednesday, may sakit ako, so TheHusband was the one who picked up Sharkteeth. He brought her home, ate dinner, and went back to work. Eto naman si Simang, after breakfast (the busiest period in House KoKo), wala nang ginawa kundi manood ng TV and lounge around. Aba, pagdating ni TheHusband and S, biglang kuha ng mop at biglang naglinis ng floor.
I was teasing TheHusband that he should file a leave muna sa office for a couple of days, and surely, our house would be spic and span by the end of his leave.
Sooooo, let's go to the primetime show.
Pagdating pa lang ni Simang sa bahay, I was immediately taken aback. Not only was she unsmiling, she was scowling. Bigla tuloy akong napaisip, have I encountered her before, i.e., na-okray ko na ba sya? Nireplay ko in my mind ang mga taong inokray ko dito:
Guard sa BPI na bastos sumagot? No, lalaki yun.
Nanay sa school na sumisingit sa pila? No, mas matanda yun.
Babae sa hospital na sumisingit sa pila? No, mas matanda rin yun.
Babae sa McDo na sumisingit sa pila? No, mas matangkad yun.
Crew sa McDo na hinayaan ang isang customer na hawakan yung fries para i-check kung mainit pa then returned the pack along with the rest of the unsold ones? No, mas mataba yun.
Tatamad-tamad na tindera sa Lee Plaza? No, maitim yun.
Meron pa ba? Parang wala naman na. So more or less, na-eliminate ko na sya from those I have okray-ed. So bakit parang galit eto?
After we showed her to her room, I asked TheHusband bakit ganun yun. Eh alam naman ng lahat...between the two of us, TheHusband is more understanding, and he said na baka hindi people person. Hahahaha! Understatement of the day.
Nung unang gabi nya sa bahay, I heard something break and I asked S to check it out. Nabasag daw ang cover ng cookie jar. So bumaba ako, hoping she'd tell me about it. When I checked it out, may cover naman ang cookie jar. Yun pala, maabilidad sya: pinagdikit nya ang cover ng cookie jar para mukhang ayos, pero in truth, broken pa rin. Hahahaha! Panalo. Deadma lang si Simang. Nary a word.
The busy hours in House Koko are from 5 am to 7 am. Breakfast time kasi for S. After that, kanya-kanya na kaming work. Or so I thought. Si Simang, hayun, nakaupo lang. Nanonood ng TV. Like I said, I was sick, and I couldn't give her some training, but I was hoping she'd even try to tidy the place up a bit. But no. As on now, dusty shelves are still dusty; dirty clothes are still dirty; wrinkly clothes are still wrinkly. But she mopped the floors (see above). Hehehehe. When she couldn't understand my instructions, she just flatly gave up and returned to watching TV. What a piece of work.
Eto ang clincher:
Me: Simang, punta ka ng grocery. Alam mo yung Hypermart?
Simang: Oo.
Me: Bili ka ng duha na [two] bangus and 10 na chicken drumsticks. [I gave her a list, just to be sure.]
Simang: Oo.
Pagbalik ni Simang, may dalang dalawang bangus. PRITONG BANGUS.
Me: Bakit ito binili mo?
Simang: ...
Me: Isoli mo ito at bili ka neto [giving her the list again].
Simang: Di na lang [no].
So naisip ko baka nahihiya na isoli yung pritong bangus.
Me: O, sige, dinner na lang natin eto, pero bumalik ka sa grocery at bilhin mo etong nasa list.
Simang: Di na lang.
Me: Kailangan ko yun.
Simang: Di na lang.
Naisip ko baka hindi alam kung nasaan ang bangus at chicken sa grocery, minonstra ko kung nasan.
Simang: Di na lang. Di na lang.
Sabi nga ni Tsokoholik, "blur-blur."
Para saan pang may helper ako if she wouldn't help. It was so frustrating.
Ang sama na nga ng pakiramdam ko, ang sama pa nyang tumingin. It was like having one of those scary paintings whose eyes follow you around with their sharp gaze. Creepy. Kaka-stress.
Si Helper
13, nakakainis lang kasi utang ng utang at absent ng absent, pero naman,
pag busy ako sa work, pinagpe-prepare ako nun ng lunch at dinadala sa work area ko. Si Simang, wala.
Long story short: She was let go na yesterday. And House KoKo is bright and shiny again. Still messy, but the pall of gloom is gone. Para akong nabunutan ng tinik. Hay.
Showing posts with label Yaya Saga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yaya Saga. Show all posts
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Here We Go Again
May helper ulit kami. I'm not sure kung tatagal sya. Or tatagal kami, i.e., ako. After all, we'll be together the whole day. Am having reservations kasi parang napipilitan lang. And given my family's track record pagdating sa helpers, good luck naman. Let me give you an overview of [almost] all the helpers we've had.
Helper 1: Di marunong magluto. Kaya kong pagtyagaan yun kasi may vetsin dila ko. Sablay ang fashion sense. Minsan dinala si Sharkteeth sa office: floral skirt, striped blouse, polka-dotted sock. Galit sa prints. Hehehe. Still, kebs lang. Madaling i-correct. Nahihilo at nasusuka sa kotse. Di na lang namin masyadong isinasama sa mga byahe. Eventually, pinauwi ng asawa kasi wala daw nag-aalaga sa sariling anak. Ironic, right?
Helper 2: Devil incarnate. Nabuntis ng village electrician. At dun pa pala nya pinapakain sa bahay ang electrician pag wala kami. Kaya pala ang bilis maubos ng groceries namin. No, di ko sya pinaalis. Naawa ako eh. Tapos nung umalis, binigyan ko pa ng mga baby stuff and additional money to tide her over. After umalis, nalaman ko na kinukulong sa cabinet si S. I hate her. I rarely hate anything or anyone. Intensely dislike, yes; hate, rarely. Pero I HATE HER. S remembers her and her bad deeds.
Helper 3: This one's okay. She only took the job because she was planning to study and was just trying to save some money. She sucked at house chores but was utterly nice to S. I can live with that. She's bright as well, and when the scholarship she was waiting for materialized, she left. S cried a river.
Helper 4: Favorite ko eto. Cooks well, masinop sa bahay, mabait kay S. may inner serenity. Chos. Hahaha! You know what I mean. Walang mga issues, confident yet not bossy. She was planning to go to Hong Kong. I don't mind. But she left after a month. Her mom, who was taking care of her two kids (again, the sad irony), cannot cope and asked her to come home. We were sad when she left.
Helper 5: Weekly ang off. Okay lang. I actually encourage helpers to take a weekly off. Pero eto, winner. Aalis yan ng Friday night. Nung una, babalik sya ng late afternoon ng Sunday. Then Sunday evening. Then late Sunday evening. Then Monday morning na. Then Monday afternoon na. Then Tuesday na ng umaga. Wala man lang pasabi. Kung maka-text sa iba, parang naka-unli, pero para magsabi na di sya makakabalik agad, waley. Napikon na ako, sabi ko huwag na syang bumalik. Iniwan ko na lang sa guard ang damit nya.
Helper 6: Was recommended by a Girltalker. Lagi kong naririnig na sinisigawan si S. Kahit nasa bahay ako, ha? Paano na lang pag wala ako sa bahay. Wala pang isang linggo, pinaalis ko na.
Helper 7: We called her Lobelia Baggins. Malikot ang kamay. Ang hilig mag-uwi ng gamit. Maliliit na bagay lang naman...sa simula. Nalaman na lang namin later that she had a young lover, a village carpenter, whom she gifted with TheHusband's tools. Goodness gracious. I was so angry minsan kasi I went home early, tapos pagdating ko, shortly, hinatid na ng school bus si S, and the helper wasn't there. Chugi right then and there. Theft is one thing; neglecting S is a totally different ballgame.
Helper 8: I liked this one. Again, she has inner serenity. Pretty and charming. Matalino pa. Kaya lang sakitin. Eventually, nag-resign and umuwi muna sa province. Nagpagaling muna sya dun. She brought Helper 9 bilang pangpalit sa kanya.
Helper 9: Pwede nang pagtyagaan. Not too bright, pero naman, asa pa ba ako. Like I said, kayang pagtyagaan. Kaso minsang gabi, pag-uwi ko, makita ko may lalaki sa likod ng bahay namin. He was trying to get in. Apparently, nanliligaw sa kanya or boyfriend nya. He was drunk and making a scene. I had to call village security. Ang unang story is ex-boyfriend nya stalking her. Later I learned that she was pregnant (by another guy) and she was roping this guy into marrying her. I cannot feel safe with her (and her boy and baby issues) around.
Helper 10: Ayoko sa kanya. Sobrang tigas ng ulo. I specifically told her not to use the landline to call mobile phones or long distance, nalaman ko na lang >8K na ang bill namin sa PLDT. Eto pa, on the same night na nalaman ko na ang laki ng phone bill namin dahil sa kanya, earlier that day, she was accosted by the village guards kasi she tried to go out, bringing with her a huge plastic bag of clothes. When the guards checked with my MIL, who was visiting that time, yung mga lumang clothes na ipapamigay ko yung dala-dala nya. I don't mind na sa kanya mapunta yun, but I would have preferred that she asked. After ko syang sermunan tungkol dun, nakita ko ang PLDT bill namin. Ay naghalo ang balat sa tinalupan. Galit na galit ako. Imagine naman, >8K ang bill. Pano ka namang di magagalit. To think, sinabihan ko sya na huwag gamitin. And I even bought her a cell phone para personal use nya. Ay naku, drama-rama. Nagsisisigaw ako. Pinalayas ko. Binawi ko syempre yung cell phone. Dun ko nalaman na kung sino-sinong lalaki ang ka-text and mini-meet pag day off. May asawa etong iniwan sa Bacolod, ha?!
Helper 11: Naku, ayoko sa helper na eto. Sobrang daldal. [Hehehe, pot-calling-the-kettle-black moment]. Pero sobra talaga. I was working freelance na nun and I was always at home, in the room. Basta lumabas ako ng room, she would accost me and make daldal. I had to politely chat. Mga love life travails nya. Mga boylets nya. Mga exes nya. Etc. Saka di yata marunong mag-toothbrush. Super yellow at nangangapal ang food remnants sa teeth. Kadirs. Nakataas pa ang binti sa chair pag kumakain. Eh sabay-sabay kaming kumain. Naaalibadbaran ako. She stole my MAC eyeliner pa. Hehehe, bitter pa ako till now. Pati yung cardigan and skirt na gift kay S nung birthday nya, ninakaw. Bwiset. Coincidentally, gumaling na si Helper 8 and wanted to work again sa amin. Hayun, na-chugi ko na finally si Helper 11.
So balik tayo kay Helper 8, who at that time got married na. Kaso a couple of months later bumalik yung health problem nya and had to stop working again. Oh well.
When we got here, we had part-time helpers who would clean the house and wash twice a week.
Helper 12: Pwede na. Di masipag. Di rin gaano kalinis sa bahay. Pero pinagtyagaan na lang namin. Her daughter got pregnant and she had to take care of her grandchild. No love lost. Hehehe.
Helper 13: On her supposed to be starting day, pumunta, a-absent daw sya that day and the next day kasi may aasikasuhin next town. Okay. On her actual starting day, umutang ng pera. Okay. Kaso on the second day, umuutang na naman. At ang laki nung inuutang na amount. Then absent na naman. Every week na lang, absent. Every week na lang, umuutang. Ang hilig pang manghingi ng mga damit. Eventually, di na bumalik. May utang pang naiwan. Again, no love lost.
Which brings us to our present helper. Ayan na, while writing this entry, may nabasag na sya. Here we go again.
Sharkteethhhhh, pakikuha nga ng paracetamol!!!
Helper 1: Di marunong magluto. Kaya kong pagtyagaan yun kasi may vetsin dila ko. Sablay ang fashion sense. Minsan dinala si Sharkteeth sa office: floral skirt, striped blouse, polka-dotted sock. Galit sa prints. Hehehe. Still, kebs lang. Madaling i-correct. Nahihilo at nasusuka sa kotse. Di na lang namin masyadong isinasama sa mga byahe. Eventually, pinauwi ng asawa kasi wala daw nag-aalaga sa sariling anak. Ironic, right?
Helper 2: Devil incarnate. Nabuntis ng village electrician. At dun pa pala nya pinapakain sa bahay ang electrician pag wala kami. Kaya pala ang bilis maubos ng groceries namin. No, di ko sya pinaalis. Naawa ako eh. Tapos nung umalis, binigyan ko pa ng mga baby stuff and additional money to tide her over. After umalis, nalaman ko na kinukulong sa cabinet si S. I hate her. I rarely hate anything or anyone. Intensely dislike, yes; hate, rarely. Pero I HATE HER. S remembers her and her bad deeds.
Helper 3: This one's okay. She only took the job because she was planning to study and was just trying to save some money. She sucked at house chores but was utterly nice to S. I can live with that. She's bright as well, and when the scholarship she was waiting for materialized, she left. S cried a river.
Helper 4: Favorite ko eto. Cooks well, masinop sa bahay, mabait kay S. may inner serenity. Chos. Hahaha! You know what I mean. Walang mga issues, confident yet not bossy. She was planning to go to Hong Kong. I don't mind. But she left after a month. Her mom, who was taking care of her two kids (again, the sad irony), cannot cope and asked her to come home. We were sad when she left.
Helper 5: Weekly ang off. Okay lang. I actually encourage helpers to take a weekly off. Pero eto, winner. Aalis yan ng Friday night. Nung una, babalik sya ng late afternoon ng Sunday. Then Sunday evening. Then late Sunday evening. Then Monday morning na. Then Monday afternoon na. Then Tuesday na ng umaga. Wala man lang pasabi. Kung maka-text sa iba, parang naka-unli, pero para magsabi na di sya makakabalik agad, waley. Napikon na ako, sabi ko huwag na syang bumalik. Iniwan ko na lang sa guard ang damit nya.
Helper 6: Was recommended by a Girltalker. Lagi kong naririnig na sinisigawan si S. Kahit nasa bahay ako, ha? Paano na lang pag wala ako sa bahay. Wala pang isang linggo, pinaalis ko na.
Helper 7: We called her Lobelia Baggins. Malikot ang kamay. Ang hilig mag-uwi ng gamit. Maliliit na bagay lang naman...sa simula. Nalaman na lang namin later that she had a young lover, a village carpenter, whom she gifted with TheHusband's tools. Goodness gracious. I was so angry minsan kasi I went home early, tapos pagdating ko, shortly, hinatid na ng school bus si S, and the helper wasn't there. Chugi right then and there. Theft is one thing; neglecting S is a totally different ballgame.
Helper 8: I liked this one. Again, she has inner serenity. Pretty and charming. Matalino pa. Kaya lang sakitin. Eventually, nag-resign and umuwi muna sa province. Nagpagaling muna sya dun. She brought Helper 9 bilang pangpalit sa kanya.
Helper 9: Pwede nang pagtyagaan. Not too bright, pero naman, asa pa ba ako. Like I said, kayang pagtyagaan. Kaso minsang gabi, pag-uwi ko, makita ko may lalaki sa likod ng bahay namin. He was trying to get in. Apparently, nanliligaw sa kanya or boyfriend nya. He was drunk and making a scene. I had to call village security. Ang unang story is ex-boyfriend nya stalking her. Later I learned that she was pregnant (by another guy) and she was roping this guy into marrying her. I cannot feel safe with her (and her boy and baby issues) around.
Helper 10: Ayoko sa kanya. Sobrang tigas ng ulo. I specifically told her not to use the landline to call mobile phones or long distance, nalaman ko na lang >8K na ang bill namin sa PLDT. Eto pa, on the same night na nalaman ko na ang laki ng phone bill namin dahil sa kanya, earlier that day, she was accosted by the village guards kasi she tried to go out, bringing with her a huge plastic bag of clothes. When the guards checked with my MIL, who was visiting that time, yung mga lumang clothes na ipapamigay ko yung dala-dala nya. I don't mind na sa kanya mapunta yun, but I would have preferred that she asked. After ko syang sermunan tungkol dun, nakita ko ang PLDT bill namin. Ay naghalo ang balat sa tinalupan. Galit na galit ako. Imagine naman, >8K ang bill. Pano ka namang di magagalit. To think, sinabihan ko sya na huwag gamitin. And I even bought her a cell phone para personal use nya. Ay naku, drama-rama. Nagsisisigaw ako. Pinalayas ko. Binawi ko syempre yung cell phone. Dun ko nalaman na kung sino-sinong lalaki ang ka-text and mini-meet pag day off. May asawa etong iniwan sa Bacolod, ha?!
Helper 11: Naku, ayoko sa helper na eto. Sobrang daldal. [Hehehe, pot-calling-the-kettle-black moment]. Pero sobra talaga. I was working freelance na nun and I was always at home, in the room. Basta lumabas ako ng room, she would accost me and make daldal. I had to politely chat. Mga love life travails nya. Mga boylets nya. Mga exes nya. Etc. Saka di yata marunong mag-toothbrush. Super yellow at nangangapal ang food remnants sa teeth. Kadirs. Nakataas pa ang binti sa chair pag kumakain. Eh sabay-sabay kaming kumain. Naaalibadbaran ako. She stole my MAC eyeliner pa. Hehehe, bitter pa ako till now. Pati yung cardigan and skirt na gift kay S nung birthday nya, ninakaw. Bwiset. Coincidentally, gumaling na si Helper 8 and wanted to work again sa amin. Hayun, na-chugi ko na finally si Helper 11.
So balik tayo kay Helper 8, who at that time got married na. Kaso a couple of months later bumalik yung health problem nya and had to stop working again. Oh well.
When we got here, we had part-time helpers who would clean the house and wash twice a week.
Helper 12: Pwede na. Di masipag. Di rin gaano kalinis sa bahay. Pero pinagtyagaan na lang namin. Her daughter got pregnant and she had to take care of her grandchild. No love lost. Hehehe.
Helper 13: On her supposed to be starting day, pumunta, a-absent daw sya that day and the next day kasi may aasikasuhin next town. Okay. On her actual starting day, umutang ng pera. Okay. Kaso on the second day, umuutang na naman. At ang laki nung inuutang na amount. Then absent na naman. Every week na lang, absent. Every week na lang, umuutang. Ang hilig pang manghingi ng mga damit. Eventually, di na bumalik. May utang pang naiwan. Again, no love lost.
Which brings us to our present helper. Ayan na, while writing this entry, may nabasag na sya. Here we go again.
Sharkteethhhhh, pakikuha nga ng paracetamol!!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Yaya Saga For The N-th Time
I have a love/hate relationship with yayas (nanny)/househelps. I appreciate that they help in the chores I dislike doing and that they take care of my daughter when we're not home, but they are one of the most incredibly incosiderate and unreliable persons I know. Take my yaya, for example. She told me last Friday that she has to leave because she needs to take care of her sister who's due to give birth any time now. I mean, she was with us since October, and her sis was pregnant by then, why did she have to wait till her sis is almost ready to burst before telling us? I hate it that we have to depend on these unreliable people. And you know what I most f*cking HATE about this? It messes up my daughter. The yaya told us that she's coming back, but something tells me she's lying, but Sharkteeth is expecting, not hoping, expecting! It's bad enough to lie, but to lie to a little girl?! And when I told Sharkteeth last night that there's a chance that she might not come back, she cried and was inconsolable. She's trying to be brave about it, but this morning, she was still a bit down. She falls in love with her yayas, if they're nice to her, that is, and she gets heartbroken when they leave, and these wretched (OA ba?) persons do not seem understand that. And this is where supermom/thepseudoshrink steps in. Haaaay...
Monday, July 28, 2008
Another Yaya Saga
I'm beginning to think my house is standing atop a ginornous block of rose quartz. Remember when my nanny got pregnant by the village electrician? Then I had this other nanny, a 43-year-old widow who got a 30+-year-old boyfriend? And now, here's another yaya saga.
I'm a bit near-sighted and I don't see well in the dark, and I was aghast when I opened our backdoor and I saw a man sitting outside our house, very near the door, in the darkness. I asked him why he was there and he told me that he wanted to talk with my nanny. I immediately closed the door behind me and questioned the yaya. She replied that the guy is the uncle of a cousin. I sensed something fishy and continued to ask, badger, ask, badger, and this went on for a while till she admitted that he used to be her boyfriend back when she was 14. Mind you that this guy came all the way from Negros and worked as a carpenter here in the village so he could continue the relationship that ended 5 years ago. Psycho-stalker alert! But the thing is, our nanny is having none of that. And the guy apparently couldn't take no for an answer. What galled and ticked me off bigtime was that he tried to enter the house forcibly! And my daughter was there! And he even had the temerity to come back skulking in the dark after I asked him to leave! Armed with MACE™, I marched outside (stupid move, I know) and shouted. I even had to call the village security. He's gone for now, but this is really unnerving for me. TheHusband is working nights, and we have yet to buy a gun, and I'm really worried for the safety of the nanny and my daughter. Oh, I can sense a terrible migraine coming.
If only the darned rose quartz is an oil well instead.
I'm a bit near-sighted and I don't see well in the dark, and I was aghast when I opened our backdoor and I saw a man sitting outside our house, very near the door, in the darkness. I asked him why he was there and he told me that he wanted to talk with my nanny. I immediately closed the door behind me and questioned the yaya. She replied that the guy is the uncle of a cousin. I sensed something fishy and continued to ask, badger, ask, badger, and this went on for a while till she admitted that he used to be her boyfriend back when she was 14. Mind you that this guy came all the way from Negros and worked as a carpenter here in the village so he could continue the relationship that ended 5 years ago. Psycho-stalker alert! But the thing is, our nanny is having none of that. And the guy apparently couldn't take no for an answer. What galled and ticked me off bigtime was that he tried to enter the house forcibly! And my daughter was there! And he even had the temerity to come back skulking in the dark after I asked him to leave! Armed with MACE™, I marched outside (stupid move, I know) and shouted. I even had to call the village security. He's gone for now, but this is really unnerving for me. TheHusband is working nights, and we have yet to buy a gun, and I'm really worried for the safety of the nanny and my daughter. Oh, I can sense a terrible migraine coming.
If only the darned rose quartz is an oil well instead.
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