Universal truth bomb: money is the root of evil (said every hypocrite). Bear in mind that lack of money did not turn you into an angel either. So your Marses pay homage to the hustle--- the I would-do-everything-including-sleep-in-a-10m2-room-for-that-pied à terre-but-I-won't-do-THAT ethos. On the other side of the coin, it's not easy to imagine what we'd do with a million EUROs. It's not easy to imagine a million EUR, period. But as one of the Marses grew up being the suplada in the family, she's confident of pulling off the snobby part of being rich. Because we have every intention to be financially independent women, and once we're there, everyone is no one to us. Kidding.
Way before Covid hit, we've already outgrown shared bathrooms and toilets. Goodbye, backpackers' dorms. Those were for your twenties. The spoiled Marses now prefer the privacy of their own tabo and timba. And way before Covid, we were foolhardy with our lungs. In this episode, Gudang Garam makes its comeback in our conversations--as a thing of mention, not as the ambient smoke of the conversation. We were social smokers once (everyone plays down their tabagisme); it pretty much went that alcohol joined in the socialization, too. It's still a wonder we could recall the nights we were dead or swirling drunk. But hey, this is the vacation episode. One of us can't have gone to Cuba and Manila malls without knowing what hedonism really is...
“Pivot” sounds like an easy dance step, but it has thrown your Marses into business negotiations, endless questions about job relevance, and creative professions. Anyone can take a photo, anyone can paint. But Pinoys will always have the special talent for begging for a visa. No time to say a prayer for your dwindling finances because being down and out is not an option! What do you do when doors are closing? Survive! Like everyone else who knows the foolishness of youth, your Marses have had to haul themselves past tight situations. They talk about clawing your way out of the spiral of unknowns in a foreign land. Riding the waves of joblessness. And finally, with a painful crack of your knuckles, of learning to scrape inspiration and motivation from nothing. “Pivot” sounds like an easy dance step, but it has thrown your Marses into business negotiations, endless questions about job relevance, and creative professions. Anyone can take a photo, anyone can paint. But Pinoys will always have the special talent for begging for a visa.
Remember that walk of shame the morning after hitting it off with a nice guy the previous evening? Well that’s not happening anymore. Partly because a thirtysomething woman should be shameless by now, but in large part because—hello, new normal! Your lockdown Marses remember what social life used to look like. From partying with expats, getting drunk like there will be no pandemic ever, smoking, and puking on the walls of your new boyfriend’s apartment. Life WAS good. Apart from realizing that the rest of their lives would mellow into bicycle rides and health and wellness apps, your Gen Y marses put the benders to rest with talk of crèches (daycares) and work habits. Lastly, they’re not falling for the “one for the road” date trick.
Doesn't matter what your passport says, as Marse and Marse find out. It's how you feel about the culture you want to adopt and whether or not the culture wants you. Marse Ciel goes in for her French citizenship interview.
Meet two Pinay thirtysomethings. They call each other “Marse” (Pote, soeur, sister, pal in Filipino). One is in Paris, the other in Manila. They talk about their lives during the pandemic. Then they talk about their lives BEFORE the pandemic. Some lessons on survival come up the surface in the hour and a half back and forth between two old friends. Here’s their rambling about street smarts. StreetsMARSE.