critical mass

my home - i've begun trying to see it not as my mom's or my dad's or even something i used to share with my brother - has reached critical mass, again.

i cleaned it right before i switched jobs. i took down the old curtains and put up new ones, i threw away the dusty and old flower arrangements, junk, and what not and replaced them with lovely giant candles, pictures of important persons in my life, and my own junk. i waxed, pledged, vacuumed, and scrubbed. heck, i even polished the dining room table to perfection and put in two live (yes, they're alive!) plants in the middle. for short, i created a home i can invite someone to.

now, somewhere between looking for the perfect suit for back to back to back hearings and random overnights (to qc, with tita celia, with lingkod) and work (real work!), i sort of forgot that keeping house meant actually doing the cleaning on a regular basis.

and so, my dining room table now houses my laptop and a couple of labor books. another labor book found its way to my dining room table. my prized bag sits atop one living room chair while the couch houses several bags (bags which i choose from on a daily basis). shoes that are in regular circulation has failed to make it back into the shoe area (yes, i actually have an entire area devoted to shoes) and have found space at the corner near the door.

and let's not get started on the plants - i once took them out so that i could sun them. they nearly died cause i forgot to water them, but i was able to revive them a couple of times. now, they're barely alive again. i am counting on their resilience to make it through the next couple of days.

a friend shared with me how, for the longest time, she was a slave to the junk and mess at her own home. one day, she took charge and cleaned everything up, re-upholstered the furnitured, and created a beautiful living space for her own family. her sister said, ayan, pwede ka na ligawan. she didn't make much of it then.

let's just say she's getting married march.

i know i should clean my home soon. this weekend even, maybe. but i refuse to clean it simply on account that i wish to be courted by someone. i want to clean it because cleaning, in my opinion, is the next adult thing that i have to deal with. i've learned to balance a checkbook, manage my finances, spend within my means, and drive a car. i know where groceries are cheap and where they are expensive. while i still refuse to cook for myself (i believe it is more expensive than simply dining out), i have discovered places where i can eat cheaply on a regular basis. i know how to do my own laundry and ironing. it's high time that i face the last thing on my homemaker's list: cleaning.

p.s. i do admit i am horrible, very very horrible, at cleaning. volunteers willing to help will be very much welcome. eeeermsss?