penance

luckily, my mom has never made a big deal out of holy week. must've been cause her birthday hosts good friday most of the time. nonetheless, for my mom, holy week vacation meant doing penance by cleaning up the house.

now, for those who have been to my room, this is major penance indeed. when i was a kid, it was easy. she shipped us off to cabanatuan the first weekend after school ended and then she attacked our rooms with gusto. your favorite toys and clothes simply disappeared, mattresses are aired, and you come back to a room that's ready for the tornado that is you.

things got more tough when i was in college. i didn't have time to go home to the province anymore so i had to help my mom clean up my room. it didn't help too that summers meant lots of boxes from the dorm. by her orders, by the time easter sunday rolled around, the house MUST be in order, my room especially.

now that my mom's in the states, i'm in panic mode. my stuff is not only all over the room, but the living room as well. it has been there since i checked out of the dorm april 6 and given the grades plus the thesis, it will be a miracle that i actually get to fix the boxes and clean the place.

but then again, this is what penance is all about, right? it might mean less time on-line chatting with people, or less bonding time with my bed. still, this is something i'm not only doing for the spirit of sacrfice, but also a little something to bring my mom home to me for the long break.