my niche in the red light district
My apartment is situated at the heart of the city. To be specific, it is near the red light district cause that’s where the Cebuanos’ heart is. Ü At past midnight, it is normal to see the streets filled with cars from the number of strip clubs that are lined up near the highway and the numerous pimps and call girls stationed at their designated posts.
Since my work is at 1am, and I am referring to my normal job in PS, I leave the house at 12am and hail a cab outside.
In a span of 10-30 minutes waiting, a lot can happen. Everyday.
A car usually stops by, a window is rolled down and a face that is hardly discernible goes, “Hi, babe.” I smirk, walk a few steps and turn away.
Or a car was persistent and followed me where I went. I shook my head and politely said, “No,” while muttering “Go away,” under my breath.
Or a black Crosswind turned around in circles and the driver shouted ‘psst’ until I gave him the finger and he stopped and asked, “Where can I take you?” between ragged breaths. Even if I’m running late, there is no way I’d be tempted to go. If he has the face of Steven Strait , I’d happily hop on without questions. Haha.
Or a car full of men drove by and waved and I waved back, and to my horror they stopped the car, turned around and asked me to hop on. I was late already at that time and doing 8 men in 30 minutes will make me later so no, I shook my head again.
Or worst, a woman drove by and… I shook my head again.
One time I was sick of the hoots and the pssts and the catcalls that I wore a tight polo, collar and buttons all closed, a black pair of jersey slacks and a pair of eyeglasses that even my grandmother would love to steal it from me.
They would still stop! Amazing. They don’t have respect for a lola-looking woman standing in the street.
The funniest is when while waiting, a gay guy in a tank top and itty bitty shorts was powdering its (he was a freak show) nose when I happened to arrive and started my wait. He gave me a once-over, snapped the compact shut and sneered. Freaked out, I started to move away and stood on a lamp post when it hurriedly went to me and imposed its stance by jutting a hip and putting a hand to it. I stifled my laughter or else I’d get a good bashing so I walked a few blocks back and ran to an empty cab.
I’d probably make a better living just by standing for ten minutes, don’t you think. Imagine all the moolah I’d get if I’d hopped on to those cars. I would just give the money to the street kids that I also see lying on the road with only strips of carton as bedspread and newspapers as blankets. Its so sad they way they are sprawled on the street as if they are sleeping in a first class hotel on a king size bed with a 450 thread count bedsheet. Tsk tsk. They’d benefit more from my easy money.
Tomorrow, I’d be standing on that same post again, bracing myself for the cars, and the gay guys and the skimpily-clad girls and the street kids. Back to work again.
“Its fifty bucks for half an hour, and of course, 50 percent of that goes to the disaster relief fund.”
-Cartoonstock.com
UPDATE:
This blog post has been featured and published at SUNSTAR. Read about it here.
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November 23rd, 2006 at 8:38 am
Tin!
LOL! 
I never knew cebu cold be that bad… or maybe I’m just naive… heheheheh… god! i’ve read some of your posts and well I must say they are witty, funny, and thought provoking… hmmm a near guidline to writing about daily things… 
-CarL
November 23rd, 2006 at 8:47 am
carlito! hahaha!
musta woi? hi to the babes of ur life 
November 23rd, 2006 at 11:01 am
Can’t you just wait somewhere else?
November 23rd, 2006 at 11:24 am
I feel sorry for the lamp post. It has been standing there a lot longer than you or the working girls/boys and it never gets noticed.
November 23rd, 2006 at 2:38 pm
tin tin!!!
wla lang. i moved in here because LJ is like a boarding house with a real strict landlady–if you know what I mean. Only those who pay get to have the nice stuff there. 
See you ’round and good luck to us in the review business, haha 
. have you tried adlinks? hehehe
November 23rd, 2006 at 3:45 pm
heheheh… I’m doing ok… you can check up on my thoughts at my other blog.
its at dadfiles.blogspot.com
didto nako gna-butang akong “daddy” thoughts… and from time to time I’m gonna upload some photos… dari sa CGwerkz na account k para sa akong rants and raves… ahehhehehe… I haven’t even started on customizing the site yet… heheheh. In between being a daddy and a bored tambay, I’ll be posting some stuff…
heheheheheh. ikaw? Kamustamus ka na man tawon dha cebu? From your posts, I’d say you’re having the time of your life (that and being free to do whatever you want… ) 
-CarL
November 23rd, 2006 at 9:52 pm
You must be really hot for people to notice…
How much is your per/night?
November 24th, 2006 at 1:49 am
and miss those hot boys stopping? haha
seriously, right after i get out from the house is the red lit street. to walk further in stilettos would be torture.
November 24th, 2006 at 1:52 am
November 24th, 2006 at 2:03 am
Gwacie! You’ve got to help me out! Hahha.. I absolutely have NO idea how to put those ads on.
November 25th, 2006 at 6:46 am
I’m sure it must have its fair share of attention. “Oh, that lamp post..”
November 25th, 2006 at 6:47 am
Hahha! I heard from Gracia carl na nag-e-emo ka raw! uyy..
November 29th, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Hi, Ms. Kristine!
I’m Michael U. Obenieta, editor of Sun.Star Cebu’s Weekend Magazine where we have a section called BLOG PLUG wherein we feature what we consider the most noteworthy blog of the week for our readers to visit and enjoy in.
I have chosen your site for Blog Plug (December 2 issue of Weekend), and I hope you’d permit me to publish this post as a way to cue our readers to visit your blog.
However, I need to know your complete name as byline for your post. Please reply asap. Thanks. And keep up with your very engaging post. God bless…
Myke
November 29th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
And, hey, forgive this dork: What does PS (your workplace) stands for?
Thanks, once again!
Myke
November 29th, 2006 at 10:51 pm
Hi, Ms. Kristine:
I’m Michael “Myke” Obenieta, editor of Sun.Star Cebu’s Weekend Magazine wherein there’s a section called BLOG PLUG. Every week, we feature a noteworthy blog for our readers to visit and enjoy in, and for this Saturday’s issue (Dec. 2), we would like to inform you that yours has been chosen. With your permission, we would like to publish this post to cue our readers to your blog.
May I have your complete name so we can use it for acknowledgment? Please reply asap. And by the way, what does PS (your workplace) stands for?
Thanks, and God bless you.
Myke
November 30th, 2006 at 1:32 am
hi myke, i am uber flattered my eyelashes are falling off from all that batting and my heart failed im getting palpitations. okay, exaj. you may, you may.
PS stands for peoplesupport.
November 30th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
weeeeeee!!!!!! See now I’ll be one of the hundreds of your readers. go xtin!
September 15th, 2007 at 4:45 am
ha ha ha
October 9th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Yo!
What do you think about Tokio Hotel? >:)
March 16th, 2008 at 12:28 am
April 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 am
[...] The article reposted in the newspaper can be found here. [...]