creatures of the night
"i always have a soft spot for my fellow creatures of the night. we are proof that the supposed dangers that lurk in the dark are all in the mind," chinezza del vianco vda de dubois. "when the sun sets, the fun begins."
(pls play barry manilow's copacabana while reading this post here.)
she does not look like your typical insane woman begging for alms. sure she looks filthy, hustles people for money (just like your typical corrupt politician) and wanders on the streets, sometimes laughing and talking to herself.
but there is something about her - the long cocoa-drenched legs and arms, gleaming eyes and teeth, the way she walks and smiles that separates her from the pack.
you can see her, especially at night along p. burgos street -- where rows of girlie bars and joints dot the landscape like proud soldiers after winning a war - talking to strangers. but strangely, she only begs from mostly male foreigners - typically dressed in cargo shorts, shirts and flip flops - tourists who come to the place looking for fun and pleasure.
&&&&&
i was once seated at a shisha bar when she came over to the table right next to me and asked for money to buy hamburger. the foreigner, probably charmed by her dark, lithe figure in a very short dress, uncombed curly hair and disarming smile, gave her five hundred pesos.
she thanked him profusely, her eyes sparkling with joy like a child who received her favourite toy on christmas day. then she walked away. when i saw her again, she was eating a burger and holding a coke while wandering along the street.
what caught my attention was the way she talked. she didn't sound insane at all. i mean, you don't expect an insane, filipino beggar to speak near flawless english and say thank you (though i haven't been around insane people, come to think of it, other than those i have met before at work. chos!). curious, i asked the waiter about her.
the waiter said she is simply known as tobi. she used to be the star dancer at one of the bars in the area. she was so beautiful and popular with the customers that in time, she was able to buy her own condo unit along p. burgos, a car and put up her own business. but she got hooked on drugs and lost everything, including her mind.
sad. indeed.
^^^^^^^
when i saw her again the next day, i called her. she approached my table slowly, shyly, cautiously, reminding me of an stray cat when you feed her.
"what's your name?" i asked, then handed her a one hundred peso bill. "please buy hamburger for yourself." it was already two in the afternoon and i could tell she was famished.
she took the money and thanked me.
"i'm marissa," she said in a soft voice. i have to lean towards her to better hear what she was saying. "i used to work there as a dancer." then she pointed to a nearby bar.
"what happened to you?"
she shrugged her thin, fragile shoulders, waved the one hundred peso bill in gratitude and left.
%%%%%
the lady guard at my temporary flat also told me the same story about her. though she couldn't confirm if her real name is indeed marissa. she is simply known as tobi, a former star dancer who went nuts from drugs. then she told me about a youtube video about her.
i searched for it on the internet.
click here to watch.
every time i see her, i would give her food or some money.
i pity her, but at the same time, i envy her. she is free - from worrying about the small things like earning money to pay for bills, rent, from getting paranoid about another world war or global recession, from getting angry about the widespread corruption in the country, the filthy streets, the worsening traffic, pollution and crime.
in this insane world, maybe she is the sane one.
(sorry for the heavy musings - got carried away. double chos!)
$$$$$$$
another guard told me about another woman, also a former dancer, who always dances naked on the streets at around four or five in the morning. the guard said she is beautiful, with creamy complexion, long, dark hair, but clearly insane. i haven't seen or met her yet. that will be my next post.
%%%%%%
for my previous post about p. burgos, pls click here.
(pls play barry manilow's copacabana while reading this post here.)
she does not look like your typical insane woman begging for alms. sure she looks filthy, hustles people for money (just like your typical corrupt politician) and wanders on the streets, sometimes laughing and talking to herself.
but there is something about her - the long cocoa-drenched legs and arms, gleaming eyes and teeth, the way she walks and smiles that separates her from the pack.
you can see her, especially at night along p. burgos street -- where rows of girlie bars and joints dot the landscape like proud soldiers after winning a war - talking to strangers. but strangely, she only begs from mostly male foreigners - typically dressed in cargo shorts, shirts and flip flops - tourists who come to the place looking for fun and pleasure.
&&&&&
i was once seated at a shisha bar when she came over to the table right next to me and asked for money to buy hamburger. the foreigner, probably charmed by her dark, lithe figure in a very short dress, uncombed curly hair and disarming smile, gave her five hundred pesos.
she thanked him profusely, her eyes sparkling with joy like a child who received her favourite toy on christmas day. then she walked away. when i saw her again, she was eating a burger and holding a coke while wandering along the street.
what caught my attention was the way she talked. she didn't sound insane at all. i mean, you don't expect an insane, filipino beggar to speak near flawless english and say thank you (though i haven't been around insane people, come to think of it, other than those i have met before at work. chos!). curious, i asked the waiter about her.
the waiter said she is simply known as tobi. she used to be the star dancer at one of the bars in the area. she was so beautiful and popular with the customers that in time, she was able to buy her own condo unit along p. burgos, a car and put up her own business. but she got hooked on drugs and lost everything, including her mind.
sad. indeed.
^^^^^^^
when i saw her again the next day, i called her. she approached my table slowly, shyly, cautiously, reminding me of an stray cat when you feed her.
"what's your name?" i asked, then handed her a one hundred peso bill. "please buy hamburger for yourself." it was already two in the afternoon and i could tell she was famished.
she took the money and thanked me.
"i'm marissa," she said in a soft voice. i have to lean towards her to better hear what she was saying. "i used to work there as a dancer." then she pointed to a nearby bar.
"what happened to you?"
she shrugged her thin, fragile shoulders, waved the one hundred peso bill in gratitude and left.
%%%%%
the lady guard at my temporary flat also told me the same story about her. though she couldn't confirm if her real name is indeed marissa. she is simply known as tobi, a former star dancer who went nuts from drugs. then she told me about a youtube video about her.
i searched for it on the internet.
click here to watch.
every time i see her, i would give her food or some money.
i pity her, but at the same time, i envy her. she is free - from worrying about the small things like earning money to pay for bills, rent, from getting paranoid about another world war or global recession, from getting angry about the widespread corruption in the country, the filthy streets, the worsening traffic, pollution and crime.
in this insane world, maybe she is the sane one.
(sorry for the heavy musings - got carried away. double chos!)
$$$$$$$
another guard told me about another woman, also a former dancer, who always dances naked on the streets at around four or five in the morning. the guard said she is beautiful, with creamy complexion, long, dark hair, but clearly insane. i haven't seen or met her yet. that will be my next post.
%%%%%%
for my previous post about p. burgos, pls click here.
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