In Three's

My dentist, Dr. Caboboy, told me what I already knew. When we go home to Manila, there are three things an immigrant does: visit the dentist, re-bond hair, and go for a facial.

Dental work is so ridiculously expensive here, with a filling going for $100 each, a crown for $300-plus dollars, and root canal treatments for more than $200 each. And that's at Western Dental (where I go), probably the cheapest in town--"pero hindi sosyal," said Dr. Cab.

And so if dental work here exceeds $900, better buy a round-trip ticket home.

Here there is no hair re-bonding like we know it in the Manila salons, run by Koreans. And there are Japanese re-bonding systems here, they are in the main cities and extremely expensive, like $750. (Almost a round-trip ticket home).

In the meantime, we color our hair from a box, and relax it with the African-American relaxing blend na ubod ng lakas.

When we lived in Pasig, we were a block away from Dr. Nazal's derma office, where a dermatologist will give you a thorough facial. There are no facials here. And Dr. Cab has to wait to pop her whiteheads (complete with steroid shot) when she takes her next trip home.

Well, she is in Philippines now--hopefully, doing everything we can't afford to do here in the land of opportunity. She said she missed the beach, barkada, and mountain-climbing.

"Doon, simple lang ang buhay kahit walang pera. After work, gimik with your friends," she said. "Dito, wala ka kayang maka-usap dahil sobrang pagod."