our ancestral house in ermita manila.

our ancestral house in ermita manila. dito ako lumaki hanggang 15 years old.

sabi ng uncle kong si john sy (no letter i like my surname kahit na older brother siya ng tatay ko), the house was formerly owned by johnny litton. ipinaupahan niya ang baba at mezzanine sa lolo at lola namin (siy see and ho chuy tam) in the 1950s. ginawang tindahan ng mga lolo at lola ko ang ibaba. at sa mezzanine sila nanirahan. they were from china. ang hirap daw ng buhay sa china noon kaya napadpad sila sa pilipinas. i think all of my aunts and uncles were born here, and my dad who was second to the bunso, but they had to swear... for them to be declared filipinos. (ano nga ang tawag doon, oathtaking?) eventually johnny litton sold the whole house to our grandparents after some time.

tindahan pa rin ang ibaba nito ngayon and it is being managed by my uncle. ang likod ay pinaupahan, at naging laundry and photo shops.

i wrote a book about my childhood, it is called it's a mens world. marami sa essay doon ang naganap sa bahay na ito.

this house has ground floor (store, wash/laundry area, 1 small bodega,dirty kitchen,2 cr, laundry and photo shops), mezzanine (1 small room, 1 big room, 1 tambakan area, 1 maids quarter), third floor thats what we call it kahit ang totoo ay second floor lang siya (living room with altar area, dining room, kitchen, 2 medium rooms, 1 master bedroom which is facing the main road, 2 cr, another altar facing the fire escape which is a very very steep flight of stairs)

photo taken by me last night. nagpunta ako doon to bring gifts to my uncle and his wife. favorite uncle ko siya, kasi ninong ko rin siya, at tinuturuan niya ako noon sa math, from elementary to high school, and lastly, we share the same birth month, december.