kill the bill

It’s weekend. You grope your pockets, and come up with a bill. A bill? What can you do?

P100

-Bargain hunting. If you have the talent for scrounging up excellent finds, venture out to the world of bargain hunting. A 6-peso ride away, Villa Amada is the ukay-ukay place in Dumaguete. Or you can also check out Unitop, the new building near Quezon Park, for cheap shopping. And do not forget Aly Mae’s Surplus Store for interesting clothes, CDs and books!

-Bookworm’s delight. For some literary craving that cannot be satisfied by the SU Main Library, go to Lee Plaza’s book sale section or San Francisco Bookstore fronting Freedom Park, to pile up on literary favorites.

-Fastfood junkie. Students spend a majority of their allowances on food anyway, so splurge the bill on the nearest fastfood outlet. Dumaguete has several so far: Greenwich, Jollibee, Chowking, Shakey’s, Pizza Hut, Dunkin, Howyang, Scoobys, among others. Who knows what will happen when McDonald’s finally finishes setting up here?

-Hit the beach. What about the Silliman Beach or the Pebble Beach in Santander Cebu? Go to Sta. Teresa and order their adobo to go. Buy some rice at the nearest tindahan. Spend the rest on fare, and then when you get there, gloriously play sun bum.

P50

-Watch-You-Want! Delayed-for-months flicks in Dumaguete aren’t so bad. Your Php35-45 can actually grant you a pass to see a movie or two straight. After the movies, spark a conversation with your companions, and critique it. For example, what did you think of Vic Sotto and Christine Hermosa’s latest “Enteng Kabisote” installment? Be the judge. It can be fun. Really.

-How thoughtful. Maybe it would be the right time to give your friend, someone close, or your parents unexpectedly a simple gift. Probably they would appreciate it more if there’s no occasion.

-Surf’s up! Indulge yourself with the wonders of the net with Netopia’s weekend Php 50 surf-all-you-can promo, or Scooby’s Php 15/hour rate. Check out the forums at Sillimanians.com, blog at Blogger.com, and stay informed with weeklysillimanian.net.

-Cheap dinner. Hop on a pedicab and head towards the barbeque haven known to Sillimanians simply as ACSAT, because of its location. Barbequed pork (Php3 and Php5), chicken, isaw (Php5), chorizo and other internal organs, all dipped in a one-of-a-kind spicy sauce.

P20

-Movie marathon. Pool your orange bills together for Video City’s movie rentals! Stay up all night to Kate Hudson’s “Almost Famous”. Get grossed out with “Saw III”. Laugh and cry to Adam Sandler’s “Click”. Then again, you can always venture out and try digital films like “Nasaan si Francis?”. Just a tip: always return the rentals on time--believe me.

-Board games bonanza! Borrow those neglected Scrabbles, Balderdash and Monopoly games at the Student Center, 2nd floor Hibbard Hall, and spend the money on snacks at the Oriental Hall kiosks. Do this on a rainy afternoon for added atmosphere.

-Stroll therapy. Step on the sidewalk and just let your feet wander. Who knows where you’ll end up? Afterwards, buy a Nescafe Freeze at the cafeteria or the ever-popular C2 at Sted’s.

-Cheese bread afternoon. Those first two words can make your day. Wait for the clock to strike 2pm and rush to the cafeteria for the infamous Php5 cheese bread. Then head towards the east quadrangle for a makeshift picnic.

Like the Mastercard commercials, let’s also leave room for “priceless” moments. The possibility of being broke is not always felt, but it could happen (in mysterious ways)! And if it does, just settle in your own homes and watch countless reruns on the tube. Tom and Jerry are always capable of giving us some hearty laughs, admit it. And you can always uhh… you know, study. Or catch up on sleep.

If you have some coins lying around, scrape some up to buy Mr. Bossing Tempura. Go to Laguna Silliman and discover (if you haven’t yet) the wonder Bossing has in store for your coins--tempuras dipped on sauce levels 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. Or you can go to the banana cue place near Harold’s Mansion for soft, sweet turons.

If all else fails, take advantage of that unlimited load. Text the gang’s great spender or your boyfriend or girlfriend then palibre dayon! That way, you will feel that your last peso has its special worth.