pay up, it's christmas

Crap. I'm broke.

Thing is, a numer of people owe me money. I've been really, really, really generous. Unfortunately, my generosity exceeds some people's greed, and as it turns out, scruples.

Mind you, I don't charge interest. Never did. If a friend approached me to borrow money, I'd think he was really really really in dire need, had no one else to turn to, and had to summon so much courage to say to my face, I need to borrow money. 'Di ba nakakahiya mangutang sa kaibigan? It would be so much easier to borrow from a 5-6. By asking help from me, that would mean he couldn't even get a loan from a shark.

I rely on the old Filipino value of hiya for repayment...unfortunately it backfires big time. It doesn't help either that I myself am dyahe to make singil. I usually justify that the people I lent money to are still in a rut and have the initiative to pay up when they can. Yeah, I know, justify my ass. Worse, some of these people conveniently disappear after some time.

In my entire existence, I have only borrowed money twice from friends, and I paid them back, in full, without delay, as promised.

So what now? I'm going to have to change my generous ways and be a miser. So sorry inaanaks, Ninang's nowhere to be found.