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Saturday, October 23, 2004
The template of this blog has to change!
I am so tired of seeing that kid (see: left side of screen) looking so serene and, well, basically, looking the very picture of contentment.
Although, come to think of it, when you look closely, the kid does look like she's thinking of something, doesn't she? The way she rests her cheek on her hand gives off a very pensive mood -- like she's reflecting on something big, something beyond her -- who knows, maybe she's reflecting on the subtle degradation of the human condition, or worse maybe she's scared of the uncertainty of circumstance!
Geez, why do I come up with these theories?
Come on, she's a kid! I tell you, she has not known real fear unless she has stared upon the pages of a Genetics Exam with nary a clue of what Codominace is or what separates a point mutation from a frameshift mutation or even why the proband from the second generation varies greatly in genotypic traits from its ancestors in the first parental generation!
This kid with the flowers on her head has not known real unhappiness unless she has seen how seemingly devoid of hope my family situation is. She has not known real humiliation unless she has witnessed how my...well, enough already, the point is --- uhhm, what was my point again?? LOL -- ok, the point is, I want enough of this template! Enough, I tell you, enoughhhhh!
Enough with my incessant need to romanticize the good, to look back on the ignorance of childhood, just to keep the bad, the menace of reality, from overwhelming me.
Sure, it's great to be a kid. I look at kids today, and smile. Darn, those rascals have it good. But, that's it! I've had enough of this. It's time to rid out the past! I have to erase the allure of childhood from my system!
I. HAVE. TO.
Okay, enough with my inadequate rant of words.
And, enough with this template, too -- if only I can remember how to change it, exactly, though...I've been out of blogging for so long, I forgot how to work my way around even the most basic of html codes. LOL.
Geez, oh well.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Getting Lost.
I got lost today. I boarded the wrong jeepney (for the uninitiated, a jeepney is a mode of transportation that it is reminiscent of a military jeep albeit a rather elongated one which can seat up to thirty people, I think, at the most) and got off to this place that was totally totally unknown to me.
The worst part was when I got off that jeepney, it had already gotten dark. At first, I didn't panic. I didn't try to blame myself for my usual disregard of some of my mother's 'not-to-do' list, one item on which, specifically forbade me to ride jeepneys under any circumstance.
So, I got off, meandered through a maze of streets, asking people where I am, how to get to the next stop, how to get out of there, oh, you know, the usual questions one could expect from another commuter whose head is whirling and is about to go nuts. But, bear in mind, that I have yet to panic, at this point.
After all, I reasoned I could just easily hail a cab, and all these would be over with.
Then, it hit me. Hail a cab? In Manila? At night? Alone? Yeah, right.
Needless to say, I panicked.
I went back to the people whom I first asked directions with, told them of my predicament again and while I was doing this, a woman suddenly approached me and told me she and her husband were willing to drive me to the jeepney stop themselves since its on their way home, anyway.
Uh, so just for clarity's sake, when were kids what were the top two cardinal rules taught by our parents again?
1. never talk to strangers
2. never get into cars with them
So, it was clear from the start that I've already broken the first rule, the question was, was I brave enough to break the second one?
I had no choice. I was already desperate. Anyway, I was telling myself that if I get kidnapped, well, they couldn't profit much anyway because my family's not rich.
But, I tried not to venture to any negative thoughts, I tried to just be grateful that I found this great couple, willing to extend a helping hand, to a stranger like me, plus, also I figured that the rules about strangers go both ways -- I'm as much a stranger to them as they were to me -- so, I just kept tight, prayed that they really were good people and hoped for the best.
And, guess what? They really were.
Saturday, October 09, 2004
Earthquakes and aftershocks
I think at around 11 pm last night, the ground I stood on rocked my world spitless -- and, it lasted for more than three minutes, with aftershocks lasting for about a couple minutes more.
So, was I scared?
Not really, I mean, at first I thought it was just me, that I just had too much wine to drink, but I only had three glasses and, I mean, come on, I was telling myself I couldn't be drunk, I come from a long line of hard-drinkers, the men and some women in my family drink liquor like it was water (splashed only with a dab of color for aesthetic effects) -- so, even if I only drink sparingly, there was certainly no way that I could get intoxicated that easily.
Then, after the people I was with started yelling and hooting out all these nervous jokes and laughter -- the thought, settled within me -- yes, an earthquake (with a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale) indeed was teasing the fear in all of us, taunting us to run and hide for cover, or better yet, simply just jump through the window, and hope that someone would catch us thirty-five floors below.
So, again, was I scared?
More of amused really -- I think the moment that earthquake hit the three-minute mark, everyone around me started getting all their cellphones from their handbags and pockets and...well, go figure...
So, again, and this is already pushing it, was I scared?
This is the second earthquake that's rocked this city in two weeks, although the first lasted longer, much looonger, this one certainly had its moments too...so.....of course I was scared!!
*oh, and by the way, missed this blog. *smiles*