He Will Always Remain

I love technology! I love the fact that with just a few clicks, I can hear music, send a picture, watch a video, say 'I love you.' Two nights ago, though, I had to rethink this.

When I got home that night, the first thing I did was to turn on my laptop. I wanted to write a few reports for my class before the night ends (or at least, that's what I told myself that I will do that night). But, a few seconds after I turned it on, it went off. Thinking that I must have pulled the plug when I moved it a bit, I turned it back on. It was fine until about two minutes later, and then the power was just simply zapped out of it. And then lo and behold....ants came marching out from the battery slot! And they weren't even on time with the Dave Matthews Band! Uh-oh! In a panic, I reached for my cellphone, but it was not in its usual place, right by my elbow. So I dug it out from my bag but it wasn't there! I called my best friend then and the first word she uttered was, "Cellphone." Whew! So she has it. Okay, she did not have it until I left it on the table in her house.

No cellphone. Laptop without power. What's a girl to do?

This girl got to thinking. And then to praying. And it finally hit me. That night, I spent my technology-free time in quiet and in prayer.

I always like to think that all things happen for a reason -- some may be unfathomable to us, but others are very simple, cut-and-dried reasons. This time, I knew He was calling me to spend more time with Him. Him, who made all these technology under my fingertips possible. The reason and his message: I will always remain. Sans technology, God will always, always be with me. I still love technology. But I love God more.

Guess what? I got my cellphone back the next day. And what do you think am I using to type out this blog? :)

Something Old, Something New

I was on my way to work one morning when two things hit me. Well, not literally because if it was, I wouldn't be writing just about now.

One -- walking a little ahead of me was a very self-possessed woman. She was wearing "the power suit" with killer three-inch heels.

The second -- an elderly couple leisurely walking, with the woman's arm curled on the man's elbow. They were dressed as if they had just gone up from bed and decided to take a walk. With this little tableau in front of me, I instantly thought I'd choose door number two, any time.

So hear me, God!

Here's My Story, part 1

I wasn't prepared for it. Neither were the hundreds who were affected, I guess.

It was a rainy morning, a perfect bed weather day. Even more so because the seminar that I had been preparing for was cancelled due to the bad weather. Ho-hum... time to go back to sleep. I snuggled under the covers and went blissfully back to dreamland. Little did I know that that moment was to be the last one on my bed, with my pillows.

A few hours later, the slight rain turned into a downpour. I got out of bed and was immediately updated by our helper as to the state of our garage. "Baha na sa garahe, Ate." I shrugged it off. Flooding in our garage is a common occurrence during such downpours. So we went about our routine.

At lunchtime, the power went off. Our helper stood up to fetch some candles and then slipped on the floor. Our kitchen floor was already wet. We looked out and was surprised to see the steady rise of flood water to our terrace. Minutes later, it entered the sala. Oh no.

I saw the water steadily rising but I still held on to the hope that it will just remain ankle deep. Throughout this time, I asked my Dad to stay in the room. We started gathering things that we can put on top of shelves. When it entered our bedroom, which was two steps up from the sala, it dawned on me that the water might still rise and we could get trapped inside. I started to panic.

A phone call from a friend came through and in his usual calm manner, he specifically gave me instructions. He told me to go out of the house and look for the nearest house with a second floor and to look for people who can help me bring my dad out. "Don't panic. You can do this." He was very sure of me and I prayed that I could be so sure, too.

And so acting on strict orders, I told my dad that I will leave him for a while and get help. I didn't wait for his nod of agreement and started out. I told our helper not to leave my dad until I get back.

When I got our of our house, I could see flood waters rushing forth. Pails, basins, all kinds of debris were swifly being carried away by the strong current. The water was neck-deep on the street, and I was already on tiptoe. Did I mention that I couldn't swim? So I held onto the gate of the next house, which had a second floor. I frantically knocked on their gate and then counted to five. When no one came, I went to the next house, which also had a second floor. They were all looking out from their 2nd storey windows and saw me floating by. Two men came to my rescue and they went back with me to get my dad out. They placed him on his rocking chair and carried him (with the chair)to their house.

I went back, got my bag (which has all our cash, and my cards), and my laptop (which is the reason why I can still do this now), placed them in a plastic bag and carried them out on my head. I went to the neighbor's and handed them my stuff, and then I went back a third time to get some clothes for me and my dad and to fetch our dog. A short frantic search ensued but we couldn't find her, and so we had to leave our house. Our almost-thirty year-old house that has never been flooded. And our dog.

That was around 5:30PM. I was able to make a last phone call to my friend to report that I was able to follow his instructions and that we were safely in the neighbor's house. After that, my phone's battery died.

We had nothing to do but wait. We only had a few cookies, which I salvaged on the way out of our house because I saw our food container floating, but no water. At 8:00 pm, the rain totally stopped. At 10pm, the neighbor's gate was in full view, and the water on the street was only ankle-deep.

We tried to sleep but it was a futile attempt. At first light, our helper and I went to our house to see the damage. It was a mess. A mess on top of 2 inches of mud. With the accompanying odor only mud can bring.

I started picking through piles of things - I recognized a shoe here, a book there, pens scattered about. It was truly a depressing sight.

I wasn't ready for this.

Opposable Minds

Primates, and that definitely includes humans, are the only ones who have opposable thumbs. Try holding your favorite cup of coffee and you'll find out how our thumbs work. Recently, I came across the phrase, opposable minds, which made me think twice, even thrice. As I understood it, an opposable mind is ready to accept ideas that counter one's own. Sounds simple. Or is it? How often have we accepted, without prejudice, an idea or question that contradicts what we think is our very sound plan? On the other hand, when was the last time we openly questioned an idea that we think can be improved upon? I don't need to have your answers because I have my own. It's not easy being and having to oppose. Personalities often get in the way and relationships get the beating. Going beyond differences and surviving the opposition with relationships intact, I think, is the challenge. Are you ready for it? I know I am. Having an opposable mind need not be such a trying task. After all, God made sure we have opposable thumbs, and that's our lifelong reminder.

Thumbs up, everyone!

Patriotism

Patriotism is commonly defined as love of and/or devotion to one's country. Sadly, we(and that includes me -- sadder!), so lack this value. A group of us just came from the Malacanang Museum on a rainy and windy morning. Its high walls and million-dollar chandeliers boast of first editions, signed treaties, and priceless works of art and I just viewed them. Viewed them as objects, not as integral parts of our history, my history. Even depressing was the fact that there was no note of pride in the guide's voice and actions. Sigh! He just breezed through the rooms -- naming them, identifying the faces on the portraits, injecting anecdotes here and there. But he also had snide remarks about certain historical figures. Which I laughed at. No points for me there. What a wake-up call for me! I thought I had patriotism down pat. I don't have a desire to work anywhere else than my country, I can write and speak the language by heart, I make it a point to shop and eat Filipino.

But I guess those don't always fit the bill. Deeper sigh!

Love Life

I love my life. I bet very few people can say that with conviction. True, I could use a car with a driver but even without a uniformed chauffeur to ferry me back and forth places, I can truly say I love the life God has given me. In a real beauty-queen-like fashion, I can earnestly say, “I don’t want to change anything about myself, my life, my friends, my family, and the work that I do.”

On Rainy Days

It rained. As sure as I was that it will, it did. It made me recall of that time when we had to pick up guests for my party. Otherwise, we would have had buffet food for two weeks! I understand it as God’s blessing. Now. Before, I used to think of rain on such a day as a bad omen. A pesky inconvenience for me and for all my friends, but especially for me. Now, it is God blessing me abundantly! And yes how He has blessed me indeed. So for all of those down with the blues in the rain, think of it this way. . .God has a purpose for everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. Even the littlest fall of rain.