Land of the Rising Sun

After watching dozens of videos, devouring news articles and looking at several pictures, eventually my interest on the devastation of the March 11 quake and tsunami will wane. I’d check out the news every now and then. But for the hundreds of thousands who lost their homes and for the victims’ families, the 9.0 magnitude Tohoku  earthquake altered them, altered the course of a nation already badly battered by the recent recession.

In a July 2010 issue of Time magazine’s titled Japan’s Tough Climb, it tells of a country grappling its way through a recession with national debt almost 200% of its GDP. The article showed the many closed shops in Sendai, the capital of Miyagi prefecture. When I saw the Sendai airport being pummel led by the raging waters, I felt that the name Sendai rang a bell. I had to look for my Time issue to confirm. And it is indeed Sendai, the city pictured to be a city in a pitiful state even before the quake.  

That Friday night, I was glued to the TV. They say that this is the most well-documented earthquake and tsunami, complete with aerial footages and tons of amateur videos of the rampaging waters swallowing huge buildings, houses, cars, fields, and people.

I have never been to Northeast of the Honshu island. They say there are a lot of retirant communities in this area. I could just imagine elderly folks fighting for their lives as nature’s fury assert its mighty power on these helpless individuals.  

This tragedy again is a reality check, it reminds us of our mortality, our vulnerability.  In the end, we are at the mercy of Him who brought us here.

P.S. Despite the darkness enveloping it now, I know and believe it is still the land of the rising sun.

Forest for the Trees

"Can't see the forest for the trees" I remembered this one from school. Was it an engineering subject or a philosophy course? I'm thinking engineering. Anyway, this has taken a new meaning to me.

I have been caught up with work and moving recently  that it has overwhelmed me. I didn't realize that work can take so much of anyone's waking time. But silly me, I seem to savoring this moment in the "storm". Too caught up that I didn't have time to update my corner .

Am I not seeing the forest already? I think I need to start cutting some trees soon.  

318

Whenever it's departure time from a place I'm temporarily occupying, I always fancy myself a captain of a ship who's always the last to leave. I remember back in college I stayed until after the dorm has already closed. As a resident assistant, I requested my dorm parent to grant my request to stay even if the dorm is closed officially for the school year. It was eerie walking through the corridor of about forty empty rooms. I ran whenever I go to the bathroom because I was scared.I felt like several eyes were watching me as I go the bathroom at the end of the hall. So much for being the "captain".

And now I'll be leaving the place I called home for six years. Surreal. Call it melodramatic but somehow leaving makes the words to flow freely.

318 and I had our moments.  This is where I spent the night when I found out my Dad died. This is where I dumped my bag when I was denied boarding on that first trip outside the country with my brother. This is where I spent several nights listening to my sister while she battles the demons within. This is where I also spent nights wandering in my own self-made abyss.On a lighter note, this is where the water turned green while I was taking a shower. This is where also a lot of wonderful memories have been made. 

318 is just a number of a place.  It doesn't have life. As I move away from 318 and move to 332... it is a natural progression of things to advance even numerically.  Too much attachment to anything takes away that opportunity to try something new or to begin anew. 

A captain maybe the last to leave but that doesn't necessarily mean that the ship he's abandoning is sinking. It could be that an island has been sighted.  

Akon Eskuwelahan, Akon Bugal

Rafe Bartholomew on his book Pacific Rims (Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippine's Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball) had an interesting description of UP that I believe is worth repeating: 

"UP Diliman is known for being not only the most prestigious, but also the most grueling academic institution in the country, and much of this reputation comes from its professors, who are infamous for writing tests with the expectation that half of their students will fail. UP diliman's approach to higher education sounded like the complete opposite of the way American universities prepared students. Most of my college professors seemed primarily concerned with transferring knowledge to students, and I imagine they felt a sense of achievement when their students aced exams. UP professors appeared to treat their relationship with students in a more adversarial manner. They were like gatekeepers of intellectual achievement, presenting students with ever more difficult academic trials to ensure that whoever passed the class truly earned it."  

morning glory

I am not a morning person but the rush of endorphins provided by running on an early Sunday morning changes that every once in a while. I am already up and about at around 430 am usually on race day.


And the smell, sight and sound of a city that is asleep is worth all this body ache on a Monday morning.

sunrise as seen from Buendia flyover

Reality Check

Everytime I go home I see an old man sleeping on one of the sidewalks. He seems to be living on the streets for quite a long time. Ever since I moved to Makati six years ago, he has been a fixture on the sidewalk beside our building. This has been a reality check for me. 

Most of our countrymen are living on the streets.

The magic of Patricia Evangelista's pen captured the sad plight of our hapless countrymen in this article which brought tears to my eyes.

http://www.patriciaevangelista.com/the-house-on-panay-avenue/

Amazing writer this girl is.

Moving

A friend wants to have coffee, he wanted to talk, he felt like he's not moving anywhere.

Moving.  A common term. It involves the transfer of location or is it a transfer of consciousness.

If there's a moving on, is there a moving off?

What does moving signify to you? Is it a proof of life? Or is it a manifestation of freedom?

Oftentimes, we get stuck whether by choice or circumstance. The ability to move is within our reach but there 

are times when you feel that it's not the right time.

Moving involves uprooting yourself from a comfortable zone to uncharted territories.

We often fail to consider that moving means also disrupting the ecosystem around us. We do not leave in an 

island isolated from the rest of the world. Our every action affects people around us especially people that 

matter. Because those who don't probably moved a long time ago.

Moving without thought of others but for your own self preservation is sometimes the most logical thing to do 

right?

I am comfortable where I am now. Not comfortable easy but comfortable. But it takes an earth-shaking 

stimulus to get me moving.

Maybe that's what I just need.