Remiss, revisit, retell and reflections

So I have been remiss in a lot of things, such as blogging and even failing to greet friends on their birthdays. One dear friend said she did not expect that I would miss her birthday after greeting her the day after.

Yes so much has been going on that I have no blog post for the previous month; last month should have been a great source of posts because a lot happened. But, no, I did not write any.

It has very been very busy. But I was thinking of topics to write.

First in my list is this:

I plan to take the train by October. I have no idea where I am going, but I'll definitely be riding on one.

You see, before the year ends, I will be going somewhere, a different continent, for a long time. Taking the train in the Philippines is certainly in Commuter's must-do list. 

I hope to be able to write something on this train ride I will be taking.

Another post worthy of its own post but I am not doing one is my Sagada trip with my good friends. It was a well-deserved break, a total contrast from the life in the city. It has been weeks since that trip but I am still raving about it. Enduring the 13-hour ride to Sagada and back was nothing compared to the experience of the culture, nature, the people and weather of the Mountain Province, a northern Philippine province, that we were able to enjoy for two whole days.

At the Pasay Terminal of Victory Liner. Baguio bound.

Mountains upon mountains welcome you as you make your way to Sagada. Truly breathtaking.

Rice terraces abound.

The Big Falls in Sagada. It was a long trek but worth every step.

Market day in Sagada

American influence, not Spanish, is evident in Sagada. There are very few Catholics in this predominant Anglican society that still honors the indigenous traditions of Sagada's ancestors.

Traditional burial site

Cave formations

A day-long wedding celebration that I was very fortunate to gatecrash. Native dances and instruments provided entertainment to the guests of the bride and groom. For me, this was one genuine cultural experience.

Good things must come to an end; hence, a trip back to Baguio must be made before heading toManila.

The randomness of this post is similar to my "Northern Exposure" adventure I had. I was with adventurous and sometimes 'random' people that made the trip more enjoyable and memorable.

Baguio became part of the itinerary because Manila-bound buses were scarce, and we had to wait until the evening to get our ride. In the process I got to see a bit of Baguio. This was a place I enjoyed going to when I was younger, and up to now. Call it stupid but foggy places such as Baguio bring me joy. Just imagine how happy I was when the city was (nearing) one-digit visibility.

Fog in Baguio

I did pray for a safe travel back to Manila, knowing quite well a typhoon was wreaking havoc in some places in Luzon and Visayas at that very moment. My prayer must have been heard because nothing untoward happened on our descent to Manila. The days after that however became witness to the might of "Maring" that left Manila and large parts of Luzon underwater.

Sunday night, August 18, I was out from church when the rain started to show signs that it was not stopping. I spent the next two days at home as work was called off, and there was just absolutely nowhere to go with the unceasing rain.

Dark clouds in the horizon. Taken from my window.

Sister approaching the building. She had our food with her so it was important that I meet her at the ground floor. hehe.

The reports of the typhoon showed the catastrophe brought by typhoons, clogged drainage and human irresponsibility. On Wednesday, a holiday, I simply had to go out for I missed the outdoors terribly. On the main road, I saw for myself the post-typhoon scenario: shops were still closed; garbage, silt, mud were everywhere; children were playing in the puddles. I hopped on a jeep and, to my surprise, initiated a talk with the driver. He was not able to work for two days, the driver said. I sat patiently and quietly as he waited for more passengers to ride his jeep.

I should not have met Pedring!

But I did meet Pedring. Even though when all signs told me that it was not a good idea to go to work, I still braved the morning rain. I was five minutes away from my work when I got a text saying that work had been called off. I still proceeded to the office's gate, verifying the text. The guard offered me his smile , "Sinuspend na ng Malacanang." There, those words and that smile said it all.

I went to Jollibee, seeking some form of consolation. I must have been the only one in our batch to have come to work. They were all visionaries, and I was stubborn! There was nothing else to do but go home. I crossed the street, but my senses told me to stay put. I found myself in 7-11, observing others how they go about Pedring. Few minutes after this picture below was taken, I saw four girls sans umbrellas walking towards the convenient store. They sashayed the streets as if appearing in a soft porn flick. They left the convenience store with just a tiny bag from the store.

7-11, my temporary shelter

In my many years here in our nation's capital, it was only now that I had experienced wind so strong; when Ondoy struck two years ago, I was safe at home, like most of the other typhoons. This time, I got to see the twenty or so shape configurations that my umbrella could do against the angry winds! In the process, I had to retire my expensive two-year old umbrella because there was no way for it to be repaired.  In times like this, I miss being a teacher. At the slightest mention of typhoon signal 2, work is off! Now, it takes a President or someone from Malacanang to do that. I hoped they did the announcement a lot earlier.

Again, I am at McDonald's, making use of  its WiFi. I left the house without electricity; the entire condo complex sits in the dark. I shall buy a nice umbrella after this post.

Stay safe everyone.