Last night, the wind was so violent that it ripped my beach umbrella apart. I had let the outside kitties in since the rains started last Monday, much to the chagrin of my indoor divas, Kimchi and Sushi. The vet gave me meds that could calm them down so they won’t spray pee everywhere to mark every inch of my house and peeing outside their litter box due to stress.

By noon the wind has died down and now I have to contend with the mess the habagat made outside.

Meanwhile, I needed to finish the analysis piece I had been brewing for six months because I’m running out of things to write. The rains and flood kept me from scouring for leads and stories in Makati. Interviews with various people across Asia (and one in Europe) that I had requested were either rejected or pushed back. I am going nuts.

But at least I am no longer asking for interviews for my team members because my duty was to keep their numbers up. Thank God I am out of that. 🥹 If they can’t meet the quota, it’s on them. They’re no longer my problem.

It’s so freeing not to be worrying and stressing about other people. Not taking care of other people. I’m so tired of that.

That photo above was taken this morning. We have been enveloped by darkness since last weekend when we had Typhoon Crising barreling her way across the Philippines, pulling up the southwest monsoon.

@letsdiscusssomething

they make buildings for people who think. #trump #speechoverview #obama #clinton #biden #phillipines

♬ original sound – letsdiscusssomething

This is sooooooo wild. Trump’s meeting with BB Marcos is a headscratcher.

All the way to Makati this noon I was playing Phil Wickham songs, praying that I won’t encounter really bad flooded roads. My car only had a brief swim near my hometown but the rest of the journey was quite safe, save for the torrential rains along SLEX that necessitated turning my headlamps on high beam.

Why did I gamble going to Metro Manila today? A friend broke up with her partner who wanted her out of the condo ASAP. I was the only friend who had a roomy car so I volunteered.

I know grief so I understand the need to immediately leave a place full of memories. In my case, I couldn’t leave our apartment that time because it was the middle of the pandemic and I have kids—you can’t just pack up and go. It’s torture to be in the same place.

My friend needs to cut ties quickly so she can move on.

I also wanted to see the capacity of my car…and I’m impressed. It may not have the size of Wendy, but Avi is close to having the same cargo space but not quite. We were able to haul everything in one go.

After late lunch somewhere in Pasig, I quickly drove away before rush hour and the rains start. When I was already 3 km from home, my sister called me and asked where I was because according to social media and news, it’s flooded everywhere. La Mesa dam overflowed.

I said I’m almost home and God loves me because I didn’t encounter deep floods; I only had to go through mini ones when I was already in our hometown.

I can’t have Avi floating on floodwaters even before she has her license plate from LTO. 🥴

My infrared butane grill died on me. My steaks were already thawed yesterday lunch when I discovered that the gas grill was no longer serviceable. I had no choice but to use this Korean bbq grill.

It wasn’t doing a good job. So I took the risk and put the meat straight into the fire. Stove be damned.

I was granted a small window of opportunity when it wasn’t raining and for a few minutes the sun peeked into my balcony. After I packed up my grilling gear, only then it started to rain once again.

And it rained heavily.

I suddenly remembered the Scottish group Wet Wet Wet on this day. Just because of their name. 😂 But I loved their song Goodnight Girl since 1994.

It is a very stormy day, too bad for the graduates today.

I drove my mom to the commencement exercises so she can attend the graduation of my nephew. A 10-minute drive became an hour-long one because of the volume of cars.

My brother, my sis-in-law, my mom, and of course my nephew all wore their Filipiniana attire with their sablay. They had photos taken and it really looked nice, three generations of UP graduates in one frame.

I was only able to wear my sablay when I received my master’s degree in 2010 because during my undergrad commencement exercises 10 years prior, we weren’t required to wear the sablay. I suffered through hours of graduation ceremony wearing that very hot black toga.

I love the sablay because 1) it’s not hot; the Filipiniana (or whatever ecru or white clothes you are wearing) are more climate-appropriate; 2) the beauty of the Filipiniana shines, men look more distinguished in barong Tagalog; 3) the sablay has the Baybayin—the ancient Filipino script—woven on it and the ukil, the geometric patterns in indigenous designs; 4) it is inspired by the traditional garment worn by indgenous Filipinos, specifically the malong from Maguindanao.

The Baybayin on the sablay says ᜂᜉ or “UP”. I remember during our Filipino subject in first year high school, we had to learn the Baybayin and we had proficiency tests on it. We got so adept at using it that my friends and I were passing notes in Baybayin. Sadly, I have forgotten how to write in Baybayin because it’s not used in our everyday lives. The revolutionaries during the Spanish regime used the Baybayin for communication and to represent them. The KKK led by Andres Bonifacio had ᜃ in the middle to represent the Tagalog letter K.

I lost the chance to wear the sablay three years ago because I was wearing black when I was the keynote speaker during the recognition rites of my undergrad college. The wearing of the sablay is very strict, as a form of respect, to this very formal garment. I came straight from the airport (flew from Singapore)that time  and drove to my mom’s house for the keynote the following day. I didn’t have any ecru or white clothes packed in my suitcase.

Will I have the chance to wear it again? Let’s see if I push through with teaching this coming sem.

So my nephew has achieved his goal. Now we ask him, what are you going to do now?

I have no idea, he says.

It’s tough to be in that position. “What now?” hangs over your head all the time.

His poor kuya is dismissed by the university the second time due to his illness. What’s for him now?

I have no idea, he also says.

Genetics is a blessing and a curse. You can inherit the intelligence that runs in your family; you can also inherit the mood disorders that your family is cursed with.

Twin I wanted us to drive to Angono via the Laguna Loop this weekend — a quick getaway before they go back to school on Monday. I said fine, we’ll go.

But here comes Typhoon Crising to ruin her plans. 🤣

No rains today but the rains and winds coming from southwest will be pulled up to cross Metro Manila and our province starting tonight and the whole day tomorrow.

I am stuck again. I couldn’t write. I must go to a coffee shop tomorrow. I must drive to Metro Manila some time next week.

I keep going back to my bed to nap. Agggh!

And oh, my nephew is graduating magna cum laude.