Life has become quite complicated.
Last Sunday, after Meralco turned off power in our
neighbourhood to fix a transformer, my dear roommate and I were desperately
forced to seek cooler climes – we did not have TV to while the time away nor
electric fans to move around the 36.4 degree C humid air. We drove to the nearest
mall to watch the real-life movie, Heaven is for Real.
By the time we got a call from home that power has been
restored, we were already around P2,000 poorer. On the way home, we passed by
an informal settler colony where many half naked people were still milling
around oven hot shanties. It gave me an idea of how they fared during the
brownout or where they lived. This must be the reason why some children drown
in the polluted waters near the bay or nearby waterholes.
I woke up the following morning refreshed in my
self-designed home theatre. Beside me was a remote control gizmo that I am
learning to manipulate to allow me to do many things including talking to my
daughter in far-away Seattle via the TV monitor. My tablet and desktop are also
within my reach. I can smell coffee and toast from the kitchen. This is the
life, I thought. My reverie was cut short after I was shown the latest Meralco
bill. I quickly turned off the air-conditioner.
I also now discover that, like many other senior citizens, I
have acquired allergies that will allow me to find peace and comfort only via
nasal and throat sprays. I also have developed low back pain that is driving me
to the Acupunturist. I wonder what other ailments and discomforts are linked to
the aging process and what are reversible. I can ask my daughter if and when I
can catch her attention. She is a nurse in a federal hospital slaving for dear
Uncle Sam 14 hours a day.
I picked up the newspaper, only to be greeted by a screaming
headline about a highly placed government official, who seemed to find solace
in the claim that he was being singled out from among so many. Like an
unremorseful child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he seemed to say:
“Bakit kami lang, sila din – kayo din”.
There is now queuing seeking immunity offered to state witnesses.
Hurray! At the very least a lot of dirt is being stirred
from long-hidden crevices hoping for the chance to finally see the light of
day. I hope I can live long enough to see a number of ex-lawmakers populating
the the Muntinglupa penitentiary – and not in a hospital, a resort or a
military camp.
A welcome headline announced that US President Obama has
vowed to help us in our territorial dispute with our powerful neighbor. Another
good news is the announcement that The United Nations has acknowledged that the
13-million hectare potentially resource-rich Benham Rise on the Pacific Ocean
side of Luzon is exclusively Philippine territory.
I still have to open an email from a friend entitled
“Running out of Time” with a video explaining what is the possible cause of
climate change. I sense this email will divert me from my comfort zone. So, before
I open the mail . . .
Let me thank the Lord. Heaven must really be for real.
