Buuuhhh-laaaaahhh

Classes were cancelled today. Actually the announcement went on the Inquirer website at around 9:30 last night. Some Marines were at Fort Bonifacio standing against the "dismissal" of their chief and they were calling civilians for support. Cory Aquino went over there and joined the prayer rally. Mom was getting speculative again and telling me to stay on campus. It was a little funny, because where would I go at 9:30PM? Anyway, the whole Fort Bonifacio issue settled down before midnight.

I slept the morning away. This is the downside to a long weekend, you tend to get lazy. Tomorrow, it's back to work and classes. Unless something spectacular happens tonight. I don't think anything will happen though.

I find all the rallies a tad annoying. GMA will call off 1017 when she thinks the situation isn't volatile. Rallies and all this political bockering don't help with getting an early lifting of the state of emergency which is wrecking havoc on our economic prospects. God help us.

I want to go ice-skating. When my allowance gets to me, I think I'll go have a spin. Whether I have companions or not. It's an awful thing to do when you don't have someone to pull you off your butt when you fall, but that's life. Feel the pain.

People I've told: II. Our pastor said something about God ending lives early because of one's continuous rebellion. I wonder, how long will God let me live?

Look on the bright side Krissy. You're spending summer in the USA and in Singapore. The decision is final. How's that for the goodness and faithfulness of God? You should be ashamed of yourself.

I'm feeling a lot like Israel in Hosea right now. Gomer actually.

I wonder, do I work for NSCB in April or May? Trip schedule has yet to be worked out. Yo bros of mine, please wear decent shoes this time. We don't want a repeat of the Singapoe Shoe Incident. It's a 14 hour flight. You know that at the end of it all, you'll have to take care of me instead of the other way around. You guys are so lucky not to have motion sickness.

Ingat po tayong lahat.

---

Appendix A: Singapore Shoe Incident

When I graduated from high school, my Auntie Fina and Uncle Rey invited us to spend summer with them in Singapore. Just the three of us, me and my two brothers. My parents were going to the US.

My youngest brother had a pair of sandals that he loved very much. He received them as Christmas gifts two years before the trip. The sandals were really comfortable but they were also really old. They looked every bit of their two years of walks, runs, and plays. Mikhael decided to wear them for our flight to Singapore. My Mom couldn't dissuade him from doing so. We all kept warning him that they would fall apart sometime during the trip. But he argued confidently that they could take it.

The sandals survived the car trip from Pangasinan to Manila. They got through the baggage check-in and customs. My brother was wearing a smug expression on his face the whole time. While waiting to board, I bought some candy and gum to help me survive the flight.

When our flight was announced, the three of us stood up, stretched and gathered our bags. Everything was fine. Mikhael was still feeling really happy and really smug. Then in the middle of the tube-thingy that connected the airport door to the airplane door, Mikhael's left sandal disintegrated---the sole came off. It hung on by just an inch. I was so annoyed at my little brother. Omar and me walked slowly as he limped behind us, listening to Omar's sarcastic jokes and my steady barrage of irritation.

When we finally got to our seats on the plane, Mikhael was looking very embarrassed and very tired. Omar and me sobered up. We started thinking of ways to handle our arrival in Changi Airport with Mikhael's sandal the way it was but our brainstorming was cut short by the plane's take-off. I began feeling queasy so I rummaged in my bag for the gum I bought earlier. Mikhael saw the pack and grabbed several sticks and started chewing in earnest. Omar and me just stared at him. Mikhael was looking happy and smug again. He didn't care to share what he was thinking about. I was too sick to think anymore. Omar started reading the inflight magazine.

Some minutes after, Mikhael tappped both of us and smiled. He took the chewing gum from his mouth and then stuck it to the sole of his sandals and stomped the sole firmly back onto the rest of the sandal. He looked up at his two older siblings and beamed at us. We had to laugh.

The sandals made it through Changi Airport and even survived until we got to our Auntie's home. We had a lot of laughs at the dinner table over the incident. Then we all watched the sandal go down the garbage chute.