Ondoy's cry me a river

The sun smiled briefly this day, he couldn’t hold on though since Ondoy still was not through crying a river. Good thing that there were just few tears this time and not as much as yesterday.

Yesterday was the heaviest rain I experienced in a long long time. It was like the heaven was so angry that it let is pain out all at once. I like rain… it’s gentle tapping on the roof but Oh boy, was Ondoy (heaven’s messenger) ever so mad and sorrowful that he cried us a river! So many streets were flooded and some literally turned into a river. It was only typhoon signal #1 in Metro Manila but the rain was very heavy.

Even if the rain was heavy around noon yesterday I tried to brave the rain so I could go to church. Our street was only ankle deep at the most especially along the open drainage. The water was flowing heavily though and there were a lot of people bathing in the rain but there were others like me who had to walk in the rain to do their business. I was already wet when I reached the highway and I was actually having second thoughts already midway but since I was already out I thought that I might as well go on. But the rain grew heavier and there were so very little vehicles on the road most of them had their lights on since visibility was not good and I could see most stopping and taking cover too. I waited and waited but no transport came. People walking told me there was none coming and I finally had to give up and go back. When I got home, I got news that part of the concrete fence of a golf club near our place collapsed and the nearby areas was really deep in water. The families at the end of our road had to transfer to a Protestant Church near our home since they were flooded already. One of our neighbors also got flooded. Good thing our home is a bit elevated. Our drainage is flooded too but the water did not get to our home.

We were safe and dry at home while the others had terrible experience outside.

It is now late and Ondoy has finally stopped crying (well at least for today)… It is quiet in my room but I know that some people still cry over Ondoy’s deluge of tears.

New Perspective

The kids were once again watching cartoon on cable as I sat on the sofa. It features a rat and I watched. I have to leave before 12:00 noon to go to pick up a friend but the cartoon was good. I asked what it was and my brother who came said "Ratatouille." He asked "Have you not seen it?" and I answered "Nope, I haven’t." I haven’t seen a movie at home or in the theater in a long time. It was good and I wanted to finish it so I sent a message to my friend that I will be late which was okay with her in fact I still had to wait for her to finish dressing up when I got to their place... Arghhh!!!

The movie is about a rat who loves to cook… not just cook but he wants to create dish. He experimented yet would rely on his gut. He was an artist who appreciates the taste of one ingredient but knew how to put them together to create a really spectacular taste. He was torn at some point for he was not human… yet he was not like the other rats but in the end he was true to himself. He was a cook! A great cook!

There were other stories in the movie and they were all good in fact the movie made me cry… Ahhhh!!! It seems that the kids always watch me when I watch something and would know exactly when tears will be coming by. But what can I do? Happy endings make me cry!

There were nice quotes in the movie but what really struck me was the part when Anton Ego the great food critic came for his meal. I’d like to share part of the talk:

Waiter: [taking Ego's order] Do you know what you'd like this evening, sir?
Anton Ego: Yes, I think I do. After reading a lot of overheated puffery about your new cook, you know what I'm craving? A little perspective. That's it. I'd like some fresh, clear, well seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that?
Waiter: With what, sir?
Anton Ego: Perspective. Fresh out, I take it?
Waiter: I am, uh...
Anton Ego: Very well. Since you're all out of perspective and no one else seems to have it in this BLOODY TOWN, I'll make you a deal. You provide the food, I'll provide the perspective, which would go nicely with a bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947.
Waiter: I'm afraid... your dinner selection?
Anton Ego: [stands up angrily] Tell your chef Linguini that I want whatever he dares to serve me. Tell him to hit me with his best SHOT.

He was cynical. He had little expectations. He wasn’t expecting to get a new perspective. He was so sure of his views but in the end he was baffled out of his senses when he finally got to taste his dish and indeed he got a lot of new perspectives as can be seen in this video:



And what was actually good after all that realization and even if his career was ruined in the succeeding event was that he was transformed and ventured into something else… and the really good stuff was that he was a lot happier in the end!!! It was indeed a happy ending…

I miss watching cartoons and other movies.

And my brother promised to give me more cartoons! :)