#45

Learn to give yourself away
To live beyond your own world
And i can tell you
That point you do
Your life will begin to make a difference

Why is it during points of depression that I find inspiration? Maybe it's at those crucial growing points that I learn that we're all capable of strength beyond our knowledge. Once we face that difficulty, we know we have that resiliance in us because we've already proven ourselves.

It was raining hard Saturday and I didn't think much of it, other than the fact that it was hard to sleep what with the wind and raindrops hitting against the windows. I told my roommate that I couldn't sleep and she asked, "You're not used to rain?"

"No, not really. California doesn't really experience much rainy seasons," I said.
"The rain right now actually scares me right now.. Ano bayan?! Talaga!" Now this means i can't go home, I thought. Oh no.

So I stayed inside the condo and watched Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights with my roommates. It reminded me of how I need to find a Spanish boy so we can both dance seductively on the dance floor and then I went upstairs to eat. Mama Rez, Gracelle and I watched an awesome video of some korean girls singing! They were so cute, I wish I had a pocket version of them so whenever I'm sad, they could cheer me up with their lil dance moves and coordinated outfits.

I started wishing I was korean but then I remembered I didn't need to be 'cause I'm already talented so I went to bed, kindof upset that both Daddy and Shimmy forgot to pick me up. Hopefully it doesn't rain tommorow, I prayed. The next day it stopped for a bit.. until it began sprinkling again. I arrived back in Mandaluyong at our townhouse after Daddy picked me up, telling me how he'll be leaving me soon and I would be in Philippines by myself for December. I whimpered. When I went to my room, I noticed the roof had started leaking and my bed was wet. Oh-no-you-didn't.

So I decided that I could finally call Ate and wish her a happy birthday! But lo and behold- the electricity was out! Bitches n hoes! My bed, my electricity. What's REALLY going on?! About four painful hours later the electricity went on..I jumped for joy. I also heard the neighbors shout too... and a lil boy shout also. So adorable.

Finally, I was able to go online. I did my usual run-down of responding to my fans on fb but when I logged onto twitter, I noticed Philippines was a trending topic. Mind you- trending topics are what the most popular subjects in people's "tweets" (statuses for you n00bs), so I was pleasantly surprised. How could Philippines be a TT?! Then I read about the Typhoon! I had no idea it was THAT huge, I mean.. I've noticed flooding in Philippines before, and I know people sometimes ride on boats in the streets when it gets extreme.. but when I learned that the amount of rain that dropped in the typhoon exceeded the amount of water in Hurricane Katrina I couldn't believe it. IT'S THAT SERIOUS. And here I was in my own world, too busy thinking about not going home, my bed getting wet, and the electricity going out.. when just provinces away people were losing their homes beneath flooding of water. The typhoon in the Philippines was reaching an international level of importance. This BBC report giving personal accounts particularly painted a painful picture of the reality that was happening:

I spent the night with mothers weeping over their children and relatives trapped on rooftops by floodwaters. These people have been on the rooftops for 24 hours without food and water, lashed by wind and rain. The mothers were at work when the flooding happened and they got stranded with me, unable to go home. Strange how I could have internet access during the disaster to describe this experience on Facebook, while the government struggles with a scarcity of rescue equipment.
Ramil Digal Gulle, Cavite

After I read that, I felt so embarassed of myself, how selfish of me to be thinking about electricity and going home, when something like this was happening? Human beings are naturally like that though, all we care is about me me me. What am I going to do today? I better get what I want or else I'm not gonna be happy!

We live in an interconnected world though, and we have a responsibility to reach out, to rescue others, not only phsyically in the sense of the typhoons but in everything. How ridiculously beautiful this world would be if people woke up each morning determined to better the life of not themselves but of other people. That's the world I want to fight for.

It only takes one, just one.

And then one follows the other one
And then the other follows another one
Next thing you know you got a
b i l l i o n
People are doing some wonderful things
People are doing some powerful things
Let's change.


UnityCouldBeAWonderfulThing

I chose to be one.
Will you? Help Philippines National Red Cross help others.