Northern Downpour

Welcome to year 2009 to one and all. It’s the year of the ox and many sages say it’s would make way for a very good year, especially for our country. Here’s crossing the fingers that the notion would particularly become truthful.

It was a long holiday we had here in the Philippines. The longest perhaps in years, like having that feeling of being transported into another dimension of reality, of existence, where there is no work whatsoever or task to do but just stay home most of the time, go visiting family and friends, having Christmas parties here and there and eating lots of foods. There were lots of foods for sure that I couldn’t take even one bit more. I should have gotten fatter; luckily I haven’t much. To think, when it’s not Christmas season we always want to eat and daydream eating lots of delicious food, like pastas and salads and chocolate cakes. It’s ironic that way.
So it’s the longest holidays as I say. And to be truthful, I did enjoy it a lot. Maybe we all did, more than last year, or some holidays in the past.

It was like an era in microcosm. So many places to go and people to meet. Brod Ruchard Natividad came vacationing from Manila and we had one nice reunion at their elegant house with all the brods – Michael Lopez, Ritchie Bucoy, John-John Elago, Rodel Bucoy, Teddy Villamagno, Marlo Atilano, JR Santiago, Joemarie Horca, Pidong Pastorfide, Sacro and with their wives Girlie, Tara, Ann, Glo, Leilyn and their kids. We at the Alumni Relations Office of WMSU had a very small but joyful Xmas get-together – Ma’am Neri Mantilla could sing so much like a real pro.

On New Year’s Day, Cousin Rose and her husband Darwish invited us to their posh house and the kids had so much fun with lots of ice cream and spaghettis.

Two days from now, it’s going to be working day once more and there’s going to be some very busy time for me. So it’s time to re-orient my frame of mind, from vacationing these longest holidays towards working and working the best that I could.

So it’s goodbye to 2008, a reasonably wonderful year for all of us I must say. And welcome to year 2009, which we all hope to be more fruitful for all of us.
As I end this New Year soliloquy, I want to thank my wife Evelyn for giving me a nice gift, a mid-size Nokia cellphone with a good music player (or would she make me pay for it on an installment basis? Hope she’s forgetful. )

And there’s this music from Panic At The Disco titled “Northern Downpour” that I kept on listening on my music player. It has so very melodic tune and very lovely lyrics. Somehow, it’s like the soundtrack of the just concluded longest holiday season in our country. Here’s a video clip if you care to want to listen to it: