Posts tagged with random notes
Last night, I was supposed to get a respite from my usual evening classes in law school. I went home from our House of Representatives office in the middle of the afternoon after going through a check-up at the Congress’ medical facility. I hadn’t been feeling well since I woke up that morning. I remember waking up in the middle of the night with chills. I felt feverish (though the doctor said I didn’t have fever), I had a very bad headache, I was having a bad runny nose, and the beginnings of a bad cough. In other words, I felt like I was coming down with the flu.
I took a nap late in the afternoon, then I woke up early in the night to a morbid spectacle on live TV. The early evening news programs had been extended. The usual soap operas had given way to a hostage drama on simultaneous nationwide broadcast. Apparently, it was also syndicated on major global news networks. Then, unexpected turn of events happened rapidly one after another right before our very eyes. From the dramatic arrest of the hostage-taker’s brother, and his relatives wailing pleas to stop the arrest, to the actual firing of bullets from the bus, and the tenseful reporting made by the TV commentators, to the bloody end of it all.
I couldn’t believe we were seeing it all on TV! Despite the lingering moralist thought that I shouldn’t patronize this blatant sensationalism, and the ugly thought that people were dying at the very instant in the same frames and footage we were witnessing, I couldn’t take my attention off from the intense series of events. Admit it or not, we were all glued to our TV sets. How can we explain ourselves? It felt really wrong, but we couldn’t resist not to miss a second of it. Sure, we find police thrillers and action movies gratifying, but we all enjoy it with the comfort of knowing it is all faux. But last night, it was real.
There’s probably some psychological explanation to it.
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Back when I was in elementary school and high school, I used to feign dizziness and ask my mom for a visit to the opthalmologist. When I get headaches I would often say it was because of my eyes. She would often concede only to poke fun after the check-up at my false alarms of blurry visions. I can’t exactly explain why, but I’ve always wanted to wear glasses. I’d rather get glasses than get new clothes. But alas, I have always had perfect vision.
A few days ago, I was having a hard time reading the professor’s notes on the whiteboard from the back of the classroom. I was thinking it was either the handwriting was too small, or I was really experiencing a blurry vision. That night, over dinner, I once again introduced the idea of a visit to the eye clinic. Here we go again, my mother probably thought. Two days later, a visit to the eye clinic we did, and lo and behold, indeed I was experiencing astigmatism and blurriness of vision. It wasn’t something to be happy about, really, but I was, honestly, secretly excited.
Childhood frustration over. Now, until when my fascination will go on without turning into an inconvenience, I don’t know.
I’ve been trying to be as diligent as I can with my studies right now. I rarely hang out in school after class anymore, unless there are really important meetings, activities or errands. And when our internet connection was cut a few days ago, I didn’t quite mind it, as I was too busy reading cases and textbooks when I’m at home. Right now, I’m just finishing this entry before going back to my readings.
Anyway, last night, since all the other cinemas were booked because of Transformers: The Revenge of The Fallen, we found ourselves rediscovering the cinemas of Metro Manila’s first mall (okay, apparently, Harrison Plaza claims to be the older mall). The last time I was at the cinemas of Ali Mall was two or three years ago, when it was still all dingy and dark. It was the opening weekend then, I think, of The Da Vinci Code, and my friends and I gave up upon seeing the humongous crowd at Gateway Mall in Cubao. Upon my suggestion, we walked to Ali Mall and watched the movie in its large, decrepit, and largely empty cinema. Last night to our pleasant surprise, however, it’s a lot, lot better. Together with the rest of the mall, the cinemas have been renovated. The large cinema has been divided into three smaller and cozier modern theaters that look like the cinemas at Gateway. And since I don’t think a lot of people are aware of Ali Mall’s recent transformation, the box office lines were pleasantly short.
Transformers was a great visual treat. Nothing artsy-fartsy. Funny how I think like a law student sometimes even when watching movies. The moment Sam’s family home was destroyed my first thought was, damn, I wonder if their house is insured (or if the insurance policy will cover destruction by robot).
Yesterday, I went with my family to Tagaytay to pay my paternal grandfather a visit at the hospital. He’s actually been at the ICU for around two weeks here in Manila, and for that span of time my parents have been visiting him almost every day. The doctors and the family decided to have him discharged from the private Manila hospital, after the hospital bills reached the seventh digit. For quite some time already, his children–my dad and his siblings–among with other relatives have been talking about how his health has been failing terribly the past months and about his possible demise anytime soon. They’ve also made plans, apparently, for his funeral.
Despite everyone’s expectations, however, and quite fortunately enough, he’s still alive. I never really grew close to my grandfather at all, but I’m glad he’s still here. These past weeks we’ve been having unofficial family reunions almost every week.
On other family matters, my days of bringing my sister Tisay to school early in the morning and picking her up at lunch time are temporarily over. I used to enjoy doing it, but during the past few days it felt like quite a chore. One morning, I brought her to school too early so she didn’t want to go in. Though the school’s doors were open, she insisted on staying out and waiting for her classmates. Because I grew quite impatient, I told her I have to leave and if she wanted to wait for her classmates before going in, she could wait without me. Before I stepped into the car, I saw her crying silently and alone in the bench. It wasn’t the usual bratty-type of crying I quite detest of a brat, but the silent and genuine type that just crushed my heart. It was too cute, and too heart-breaking, I decided to walk back to her and stay. Bought her a happy meal after picking her up.
law student, film school graduate, student leader, youth activist, Kabataan Partylist legislative officer