Typhoon @ MindSay

            I was reading the prophet Zephaniah a couple of days ago.

            Yikes.

             “I will completely remove all things

             From the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

             “I will remove man and beast;

             I will remove the birds of the sky

            And the fish of the sea,

            And the ruins along with the wicked;

            And I will cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

            Here’s a prediction about the days to come: the next, sad revelation for the United States and for the West will be that democracy, that great, shining hope for mankind, doesn’t work.  When the majority of the people in a nation are evil, democracy will simply become an agent for that evil.  This will be another one of God’s ways of telling us that man’s best ideas just don’t work without Him.

            Please don’t think that I’m somehow anti-democracy.  I’m not.  I cherish democracy.  It’s the best system available.  However, it will not work without Him.

            On a different and hopefully unrelated note, please pray for the people of the Philippines.  A devastating typhoon has ripped through their country.

Yesterday, a typhoon named Milenyo (internationally known as Xangsane) ravaged Metro Manila at the speed of 130 kph. Classes were declared suspended until today. I was safe here at home, but I watched the winds outside rip trees off the ground. Now, the winds and rains have stopped, although the sky remains cloudy, and the aftermath isn't so bad over here where I am--the worst part of it for me was the power outage, which lasted for one entire day. However, I know that the damage elsewhere is severe: there've been quite a number of casualties due to floods, fires, and flying debris such as billboards, trees, and even cars. There was even a man who died because his wall caved in on him.

It is truly frightening to see the fury of nature.

During the rest of the previous week, before the onset of the typhoon, I was terribly busy with numerous projects and activities. That's all I can say, really. The finals are coming up in two weeks. To be honest, I can't wait; I just want to have them over and done with so that I can finally have my deserved semestral break and finally attend my Capping and Pinning Ceremony at the start of the new semester. Once I have that cap, I'll become a full-fledged Student Nurse intern! But then, I'm jumping ahead of myself. I have to surmount the finals first. Good God.

Oh, but before I forget, I had a great time last Saturday with my friends, celebrating yet another of our birthdays. The celebration was held in the celebrant's house. We had Starbucks, ate a lot, played Taboo, and probably scared the neighbors with our mad karaoke skills. Oh, and that was the memorable day in which we invented the epic of the genie residing in the crimson paper made by blind Japanese monks living in Mt. Huku-Huku (which is invisible) and is stained with the blood of the Himalayan virgin priestesses from Mt. Kilamanjaro. And it is said that to unleash the genie, one must rub the words "Huku-Huku" 2000 times, counting after each one, after which the person must recite an incantation, which is found in one of the pages of the sacred book wrapped in the special crimson paper. The incantation is invisible, and can only be read on Mt. Huku-Huku itself. Now, I could go on telling you the entire story, including how it actually came about, but I'd take up an hour typing it, so I'll leave you with that interesting tidbit.

And that's about it, really.

 I went jogging this afternoon. The best time to go out is right after a full blown typhoon. The ground is still damp and fragrant from the rain, and the harsh sunshine becomes mellow and almost playful through the branches of the trees. Plus, there are few people walking about yet.

 My mistake was bringing my iPod... and playing Queen's Don't Stop me Now. The song is so happy, and so dancey, I was lured into shamelessly breaking out into song. And it wasn't the proper soft way you usually sing to yourself. It was all out, full lunged, devil-may-care wailing and I enjoyed every minute of it. Suddenly I was no longer running, but skipping and prancing and flailing my hands around like a true fool. Proof that the child in me has not died but only been biding its time.

 That was when I caught sight of something red moving out of the corner of my eye. The T-shirt of an old man walking his dog. Both were agape with shock.

 I turned and ran, laughing and laughing.

 On my way home, I passed by them again. I could see the man smirking and pretended I didn't notice.

Well, it's been an interesting week of ups and downs.

I guess I'll start with chronological importance.

I'm running the household now because an emergency has sprung up and both of my parents are out of town, attending to other matters (health issues, actually--don't want to discuss it just yet). It's a bit frightening to be in charge of everything, from the mundane (such as the menu for the day) to the new and intimidating (such taking care of all household expenses). I know that I'll only be doing it for a few days, but it's still a rather intimidating thought. Ah, well.

Classes were suspended last Wednesday afternoon and yesterday due to a strong typhoon that's been ravaging the country. And seeing as how poor my country is in reality, the sights are not palatable. The trail of ruined infrastructures and deaths is most certainly not desirable.

I have makeup class tomorrow, since classes were suspended for one day and a half.

Watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest during the half day that classes were suspended. It was fabulous. Much more complex and exciting than I expected. And the Jack/Elizabeth angle . . . yummy. I won't reveal any more. But suffice it to say I squee-d to no end when I saw the ending. (I always liked Captain Barbossa.) The reappearances of past characters also made the movie so much more delectable.

I'm totally brainwashed by High School Musical. I'm totally loving it. I want to buy the soundtrack.

Just bought the DVD of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe today. I'm excited to watch it over the (limited) weekend.

My secret's out. My friends know who it is I pine for. Oh, God.

And . . . I think that's about it. I wish I could relax today, but I have a quiz to study for tomorrow, so . . . fat chance. Sigh.

That's it. Ta.