Bowing to Higher Powers...

There is something liberating about the feeling of powerlessness when experienced, especially in today's world. This story starts out as just a regular weekend at home in Santa Rosa, Laguna, doing what I always do, where I just stay awake until I feel that gravity just feels a little bit stronger and my body ready to collapse to fall asleep as soon as I lay down the bed. But this just wasn't the day. I had heard that a typhoon was going to pass through the Philippines again after Ondoy had left its mark on our humble archipelago. But this next one was not at all like I expected it to be. I was quietly going about my business in front of my laptop when suddenly I was hearing gushes of strong wind outside. It was still okay as I thought that it would be over soon and the rains would come pouring down. But the sounds didn't stop , the typhoon was after all mostly wind. The winds suddenly grew faster and faster, the sound stronger and stronger, in a flash the lights went out and though my laptop could run on batteries for quite a while, I found I had no internet connection. I felt like a child with my favorite toy being taken away. Dumbfounded, I had nothing to do. Luckily it was 2:00 a.m. at that time and I was already feeling the drunkenness of not having slept. I thought of how I would feel if I went outside and stood against the wind's wrath. I wanted to go outside, but seeing how the trees were shaking, debris flying all over the place, and our banana tree breaking, I chickened out from the thought of dying from being hit by flying rocks. I realized that I wasn't ready to die. So I tried to content myself with opening the window in my room, experiencing a smaller version of the devastation I saw outside.