Sunday, October 13, 2013

Samaritan Heroics

Last Friday, around 2AM, I was on my way back to our place in Vito Cruz, Taft, and something you don't see a lot happened.

I just got past the LRT station when a vehicle was driving against the traffic, which ihit a car, and eventually tumbled over, crushing the driver beneath it. He slowly pushed back up his tricycle. Someone then wordlessly ran towards him, and that's when the driver moved quickly, and ran very fast away from the scene, leaving his vehicle behind.

It turns out the one who got there, was a Korean, who was chasing the guy with a huge white cellphone hugged tightly in his chest. A snatcher. The Korean stopped chasing because he looked wounded. He was barefoot and he broke his slippers. I approached him and offered help. He was alone and the onlookers wouldn't even help even though they were asking where the snatcher was. I kept on telling them where he was but they just stared and walked away shortly.

The Korean guy told me he hated it here in the Philippines because of things like that, but he was thankful for people like me. He kept on thanking me.

Anyway, he was wondering whether I could help him call the police. I was just hesitant to leave him there since the snatcher might come back for the tricycle he left behind. I saw the snatcher was still a bit near the place, but probably still wondering how he could get his trike back. I saw a patrol jeep at Vito Cruz that luckily stopped due to the red light. I called their attention and that's when the formalities started.

A first time for me. :-)

Friday, May 31, 2013

Fireflies and Butterflies

This is a story of when I was still a young child
On our trip home from somewhere far south
The road was unlit, and the night's breeze were still fresh
A sight so beautiful, I know I will never forget


I can still remember that time when I was with my cousins
At the back of our truck making all sorts of jokes and stories
When we saw tiny lights defeating the dark
A thousand fireflies making their home up above

Going years back, in our own little yard
I am a lot younger and a lot excited about the world
How small things around me could mean a lot bigger
Like that moment when a butterfly settles on a flower


And what do I find common in the life of these bugs?
Is how beautiful they are, and delicate at the same time
Trap them in a jar and enjoy their beauty
Or should I decide to let them live their lives and let them go free?

Going back to those years, I remember so clearly
I just watched afar, enjoying the scenery
I may have once or twice tried to trap them in a bottle of some sort
But that I will never do anymore, 'til the day I grow old


Now when I am grown, and these sound like kid's talk
I've still seen my own share of fireflies and butterflies in my everyday's walk
The same question I struggle to answer, should I stop them from going?
But I know what the right thing is, that is to let them keep on growing

Background:

It was last 2008 when I first wanted to write about a friend I met, and how our meeting was as short as a life of a butterfly. To tell you more, this was inspired by someone who was a grandson of one of the greatest presidents (in my opinion) of the Philippines, who lived a life in exile. We were classmates for a single term, and that friend of mine had to go back outside the country to continue his studies. I had a choice, whether to keep that butterfly in a jar and let it die, or set it free and let it live its life to the fullest. The same goes in real life, there are wonderful people that we can meet. Should we keep them from going their way and stop their journey and be selfish?

5 years later, this 2013, I met someone much like the first (note to self to refer to the date this was posted). And the meeting was as awesome when I first saw fireflies. And the same question rings in my head-whether to keep it in my jar and let it die quickly, or let it go with the others of its kind and allow me to watch them from afar.

I am not a biologist, but I know that the life of these bugs are very short, as they are fragile. In contrast to them, I have a full life ahead of me, and I must focus on that.

This writing is about letting go. Is this an easy thing to do? I bet it is not. It is needless to say that it is the right thing. Writing this now (and finally, after 5 years!) helped me settle on what is the right thing to do. I myself know how hard it is to do this, but I feel better now. Who knows, I can be in my own shell at the moment, waiting to grow out of it, right? Letting to of others can also mean letting myself move forward.

Symbolisms used:

1. Butterfly - Colourful, flight, short life, maturity
2. Firefly - light, nighttime, cigarettes, short life, innocence

*In reference to their equivalent qualities in real human life

PS

This music/video reflects this post a bit. Not sure if you will enjoy it, but I definitely like the song.