With the heavy rains of last September deciding to extend into early this month and turning the city streets into raging waterways, I always find myself staring up the ceiling at night, praying the storms banging at the roof would finally stop and at least let the weary travelers and stranded commuters get home at last. Countless times, we would arrive home just in the nick of time.
Imagine, as if on cue, seconds after closing the front door, the first heavy drops could be heard, quickly gathering momentum and pelting the street outside while making snare drum and cymbals out of the roof above us. Even with blessings like that, there is still that disturbing thought fervently wishing thousands lining the streets one passed by earlier have finally sought shelter from the rains.
Yet for this week however, more little blessing come unexpected despite the angry heavens. Some portions of the subdivision have suddenly been without water for five days because of the pumps servicing them have conked out. As it is, affected residents had to line up with their containers in only two available free water sources within the subdivision. Later, during some afternoons and early evenings, barangay firetrucks would position along intersections to do the same. All these made possible, after non-stop complaints by disgruntled home owners who continually posted on our subdivision home page, pleading suburbia and homeowner officials (and the authorities up in heaven) to help them in this hours of need. As subdivision officials indeed opened some pipes, the barangay likewise sent firetrucks and last but not least, the heavens opened up pronto.
Alas, we can’t win them all. Every time there’s a heavy downpour, we all have this collective fear that other fellow Dabawenyos living in low-lying areas might be up to their necks in water. As an aside, friends sometimes ask if it ever floods in our area. I always say, if it did, we’d be more worried with the downtown areas because we’re so high up in what once was the boondocks.
Even as the image of being up to our necks in water might appear to be beyond us, what appears more real is being up to one’s neck in unceasing whines and moans coming from those who rant over almost anything. this is why, except for communications and posting articles, I keep to a minimum tussling with hot topics on the net lest I open any floodgate.
Clearly, I relate with those who cry about having no water for both drinking and other related uses in the house. Same with social issues too, but never for entertainment and sports. If we were to sift through all the noise and squabbles, putting aside the valid ones, there still would remain a huge number coming from people who are beyond any contentment, entitled enough to not see anything that’s agreeable to their liking in life.
Interestingly, I do not know why they call such people Karens in the States. Just for curiosity, I wonder what they’re called in other countries.
