April 11, 2005
And Another Death
Early yesterday morning while taking a shower, I was thinking about the people who have recently passed away. It's still a shock that they - Sherly's mom, Tito Lito, Tito Boy's dad, Kuya Kim, Ate Sarah's baby, and the Pope - all died one right after the other, within the first quarter of the year.
I could have never been any gloomier until my mom, as I stepped out from the washroom, told me that another person just died too. Sgt. Tan, our driver for a few months, had perished in Samar after being ambushed by the merciless and blatant group that is the NPA.
This reminds me of my uncle who suffered the same fate in 1985. I wasn't born then yet, but I remember the gory details of his death through my relatives' narrations. His eyeballs were taken away, his body massacred. The NPAs left him lifeless, without even a hint of charity or compassion. With those stories, I began to develop a hatred for the NPAs. Now that Sgt. Tan is dead, I'm starting to hate them more.
Ironic, isn't it? Instead of the painful acceptance that comes with the death of a loved-one, it was my anger and cry for vengeance that started to cloud over. Yet I realize, there's nothing physical that I could do in return. And even if I had the power to fight back, God would never be happy about it.
I once read from Gracia Burnham's book the reason why some Muslims are seeking retribution. They're trying to get justice for everything bad that has happened to them - especially for the AFP's atrocities against Islam. Their logic is simple. But when you reflect deeply on it, you realize that it isn't right. You don't win justice by killing more people. They are, sad to say, just complicating the entire scenario. Is that something which they could not understand?
The answer to when all the perils in the South would end, I could only guess. What I'm sure for now is that while the NPAs (and the Abu Sayyafs) continue seeking their so-called "justice" in the wrong way, more soldiers will be killed. Fatherless children will soon be statistics and - who knows, I might even be one of them.
The Busiest Days of My Life So Far
In MTC Academy (where I study Medical Transcription), my classmates are either doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical technologists, or physical therapists. My professors are all doctors. Our lectures cover Oncology, Cardiology, Surgical Procedures, IT, etc., which, on a normal basis, are studied for 6 months. But since I chose the HyperTrack schedule, I will be breezing through those in 2 months!
More or less, do you get a picture of how my life is right now?
Why All These?
People are noticing my sudden "busy-ness", "groggy-ness", and rush. The reason behind everything: we're migrating to California soon. So while I have 2-3 months left before finally leaving my homeland, I have all these preparations which include:
1. studying medical transcription (to earn while studying)
2. studying the basics of haircutting (so that we need not spend $10 for a haircut)
3. driving (no more jeepneys/tricycles there)
4. selling my clothes, books, lab paraphernalia, etc. (i couldn't bring them all)
5. cooking (of course!)
6. communicating effectively (i need it badly)
7. reaching the people who i haven't spoken to/seen for a long time
8. searching the internet for scholarships
9. thinking of what things to toss into my moving-out box
Well? I guess this entry leaves you enough material to read until my next blogging session. Until then!
