Despite my innate ability to memorize song lyrics (that I so wish were applicable to chemical reaction mechanisms) and to come up with a song for every occasion, I knew I'd run out sooner or later. There is no song I can pull off the top of my head that describes the way I feel at this moment. It's a mix of things, really.
Sick. I feel very sick. My sore throat from last Saturday has finally developed into a full-blown cold. And thank God, too; I was beginning to think it was tonsillitis. A cold is definitely the lesser evil, despite the runny nose, postnasal drip, body malaise, and general lethargy it brings. At least I don't have a fever. It's already starting to become a cough, though, and I will soon need to bring out our trusty nebulizer. Yep, this pattern of cold-cough-asthma is one I know all too well. It hits at least once every semester, usually around the time the weather starts to change.
Shocked. I received a very late reply from Sir Sumera, my org chem professor, regarding the schedule of the chem exam (which took place two days ago). He said, Hi Carmina, Tuloy ang exam. The next thing he told me was my score in the said exam. Suffice it to say it was much better than I expected, especially since I fully expected to fail. Maybe watching the Oscars on the morning of the exam brought me luck? Remind me to never, ever miss the Oscars, especially when it falls on an exam day.
Super proud. Haha, keeping in line with the s alliteration. I'm super proud of my orgmates who were elected into the University Student Council for the academic year 2009-2010:
Titus Tan, USC Chairperson
Lee Tan, USC Councilor. Go buddy! :) Yay for the Tan dynasty!
Sad. I was with my mom at Ate Cecille's birthday party last night when she received the news about Amiel Alcantara. He was a Grade 4 student at the Ateneo who was pinned between two cars yesterday, as he was crossing the street at dismissal time. A mother was behind the wheel of the van that crashed into Amiel; she had transferred into the driver's seat after sending her driver to look for her son. It's unclear whether the van was manual and she started the engine without ensuring that the gear was on neutral, or the van was automatic and she accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake. This caused not only the crushing of a ten-year old boy in between two cars, but also a five-car wreckage. Amiel was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival, at around 5:oo PM. (For more information, read the article here.)
Such a heartbreaking, tragic accident can stir so many reactions and emotions. Sadness at the loss of a young, promising life, sympathy for the family of the bereaved, anger towards the driver, the traffic scheme imposed by the school, or to the very unfairness and senselessness of the event. I felt all of these things and more. But I am ashamed to have felt anger at the driver, the mother in the van that caused it all. Yes, she had been quite careless. I was angry at her negligence, thinking that she should be put behind bars. I even wondered why she had to send her driver to pick up her son--bakit hindi na lang siya sumundo sa anak niya?
This we might never know. What I do know is that that mother must be in an unbearable amount of pain right now, equivalent to or even greater than what the Alcantara family must be going through. For the rest of her life, she will carry with her the image of that little boy being pinned in front of her. I heard she fainted right after it happened. With the weight of the reality of what had happened, I would have fainted, too.
We have no right to blame this mother, or feel anger towards her. In fact, we should include her in our prayers. Not only should we pray for the repose of Amiel's soul, or for the strength of the Alcantara family, but for this woman as well, that she may, in time, forgive herself. It was an accident, after all. It could have happened and it can happen to any of us drivers. Let this unfortunate event serve as a reminder for us all.
Sick. I feel very sick. My sore throat from last Saturday has finally developed into a full-blown cold. And thank God, too; I was beginning to think it was tonsillitis. A cold is definitely the lesser evil, despite the runny nose, postnasal drip, body malaise, and general lethargy it brings. At least I don't have a fever. It's already starting to become a cough, though, and I will soon need to bring out our trusty nebulizer. Yep, this pattern of cold-cough-asthma is one I know all too well. It hits at least once every semester, usually around the time the weather starts to change.
Shocked. I received a very late reply from Sir Sumera, my org chem professor, regarding the schedule of the chem exam (which took place two days ago). He said, Hi Carmina, Tuloy ang exam. The next thing he told me was my score in the said exam. Suffice it to say it was much better than I expected, especially since I fully expected to fail. Maybe watching the Oscars on the morning of the exam brought me luck? Remind me to never, ever miss the Oscars, especially when it falls on an exam day.
Super proud. Haha, keeping in line with the s alliteration. I'm super proud of my orgmates who were elected into the University Student Council for the academic year 2009-2010:
Titus Tan, USC Chairperson
Lee Tan, USC Councilor. Go buddy! :) Yay for the Tan dynasty!
Sad. I was with my mom at Ate Cecille's birthday party last night when she received the news about Amiel Alcantara. He was a Grade 4 student at the Ateneo who was pinned between two cars yesterday, as he was crossing the street at dismissal time. A mother was behind the wheel of the van that crashed into Amiel; she had transferred into the driver's seat after sending her driver to look for her son. It's unclear whether the van was manual and she started the engine without ensuring that the gear was on neutral, or the van was automatic and she accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake. This caused not only the crushing of a ten-year old boy in between two cars, but also a five-car wreckage. Amiel was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival, at around 5:oo PM. (For more information, read the article here.)
Such a heartbreaking, tragic accident can stir so many reactions and emotions. Sadness at the loss of a young, promising life, sympathy for the family of the bereaved, anger towards the driver, the traffic scheme imposed by the school, or to the very unfairness and senselessness of the event. I felt all of these things and more. But I am ashamed to have felt anger at the driver, the mother in the van that caused it all. Yes, she had been quite careless. I was angry at her negligence, thinking that she should be put behind bars. I even wondered why she had to send her driver to pick up her son--bakit hindi na lang siya sumundo sa anak niya?
This we might never know. What I do know is that that mother must be in an unbearable amount of pain right now, equivalent to or even greater than what the Alcantara family must be going through. For the rest of her life, she will carry with her the image of that little boy being pinned in front of her. I heard she fainted right after it happened. With the weight of the reality of what had happened, I would have fainted, too.
We have no right to blame this mother, or feel anger towards her. In fact, we should include her in our prayers. Not only should we pray for the repose of Amiel's soul, or for the strength of the Alcantara family, but for this woman as well, that she may, in time, forgive herself. It was an accident, after all. It could have happened and it can happen to any of us drivers. Let this unfortunate event serve as a reminder for us all.
"It was an accident, after all." --- yeah true. it's not easy to realize this especially when you know how reckless the situation happened.
ReplyDeleteIt really isn't easy, especially when you read how she reacted. See my next post.
ReplyDelete