At home, on the other hand, I’m busier than a bee, trying to fit as many DVDs as I can into one day, in between household chores and daughter disturbance. Not to mention husband disturbance. The addiction is quite new to me, as I wasn’t really a movie person when I was a student and even when I started working. (Of course, there wasn’t DVD at that time) With DVDs easier to get these days, however, Mel brought home bags of DVDs that can last us a whole month or more, given other distractions. Still, I managed to borrow some other movies from officemates so it’s like….hmmm, I should tell my husband to consider putting up a swapping shop like DVD swapping, book swapping, magazine swapping. There has to be guidelines and quality requirements though. I can’t swap my good magazines for one that’s missing a page or so.
Anyway, to make up for the lost days, here goes:
FLASHBACK: Friday, March 7 – Petals and thorn
It was a special day because I went to Malacañang with my family to view the relics of St. Therese of Lisieux, more popular as “St. Therese of the Child Jesus” or “The Little Flower” (This is the picture of young Therese).
It was an invitation from the sister of an officemate who works in Malacañang. This was the second time the relics visited the
So now I thought, since the opportunity presented itself again, I might as well take it, even if it meant I had to rush out of the office at exactly
Talk about temptations, the challenge for this day began on Thursday. Regie, my boss, called Nina and me over for an emergency meeting. The other magazine, Electronics, needed help with its edits as its VM had to take a one-month emergency leave. She had an emergency operation in the ovary, a cyst ruptured and had to be removed. Nina and I took one report each and the deadline is on this day, March 7. So that means I had to deliver this report before taking off for the relic viewing.
I did, photo-finish. My family, except Mel who had work and couldn’t join us for the viewing, was already waiting for me outside the office. We took a taxi to Malacañang. Through the driver’s skillful maneuvers along sidestreets and alleys, we made it to the Palace area at past 6:00, only to find out that the relics had been delayed (it was coming from Bacolod, and was still preparing for takeoff at this time), and that entry of guests was temporarily stopped. So we walked to the
Security checking took about 15 to 20 mins, especially since the guards were a little slow in checking names from the pre-registry list. Once inside the grounds, we were made to sit outside while awaiting the arrival of St. Therese’ relics. After another half hour, activity picked up in the grounds. A group of people who were dressed in the same style arrived, and we assumed they were members of the choir. A man in chef’s apron was walking around from one area to the other. (‘Were they serving food?’ Nina’s sister had asked, via text message thru Nina. I said there was no sign of hot plates or buffet setups but this chef- aproned man was a sign that something was cooking.)
When we sensed that many new arrivals had began settling themselves in an indoor venue filled with chairs (which appeared to be the main viewroom), we asked one of the employees if it was indeed the viewroom, and if we could already go inside. He said ‘yes’, so we went and picked chairs that gave us a good view of the front as well as of the rest of the room. Nina texted that they were already by the main gate of Malacañang, but were still eating snacks, as her little nephews and nieces were there. One nephew broke a tooth and the mother had to look for a dentist. I told her there were no more seats inside, but there were plenty at the grounds.
Less than 10 minutes after we moved inside, there was a commotion in the grounds. The relics had arrived – together with its entourage of people. My brother who, at that time, was standing outside to ask where the restroom was, happened to be standing exactly where the relics would enter. He managed to snatch a handful of rosebuds from the bed of the relics’ glass-and-gold case and he distributed it to us later.
Meanwhile, all the people inside the room had stood up, preparing to welcome the relics as it enters. I think two or three people were carrying the relics’ case and a woman at the back was holding a pail. Every two steps, she dips her hand into the pail filled with rose petals and throws it over the relics, allowing it to fall to the floor. When we began to move towards the pail, she said we should be picking the petals that had already fallen from the relics, and not the petals that were still inside the pail. We did exactly what she said. A funny sight of very well-dressed people bending to pick up fallen petals in the aisle! Oh well, what the heck. Pick. Pick. Pick.
The relics were laid on a stand in an inner viewing room, surrounded by white roses (Therese was already a nun in this picture). The inner room was accessible through the bigger room, where we are, and through an opening from the corridor outside.
I looked up at the aisle and saw only a tall woman in white top and black pants moving hastily to the front. Her attire kinda reminded me of the PSG. Then it dawned on me. I glanced quickly at the inner room, and finally saw who they were talking about. She was looking at the relics, standing tall in her full 4ft and some inches. She was about my height, I realized excitedly, and at that moment, my hatred of her seemed to have vanished and was replaced by pity. Despite the image of strength and nonchalance she adopts, her “smallness” was very evident on this day as she stood there without her entourage of cabinet members and loyal liars, with whom she made that stupid ‘walk of unity’.
President GMA slowly turned around and walked towards her seat in front of our room. She glanced ‘shyly’ at all of us and nodded and smiled a few times at some individuals she probably recognized from past acquaintances. Without her sidekicks, she appeared weak and small, someone you’d instinctively protect from her enemies even if you didn’t know her and her background. I looked down at her footwear. Three-inch heeled wedges. Ha! I’m taller by a few inches. It made me soar. I may be working my butt out and not getting as much as I wanted, and she may be lying in a bed of roses and getting all she wants, but I’m taller than the president, so I have something she doesn’t have – the few extra inches. Whehehehe.
My disdain of her came back. Who wouldn’t hate her and her husband, after all this circus of lies they’ve been doing in connection with the National Broadband Network? The mass began, and it was officiated by the chaplain of Muntinlupa prison, who was very “sipsip” to the president. Kulang nalang lagyan niya si GMA ng honey, syrup, molasses, at gawing crepe topped with choco syrup. Kung hindi lang dahil kay St Therese, I would have walked out of that room at that moment.
By the time GMA walked down the aisle with Juan Ponce Enrile and his ageing wife Cristina, as offerors, my dislike of her had gone full swing. I can also see that many people there were just restraining themselves from throwing balls of petals at the country’s biggest thorn. I’m glad the mass ended quickly and we squeezed ourselves in line to view St Therese. As I was struggling for breath, sandwiched between a stout praying woman and a mother carrying her child, just in front of the relics, I saw Nina and Knell. I barely had time to wave “hello” than the crowd moved once more and pinned me to the relic case. I said a few heartfelt prayers while touching the case, and bent down to pick a couple of white roses.
Getting out of that inner room was as much of a challenge as it was going in. I looked around for Nina and her husband but I couldn’t see them anymore. We waited for Mama to struggle her way out and we all walked together in the Palace grounds towards the gate, as members of the Society distributed prayer cards and fans with St Therese’ Shrine in the picture. Mel called that he was already waiting at the Malacañang gate near St Jude. No sign of Nina and her family. We were already on the road when she texted that they had left. I thanked her for the invitation, noting that seeing the thorn had made my day.
