Channeling Erin Brockovich, "Suba" in Bataan

"So this is what Erin Brockovich felt"

Last weekend, I stayed holed up in my room to complete a job I committed for a friend. Nothing illicit nor illegal, it was just unusual. I was asked to channel Erin Brockovich by reading a bunch of laws and looking for patterns. Interestingly enough, I had fun. I mean surely, these laws are boring, vague and a tad bit outdated, but it was fun because somebody actually wrote these things. I was impressed by how these laws were written, each word was well thought out. I just wish that these laws were "REAL". By real I mean implemented, enforced and respected by the community. I know very little about the industry these laws were made for, but I know a friend who is in that industry and she attests that if these laws were actually in use, her business would be more robust.

Nonetheless, I felt like I did something important for this country. And that is always a good thing.

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"Suba"

Two weekends ago, I spent my Sunday on a farm. This is no farmville, no organic garden with a posh restaurant. No this is a for-real farm. Our hosts were using hardcore tagalog words like, "Gasak, giik, suba" in their conversation. They are a classic farming family and it inspired me to aspire having one. Seriously, I want one! The idea of picking fruit fresh from trees, being surrounded by miles of "palay", fresh air. Ahh. It was beautiful and fun! Time crept so slow that Sunday that I felt the true definition of being relaxed. Is it because if the world goes crumbles at that moment, we're surrounded by food and won't die as fast as those plagued by a lack of access to food? Is it because this is a place where life is cultivated, allowed to creep slowly in time and it was okay to just exist without being rushed to do everything all the time? This is heaven for a procrastinator like me.

But getting there was a long drive, and for once, I'm so happy that I didn't have to be the driver that day.

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