Power of Relationship

"The Eskimos have hundreds of words for snow but we've invented three times that many words for relationships. What really defines a relationship?"

-Carrie Bradshaw

Last night my dad, after several rounds of lung-tearing screams and yells from my mom, admitted that he has an infidel relationship with a woman named Aurora. How long the relationship has been in existence or how it existed, I am not sure. Nor do I want to find out. The truth is I’m not really all that bothered by the current situation my parents are facing. Dad has been having other women left and right ever since I can remember. One thing this gave me however is a whole bunch of questions about relationships.

“What guarantee do we have in a relationship?”

“Are relationships worth giving it your all if you have no proof that it’ll last?”

“When we speak of proofs or guarantees in a relationship, what are these? Where are these proofs? Where should they come from?”

“If a relationship fails, does that mean the proofs no longer exist? And did they ever exist in the first place?”

“Can one mistake kill all the proofs of a relationship at once?”

I won’t say that I’m an expert when it comes to relationships. Nor would I claim that I know a thing or two about it. But this I can say: Relationships are like the battery of a mobile phone. You’ll never know when you might get a call or a text message that can leave the battery low. But you wait for the call. You recharge the battery because you need the phone. But there’s a possibility that you might receive another call- one that may take longer and can possibly drain the battery of its energy.

But when do you change the battery? When do you decide the phone’s not working for you anymore and you throw it away and find a new one. One with a new battery? Perhaps. Are there occasions when you simply throw the phone yet keep the battery?

Or do you sometimes change the battery but use the same phone?

What signals do you wait for to recharge the battery? Is the battery worth the effort of recharging?

In this jungle of relationships we’re living in people act like animals when in the prospect of gaining a new battery or phone. And one just can’t help but feel helpless when a more vicious animal comes to use their phone or drain its battery.

A Lighter Shade of Brownout

Today is March 04, 2010 and this is the second time that we experienced the infamous rotating brownout this week. The cutting off of electric supply in our area lasted for a little more than an hour and might have brought about countless curses and numerous phone calls to Meralco by residents; but I thought that doing these things, satisfying they may be, will not help. So while my brother was busying himself by throwing countless swears to the air, I tried to find some sort of silver lining in the middle of this electricity-less, reason-draining, faint-provoking noon.

One of the most obvious and probably lease appreciated benefit of the noon brownout is the fact that it allows for calorie shedding to happen. Since I am living in a tropical country in the middle of the El Nino phenomenon coupled with the effects of Global Warming, the temperature here right now is insane.

I’m talking about yesterday being the hottest day ever recorded in the history of Metro Manila.

And although this may seem a bad thing for most, and maybe it is, I see it as an effortless way to take the hamburger and fries I ate yesterday off my system. And that’s not the best part of it. Using a paper fan to cool yourself down serves as another inevitable excuse to burn fat by exercising and toning your arms.

During situations like these, water intake is also almost doubled without you actually realizing it, thus, allowing better body circulation and a chance to wash down toxins in your digestive track.

Without power to make the television, radio, computer and notebook work, people are forced out of their sedentary lifestyle and this gives way for more physical and productive activities to while away the time like cleaning the house. This also permits social network addicts to get away from their computers and actually go out to talk to their family members and neighbors and catch up on things. The situation is like hitting 3 birds with one stone (but instead of you throwing the stone, it’s the electric company that throws it and you benefit). You get to socialize with your neighbors, develop your communications skills in the process all the while without making any effort (at least if you are in civil terms with your neighbors). You might even chance up on some food sharing if your neighbor’s generous.

Children also benefit from this powerless condition because they are allowed by their parents or guardians to go out and play with the neighbors’ children. Again, allowing socializing as well as physical activities.

As for me, the situation is the perfect set-up to put my thinking and observing into action. Situations like these can bring varying reactions to people with different attitudes and perspectives, and observing them is one of the best ways to pass time.