Darwin’s Journal

By: Tyra ‘nell E. Pille

He hates writing, but it’s quite ironic that he was able to write this much after an unforgettable experience they had at Barangay Lorega where they made a lot of children smile with their feeding program and grocery-packs giving.

Darwin narrated not just about what happened on the day of their activity, but also included the group’s preparation with a little romantic twist and turns in life. Such narrative and descriptive stories all surrounded their charitable and generous activity. Find out what inspired Darwin to write this much words in just one sitting.

July 31, 2009

Friday

It was during after the Jobless Society’s philanthropic activity held at Barangay Carreta when couple, Joel and Zyra, two of the organization’s members went on a meaningful date at a grocery store.

I called it “meaningful” because such date wasn’t at all for romance purposes but for a good cause, as well. They were out on a date to do their task for tomorrow’s grocery packages distribution and feeding activity. Thus, they were out not on a romantic date but to shop for the list of goods needed for the groceries to be given away.

Despite the couple’s undertakings during the day, which I chose not to mention here, they were still able to accomplish their goal before the grocery store closed at 9 in the evening. It was a relief for the two to get out of the store while double-checking on all the items on the list. They were ready to call for a cab, when suddenly, an angel knocked on Joel’s head. It’s when they realized they had forgotten to purchase a 50-kilo sack of rice. It was supposed to be one of the most important items on the list. How could they ever forget it! “Damn,” was all Joel could ever say, but thanked the angel of memory for calling their attention to it, anyway.

Unfortunately, the happy couple’s date would just have to continue in a few hours for time was running fast and the group still had a lot of repacking to do. So, Joel called on a cab to let Zyra in and take their purchases to Ruby’s place in Labangon, where Ruby and I waited for the items, just about twenty-minute drive away from the grocery store.

I felt happy that the goods were already within our sight, but yet, felt a little disappointed that my private moment with Ruby, who’s my girlfriend, was interrupted. Well, if Zyra isn’t my friend, I would have just have gotten the goodies and shoved her off the house. Ha, ha, ha… but I couldn’t do that ofcourse. My friend, Joel would surely kick me hard in the ass!

Kidding aside, let me point the spot light back to the lovers in the grocery store. They were happily reunited after a few minutes when Joel came rushing past Ruby’s gate, laden with the sack of rice and into the room where we were already in the process of repacking the goods for distribution. A kiss from Zyra wouldn’t hurt at all after a job well done, would it? And perhaps another kiss for me from my beloved beau would surely complete the moment as well. Nah, I cut off my imagination anyway and concentrated back to what we were doing. I would have another special moment with Ruby later on when these two would hit the road towards their humble abode.

Anyway, let’s get back to Joel. A few minutes after a few tossing and twisting with a little drop of sweat trickling form the side of his forehead, he asked the group’s permission to excuse him for a blood screening. He volunteered to donate for his few-months-old niece who’s currently confined at the hospital. Oh, what a sweet and unselfish species Joel is. I’m glad he’s my friend.

It led me into thinking; if I would be confined in a hospital, too, would my beloved girlfriend, sitting beside me, donate her blood for me, too, or perhaps, would my friend, Joel do it for me? Nah, what am I thinking again, I just couldn’t stop my imagination from wandering off. I’ve got to hurry up repacking these things so I could have a sweet and romantic moment with my girlfriend later on.

So, it left me with the two girls, Zyra and my girl. We continued repacking until past 9 in the evening. At last, before the clock struck 10:30, we heaved a sigh of relief as the 60 grocery packs sat in a huge pile in front of us, ready to be distributed for the next day. Joel then came back a few minutes after we finished everything, just at the nick of time.

I thought Joel’s day would end after he left a few hours ago, but the spotlight moved back to him again. He came back, and together with Zyra, they left Ruby’s place and headed straight home. I grinned widely. At last! I could have Ruby all to myself tonight. Nevertheless, I chose not to take the opportunity to have romantic moments with her considering the busy day that lay ahead of us. I also forgot to mention, it’s sad to say that Zyra and Joel wouldn’t be able to attend the activity the next day to prepare for their worship service on Saturday. Well then, that would put the spotlight back to me, thanks to Joel. It would give me enough time to tell you about my love story. But then again, I changed my mind.

August 1, 2009

Saturday

Against All Odds

“It’s raining men! Alleluia, it’s raining men… Amen!” I sang silently to myself as I watched the droplets of rain by my girlfriend’s window pane as they fell like tiny diamonds from the blue-grayish sky. I shivered a bit from the cold temperature, drifting my mind back to my cozy bed and soft pillow. Ruby woke me up from my dreamy state as she tapped my right shoulder lightly.

“Baby, it’s time to go to Dave’s place. We don’t want to get charge for a fine of a hundred and fifty pesos for missing the call time, do we?” My girlfriend said with a sweet smile that suddenly brought energy to my entire body. That’s when I remembered that the call time was supposed to be 10:30 in the morning, and we barely had 30 minutes for travel. I didn’t want to miss my P150 for just a three-minute late; neither would we want to pay P300 for a fifty-minute tardiness nor missed my Ninoy Aquino for a thirty-minute tardy.

So, we had a quick preparation and refreshment. Then together with my beau and Marjohn who just arrived ten minutes ago, I placed all the sixty grocery packs for give-ways inside a big sack and in three cardboard boxes. We then hurried up towards Dave’s place only to find out that the JS fund would be P900 richer because of the three of us. We were fourteen minutes late. Damn their clocks! Why wasn’t it late? I said to myself. Whew, so much for being such in a hurry!

To make the matter worse, we realized that we’re slowly developing memory gap because we became too forgetful lately. We’ve just forgotten all the prizes for the games! Now, as I said, I was getting forgetful. I even forgot what happened next. Therefore, let the rest of the story be a history now.

Moving forward, when we arrived at the corner heading towards our event’s venue, the rain poured hard on us as the wind increased its intensity. “Is there a typhoon?” It made us asked one another. I checked the time. It was already 10:51, yet we couldn’t do anything else but just stayed silently in the car, staring at the gloomy weather outside. We didn’t mind the passiveness since we were also waiting for Dave and the rest of the JS volunteers to arrive, considering that we need additional work force to carry all the packages to the venue due to a very challenging pathway heading there. The road leading to the chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, where the group would be giving away the grocery items, was too narrow that only one person could pass at a time.

Four minutes after, the rest of the team arrived. However, it’s unfortunate that Eric and Annelene Joy, another JS members caught a fever. They were not able to join the group.

We slowly passed on the big white boxes of cement on the way to the venue of our event. But wait! I realized that they were not just any ordinary cemented boxes, but graves! It’s when I heard Daddy Lito telling us they were indeed graves. He said the place used to be a cemetery, but I though it’s status still hasn’t changed into a full residential place now, considering the number of tombs standing proudly everywhere in the area. However, it’s quite ironic that there is more life in the place than the number of tombs in the area. The place didn’t obviously look like a cemetery at a first glance, since the tombs are near an Artisan well while some are near the door steps or “raised” roofs of the residents’ houses. Creepy as it goes, but it’s quite amazing and indeed interesting how these people managed to maintain their living at the place. I just couldn’t imagine living there.

Nevertheless, the expressions of the children waiting for us anxiously answered one of the many questions I have in mind. Happiness is not just found on the things that can be bought. These children didn’t complain to have lived in such kind of place. Their big smiles that exuded utmost excitement showed their contentment of what they have and their thirst for surprises that lies ahead. It’s their undaunted happiness and contentment that were engraved in my heart and what I learned at that moment while we slowly approached the group.

The Activity Proper

When we reached the chapel in Barangay Lorega, the residents – children and their parents – welcomed up warmly. I could feel their sincere smiles, despite few missing teeth in between their smiles. Then the activity formally started with a prayer that was led by the children living in the area. It was followed with a short opening remark from Manolito Ardimer, the main organizer of the activity, whom we fondly call “Daddy Lito.”

While the parents were preparing for our lunch, we also spent the time having fun with their children by playing different games we suddenly had in mind.

Led by our game master, Lyndon Dave Ardimer, we played “Bring me” and “Muk-asim,” a contest for the ugliest face. We didn’t have enough space to play group games since the place is too small for such activity, since the small chapel is surrounded by houses. Nevertheless, this didn’t hinder the children from enjoying the games we prepared for them. They even showed us their talents in singing and dancing during the games. Most of the children’s favorite songs include “My Bukas Pa (There’s still Tomorrow),” and the famous religious song, “Who Am I.” I was even awed by a child who sung Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” I dreamed of singing that song when I was in high school, but it’s such a sad thing that no matter how much I love to sing, singing just wouldn’t love me back. So, I just listened and continued being awed with the girl’s musical talent, anyway.

Though, we forgot the prizes we prepared for the games, yet, it’s still a good thing we had extra goodies and supplies at hand, like a pack of Cloud 9, a famous local chewy chocolate candy, some chocolate bars, pencils and other goodies that were already enough to draw smiles on the children’s small faces.

After the games, the food committee didn’t finish preparing for our lunch yet, so we decided to do the grocery-packs distribution so the children could slowly go out of the place since the small space is making them uncomfortable. It wouldn’t be enough to accommodate all their undying energy. Despite the rain that slowly showered on us, we still managed to give a charming smile to Marjohn, who’s taking our pictures every now and then.

A gift-pack composed of about one kilo of rice, a can of sardines, a pack of noodles, one Moo chocolate drink, a sachet of Milo powder, a small pack of cereal powder and two biscuits was paid off with the resident beneficiaries’ sincere smiles. These are the real things that are worth keeping.

At exactly 12:25, we finally distributed all the gift packs to our beneficiaries while the rain then poured heavily on us. So, the children scampered on their feet to look for a good place to shelter themselves from the mad weather. Despite such dilemma, the children waited patiently and excitedly for their names to be called for their sumptuous lunch composed of rice and Ginamay, a soup concoction of pork, red long chili peppers and potatoes. While the four of the parents distributed the food, some JS members and volunteers also lined at the opposite end of the place for the distribution of the Nestea and OK Juice Drinks in a systematic way, notwithstanding the soft pound of the rain against our heads.

I didn’t really mind being soaked by the rain, because I felt so sexy with my wet looks. I just hoped that time, that Ruby noticed it. Oh! What was I thinking; let me go back to my serious recollection of the event.

At last, everybody had their share of the delectable lunch. We all munched our food heartily and delightedly. When everybody has been done with their share, parents and children thanked us with huge grins on their faces that signified their sincere appreciation of the organization’s charitable acts. The unfeigned “thank you’s” from the people embedded deep in our hearts and I could say, it’s such a memorable event that’s worth to be cherished.

Hit the Road Home

As we paved our way towards the main road, I was thankful for the graves in the area because they helped us avoided mud and swampy roads caused by the pouring rain. Daddy Lito, with his handsome nephew, Lyndon Dave and the rest of the volunteers composed by Jason Catulpos, Erik Cananea, Rex Warren and Daddy Lito’s friend walked their way home, while Marjohn, my girlfriend and I took the cab home. I didn’t want my girl to get wet by the rain, so I had to call on a cab fast. I spotted Marjohn looking at us. “Poor Marjohn, you’d better get a girlfriend fast, or you’ll just keep on envying us…” I thought to myself while I smiled at him.

At last, we got on a cab and headed fast home. Then the rest of the travel on the way back home was history. All I remembered was the feeling of putting my arms around my girlfriend and hugging her tight at the back seat of the cab after a productive event we had. As for Marjohn? He sat silently on the passenger seat, with no one to hug.

A Private Moment at my Room

Whew! As I sat down in front of my desk, writing this journal, I have learned so many things that words are incapable of describing and scribbling down, that’s why I just narrated what happened during the past days up to this time of writing. The thought of giving happiness to 60 children, including their families with our activity was indeed overwhelming.

We could’ve done such activity at the Chinese Cemetery in July in line with our Nutirition Month activities. However, we had to postpone it due to the many schedules of internment in the place. I believe I have found the reason why it was postponed and why we had to choose another place instead.

Meeting new faces in Barangay Lorega was just one of the many reasons why destiny led us there this day; establishing a good relationship with another set of beneficiaries was also another thing, while the rest were already embedded in my heart. For I believe, such experience is indescribable and only the heart could ever recall the feelings back to reality.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Her weird and at times tactless choices of words, yet in a more abstract manner and extremely aesthetic style in writing made it more interesting and attractive to the readers who tends to be more appreciative with literature. Born with an iron fist, an out-of-this-world creativity, and an odd sense of artistry, Tyra, tough on the outside but soft on the inside, proved to be a visual artist and a writer at the same time who finds happiness and sanctuary in playing with words in her self-composed songs, quotations and poetry among others, and in mixing the shades in her undaunted canvass, which she calls “her life.” For her, imagination is simply a kaleidoscope, simply unlimited and free.

You may check more about the writer and her writings in her blogs: Kaleidoscope of Image and Teaching Life