2006…. Lucky Year (A bullet, a cab, birds’ dung and the rain)

2005 has ended barely two days ago and 2006 has just started and on its way in our lives.

Will this be lucky year for me….for us?

I’m about to start the year with a 7AM mass in Lourdes Church in Retiro. As I am about to open our front gate, I heard a sound of something that dropped and within a feet I saw an object looks like a stud, when I picked it up, I was just shocked a bit…it was a slug of silver bullet. I took it in my pocket and went ahead to church.

Upon reaching the UDMC area, the intersection of E. Rodriquez Avenue and Quezon Avenue, It looks like a very abnormal day with very little number of vehicles plying down the street. When I’m about to cross the Quezon Avenue, this “God-Blessed” taxi cab appeared very fast in my left coming from E. Rod turning right to Q. Ave. Apparently, the driver might think that since there were no vehicles coming from España, they can liberally drove fast to their right without considering the pedestrian crossing that area. I was a feet way from the bumper of the cab. I can only murmured unknown words when I let him passed first.

Then I boarded the PUJ waiting beside the BK Rotonda that took me around 20 minutes before the jeep was loaded fully. That made me more late for the 7AM mass in Lourdes Church.

While waiting for someone in the church patio and thinking what to do with the bullet in my pocket I saw a police patrol car parked outside. I was having the second thought of reporting that incident to the authority. Then suddenly, I felt something that hit the top of my head. When I touched it….it was wet…I’m HIT.....by a bird’s droppings.

I heard the 8AM mass instead with someone special. I was quite elated to hear the first mass of the year with someone who knows how to appreciate and knows how to reaffirm what you’re doing. What made this more special is to hear the mass with two members of her family…whoa….looks like I’m already a member of their family…hehehe.

I had a breakfast with them. Over brewed coffee, toasted bread and pesto spread, we shared stories, and we had our good laugh.

It was already 11AM when I decided to go home, and when I reached the UDMC area, I dropped by in the detachment nearby, and just turned in the slug that almost hit me, though they did not wrote down any report and even asked me with stupidly what I would like to happen and just said that I just turned in that thing for they might be doing some statistics or report of any gun-firing incident. (I guess they should have that kind of monitoring!)

The silver slug that almost hit me came from a 9MM firearm.

I thought everything was over. I just walked on my way home until it began to rain that made me soaked a bit wet…with no rain protection, only the small towel that I used before to wiped off the dung in my head.

After those incidents, it made me realized many things:

* Its saves to be late. Although I had alarmed my cell phone at 6AM so that I won’t be late for the 7AM mass, it was already 6:30AM when I finally got up from my bed. Only if I got on time, and fix myself on time, probably the bullet hit my head on time too. It pays to be late and it even saves your life.

* Ironically true, it doesn’t necessary means that if there were only few vehicles on the road, you will never have a hit-and-run accident. Be more watchful and wary on things that seem to be abnormal. It just like this, if you’re ***hole officemate is very kind to you, which is very abnormal, then something might be fishy or something might be cooking for you.

* Birds’ dropping is not really a hassle. Imagine, only few got it. And you will say thank you to have this than to have a girlfriend or boyfriend who does another affair behind your back. And you will be more grateful to have more droppings than to have a bullet in you head instead!

* It’s more rewarding and laudable to have a date together with a chaperon especially if it’s a family member. It creates bonding. (Although it’s somewhat acceptable to kiss a girl in her cheek as we do it with our sisters in our community, it’s slightly awkward to kiss her with her two brothers in her side so I opted not to.)

* Being a law abiding citizen and reporting any incident to any authority is not really a nitty gritty task. When I reported the slug that almost hit me, you have the options of what to do with it. I wonder they should have an SOP on incidents being reported. But at least, that police officer knows how to reaffirm…”sir you are lucky”…. (No! I’m not Ate V’s son) …

* Walking in the rain is something that we shouldn’t miss doing. It will bring back the memories of your childhood days when you are top-naked playing “patentero” with you “uhugin” playmates. And walking in the rain will make you think fast on what to cover your head, a newspaper on hand, your jacket if you have, your hankies or a used towel with bird’s dung!

Alas, the year 2006 had begun….it begun with new stories for me to ponder and to share. And memories to be cherished lovingly are on the pipe, I hope.

At this first week of the year, I do pray for everyone’s good health, prosperous life, abundant blessings, God’s mantle of protection, flourishing relationships and love all over….and another….World Peace!

Indeed, the start of the year is lucky for me….the 9mm slug spare me.....or else you wouldn’t be reading this one…