Anticipation

Social networking on the internet still wasn't so pervasive back then, but we did have real-world social networking -- the Collegian "gen-meets", press work, and "consols".

Which reminds me... the last time we were at the Collegian office was the night of Ondoy, when we attended a meeting about VJ's book. The rain was coming down steadily, but no one found this alarming, as it seemed to be just another rainy night in Manila. Little did we realize how extraordinary the rainfall was and how the massive flooding of the following day would affect our lives and those of so many others.

Not adequately warned or prepared, we were all caught off guard, and a year later, not much has improved in terms of disaster preparedness. Even more worrisome, scientists claim that extreme weather patterns are increasing all over the world and that this is due to climate change. What used to seem so normal -- the comforting sound of rain -- now carries with it memories of trauma and tragedy and the anticipation of more to come.

Jo
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