Reality check.

Yesterday was a long day. Di tuloy ako nagising ng maaga for our group exhibit opening (Ang I.n.K and WWF) at the Hotel Intercon today at 10 a.m.

I slept at 3 am and woke up at 7:30 yesterday (I beat the alarms for a change hehehe). Got up, checked my mail and took down notes for my hack exhibit entry that I was supposed to do weeks before but didn't. I did a quick sketch, based on my notes and Marnie's input regarding Climate Change (our topic for the exhibit-- for more info please check the WWF website).

I went to National Katips soon after to get some materials and a ready-made frame. I didn't find what I needed there, but fortunately Nico arrived and took me to National Quezon Ave. We headed back to my place and I started on my piece while Nico did my caption (astig my boyplex!). I started 2:30 pm and ended at quarter to six, about which time I should be heading over to Mary's to get the rest of the works and take them to the hotel. It's literally a last-minute thing.

Apparently I didn't have to hurry because the exhibit panels were not coming in until 6 a.m. today, so Nico and I decided to rent a couple of movies and watch at least one of them at his place before submitting my artwork (at na-scan ko pa siya in the process hehe). We watched Toy Story 2. Ang cute talaga. And it's funnier than the first one. Nakakaiyak pa rin 'yung rendition ni Sarah McLachlan ng 'When She Loved Me'.

Ayun. We didn't get to see the other video we rented (Bandits), and we left for Kamuning. While in transit along Katipunan Marnie sends me a message saying that her mom is in the hospital (again) for pneumonia. Nico volunteered to pick her up and take her to St. Luke's (she was along Matalino St., which is more or less along the way to Kamuning where we were headed, and the hospital isn't really far from there either).

We stuck around the hospital for a while and headed home afterwards. Along Sumulong Highway on our way to take Marnie home we passed by a really bad vehicular accident (it was a head-on collision, downhill pa 'yung isa-- at parehong drivers lasing tsk tsk). There were people in the other car and Marnie thought it best that we stop to help.

And we did. Buti na lang Marnie is a Red Cross volunteer. There were two guys in the pick-up who were injured (the old guy in the passenger seat had several lacerations from the broken windshield glass, Marnie and I didn't think he was wearing a seat belt when it happened). They both refused to be moved (even though there were no visible signs of fracture or bruises except for the black eye) or to be taken to the hospital until their relatives arrived. (This is a very stupid thing to do, if you ask me, even if you don't trust the people who are trying to help you. There are probable life-threatening dangers to prolonging trauma, shock and internal hemorrhages.)

Most of the time, Nico and I just stood there. We wished we could do more though, but we didn't know how we can help, hindi naman kami trained sa mga ganyang bagay. (Marnie kept talking to the guys to keep them awake, the police already apprehended the offending party, and the victims' relatives were on their way.)

Finally the realtives arrived and Marnie and another Red Cross volunteer dude were able to move the injured guy to the other car. We left the scene after making sure that everything is under control.

It is strange how so many people can just crown over an accident and NOT do anything about it. Puro lang sila daldal at usisa. 'Yung pulis na nandoon walang pakialam 'dun sa mga naiwan sa kotse at inintindi lang 'yung suspect at 'yung sketch ng aksidente para sa blotter. (Alam ko ginagawa lang niya trabaho niya, pero I mean, may mga buhay na nakataya sa nangyari. Sana man lang may umasikaso sa mga biktima or tumawag ng ambulansya.) Sana pag may nangyari sa aking ganon (*knock on wood*), mayroong mga taong katulad ni Marnie na tutulong sa akin.

Another aside, we found out that the incident happened around five minutes before we arrived. Siguro kung umuwi kami ng maaga ng kaunti, o hindi kami huminto para dun sa mamang mabagal tumawid sa kalye pauwi, o kung napabilis ng kaunti ang pagmamaneho ni Nico, posibleng kami 'yung tinamaan ng sasakyan habang paakyat kami ng Sumulong Highway. It scares me when I think of it. Because anything can happen any time. And that they happen for a reason.

Nadelay ang pag-uwi naming lahat kagabi, pero mabuti na rin iyon. I am thankful I am still here, Marnie is at work and Nico is at home right now. (Thank you to everyone who have made me the person I am, ang dami ninyo, di ko kayo kayang isa-isahin. Thank you, Marnie, for helping complete strangers in their trying hour, and for being a good friend. Thank you, Nico, for insisting that I work on this exhibit, for everything you did for me yesterday and everyday for that matter, and thank you for being part of my so-called life.) I am thankful that even if I missed the exhibit opening today, I am still alive. Whoever you are who watches over us, thank you.

***

Tungkol sa exhibit namin, this is a tie up between Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang I.n.K.) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The exhibit deals with the issue of climate change caused by fossil fuel emissions and CFCs/HFCs and its effects on our environment. Tas pinag-usapan namin ito ni Nico pauwi galing sa National kahapon, sa loob ng kotse na nakabukas ang air con. Tas naisip ko, mga environmental NGOs, ang mga opisina nila naka-air con din.

*sigh*

Baka pumunta akong Makati mamaya. We need to move the exhibit set-up from the 14th floor Ballroom of the Hotel Intercon to the Glorietta 2 Lobby. Kung mapadaan kayo ng Makati, punta kayo sa exhibit namin ha! :-)