nothingness

Today, i feel like i am inside a water tank, with the water all around me, suppressing my breathing, limiting my movements, making everything move slowly. It feels like i am waiting for something momentous to happen to me. I feel neither happy nor sad. Content nor wanting. I am suspended in animation. Waiting, for something i do not know what.

Sore feet

It all happened because I had to be present or else I'll get sanctioned. And nobody ever wants to be sanctioned for 16 hours of duty…and lose precious vacation time. So, we all went there in time, but what we didn't know was that it was going to really start at 2pm.

So, we waited, and waited, and waited.

While waiting, we were eating, and eating and eating.

And of course, we took pictures, and more pictures.

That was the best part, the only part that mattered. The rest of the procession was a blur of heat, odor, angst and foot decay. (Seriously, my feet felt like it was slowly and painfully being removed from my body.)

It was our first time so we didn’t know that we have to stop every once in a while for something God only knows why. It was really a procession…in the truest sense of the word.

Next thing we knew, we were being scolded by some scary looking men in fatigues, we really couldn’t hear them over the noise of the band and the crowd so we just looked mournful and moved away. Apparently, we have to let the caro containing the Sto. Nino to pass first before we move on.

 

What was supposed to be a solemn procession turned out to be something very weird since the band, situated in the middle of the procession line, was playing some sort of death march tune. It felt like we were really going to our impending doom, what with the state of our feet and inner turmoil we are experiencing.

The route was so long…and the line was moving so slowly that it ended at around 5 or 6pm. It was like a hunger strike, no wonder people in Cebu don’t usually go for strikes unlike people in Manila, we have better things to do than walk and clog up traffic. My stomach was growling one-thirds of the way, it was still so far from the final destination. I was instantly appeased by a billboard of a McDonald burger, unfortunately, there wasn’t any store in our proximity.

Thankfully, we finally arrived but our feet were throbbing with pain. Every time we take a step, pain shoots up to our legs. We were crippled. (melodrama…)

I hope to not try it again, ever.

xoxo