THANK GOD FOR SUMMER!

..........................THANK GOD FOR SUMMER............................... IT IS HOT: ...sweat all over me [despite the cooler] as I maneuvered a curve out of town. AS I watch the scenery before me, I realized that the hot summer day's scorching heat is manifested everywhere: . the small green frogs come a-leaping even if the rain has just left;. the multi-colored butterflies merrily hopping from one flower to another; the sudden proliferation of red dragonflies, green grasshoppers, ants, and...you've got it! :::>>>my fiend: the mosquitoes!. ......the cheapest watermelon [the price skyrockets during winter as they are produced from vynil houses], plums, melons [which is also a by-product and raised in glass houses];. the excellent produce of 'summer veggies' from the garden: bitter gourd [ampalaya], pumpkins [kalabasa] tomatoes, eggplants, okra and more..... ..... the presence of AYU [ SWEETFISH] in rivers [which requires a license in order to fish, mind you!];. the never-ending mirage of steamy-hot hot roads ahead of me as I travel along the outskirts of the city where I live. SUMMER! Sometimes I love it, sometimes, I don't. I LOVE IT because it makes me wear anything light. My movement is not confined and I can even wear tank tops inside and out of the house. I sweat a lot and it makes me feel good. No need to use moisturizers since my 'natural oils' come out as if on cue! ...and I love the AYU fish grilled to perfection with salt, or mizo...eaten beside that little house in a forested area by the river. Ahhh...how I love to visit that restaurant again! I HATE IT because of the melanin Mr. Sun brings to my skin: I have to put up with that SPF 25 sunscreen lotion everytime! I have to wear hats or what-have-you just to cover my face...and my arms [while driving]. The cooler works overtime because I can't work inside the house and the car without using them. OVERALL, I'd say the GOOD things overshadow the bad effects; and I can always make that 'extra-mile' to deter the sun's rays from doing harm to my skin. So I decided to just ENJOY SUMMER the best way I could...just like any other day of my life. FRIENDS use to tease me: "NANGOKU NO HITO DESU YO?" [literally:AREN'T YOU A PERSON FROM THE SOUTHERN COUNTRY?////==== actual meaning: YOU'RE FROM A HOT COUNTRY, AREN'T YOU?/YOU'RE USED TO HOT WEATHERS, AREN'T YOU?"]. But I answer back, "MY country may be from the South [The Tropics/near the equator] but NOT THIS HUMID!" Summer in Manila and the rest of the country is limited to 2-3 months only, don't you agree? From late February to early May; the rest of the year is between RAINY [late May to early November] and the "COLD" months of December to January.SUMMER here sometimes get into people's nerves. NOT only is it humid, it soars up to a level where people: old and young alike suffer HEATSTROKEs, SUNSTROKEs....and are often rushed to hospitals and clinics. People who get angry are common, and they often blame the heat for that. It makes me wonder, though...is it the reason why Jose Rizal also made excuses for Pinoys' "INDOLENCIA" [sloth/or =the inclination to laziness][in LA INDOLENCIA DE LOS FILIPINOS]? ...That Pinoys are so 'tamad" because we live in the TROPICS and the weather makes one lazy? I am inclined to believe the contrary. DESPITE the heat, people here continue to till the land, work on fields, go to work, visit supermarkets, malls, and department stores. Parents with kids on tow visit PARKS [Safari Park, Disney Sea, Disneyland, etc.], AICHI Expo2005, ONSEN[s][HOT SPRINGS], Family Restos, Camping sites, and more.....>>>>> AT LONG LAST: THE SUMMER HOLIDAY IS ON. Time to get a respite from it all: away from my class, away from my lessons, away from my wards....even just for a few days... THANK GOD FOR SUMMERS! ..... it gives me some days off ALONE.... ALL BY MYSELF......