DAY 24. : Community Quarantine

     HOLY WEEK PABASA- It's Holy Wednesday and I have not heard any pabasa yet. Usually it starts on Holy Monday, but there may not be any at all because of the health crisis.

     I am not a Catholic but I do see the religious as well as cultural significance of the pabasa.  It is one way for the ordinary people to know the suffering of Christ especially for the non church goer and the nominal Christians.  

    There is traditonal melody that I have been hearing as long as I can remember, but most of the time the melody is made up along the way and the timing is free. 

    Lately, I have been hearing the pabasa sang using the melodies of pop songs and there were a few times I heard children rapping it.

     Singing about the central doctrine of Christianity using pop or modern melodies sends confusing messages, one of holiness and the other of the hedonism of pop culture.

   I like traditions and I think preserving it is important. Singing the pabasa using the traditional melody brings back a lot of memories when we were still Catholics, times when holy week was observed with solemnity. 

    I remember as children we were told to stay inside the house by adults especially the Lolo's and the Lola's in the neighborhood. Playing and making loud noises were not allowed. We were told to be careful and not to injure ourselves for God the healer is dead. We were quarantined.

    Now it is different. It became the opposite. It is now the time to party, to drink, to have a good time especially for the young. 

   No rest for the spirit even for a while to reflect on the significance of the cross.

    Anyway, to each his own.

   SINGKAMAS-  The presence of singkamas in the market is the signal that summer is officially here. When we were kids we used eat this all the time with bagoong. It was cheap. 

   It was abundant then because there were still farmers in Taytay and Cainta that cultivate the root crop. That was before every areable acre was converted into subdivisions. 

    Singkamas is one of the main ingredients, together with camote, for lumpia, a staple food for the devotees reading the pasyon.

   Now, it is expensive. It is of the same level as oranges or apples, imported.

    EGGS AND MEAT- I am now begining to suffer from repetitive repetitions. I mean, every day I go to the market, see the same people, same food, same things, over and over again. It's Groundhog day!

    I don't know, maybe it's psychological. But in reality, nothing much has changed. This is my lifestyle, half monk, half hedonist. I don't go out much, I don't socialize unless necessary, I do bonsai, garden, etc. 

    I guess it is the little breaks from the routine like walking, attending church, eating out in the mall, enjoying ice cream, watching movies, jamming with fellow frustrated rockstars, going on little vacations, etc.

    The contrast to the monotony.

   Hmmmmm ....

    EXTENSION- I don't see the ECQ ending next week. Cases are still going up and the testing are still on going. And I don't think the threat will go away even with a whole year ECQ that is until there's a vaccine. The only defense we have is evasion: quarantine and social distancing. 

    As to the way things are before, not gonna happen until there's a cure because the cases may flat line but the virus could go dormant or worse evolve and flare ups occur,  then we are back to day 1.