there's a rainbow always after the rain
it's always beautiful after the rain.
perched 30 stories above the corner of ayala and gil puyat avenues, my office has a nearly unimpeded view of the surrounding metropolis -- just nearly because the yuchengco tower is blocking a few degrees of manila bay. but on a clear day, i can see as far away as mount arayat in pampanga, and as far south as mount makiling. outside my own window, i see fort bonifacio, the mountains of antipolo, laguna lake, and planes taking off and touching down NAIA's primary runway. whenever there is a fire somewhere in manila, we are among the first to witness it. and in the last 3 plus years, i have witnessed many.
on very bad days, however, i am reminded frequently of just how unlivable metro manila has become. often, i see a dark horizontal plume hanging over quezon city, like a layer of the atmosphere, just above the tallest buildings, but way below the clouds. it is surprising sometimes because i think quezon city has more trees than the rest of the metro. but trust the afternoon rains to wash all that away, and i am always in awe at how the sky transforms immediately after even a gentle downpour. this is how manila looked like the other day, at sunset, shortly after the rain.
and this is why i always look up, particularly after the rain.
perched 30 stories above the corner of ayala and gil puyat avenues, my office has a nearly unimpeded view of the surrounding metropolis -- just nearly because the yuchengco tower is blocking a few degrees of manila bay. but on a clear day, i can see as far away as mount arayat in pampanga, and as far south as mount makiling. outside my own window, i see fort bonifacio, the mountains of antipolo, laguna lake, and planes taking off and touching down NAIA's primary runway. whenever there is a fire somewhere in manila, we are among the first to witness it. and in the last 3 plus years, i have witnessed many.
on very bad days, however, i am reminded frequently of just how unlivable metro manila has become. often, i see a dark horizontal plume hanging over quezon city, like a layer of the atmosphere, just above the tallest buildings, but way below the clouds. it is surprising sometimes because i think quezon city has more trees than the rest of the metro. but trust the afternoon rains to wash all that away, and i am always in awe at how the sky transforms immediately after even a gentle downpour. this is how manila looked like the other day, at sunset, shortly after the rain.
and this is why i always look up, particularly after the rain.