It's funny what a difference a few days can make in changing one's perspective. Just less than a week ago, a lot of focus was being given (this blog included) to the upcoming UAAP Finals match between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the UE Red Warriors.
Then along came typhoon Ondoy, and with that, some lives were forever changed. I was fortunate enough to be living in an area that was not affected by flooding. The worst inconvenience I got was being incommunicado for 2 days (no internet connection/landline, plus a spotty cellphone signal). As i started to get these back, i was surprised shocked to see the devastation the rains had caused in Metro Manila.
In particular, a lot of friends and people i know had their homes and possessions submerged under water. Just yesterday, I was in the Pasig/Cainta area together with a few law classmates to help out a couple of people from our block who were victimized by the tragedy. Going around these areas gave me a sense of the extent of damage and the loss that the residents here suffered. I've reported on things like these before when i was still newscasting, but being there and having people you actually know as among those affected gave a totally different color to these events.
It's things like these that make you realize what really matters. How things like a basketball game, while still followed with a passion, is just that. A game.