Rains

The Raven (photograph by RR) is my favorite of Pepper Roxas' pieces in her show at 20Square. It feels like me. Dark and proper and proud and quiet.

The rains have arrived. Cousin LT (not Lorna Tolentino) came by the other day and showed us the projected sea level rise and storm surge simulations by the World Wildlife Fund for Humanity. He says that at the rates global warming ++ are going, we might see the new coastline of the Philippines twelve meters higher by the end of the decade. In a year and a half. In a nutshell:
1. Manila's new bay area will be Pasig and Mandaluyong
2. Boracay will be two tiny islands
3. Davao, and countless other cities, will lose their sea ports and airports to water

Which got me thinking, it is time to sell the properties I do not own. Bye Bye Dasma, Bye Bye Malate, Bye Bye Forbes.

Our ideal lot in our ideal location is being offered to us at a price 'hindi binebenta', in other words, it's above market price. Above our budget. Above anyone's budget. The broker has been on my case for three weeks, told her I would only buy if she sold something else for me. Voila, she found a buyer. Then I told her, "but the sea level rise and the storm surges will reduce the value of that to zero and it will all be underwater even before I hit 40". To which she said, "we will novena that it won't happen. God Bless."