The summer is nearing its end. I can tell. The days are getting shorter. It used to be that at 9 pm, the sun was still up but now at 7pm, it is bidding goodnight. The days are still warm but in the morning and evening, there is a mild chill with the breeze. Most of all, August is almost over and the -ber months will be ushered in with the advent of September. I can just imagine the flurry of activity that must be going on in the Philippines by now. For sure the familiar strains of "Pasko na Sinta ko" will be (if not already) re-entering the airwaves along with other all time Filipino favorite yuletide songs. Inevitably, the TV stations will be counting down the days to christmas. The colorful, dancing lights of the intricate "parols" will provide a visual feast and displayed for sale along the road in Greenhills and other parts of Manila. Children, accompanied by self-made acoustic instruments usually made of cans and bottlecaps, will be caroling motorists and pedestrians alike with the perpetual "Ang Pasko ay sumapit..", scrambling for coins after their heartfelt rendition. I know that outside Lourdes Church in Quezon City, sidewalk vendors will be selling bibingka and puto bumbong. Best of all, the malls will be a-buzz entering in to the endless season of sales as people gear up with gifts to give friends and loved ones. The air would be thick with anticipation and excitement.
Transport back to Toronto. The other day, I was talking to a nurse at the unit and I couldn't hide my enthusiasm for September. I tried to explain the concept of the -ber months. She could not get it. To her, it meant cold weather only to get colder. She thought me weird. I shouldn't have bothered. Only a Pinoy would understand.
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