The Sound of Rain

Lizzie didn't have school today--I think because the president of the country, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (aka GMA), is giving her (last) State of the Nation Address (aka SONA). But it could also have something to do with the hard rain that came around 11 AM. Beng says it's because they want to prevent students from organizing protests during the Address.

But if they're in school, aren't they less likely to be able to organize?

I've tried to capture the sound and sight of rain. Here's this morning's show:




Just as I set the movie up to load, it began to pour again. Whenever it rains, the signal strength for the internet becomes iffy. In fact, it just dropped down to a 10th of its speed and strength.

Right now, it's quite busy in the breezeway where we all hook up to the world wide web. A group of women is watching a Spanish movie on a computer at one end; another woman is working on what appears to be a big stack of homework on my other side. The guard and the housekeepers just turned off GMA's SONA (I heard the announcer say "126 applause during the speech" before they switched it off)--they had it going on the TV behind me.

GMA's gown, a brilliant (some might say violent) shade of raspberry, did not flatter her figure. It had stiff, puffy sleeves that rose up on either side of her narrow shoulders like armor plates, and a thick tangly fringe reminiscent of a rebozo in the square cut neck. I know. Yes. I am a shallow, shallow person for fixating on GMA's outsides rather than the text of her speech (I heard her say "they were called to serve their country, but instead they served themselves," and then a wave of applause and a pan of the audience--ringers? I wondered, given GMA's low popularity ratings in the newspapers).

And...it looks as if my upload of the film has been successful. Huzzah!