It's not certain when the Age of Aquarius began but if Grace McGrade is correct, it crept like a thief on November 2024, an omen to the later submission of an updated proposal and the reaping of the Phnom Penh meeting arrangements.
It was supposed to be the age of "progress, innovation, individual freedom, and equality", of everything egalitarian in fact except the regret expressed in withdrawing from a learning event in Colombo and a conditional sign off.
To us however, it seemed more like the onset of the Age of Dying as manifested in a hairline fracture, adenocarcinoma, hypotension, and the early morning interment of dead puppies that further justified the strengthening of social protection.
"So much worries that months before the advent of the 55th year, our second generation were included as guardians of our deposits and named as heirs apparent to our piece of the Cojuangco estate .
Days before the 55th year, a dozen sacks of trash were disposed to officially claim Bulan's house for two nights of the sinadag amidst the specter of an ancient meter tampering case as the Almaguer Settlement was notarized, de-annotated, and gated."
It took two nights for the kalderetang kambing and adobong pusit, the sweet and sour red snapper and grilled tuna, and the inihaw na bangus at baboy to be indulged; enough time for the Guerilla Rides to evolve into a birthday transport that almost crashed into a tomato vendor before aiding a thankful dame who foretold the arrival of two MILFs seprately representing the face and the body after a balot at penoy night.
What HR was not aware during the onboarding is the week's virtual meetings was the menu for a birthday brunch at the Salcedo Saturday Market --- black coffee garnished with a huge croissant and sweetened with the last slice of French pecan pie, a shared European sausage sandwich and a delayed Taiwanese cuapao that accompanied a chewy pork barbecue, what is said to be a Mediterranen nacho with what is certainly a Greek pizza, and an Italian gelato made from carabao's milk --- all paid through a December 2024 invoice and included in the final submission of Oplan GSIS.
"On the 55th year, candle smoke from the Archdiocesian Shrine of Sto. Nino de Tondo carried prayers for good health and more good years to the heavens, including a sincere gratitude for a two-year contract that was signed mainly for an HMO coverage."
The pay is good and reassuring too, perhaps more than what the sea lions earned pereforming at the Manila Ocean Park or the cost of creating an imitation aurora borealis at The Philippine Biodome, enough to cover a bottle of Malbec and a US-certified Angus beef steak dinner at Melo's.
The symptoms of stomach flu manifested the day after the 55th year, most probably induced by a half-cooked steak the doctor would later opine, so cetrtainly not from from the grainy puto and thick dinuguan, gamy goto and sweet tokwa't baboy, and crisp orange empanadas at the SIDCOR Sunday Market since Balong actually opted for a freshly cooked pho ga.
"Sunday's prize was actually the Taal Heritage Town with Tagaytay as a decoy but what was seen from the Hall of the Sinners is the chalkboard menu of the Hidden Tapsihan that was taken from the grand hall of the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine where it was declared that from then on, everyday counts and every birthday will be a family day..."
