I AM not even supposed to be writing this column, but there are certain things that I believe must be done for my life to regain some sort of normalcy.
Our family doctor strictly advised me to refrain from doing anything over the next two weeks to give my body time to recover properly from all the illnesses that bugged me for the past several weeks.
You see, since August, I have been hit with multiple illnesses week after week. Either it was a fever, loose bowel movement, or muscle aches—well, I had them all. This was after years of staying healthy, when there were even times when I felt like I could do anything.
The past two weeks were probably some of the worst times of my life, healthwise. It started on a Monday, when I woke up with severe muscle ache and fever. It got worse as the day progressed, when I started to have chills.
The usual remedy of Biogesic did not work at all, and, that evening, under the thickest blanket we have at home and with socks, pajama and a chunky shirt, the chills and the fever just got worst.
I was already telling my wife that I had a blessed life and that I was at peace if I were to die that night. I told her how much I love her, and that she should take care of our family when I am gone. No drama there. I was just being honest with her.
Of course, she would not have any of it. She told me to stop with all the stupid ramblings and just pray that I get healthier.
With Bioflu still having no effect on me, I asked my wife to take me to the doctor the following day.
Well, the good doctor, God bless him, told me that I should not worry, at all. He said I had been bitten by the flu, and, with the proper medication and rest, I would start feeling better before the weekend started.
I did start to feel better by Thursday. My appetite was slowly returning. My temperature was slowly returning to normal. One amazing thing also happened that day. I realized that it was not fun to lose weight. I looked in the mirror and it was no longer right.
By Friday, just as I was already feeling way better, thunder, lightning and the floods struck. We all know how the rest of that day turned out. It was not exactly reliving Ondoy all over again, but, I guess it just showed how mismanaged our cities are.
So much has been spent on flood control, and we still get water world all over again? And, if you look at the garbage in the places hit by floods, it was so pathetic.
I no longer had a fever and my strength was coming back. It was good that I had quality time with our family. We even enjoyed watching concerts of Billy Joel and Oasis back-to-back.
Not really straying off from the topic, but how many artists today could write great songs that could stand the test of time and perform them live with so much energy, like these two acts? We were just watching it on television, but the kiddies were singing along just like the audience in those two shows.
By Saturday, just when I thought I was already healthy enough, severe headaches hit me. These headaches just zapped the energy from my body completely.
While taking mefenamic acid helped, the headaches hit me daily, and, at times, from the time I woke up in the morning. Rest was not helping me any. I felt like I could die anytime from it. But, you know what? Again, I was at peace if it was really time for me to say goodbye.
So, it was another visit to the doctor. His cool and calm demeanor of explaining my health condition gave me confidence that I would soon be back to full health. I also had a visit with the optometrist, and I am now in the possession of my first-ever reading glasses.
But, here is the thing. My health condition is nothing compared to the energy crisis that might hit our country next year. It could have dire impact on households all the way to businesses across all industries.
So, it is really good to know that there are organizations out there, like the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines that want to face the country’s energy issues squarely.
On Tuesday they will hold a two-day conference and exhibit dubbed Energy Smart Philippines 2014, which will have no less than President Aquino as its guest of honor.
The event, which will be held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, will gather government leaders and decision-makers from the private sector to discuss the present energy situation in the country and, hopefully, come up with solutions that are very much doable.
During the two-day event, delegates will get to hear a lot about renewable energy and energy efficiency. Company officials will get to see new technologies that can potentially be used for their daily operations.
Delegates can network with one another and form partnerships. Lending institutions will also be present to show them how to finance projects that, at the very least, improve electricity consumptions.
If you have time, Energy Smart Philippines 2014 is an event that you should not miss. There are a lot of new ideas and perspectives that will be presented during its two-day run.
As for me, outside of doing this column, I have to follow my doctor’s advice and rest my body. There is still a long journey ahead: one step backward, three steps forward.
For comments, suggestions and reactions, I can be reached at raalzona@yahoo.com.