Rising Sunset

The sunset sky! I mouthed a silent WOW!

The colors of the sky caught my attention as I looked anxiously outside my window trying to review the TO DO LIST I encircled ASAP this morning. It's already afternoon and I felt like I'm delaying something major that I must start immediately. I tried to ignore the dramatic beauty of the sky but I just couldn't. If I can't stop the time, I'd FREEZE this moment.

I hurriedly set up my camera and settled on a position that would frame the sunset perfectly. The sun looks rising than setting. I confused myself. The view of the beautiful sun made me remember the first thing that comes to my mind before (especially when I was a kid) when I think of Japan, the photo of the rising sun. Now, when I see a full-of-rays setting (in my head it's rising) sun, I think of Japan and the killer disaster that struck that country a year ago. The Tsunami.

I could still remember every second of that day. As I got the frightening news about the tsunami in Japan while on a meeting about disaster recovery (of all the meeting agenda) plan for our office in Dumaguete and Manila, I was bombarded with calls and SMS from home and friends updating me with the breaking news. My girlfriend was on the line crying because there was a tsunami threat in Manila and she was alone in her apartment. She was so worried about her relatives in Japan too.

Our disaster recovery team discontinued our discussion and we all tuned in and focused on CNN's coverage of that disaster. I couldn't breathe (and was sweating despite the max AC inside our videoconference room) seeing the live footage on our screen. In a snap, that area in Japan was covered with water. Like scenes from Hollywood movies. It was the end of the world.


This month, there are many documentaries reminiscing that disaster a year after. Everytime I see a docu trailer, I say a silent prayer. Almost 16,000 lives perished that day...in a snap. Life will never be the same for the people who survived that disaster. Truth be told, it will be etched in our mind too in this lifetime.

While I review my TO DO LIST and look at the photos of sunset I took, I'm glad that I walked away from my list for a while and enjoyed staring at the sunset. Sometimes, we have to stop for a while because enjoying the NOW is the most important...and the most "living". Live for the moment (sometimes). Let’s all live more.

Let's continue to pray for Japan...and for the other countries that were affected by this kind of disaster. Stay safe, my friends.

                            

The last two photos are my officemates I photographed for our company event.