Taken last April 17, 2021, at barangay Ma-ao in Bago city, Negros Occidental.
One random afternoon I felt the urge to drive at a spot I've been eyeing to sit and sip a good cup of coffee at the side of the road while staring at the view of the ricefield. It was close to harvest season for some of the paddy fields in that area, which was wonderful. The drive is roughly 30 minutes away from my house. An hour of driving is just the right amount of time wherein I'm still enjoying the drive, exceeding that I'll start to get annoyed and tired. I failed at my attempt to buy a cup of coffee on my way out of the city, but I did manage to arrive at a perfect time. There was no one working at the fields at that time as it was late in the afternoon on a Saturday.
I made a quick stop at this spot to take videos for my story feed on Instagram and to make my city friends envious of the fresh air I'm breathing. I watched in silent amazement, feeling so alive and present. The gentle sound of the irrigation water flowing down the canal was so calming that I can mistake that moment as being somewhere in the rural area of Japan...if not for the nipa huts I could see at a distance. There were even chirping birds and crickets to complete the ambiance. I was in a blissful meditative state, simply listening to nature as it moved in sync with the sight that spread before me.
After a couple of minutes, I drove on a little farther and took a detour at a narrow road where a village stood in the middle of the ricefield. All of the villagers' eyes were on me as I passed through their houses, probably wondering if I was lost...or whose house I was stopping at. I drove past the village and felt unsure where the road was leading as it seemed to steer into a private property, so turned back in surrender.
I was slowly making my way back home when I noticed people on the streets looking up at the sky, some taking their phones out to take videos at a certain spot. I peeked through my windshield out of naïve curiosity and immediately saw what the fuss was about. There, at a distance, was a huge waterspout that has formed out of the dark clouds. This was the third time in my life I was seeing it, the first one was off the coast of Batangas, the second one was somewhere in Negros Oriental, and this time it was possibly somewhere along the bay of Pulupandan. Watching the force of nature is always fascinating...one that's worth stopping for and taking a bunch of videos to post online. So I did exactly that, driving back to the same spot where I took earlier photos of, only this time it had that huge natural anomaly. If it was a tornado and much closer to where I was, I could have had a different reaction and story altogether...especially when I told my parents I was only going out to check some shower curtains at a nearby store. In the end, I got the feeling I was chasing after, a thrilling calm. Not to mention, photos and videos that were a little more special than intended. Before the day ended I posted a couple of shots on my Instagram with the caption: "Some days are more fascinating than others."
There is so much peace in staring at a ricefield, either in its greenest vibrant tint or its lush golden form. It's a sight of my childhood that triggers memories of travel and home at the same time. I can watch the swaying of its leaves and listen to the rustling of its panicle for hours on end. It was one of the reasons I went to Bali, to fulfill my desire to sit at a cafe right next to the paddy fields. How I wish someone will be able to make that same concept here in Negros. For now, the best way to satisfy that longing is to bring my own cup of coffee and drive to an unpopulated area where hectares of rice plantations stretch then leisurely drink there.
I'm gonna claim it. This is a post of affirmation to initiate the law of attraction. Universe, one day I'm gonna build a café next to a ricefield. Just like what happened on that day when I took the photo, I told the universe to entertain me because I was bored...and so it did.
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