Yesterday morning, I got wind of a very sad news: a colleague of mine who just turned 50 passed away last Saturday morning. As I was close to the couple, I just had to go to the wake even if it is in the province.
On the way to the wake, I just had to stay awake myself while driving, so I got my usual coffee from a McDonald's drive-thru.
Ordered my favorite drink, and got myself pumped up for the drama to come.
While waiting at the last counter, however, I saw another shop where the coffee was even better! I should have known they had a branch here. But I already paid, so maybe next time around I'll keep Dunkin' in mind.
It was very good to see my close friend, the husband of the deceased. Another close friend was also there, so the three of us had a good catching up session during the wake. We will see each other again this coming Friday to better flesh out the details of our current lives.
After meeting my friend and leaving to go back home, I stopped at an expressway gas station. There is a local tradition called "pagpag," loosely translated as "shaking off," where people who attended a wake or a funeral are obliged to stop over somewhere before proceeding home. This practice is probably aimed at removing the possible negative energies associated with the dead, or avoiding the dead from following you back home. Or something. I wonder if other countries and cultures also practice their own version of pagpag.
Regardless of me believing this superstition or not, it is really my usual practice to stop over at establishments at the expressway as I love the ambiance of these places. It is reminiscent of the rest areas we go to in the US when I was young, where we ate and bought stuff and played arcade games. How I wish there were arcade games in our local gas stations.
I also thought of getting dinner even if I was not hungry.
Proceeded to eat a cheaper place with better food.
After lounging around a bit in the area, I bought another round of coffee before finally driving home.
I wish my friend a happy journey in the afterlife. I wish she is now in a better place. May we all deserve a good rest after a tumultous life on Earth. Still, I am happy to be alive!