Another day to be alive — waking up to the soft sound of raindrops. As usual, as soon as I open my eyes, I head to the kitchen, grab my sachet of Kopiko Black, pour it into a cup, and add boiling water.
Then I open the main door, coffee in my left hand and phone in my right, and step outside. I settle on the chair facing the gate and the street, watching the quiet world beyond the drizzle.
While sipping my coffee in the cold morning air, I find myself drifting into thought. The town seems blessed — or perhaps cursed — with rain every single day. The first thing that comes to mind is the song “Raining in Manila”, but for me, it’s more like “Raining in QC.” Then my thoughts wander to TikTok trends like the “Yearning Tita Challenge.” It’s funny how something so ordinary can feel comforting at first… until it starts to stir something deeper inside.
Depending on one’s state of mind, rain can either be a blessing or a curse. It’s a blessing for those who love nostalgia, for those who find peace in gray skies, and for those who crave cool air after days of unbearable heat. But for others — the homeless, the lonely, the weary — it’s a curse that seeps into their bones and hearts, a reminder of helplessness beneath endless clouds.
Personally, I love rainy days when I’m well-rested — when I have a good book beside me, a hot cup of coffee in hand, and mellow music playing in the background. There’s something about it that slows life down in a good way. Sometimes I just close my eyes and listen. The sound of the rain brings me back to my childhood — those carefree afternoons playing in puddles with my cousins, when problems didn’t exist, or maybe they did, but we were too happy to notice.
But when the rain doesn’t stop — when it drags on for weeks or even months — it starts to drain me. My energy fades, my body feels heavier, and my routine falls apart. The days blur together, slow and dull. It becomes harder to move, harder to stay motivated, and even harder to connect with people. The longer the sky stays gray, the lonelier it feels.
Rain wants more of me, but I want less of it. It has a strange way of pulling out emotions I didn’t even know were there. The feelings become more intense — joy feels deeper, but so does sadness. I’ve learned that to survive long rainy seasons, I need to be mentally ready. The rain can easily wash away not just your energy, but your spirit too.
Yet, living through weeks of constant rain has made me more resilient. I’ve learned to keep going even when everything feels heavy, even when no one else can help because they’re dealing with their own storms. And then, one morning, when the clouds finally clear and sunlight breaks through, it feels like New Year — a fresh start, a quiet promise that better days are coming.