But some important lessons were learned. One, do not go into business that you do not understand (selling). Two, do not leave the selling to other people and think you can just sit there, oceans away, and make lots and lots of money. Sometimes it works, most of the time it does not. Three, do your due diligence. Find out about the business, does it sell, can you get the goods for less (I did not really haggle that time), how long before you make the first installment, can you get a discount for bulk, are there existing flyers to help you promote the business, how many months before you get the ROI (return on investment), what is the possibility that it would fail and is it surmountable. Four, have a marketing plan – launch, joining trade fairs, email marketing, providing incentives or discounts, testimonials, product review – that would span months, or years.

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What Ondoy brought was a different kind of rain. It was harsh, it was hard, it was constant. And the constancy was alarming. We Filipinos are no strangers to storms. We fear them, yes, but we have known no other life than a life with storms. We would build our lives around them, and welcome the majestic sunsets that were their peace offering. Our storms would come in gusts, but then fade into light rain, and then pummel us again, accompanied by aggressive winds, great lightning, and even greater thunder.

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The acomodador could be many things and events in a man’s life. It could be when he was told that he was not good in math, that he is deathly sick, that his wife is fooling around; getting death threats, not getting that promotion, falling on a bicycle, not getting the part in the school play, not getting the guy, a book she read, a movie she watched and believed.