Summer of 2005

I don't know about everybody else but in my book (or in this case my blog) Summer 2005 could be the hottest summer of my life. I'm not talking about anything else here but I am talking about the mercury readings.

It is during this summer that I spent most of my time in the comfort of my airconditioned room. Or if I get to the office in the morning, I usually stay there until the sun has set and the heat absorbed by the cement and land has dissipated.

Last year, my friends could still drag me to go to a nearby mall or cinema but this year, I'd rather stay in my bedroom, coccooned from the scorching heat of this summer. As a result, I've been paying my electric bills twice the amount of what I usually pay in non-summer months.

It is also during this summer that I probably have drank the most number of glasses of iced tea in my life. Thank goodness for the bottomless iced tea in most restaurants, I need not worry about spending more on drinks than on the actual food.

I have to tell you that where I'm at in Bulacan, the heat is so intense that even after sunset, the furniture inside the house remain warm. For the last few weeks, I stopped using our water heater because the water in the shower feels as warm as the one coming from the heater even at 4:30 in the morning. Even more amazing is the fact that after toweling off, I would begin to sweat as I step out of the bathroom.

Many Filipinos are wondering when this summer heat will end. I wanted it to end NOW! Why? Because, I am experiencing something that I haven't had for years now. It is hot and itchy and I scratch it until it is painful.

It's called bungang araw... prickly heat.