ILU, Sabado - Getting out of a rut & Borrasca
Yesterday was All Saints' Day. We call it "Araw ng mga Patay" (EN: day of the dead) or more colloquially, "Undas," which I just learned was from the Spanish word "honras" (EN: to honor.) Traditionally, Filipinos would go to the cemetery to visit the grave of our loved ones. We light up candles and stay there for an entire afternoon.
Cemeteries are usually full, roads are closed, everyone is spending time with their family reliving the memories of the ones who passed.
My family has long forgotten about this tradition. We found it a bit off-putting to think that you only remember someone's death on a specific day, when we can remember them any day of the week. I can't remember when we stopped, but it was a long time ago for sure. On top of that, our loved ones are buried up north, and it's almost a 6-hour drive. Six hours that we could not afford, so here I was, working, cleaning, and watching a podcast with my boyfriend.
Getting out of a rut
It has been a good 3 months since I got back from Buenos Aires where I stayed for 8 months, that means it has been almost a year since I cleaned my apartment, and it was evident. Yesterday, I finally got out of my depressive rut and cleaned my living room, the area where I usually spend my time in.
I was finally able to get rid of the empty bottles that have been sitting on my counter top since 2024. I also got rid of my old nightstand that has been collecting dust for years now. I always said I wanted to throw it out, but I was too lazy to.
The plan is to continue the clean up next week, but having it started is definitely a great feeling.
Borrasca
I've been listening to a lot of Creepcast lately, thanks to YouTube's algorithm. I kept hearing Borrasca being mentioned in their past episodes and it got me curious how bad (bad in a horror type of way) the story was that Papa Meat and Wendigoon got visibly traumatised thinking back about it. So, I asked my boyfriend to watch it with me.
Here are the episodes. Part 1 & Part 2 If you prefer the written version, it's here.
While the story is traumatic all throughout, listening to it as a woman makes it much more depressing. Spoilers and content warning: Rape, Child Abuse, Suicide.
In a town where people are having trouble procreating, it's usually the women who gets the blame. Why can't she get pregnant? Or You're worthless. You know, the usual stuff. Now that the entire town doesn't have a new generation, they can't reproduce, they saw an opportunity to make money for themselves and by extension the town as well.
This is their business model:
- They capture young women (in their teens);
- The sheriff, the most prominent businessman, and the new law enforcer in town are assigned to procreate with these young women against their will (AKA rape them);
- Once the children are born they sell it to families that can't have children, within the town, and outside the town.
It is harrowing, traumatising, sickening. To think that these men would do this for the sake of money and power. Disgusting to the core, and that's what makes it well-written.
It doesn't shy away from making the readers uncomfortable. That's something I love about thrillers, in this case horror. The fact that everything is based on reality, which I mean to say is although the story is fictional, there were no fantastical characters, no magical words, it grounds you and attaches you to life as it is.
The original story (parts 1 to 4) is a fantastic masterpiece.
Then we come to the newest part, part V.
I wasn't a fan, and the only good thing I'd probably say about it is that it ends on a good note.
Personally, I thought it was unnecessary, and although the characters deserve a happy ending, I wished it wasn't the way part V was the way it was.
It ruined the whole story just for the sake of "seeking justice." It became too Hollywood, too convenient. The hacker, the cameras, it just felt too convenient for a story that was originally grounded on reality.