Rain Rain Don’t Go Away | Things To Do On A Rainy Day

It’s been raining sporadically for almost two weeks now, sometimes far too much that it makes my Internet connection go painfully slow, if not kaput. Rainy days arrived a bit early, which is unusual but not far-out— like waking up to having green eggs for breakfast— since rain doesn’t usually come ‘til the end of May. Nonetheless, it makes my days more dreamy and I am more exultant for the sole reason of seeing raindrops bigger than the size of mung beans.

It’s no secret that I’ve been dreading another week in sweltering heat and high humidity. Summer in the Philippines can be good or bad, depending on your agenda, but most people agree with me on this: summer this year was indescribably hot and painful to the skin (scorching may be an understatement!). So you can imagine how happy I was when the first drops of rain poured from the sky. I was jumping out of joy!

Of course I don’t implore the gods of nature for rain everyday. I’m living in a province below sea level and with poor drainage system. Too much of something is bad enough, borrowed that from Spice Girls. I’m just content with what we’re getting and the thought of sleeping through midday with windowpanes dotted by raindrops is pure bliss. I can relax like the child that I was: carefree and lying supinely on a wooden bench with blue skies burgeoning before my eyes. Now, for the first time in months, I can turn off the air condition, close my eyes, and let my mind drift away.

There are things that I love doing on rainy days, as if rain is the only missing ingredient that will make them more enjoyable:

Read a good book. I love reading a good novel on a rainy day but then again, who doesn’t? The cool weather and the sound of the rain like hurried footsteps on the roof seem to make reading and imagining better than the usual. I’ve been putting off reading so many books because I’ve been working on some ebook projects so now is the perfect time to relax and read.

Watch a [foreign] film. One of my favorite feel-good films is My Best Friends Wedding because it makes me feel relaxed, inspired, and in-love. I can almost feel Julia’s pain and forced happiness as she watched her best friend get married. I mean, who wouldn’t bawl at losing your best friend and love of your life when he is as gorgeous as Dermot Mulroney? Plus, the movie has the best dialogues for a love story.

Korean films top my list of favorite foreign films to watch, followed by French films. Korean filmmakers have impeccable talent for excellent cinematography and storytelling that oftentimes pierce through the heart. French films are usually outlandish and full of “huh?” moments, which make them intriguing.

Learn a new recipe. Aside from watching Top Chef reruns, I love to cook something out of whatever ingredients I could find from my kitchen. I am actually almost convinced that I have an inner chef in me.

Make a glass of Mojito. Although Mojito is a summer drink, there is really no hard-and-fast rule in drinking cocktails. Plus, Mojito is so easy to prepare.

Take photos or videos. Of the many things I love doing, taking photos is a passion that I share with my husband. I take photos of everything but my favorite subject is our son, Daniel. In fact, because he’s already so used to mommy taking photos of him, he automatically smiles whenever I prompt to take his pictures.

[Still] Appreciate classical music. I grew up listening to Pachelbel, Satie, Bach, Handel, Chopin, Debussy, Mozart, and Strauss– They were always there when I was on a road trip, when I was studying for my exams in college, when I fell in-love with my husband, when I got pregnant with Daniel, and now, as I am writing this entry. Classical music brings out emotions that you never knew existed; it also captures beauty and love in such infinite and majestic ways. Classical music transports the listener through time and lets you experience the era of the mighty women of Engish literature: Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, and Catherine Earnshaw.

Start a diary or a journal. There are things that are far too personal to share on a blog. I’m keeping my secrets to where they belong: in my Michelle Simone’s pink journal.

The list is endless and I do things that I fancy the most and some occasional reality TV marathon. On the other hand, I am terribly missing my husband, Amarind, who is now in the US for more than a month already.

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