March 24, 2012 2:24 A.M.

Earlier that night, I read two emails coming from the American Chamber of Commerce, and the ON3 Pitching Competition. The American Chamber of Commerce is where I applied for 1 week internship in Manila. I received a rejection letter. Second, the On3 Pitching Competition, a competition where me and my groups were invited to register our product and get funded by a foreign investor. I, again received a rejection letter that our entry was not qualified to the next round.

Unfortunate indeed. I felt that I am not really that blessed. I came to think about it over and over again during that night. I even tried to encourage myself that some people wasn’t able to be given those kinds of opportunities and yet they have even lived their lives successfully.  I consoled myself with thoughts that I should really moved on and go even forward or more, or better.

While browsing my Facebook and Twitter around 1:15 A.M. I heard a loud bang outside. I thought of it as a gun fired to nowhere. (Because I lived in Midsayap, Cotabato, not that I am used to it, but it is just that there are already many times I heard of like this, so it doesn’t bother me that much.) And then, it was followed by a fire truck alarm. Everybody is already sleeping except me. A sudden blackout followed. I woke my Mom and Dad and told them about the incident. My Dad told us to go out for awhile and check what happened.

I accompanied my Mom. We first thought that there was a just a motor accident near the streets because a lot of people gathered around the area. Suddenly, we saw how the large fire razed about the area near my Grandmother’s house where my cousins and other relatives are currently staying.

We ran out towards their houses to try to help them out. Thank God the fire didn’t reach their houses. Thank God they were safe. Thank God they were alive.

One thing about what happened, I realized there are a lot more things to get so frustrated of. We just need to step back once in a while and think that our problems are smaller than what greater problems that other people have.