Personal and Family
Summer and The Big Fish
It had been raining this summer. It’s near the end of April and there’s still rain that drizzles down from the blue heaven. It’s an unusual season that way. A friend and me was once examining how the weather was ironic, t’is summer yet there’s rain.
But today, the rain fell at dawn and the sun is starting to shine it’s light. It’s a beautiful light. Not so bright and yet not so dim like a rainy weather does have.
It’s the favoritest season don’t you think. I adore summer just like everyone does, just like you and me. It’s the time for letting flight the colorful kites so mighty in the oceanic blue sky. It’s the time for the kids to run in the arid grounds, dust and smoke in their faces, filling the air with innocent laughter and mirth.
I had dreams of summer before. I dream of summer as the windiest and most adorable golden field of wheat and corn, just like an American summer, along the intertstate highways and along old barns and stucco rural houses that serenade the bright summer like colorful marbles from afar.
I dreamt of summer just like the one I had mostly when I was a child. Cool air and incandescent shine all over me, as I flew my kite by myself or fish for small fishes in a nearby pond, like I own the weather for all myself, and myself alone.
Summer brings freedom. Unlike cold winter and heavy rainy days when one could merely sit by the window and see the wet grounds outside, puddles of mud all round, and wondered if a big fish would suddenly burst out in floods that sometimes come when the rain does not stop for days and days to come. I sometimes wished that the mythical fish, gigantic and full of mean scales on its bodice, would somehow appear and bring excitement to those sad rainy days when I was so young and so innocent. Of course, there’s no such fish as we all realized about the myths in our young unknowing minds as we grow up.
But it was so alive in my young mind, and it looks just like a coelacanth, that scaly big fish that was thought to be extinct but had been found out to still exist in some parts of Africa. And it’s huge like a submarine and I could imagine rivets all over its body, forming it and holding the whole body tight, like a gigantic machine fish, with a mean looking face that doesn’t smile at all.
I had the deepest fear of being gobbled whole and live by that giant scaly fish and finding myself just around its tonsil, calling for it to Please let me out now, you stupid fish! You have no right to put me inside your f*cking stomach and would you please belch me out right at this moment?!!! ( Pardon for the expletives.)
Oh, I really wouldn’t want to be trapped inside that dark crevice of a giant scaly fish and that’s one of my greatest fear. Maybe I could call that giantfishphobia, if there’s such a thing. Fortunately, there’s really no such big and scaly fish in reality, that would just suddenly burst out of a developing flood just outside the yard. Now, that I am grown up, such myths of my youth is for certain, just that, myth.
For the meantime, I am just going to savor the cool summer sunlight that’s enveloping the whole surrounding at this time and wish the heavy rainy days of May wouldn’t come just as yet. 
donG hO Says —
that’s one good shot for summer and the fiery coelacanth.
Made on April 30, 2008 @ 3:58 pm
bw Says —
I have dreams of summer too Major Tom, because after a wonderful 20 deg week, we inexplicably went back to 5 deg today and almost zero when we woke up this morning
:(
With the accompanying rain, I envy the cool summer you’ve been mentioning hehe
Made on May 1, 2008 @ 2:16 am
snglguy Says —
But alas, summer may not be with us any longer. I see rainclouds looming over the horizon, and I’m not even talking about the weather…
Made on May 1, 2008 @ 8:38 am
Mon Says —
My granfather has a small fishpobd at the backyard, in Isabela, every summer they empty the fishpond of its water and we literally harvest the fishes out of the mus.
Made on May 1, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
Major Tom Says —
To Dong: I always thought those coelecanth, the ones I’ve seen in National Geographic, were so mean looking, just like in the myths of my mind when I was so young.
Made on May 1, 2008 @ 6:43 pm
Major Tom Says —
To BW: 5 degreess? That’s cruel. But you know, we in the warm climate always dream of snows too, and do some sleighing over them. And we ain’t got it here.
Made on May 1, 2008 @ 6:44 pm
Major Tom Says —
To sngl: That’s quite true. May is here afterall. When i think of May, I think of flooding rains.
Made on May 1, 2008 @ 6:45 pm
Major Tom Says —
To Mon: I was once that I kind of harvesting, where mudfishes just out of the knee deep muds, after the water ahve been siphoned off or thrown off by the use of pails. It was kinda fun to do that. One good happy memory for me.
Made on May 1, 2008 @ 6:47 pm
Atticus Says —
summer always brings back a lot of childhood memories. no school. playing out with friends when the moon is full.
my brother climbed a tree and showed me a nest with four small birds. that’s still one great memory of summer for me.
Made on May 1, 2008 @ 8:26 pm
Panaderos Says —
Summer brings back very pleasant childhood memories of biking through the neighborhood, making new friends, refreshing one’s self with a cold tall glass of halo-halo or a stick of ice buko, playing in the summer basketball leagues, going to town fiestas, gawking at the pretty girls in the Santacruzans, or simply sitting in front of one’s yard enjoying the summer breeze and simply doing nothing.
Made on May 1, 2008 @ 10:10 pm
Major Tom Says —
To Atticus: And most of all no school indeed. I remember that as kids, we mostly for summer for the long holidays from classroom, so that to be excited again when school opening comes.
Made on May 2, 2008 @ 4:59 am
Major Tom Says —
To Panaderos: The summer of our dreams, eh? Biking and gawking at beautiful girls back in the days of youth, now that’s what I mean by a perfect summer. And of course, the beaches, swimming becomes even more excitable in summer.
Made on May 2, 2008 @ 5:02 am
beatburn Says —
frolicking on the beach, road trips, renewing bonds with friends missed due to the school year, are just some of the memories i associate with summer.
if only it could be always summer.
Made on May 2, 2008 @ 11:56 am
barrycade Says —
this sounds inane, but the movie ‘Big Fish’ came to mind while reading your post. unlike the child in the movie, your children have a convenient way to discover their father’s fears and favorites, his zest and failings, his truth –thanks to blogging.
Made on May 2, 2008 @ 8:24 pm
Haze Says —
Thank you for passing by Major Tom, much appreciation!
Recalling summer(s) of my youth, my siblings,me and cousins from mother’s side were off to spend 2 months vacation in Quezon province. All those times spent in playing syato, chi-chu, piko, luksong baka, chinese garter, tumbang preso and a lot more of Filipino games. Attending fiesta in every neighbouring villages was one of the highlights too
! I miss those activities I used to have !
Well,life changes ad now I am experiencing 4 seasons, learning appropriate activities for each season. But the thing I would really miss is to have fun under the rain, playing until it stops. Can’t do it here, it’s too cold and during summer it doesn’t rain
especially where I live ! Hay, we cannot have everything but I am happy 
!
Made on May 2, 2008 @ 8:33 pm
Major Tom Says —
To beatburn: If only summer could be forever. But rainy days has its blesings too, the coolness of the weather, the sound of pitter-pattering at night could be so soothing as well.
Made on May 2, 2008 @ 8:45 pm
Major Tom Says —
To barrycade: I loved that movie, too. So unique and so fresh, just the kind of film I always watch out for.
My children are still too young to really be able to browse my posts, although I created friendster accounts for them , and it’s a good way for them to start in the Internet. Soon i’d introduce them into blogging themselves.
Made on May 2, 2008 @ 8:49 pm
Major Tom Says —
To Haze: Thanks for passing by too. Indeed, those games we play in the yards when we were young, so full of fun and gleeful.
Nowadays, children are more inclined to play computer games than those that children of the past plays; maybe one day, there’d be none of them outside, bellowing and being loud in their merriment.
I hope that wouldn’t happen at all.
Made on May 2, 2008 @ 8:52 pm
spliceanddice Says —
Nice read. I’m reminded of the poem “Heat Of Summer, Heated Love” by Michael Gale.
Made on May 3, 2008 @ 11:30 am
ipanema Says —
there is no summer in this part of the country I guess. it has been raining! and I am enjoying it while my siblings in Manila are compalining of the 36-38 degrees. yikes!
happy weekend!
Made on May 3, 2008 @ 4:46 pm
niceheart Says —
Although not quite there yet, our temperatures are starting to go up. So I’m also starting to dream of summer.
This post reminds me of the movie Big Fish. I have a post about this movie. I think you might enjoy watching it. http://niceheart.wordpress.com/2005/07/21/living-life-to-the-fullest/
I’m blogging at this link for the mean time.
http://niceheart.multiply.com/journal
Made on May 4, 2008 @ 11:46 am
Major Tom Says —
To Slice: Thanks. The poem sounds very passionate and erotic; perhaps I could be that passionate too.
Made on May 4, 2008 @ 2:12 pm
Major Tom Says —
To ipanema: Indeed, I noticed from pictures I’ve seen how the sun doesn’t really shine that much in Brunei, being perhaps the very dense rainforest there. But just as i said, rainy days are also cool for the cool weather.
Made on May 4, 2008 @ 2:17 pm
Major Tom Says —
To niceheart:Oh, I’ve loved that movie, being very original in idea and stream and I watched it also when it premiered on Cable TV about a year ago.
It’s a kind of story that i wished I wrote myself.
Thanks for informing by the way about the new link.
Made on May 4, 2008 @ 2:20 pm
vince Says —
That’s a pretty interesting entry. I was just turned off by the grammar.
Just saying.
Made on May 5, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
Major Tom Says —
To Vince: Oh, is it that bad? I believe I need some good editor, just like any writer does.
Made on May 5, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
pining Says —
where I am, it’s warming up quite nicely…woohooo… there is a god…
Made on May 6, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
Abaniko Says —
Summer! ‘Tis my favorite time of the year too especially in my case that I love to go places. I hate rainy days. Rain makes me sad.
Made on May 7, 2008 @ 7:48 am
Major Tom Says —
To Pining: I’am glad summer is about to come in there. It’s about to leave in our part of the world.
Made on May 7, 2008 @ 8:33 am
Major Tom Says —
To Niko: Sad as it may seem, rain do brings that gloomy feeling. But it’s good for cuddling up in bed though, all day all afternoon, and then for reminiscing.
Made on May 7, 2008 @ 8:37 am
eric aka senor enrique Says —
It has been raining on and off here in Manila. Last night’s was quite a downpour. The cool air it came with brought much pleasure.
Made on May 9, 2008 @ 3:46 pm
annamanila Says —
This is such a beautiful piece about summer, evoking cool images we are all so familiar with. Major Tom, thanks for reminding me that summer is not just oppressive heat.
Made on May 10, 2008 @ 9:17 am