It's different when it's real: a New Year's experience

Years and years have passed but people do not change. Despite the very horrible reports on firecracker victims and the yearly reminders on what NOT to do during New Year celebration, a lot of us still ditch it. 


I have always hated the news programs that air bloody victims of firecrackers during Christmas and New Year celebrations. They always air it during primetime while everyone is, or at the very least, I am eating dinner. It really doesn't help! Aside from that, I develop some kind of an irritation to these people that never learn from what they see on TV. It is some thing that I shouldn't feel because they wouldn't care knowing.


We have been celebrating New Year every year in my grandmother's house (the mom of my mom) in San Juan, Batangas. And though we (or my relatives) are the number 1 violators of the anti-firecracker law, we see to it that no one gets hurt. I still remember the time when my late grandfather lights the kwitis even he is old. We have tried several loud firecrackers, those that are banned by the law, but so far nothing has happened. 


But welcoming 2011 was different. For the first time, a relative of mine was wounded by a kwitis. My uncle, to be exact. He was lighting a kwitis but apparently the other kwitis-es that he was holding in his other hand was lighted as well. But not all, just one.


We were at lola's house when that happened, while he was at his own. When he went to us to celebrate, he immediately showed us his bleeding finger. Yes, bleeding. But he already applied first aid, he said.
The weird thing is, he was making fun of what happened to him. He even play with my cousins and dare to touch them with his damaged finger. And then after a while, he was sitting in a corner, trying to ease the pain by grasping the balcony hard (he was sitting in the balcony). He was crying and was trying to show us that he is okay. He was already pale and shaking and was sweating hard. After a discussion, his brother rushed him to the town clinic to have it treated. 


It was bothering for me, and hopefully a lesson to everyone that we are not exempted to things like this. We were actually lucky compared to those whose body parts get removed because of firecracker explosion, or worse, die. 


I guess we'll be more strict with this next time, especially to the kids. And I'm hoping something like this won't happen again.