I was a helpless subject to the powers of Mother Nature.

Take your bet: who has the upper hand?

𝘈 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘣 + 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 + 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺;

-𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘴-

𝘈 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 600 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 -𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴.

With the money I earned working abroad for five years, I’ve invested in poultry business as a contract grower for one of the biggest food conglomerates in the country. Several months into the operations, we were able to harvest well. But a few days after the second batch of day-old chicks were delivered, Mt. Pinatubo, an angry volcano 35kms away, exploded. Thatched nipa roofs of the henhouses collapsed under the weight of thick volcanic ash made wet by heavy rains. Gas burners and heaters that were used to warm the chicks also caused a fire that barbecued nearly 10,000 chicks.

If you bet on the noob, you lose!

For the sake of the crowing rooster, the good volcano had 600 #%^&* years to crack but it chose this time! Had I bought a second hand Ferrari or several Patek Nautilus watches, I would have made more money flipping them than the revenue from a million drumsticks. But I knew very little then. No knowledge in business. No knowledge in volcanic eruptions. What I knew was lighting design. But I was a sleeping volcano, too.

All along, the business I was made for was right under my nose but it still took me another 20 years to finally get into it. Another 20 #%^&* years. In hindsight, I think the eruption was a wake up call I failed to heed. Still, God was patient. He waited. I am thankful.

I raise this cup to the Great Light. Cheers! #MyCafeNotes