Sorry for the late post. I guess it’s pretty evident by now that I have been neglecting this blog. Work still pretty much eats most of my time and it was exceptionally draining on the week that an unnamed weather disturbance hit Metro Manila and the nearby provinces.
Let’s just call it Monsoon Del Rosario. Only people born in the 80’s/earlier will be able to relate. It wasn’t as scary as Milenyo or as devastating as Ondoy but it was definitely something!!! It’s the first time I experienced making a decision not to go to work because I might not make it back home alive and the first time I experienced work being suspended by Malacanang even for private sectors.
Ate B and I stayed home and had a romantic lunch by default. Brownout kasi. We cooked whatever was left in the fridge. We couldn’t even go to the nearest supermarket because of the ankle-high floods we were most likely to encounter in St. Paul and Pasong Tamo.
{chef’s salad, caramelized onions with baguio beans, lucban longanisa… toshi bear as lunch guest}
Nung nagka-ilaw na, we watched the news and felt pretty grateful that we were dry, safe and warm. What happened in some cities was heartbreaking, especially in Quezon City and Marikina. We hoped that the next day would have less rain contrary to the weather forecast.
It wasn’t raining so hard on Wednesday morning so I went to work. It was still flooded in some parts of Buendia but I was hopeful that it would subside by afternoon because the sun had started to come out. Paasa lang pala. By lunchtime, there was a crazy downpour again. We were sent home by our boss. It was a struggle going home because it was already flooded in Taft-Buendia. I just told myself to brave the waters because the level was nothing compared to that of Fairview or Malibay.
{view from our LRT Buendia recruitment hub}
By Thursday, the weather was significantly better. Haring Araw was welcomed with tears of joy by a lot of people. I was happy because kailangan ko nang maglaba at makapagpatuyo ng mga labada. AND I wanted to go home to Bataan.
Daddy discouraged me from going home because there was no electricity in our town. But I didn’t care. I was desperate to see my parents and to eat suman. :p
So I went home and spent the weekend indoors. Didn’t need an electric fan because the air there is cool and fresh. (Plus, it still rained in Morong. Fat, scary raindrops but it didn’t bother me because I was home.) Didn’t need television because I brought lots of reading materials (Nat Geo, food magazine and Garfield). All I needed was internet. Thank you Smart for the fast connection! And thank you self for buying a portable charger and extra batteries.
{what the side of our house looks like when it’s raining… probinsyang-probinsya noh?}
I was supposed to stay home until Tuesday morning but a typhoon was approaching the PAR. Mama told me it’s wise I go back to Manila instead of staying home, eating everything in our kitchen and end up being stranded in Morong, missing more work.
Daddy cooked breakfast and made oil lamps to illuminate our dining room. Niiiice.
{breakfast habang brownout sa bahay c/o daddy…pati mga lampara siya ang gumawa}
Aside from the blessing of being safe with my family, this monsoon made 2 people reach out to me. They asked if my parents were okay. I think they saw in the news about Bataan being flooded. Our town is far from that area. But I’m glad that even if I am not (?) friends with them anymore, they still managed to remember me or at least the people I love.
What was YOUR monsoon experience?
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listening to: Carly Rae Jepsen & Owl City – Good Time
Iya Santos Online 