Like any other Filipino these days, I have an Ondoy story to tell. But I just couldn't thank God that mine is not the heart-wrenching survivor story. It's just plain and simple: I slept through the storm!
Saturday morning, Cicelle and I left the office at around 7. We were a bunch of BF-less ladies that morning. So after just a few minutes of chatting with officemates, we decided to start walking towards kalayaan where both of us would catch our rides. It was already raining at the time. We were sharing my almost-new umbrella while still chatting about life, love and all that stuff.
It was a sweet travel home that morning. Cold and chilly and traffic-less on a Saturday morning so in thirty minutes I am at the comfort of our home sweet little home in Taguig. Mama's freshly brewed coffee greeted my nostrils. Ahhhh... warm and sweet.
I spent the morning just literally lounging on the sofa chair. With the remote control in my right hand, I am just clicking away, not really looking for a particular show, just wanted to drown in the noise coming out of the TV. Rain started to pour in, but it's been raining the past few weeks anyway. So, what's new?
Mama asked why I'm not sleeping yet and I told her I'd sleep as late as I could so I could wake up on Sunday morning.
So I spent some more of my time playing with my PSP while the rain continued it's fury outside. Our house is starting to suffer with its leaking ceiling drenching some of my stuff in water. Even the kitchen and the bathroom had a taste of the rain water. I was getting irritated with our landlady for not fixing the leaks soon enough so I texted her and demanded that she visit our house right there and then so she could see for herself the extent of the damage.
Eventually my eyes and my will gave up on me and I was asleep before 1pm.
It was warm and toasty in my bed. I turned off the industrial fan and buried myself in the blankets. I was dead to the world. I woke up at around five. It was getting dark. I peeked and saw mama getting dressed. She just took a bath and sensing I was a little awake she told me it's been raining non-stop and that we have no electricity at the time.
I mumbled a few words I, myself can't understand and went back to sleep.
I woke up again a couple of hours later and grabbed a bite. Mama said she couldn't buy any decent food because most of the stores have closed because of the rain. I said I'd be fine with bread and went back to sleep.
True enough the next time I woke up it was already Sunday morning.
There is still no electricity. I was hungry. And there is no food.The sun was up but the world is quiet. It felt eerie.
Mama said the rain was raging the entire day and night on Saturday. I checked my phone and saw a lot of text messages from concerned friends asking how are we. It began to dawn on me then that this wasn't much of a regular typhoon.
I texted my brother and told him we didn't have anything to eat that morning. He arrived an hour later with what he calls relief goods. I learned he spent the night in his office because he couldn't go home because of the flood. The KFC chicken he brought that morning was a treat from his company. Yey! He asked mama and I to have lunch at his house that Sunday. He said he'll cook. My brother is a good cook so I told him okay.
Mama and I went out and checked the streets. There were myriads of people walking, non-existing jeepneys and tons of tricycle. It was chaotic. We walked some more and saw the general hospital flooded, the Taguig City hall flooded, and just ten steps from our house, water is rising too.
When we had lunch over at Kuya's, Mama, I and my kid brother had to wade through thigh-deep rain water before we reached his house. But thank God his house was spared from the flood but if you just step out from his door, there is water too. I've never seen so many flood in my life.
We spent Sunday lazily (and still with no electricity) at my Kuya's home. We had a feast with his sinigang. I was busy playing with my super cute nephew. When he slept, I slept too. Then it started to get dark so we decided to go home. We asked Kuya and Karen to just sleep over at our house. Since there was still no electricity, it's better if we all spend the night together. By this time my phone died on me. Empty batt. I was missing my gadgets. I had a mission still to be completed in my PSP game. The lack of electricity is getting its toll on me.
By 7pm, while my nephew is getting irritated and while my brother is coming to terms with the fact that he might have to spend the night fanning his son, the light came back. Weeeee! I raced upstairs and plugged both my phone and my PSP. So in case Meralco decides to cut us off again, I'd be equipped.
Text poured in. Got a call from Mac saying Dave just initiated a call tree. I started to get in touch with my officemates and then reality sank in.
While I was sleeping through the storm, while I was missing my PSP, while I was enjoying a lazy Sunday with my family... the rest of Metro Manila was suffering from the effects of Ondoy. I learned that my officemate in Marikina had lost their first floor to the flood. Another still in Marikina lost their entire house.
It was buffling. And humbling. I'd never imagine we could come close to a calamity such as this. We see news like this all over the world, all the time. But to see it so close to home, to learn people you know, your relatives to experience the storm's fury makes me feel so human. So unpredictable. So vulnerable.
... And so thankful.
I heard mama thanking God for sparing us from the flood. She said God knows she can't clean the house if we were flooded because of her health condition. What a wise God we have, she said.
... And I couldn't agree more.
Saturday morning, Cicelle and I left the office at around 7. We were a bunch of BF-less ladies that morning. So after just a few minutes of chatting with officemates, we decided to start walking towards kalayaan where both of us would catch our rides. It was already raining at the time. We were sharing my almost-new umbrella while still chatting about life, love and all that stuff.
It was a sweet travel home that morning. Cold and chilly and traffic-less on a Saturday morning so in thirty minutes I am at the comfort of our home sweet little home in Taguig. Mama's freshly brewed coffee greeted my nostrils. Ahhhh... warm and sweet.
I spent the morning just literally lounging on the sofa chair. With the remote control in my right hand, I am just clicking away, not really looking for a particular show, just wanted to drown in the noise coming out of the TV. Rain started to pour in, but it's been raining the past few weeks anyway. So, what's new?
Mama asked why I'm not sleeping yet and I told her I'd sleep as late as I could so I could wake up on Sunday morning.
So I spent some more of my time playing with my PSP while the rain continued it's fury outside. Our house is starting to suffer with its leaking ceiling drenching some of my stuff in water. Even the kitchen and the bathroom had a taste of the rain water. I was getting irritated with our landlady for not fixing the leaks soon enough so I texted her and demanded that she visit our house right there and then so she could see for herself the extent of the damage.
Eventually my eyes and my will gave up on me and I was asleep before 1pm.
It was warm and toasty in my bed. I turned off the industrial fan and buried myself in the blankets. I was dead to the world. I woke up at around five. It was getting dark. I peeked and saw mama getting dressed. She just took a bath and sensing I was a little awake she told me it's been raining non-stop and that we have no electricity at the time.
I mumbled a few words I, myself can't understand and went back to sleep.
I woke up again a couple of hours later and grabbed a bite. Mama said she couldn't buy any decent food because most of the stores have closed because of the rain. I said I'd be fine with bread and went back to sleep.
True enough the next time I woke up it was already Sunday morning.
There is still no electricity. I was hungry. And there is no food.The sun was up but the world is quiet. It felt eerie.
Mama said the rain was raging the entire day and night on Saturday. I checked my phone and saw a lot of text messages from concerned friends asking how are we. It began to dawn on me then that this wasn't much of a regular typhoon.
I texted my brother and told him we didn't have anything to eat that morning. He arrived an hour later with what he calls relief goods. I learned he spent the night in his office because he couldn't go home because of the flood. The KFC chicken he brought that morning was a treat from his company. Yey! He asked mama and I to have lunch at his house that Sunday. He said he'll cook. My brother is a good cook so I told him okay.
Mama and I went out and checked the streets. There were myriads of people walking, non-existing jeepneys and tons of tricycle. It was chaotic. We walked some more and saw the general hospital flooded, the Taguig City hall flooded, and just ten steps from our house, water is rising too.
When we had lunch over at Kuya's, Mama, I and my kid brother had to wade through thigh-deep rain water before we reached his house. But thank God his house was spared from the flood but if you just step out from his door, there is water too. I've never seen so many flood in my life.
We spent Sunday lazily (and still with no electricity) at my Kuya's home. We had a feast with his sinigang. I was busy playing with my super cute nephew. When he slept, I slept too. Then it started to get dark so we decided to go home. We asked Kuya and Karen to just sleep over at our house. Since there was still no electricity, it's better if we all spend the night together. By this time my phone died on me. Empty batt. I was missing my gadgets. I had a mission still to be completed in my PSP game. The lack of electricity is getting its toll on me.
By 7pm, while my nephew is getting irritated and while my brother is coming to terms with the fact that he might have to spend the night fanning his son, the light came back. Weeeee! I raced upstairs and plugged both my phone and my PSP. So in case Meralco decides to cut us off again, I'd be equipped.
Text poured in. Got a call from Mac saying Dave just initiated a call tree. I started to get in touch with my officemates and then reality sank in.
While I was sleeping through the storm, while I was missing my PSP, while I was enjoying a lazy Sunday with my family... the rest of Metro Manila was suffering from the effects of Ondoy. I learned that my officemate in Marikina had lost their first floor to the flood. Another still in Marikina lost their entire house.
It was buffling. And humbling. I'd never imagine we could come close to a calamity such as this. We see news like this all over the world, all the time. But to see it so close to home, to learn people you know, your relatives to experience the storm's fury makes me feel so human. So unpredictable. So vulnerable.
... And so thankful.
I heard mama thanking God for sparing us from the flood. She said God knows she can't clean the house if we were flooded because of her health condition. What a wise God we have, she said.
... And I couldn't agree more.
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