The first thing I thought was “TSUNAMI!”
Really.
The terrible hum of the winds whooshing and howling in every direction sounded like the sea was coming to get me. Plus the fact that I lived near Manila Bay made me think that maybe some daring wave thought of breaching its boundaries so it could get a taste of life on land.
I looked out the window half-expecting to see Manila covered in water and debris. And it was. Although it wasn’t tsunami-level.
Super typhoon Milenyo. Look on the bright side. At least, classes were cancelled.
I spent the next few minutes peeking out of windows and thinking “Whoa. I can hardly see anything!” or “This must be the strongest typhoon since I moved here” or “I’d better back off in case the glass breaks” and later, “Why is it hot in here?” Apparently, there was no electricity. Darn. So, I did what people normally do in times like this. Sleep.
At least, that’s what I wanted to do. But it’s a little hard to sleep like a log in this kind of weather, don’t you think?
There was something weird going on with my ears, too. Kind of like when landing and taking off in a plane or riding the elevator or going downhill in high altitudes. It’s like that. Must be air pressure or something.
It wasn’t easy looking for something to eat. Cooking wasn’t possible because we have an electric stove. We couldn’t go out to buy food. Taxis were scarce and I’m not a jeepney fan. And I bet we couldn’t call for a delivery, either. No choice. I’d have to make do with downstairs food. That’s food from downstairs. Choices are limited, there’s a shortage of rice and around me were people-sardines. But just as well, food is food.
Then there’s the electricity issue. Lucky ones recovered their power after a day (more or less). But there were the not-so-lucky ones who had to manage with candles, oil lamps and flashlights for almost 5 days. Tsk. Tsk. May liwanag ang buhay.
Traces of Milenyo’s visit could be found almost everywhere you look. I’ve spotted ripped signs, uprooted trees, wrecked rooftops and broken pavements. I actually saw Rizal Stadium’s roof waving at me.
But that’s not all. I’ve heard there’s another one coming. Neneng’s the name. Maybe it’s Milenyo’s sister, who knows? Anyway, hello Neneng. Please don’t pay us a visit. We don’t have any GI sheets and trees to give you. We only have glass and some organic matter. But even then, we’d prefer it if you had your stopovers at places where corrupt officials put their personal booty. Comprende?
I wonder if PLDT’s malfunction was related to the typhoon, too. Hmm.

Oh. And I’ve heard there’s a third one. You know what they say. Great typhoons come in threes.