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.

I’m not even into the second week of school yet, but already I’m cutting a lot of classes. What is wrong with me? And what’s the deal with JPRIZAL? Why are we getting 0.0s when it says clearly in my course card 3.0? Tsk. Tsk. Not to mention the stair-riffic journey I have to go through when getting to my Andrew classes. Can someone please add 50 more elevators? Ugh. Annoying school stuff. And it’s just the first week.

Finally, final exams are over. Now, I feel so much more free and, well, happy. I feel like a heavy load has been lifted off me! Hello, term break.
This is gonna sound a little random, but I’m just curious. When people write diaries, do they really write down the truth about themselves? Or do they just write down what they want to believe, thinking that putting it on paper (or typing it for that matter) would make it a little more real. Face it. We lie to ourselves. We just can’t stand some things and we desperately want to change them. Until then, we’ll just have to pretend nothing’s wrong. After all, nothing will be wrong when we do change them. I don’t care if I’m not making any sense. To me, it does. And that’s all that really matters, right?
We went to SM North Edsa to attend a driving orientation. I was late and it was a little embarrassing.
I found out that I have to revise the flash filler I made for the YEC Convention. Have to add logos and stuff. Anyway, I’ve made a list for TV shows I want to see (yes, I am getting addicted to episodic TV stuff). I think that’s just a way for satisfying my TV series addiction ’til next year when the new seasons come out on DVD!
Papa and I went to Macabal-ong, my grandparent’s house, to attend the first Saturday Holy mass held there every month. Something happened to lolo after the mass. People said that maybe it was just because of the heat or that maybe lolo’s blood pressure went up or something. People were in a frenzy, saying he didn’t feel well. And now, he is in the hospital. I hope he gets better soon.
I practiced playing tunes on the piano. Untitled by Simple Plan: It’s finished but it needs more practice. Superman by Five for Fighting: The first part sounds nice, I’m still on the first page. Brick by Ben Folds Five: A little repetitive, but I’ve still got to work on some parts. Trouble by Coldplay: I’ve learned this already and I just need to refresh my mind and practice some more. I may change the sheet music I’m following. The Scientist by Coldplay: I think I’ve got it. I just need to work on continuity. My cold is getting worse. I think my nose is red.

Living here in Manila, away from home has its consequences. Homesickness? That’s a given. Feeling lonely? Well, don’t we all. No. This particular effect would be classified as disturbingly weird. Watching fires has developed into one of my pastimes. What with the nice, open view of buildings in the Metro. The sirens of firetrucks have become a signal for me to go to the balcony and watch for smoke. Sometimes, you see it right away. Sometimes, you have to squint to see even just a trace of the blaze. Sometimes, it’s way out there, far from the building. Sometimes, it is IN the building. (Yep. There was once a fire here in the first tower.) Sometimes, the fire goes out right after I step into the balcony. Sometimes, it lasts the whole night. Like that one, big fire I spotted near Makati. It was about two in the morning when I spotted it.  Today, there was a fire right across the street. It was nothing big because I couldn’t actually see the flames. But there were a lot of firetrucks and the noise once again lured me to go fire-watching. Even without the fire. Just wailing sirens and blinking lights. So, this pastime of mine continues, creating for myself - a spectacle: sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

I woke up really late today and that test I was telling you last night? I missed it. Be glad I wrote this after I’ve cooled off. Or else you’d be reading something like: @#$%^&*()*&^#$%^&*()!!!!!!! And it goes on and on. It would have been very delightful if school was called off today. But that would have been too good to be true. Three days straight of suspended classes? Come on. This is the real world where fate is rarely on your side. Today is proof.

Now, how many new beginnings have I had with blogs? Hmm. Nah. I’m too tired to think about that. I think I have a RELSTWO test tomorrow, but I haven’t studied everything yet. It’s already past the hour of one and I’m still here in an internet cafe enjoying their DSL privilege. Yup, yup. No DSL for me, yet. My dad said I should apply for SmartBro instead of PLDT myDSL. The difference is that SmartBro is wireless. Even better. But a downside is that it uses signals from cellular networks and we all know that they can be very frustrating sometimes.

You might ask me, why did I let go of my Xanga blog? Well, I’m not exactly sure. For a change, I guess. I hate monotony. (But you’ll soon see how sometimes I can be a real hypocrite.) And also because I decided to clean things up and sort them into an organized manner. Okay. I don’t think you’re getting me. But that’s not important. Few people do. So, if you don’t mind, I really have to sleep now. (Test! )

I’m just starting out so it’s still a little cluttered. Cut me some slack.