Ondoy is one of the worst, if not the worst

The rain has finally stopped. It had been raining since 7:30 p.m. last night and it only got worse when today broke in. I slept to rain and awoke to rain. I had to cancel a dermatologist appointment because the main road outside the subdivision is flooded. There was no getting out.

This typhoon is probably the worst I've ever been through. I know I did not have to get on top of our roof to escape rushing waters, none of my family did. But it was bad because streets in Quezon City (where I live) that do not normally flood as bad as España* does got flooded real bad today. Imagine Katipunan Avenue getting flooded. I have lived in Quezon City for more than 10 years now and I have never known Katipunan to get flooded as badly as it did today.

The news is filled with reports of people stranded in the topmost floor of their houses. Some are even in trees and on their roofs, waiting for neighbors to help them get across to somewhere where they can walk, dry off and get food. The pink fences that the MMDA put up in various parts of the city got torn down to allow cars to turn and pass through. Some areas are so flooded that even parked cars have become submerged. It's just downright horrible. I saw a video on Youtube where a car looked like the Titanic sinking.

You know, I do not know what the people who went out today were thinking. If they were not going to work but were going somewhere to have fun, what were they thinking?! I find it stupid that they would venture out in this kind of weather when it hasn't stopped raining since last night. And then they complain about being stuck in the highway, with no supplies in their car.

Another thing that strikes me as stupid is countrymen who keep wailing about not being rescued. What exactly do they think the government is? It's a government, not the Justice League or the Super Friends. They do not have Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, Superman, The Green Lantern, Hawk Girl etc., at their disposal. That's not how they work. You have brains people, think! Save yourselves. Don't wait for a Superman to come fly you to dry land. You can't expect the government to have all the resources to help everyone that needs help. Not even the US government can do that. You need to think for yourselves.

Anyway, power was out for several hours today. I thought I was going to spend the night without electricity. Thank God it came back around 8 this evening.

The typhoon is on its way to the central provinces of Luzon*. I hope my mom's family in Pangasinan won't have to deal with flooding and will be safe.


-----
*España - a street in Manila (another city) that floods instantly at a little bit of rain
*Luzon - the northern island of the Philippines

Water on the moon and AIDS vaccine

I want to read these articles later on. I just don't have the time right now.

It's Official: Water Found on the Moon
In a first, an AIDS vaccine shows some success

Going to India sometime in October

I'll be away on a business trip sometime end of October. I'm not sure what else I'll do there besides attending to business. But I am excited about meeting the Hyderabad team.

Um, I am also planning to stay a couple of days with a college friend who wants to visit India. She is currently based in Singapore and has long since been asking me to go on an overseas trip with her. When she found out I was going to India on a business trip, she asked whether I could stay a few more days so we could explore together. So I said, why not?

I was surprised to know that only two countries can enter India without an Indian visa. Everyone else has to get a visa. The good news is that the processing time for an Indian visa is not as long as a Schengen visa. At least here in the Philippines. Then again, I can understand why it takes so long to process a Schengen visa since this visa is valid for all EU member countries.

*****

I have not been doing much of anything lately... except work. I haven't even gone to see any new movies. I know I should feel sad that I haven't gone to see a movie because, you see, it's my thing. I love watching movies in the cinema. Lately, though, I just haven't felt like doing anything. And it doesn't even make me feel sad. I work because I have to, and then I go home to soak up some personal Internet time. I find myself hanging out in Farmville or playing Bejeweled. It's Bejeweled most of the time.

And then lately I seem to be falling asleep earlier. I used to struggle with sleeping because normal bed time for me is 1 to 2 a.m. Now I'm usually asleep before the clock hits 12. I also seem to need someone or something talking in the background while I try to sleep, which is why I have taken to re-watching episodes of Seinfeld.

*****

I am still struggling with losing weight. I've been taking pills to regulate my monthlies (and to help my zit-infested face) and it seems to make me become hungrier more often. I try to not eat so much during dinner but I end up eating a lot. But around 10 or 11 in the evening, I get hungry. And then I eat. It's not even healthy food that I reach for but cakes, cookies, ice cream! Yikes.

I have this uncomfortable weight in my middle. I want to lose it.

But you gotta see some of the food that I have been gorging on.


Grilled Liempo. I think liempo is a particular part of a pig. I am just not sure where.


Sisig. This is chopped up pig's cheeks, ears, nose. Writing that down makes it sound disgusting. But I try not to think that this is a pig's cheeks, ears, and nose. It's pretty tasty, and something you shouldn't knock till you try. :-)


Adobong Kangkong. Kangkong is swamp cabbage. This is really good. A very good compliment to the sisig.


Caramel Fudge Cake. We had this at Banapple, which lately seems to be our breakfast place of choice on Sundays. This cake is way too sweet and not something I really like.


Rolled Lasagna. I split this with my sister for breakfast last Sunday at, you guessed it, Banapple. This was unbelievably good! It's a simple dish that was soooo good! It made me wish I hadn't split it with my sis.

As always, these photos are also available on my Flickr account.

Why do we have to go to work tomorrow?!

I don't get it. I really don't.

See, the government announced an off day tomorrow for everyone else except the BPO and Electronics industries. Granted it's not even a valid holiday (tomorrow is the burial of a religious sect's high leader)---it's just paying respect and having employees avoid the traffic that the event is going to cause---but the reason why my company has office tomorrow is just plain stupid. The Department of Trade and Industry asked the palace to exempt those in BPOs and Electronics because of the 24/7 nature of their work. So now I'm like, "What the hell are you talking about? My office is an R&D facility and not a manufacturing one, and we definitely DO NOT work 24/7." I wish the local HR and Employee Communications people who are responsible for issuing announcements had more backbone, and more functioning neurons because it seems to me they're not thinking very well.

*sigh*

I wish we had buko pandan in the fridge right now. I need something to cool me off this latest irritation.

Living healthy

Here's a nice article I came across this evening. Click on the quoted text below.

What Doctors Wish You'd Do
By Alyssa Shaffer

Skip the 11 o'clock news, respect your mouth and 18 other stay-healthy musts...

Interesting things about me based on FB quiz results

Apparently, I am:

ISTJ - The Dependable One

You have a strong sense of duty and possess the one trait that will help ensure success in whatever you put your mind to - the ability to persevere and focus on your goals. When it comes to getting things done, you are dependable and consistent at delivering.

Some of your personality traits include:

* Value tradition and security
* Strong work ethic
* Dependable
* Loyal and faithful
* Stable and practical
* Family-oriented
* Natural leader
* Prefer to work alone, but work well in teams when necessary
* Very observant
* Respect for facts and concrete information
* Objective, logical and rational decision-making
* Dislike of change, unless shown concrete benefits
* Strong opinions on the "right" way to do things
* Appreciate structured, orderly environments
* High standards for yourself and others
* Not strong on empathy

Some of your suggested careers are:

* Business Executive, Administrator and Manager
* Accountant and Financial Officer
* Police and Detective
* Judge
* Lawyer
* Medical Doctor / Dentist
* Computer Programmer, Systems Analyst, and Computer Specialist
* Military Leader

And that I have a:

Balanced Brain: 17 Left-Brain Responses/ 13 Right Responses

Of 30 questions, 17 of your responses indicate you are left brained dominant. 13 of your responses are indications of right brain dominance. These results indicate you have a balanced brain, with no tendency to think towards either side.

Those who are middle-brain dominant tend to be more flexible than either the left or the right-brain folks; however, you often vacillate between the two hemispheres when you make decisions. You sometimes get confused when decisions need to be made because, neurologically speaking, you could do most tasks through either a left-brain or a right-brain method!

A balanced score means you are able to draw on the strengths of both the right and left hemispheres of your brain depending upon a given situation. This combination makes you a creative and flexible thinker.The down side to having a more "balanced brain" is that you may sometimes feel paralyzed by indecision when the two hemispheres of your brain are competing to solve a problem in their own unique ways. You may also find career choices difficult due to your proficiency in several different areas.

I get into giggle fits whenever I see this because some things do ring true.

Some photos from Andrea's wedding

Head on over to the Raymundo-Realeza photo set on my Flickr.