The Typhoon Ondoy Shock
Little did I know that we were all in for an shock of a lifetime. At around 3 AM of Saturday, September 26, my boyfriend and I had food delivered. We decided not to go out that night and instead stay home for a movie marathon. At 6 AM, we finished watching movies and went to bed. At 1 PM, we awoke to the sound of rain and people outside. Apparently, Manila is already knee deep in water. News reports say that one month of rain fell in a matter of 6 hours.
I have never experienced flood similar to what Typhoon Ondoy has brought to Metro Manila and Luzon. Sure, Filipinos are no stranger to floods (many thanks to clogged sewerage systems and ineffective garbage disposal methods), but because of Typhoon Ondoy, Metro Manila has experienced the worst flood in 40 years.
My heart goes out to all those affected and devastated by Typhoon Ondoy, especially to the families who lost their loved ones. I may not be able to volunteer in relief operations, but my prayers go with all. After the darkness, may we all see hope. Thank you for all those who go out of their way to help others in this calamity. Bayanihan may not be novel anymore, but it will remain noble. God bless us all.
Paul van Dyk in Manila 2009: Live at the A-Venue
It can’t get better than this! Paul van Dyk is coming to Manila on October 13, 2009 at the A-Venue, Makati. Once again, PvD will wow his huge fan base (which I am a part of, hee), with a brand of awesome trance music that sets him apart from other acts.
Get your tickets early, pre-sold at Music One and Odyssey for just Php600 each! Tickets will also be sold on the event night: Php600 before midnight, and Php800 with one drink after midnight. Don’t forget to prepare a killer outfit, and ready your mind and body for another great dance music event that will go down in history as one of the most memorable. See you there! 
Happy Trips and a Better State of Things
Much has happened within the past month that I wasn’t able to update my blog. I am a bit overwhelmed at how quickly things have changed, but I’m happy that it’s all working out just fine. In one month, I’d been to three beautiful beach trips (Boracay, Cebu, and Zambales); celebrated the second anniversary of a wonderful relationship; and transferred to a new company.
For lack of things to write about, I’d just elaborate on the three major things I mentioned above.
As of the moment, I am happily tanned. Our trip to Boracay was awesomely relaxing. That wonderful three-day escape was to break away from all the stress at work (that time), to celebrate a friend’s birthday weekend, and of course, to celebrate another blissful year with my boyfriend. We planned the whole trip in barely a week, and we’re happy it pushed through. We went skim boarding, wave-diving, sunbathing, food-tripping, drinking at Cocomangas, and finally, shopping at MNG!
Next stop was Cebu. It was our third time to go there this year, but we will never get tired of its beauty. To satisfy our beach addiction, we went to Moalboal, a 3-hour ride south of Cebu City. We stayed at Panagsama Beach, and as usual, went snorkeling to appreciate the underwater scenery. I got to say I was awestruck by the richness of underwater life in Panagsama—just a few meters from the shore was a drop-off, surrounded by all kinds of corals (including table corals), and various schools of fish! I badly wished I already knew how to scuba dive.
Of course, after our beach trip we had to tour Cebu City. Aside from beaching, one of our main goals is to gorge ourselves with the best food in the city! Food-tripping is one thing any tourist should never forget to do when in Cebu. Food in Cebu is absolutely cheaply good—you can get the best value without having to spend as much as what you would spend in Manila. So for almost three days, food trip was what we did. We ate at the following restaurants: Izakaya Kagura (Mactan), Hukad sa Golden Cowrie (Ayala Terraces and Mactan), Casa Verde (Ayala Terraces), Siam Thai Cuisine (Ayala Terraces), Sunburst (Ayala Terraces), Gelatissimo (Ayala Terraces), Dessert Factory (Ayala Terraces), and Mooon Cafe (Ayala Terraces). Yuum. Aside from the food tripping, we also sampled the night life by heading out to VUDU at Crossroads in Banilad, Cebu City.
A few days after our Cebu trip, we joined Mark, Kookie, and their friends for a long-weekend getaway to Zambales. We went to Capones and Anawangin, and tanned ourselves out and took crazy jumpshot photos to preserve the wonderful memories.
Today, September 1, I started work in a new company. I’m happy at how things are going so far, and I can’t wait to finally feel useful at work again. In other words, I am just so ready for bigger challenges. Better pay, bigger responsibilities, and better tasks—what more can I ask for? I might be starting my journey to a better career sooner than I think. And a happier relationship with my boyfriend doesn’t hurt either. Ohh, la vita è bella. 
