Weekend with Santi

It was a sunny Friday morning and Metro Manila was under storm signal number 2. Pag-Asa made the announcement so the public would have enough time to prepare for the coming typhoon. I couldn't blame the government agency for being paranoid, with the two previous storms wrecking havoc across the country.

All the emergency preparations paid off with the arrival of the typhoon. Jen and I woke up around 230 am Saturday morning to the howling wind and drizzle of rain. An hour later, the electricity was out. Fortunately we fed Aaron enough to last until morning, so we didn't have to make another bottle of milk in the dark.

The rains stopped around 5 or 6 in the morning, but the electricity was unavailable until twelve noon. I had to cancel some of my appointments because people were reluctant to leave their homes. Good thing we paid our respects to the dead a few days before the typhoon arrived.

After taking our lunch, I decided to leave the house and go downtown to do some errands and buy supplies -- mostly diapers and milk in Divisoria. I was expecting the worst -- like flooded areas and fallen billboards. But the roads were clear and safe. Apparently everyone learned a thing or two after Ondoy.

The shops in Divisoria were open but there weren't a lot of buyers. I bought the things I needed and quickly left Manila. I returned home around 3pm and spend the rest of the day with the family. By then the typhoon had officially left the country.