Panic at the Grocery

Sunday after the terrible Typhoon Ondoy, the lines at the grocery were crazy. People were paying in cash because Credit and Debit Cards were not working. Less cashiers and most people bought water and cleaning materials.

But the grocery was still full.

On Tuesday though, it was a different story. We were hoping to buy my cousin's favor of 'pansit canton' for when we visit her in Thailand, but it just wasn't possible.

This is the sight of most of the shelves in the grocery.

Especially for instant noodles and water.

Just a thought - because water was still lacking, I wonder how they'll cook the tons of instant noodles that were given as relief goods? And I can't believe they also bought those EXTRA HOT/CHILI Noodles. That won't be so easy to eat, especially if they do not have water to drink. Right?

 

 

 

 

 

Eerie Ortigas

Usually the cars from Lourdes School cause traffic

The streets are quiet. Very quiet, also in mourning.
The skies are still grey - please new typhoons, don't come our way just yet. We are already so down. :(

A Time to ACT

Before Saturday, I don't think I have experienced such great devastation so near me. ULTRA was one thing a few years back, but Typhoon Ondoy just brought major destruction over greater Luzon.

At 10AM on Saturday, I was still oblivious to the wrath of the typhoon. I went about my usual Saturday chores and anticipated the coming home of my sister from the gym at 1045AM. The sky was really dark and the rains didn't stop, but it wasn't new to someone who has been based in Manila for about 6 years now. We didn't and don't have typhoons in Davao where I grew up, but I have been used to it (although not appreciative of it) here in Metro Manila.

I got a text from my sister at around 1045 saying she was stuck along greenmeadows avenue, about a block away from our house because the gate to Acropolis was flooded. She was thinking of going back to her gym but I insisted for her to go home via White Plains as I felt the rains wouldn't stop. She did so and got stuck there as well. 12noon, preparing for lunch she texts that she might need to wait for the water to subside before she can get home.

I finally decided to turn on the news and found out the real story of the typhoon. Floods up to chest high and families already up on their roofs in Marikina and Cainta. Cainta Mayor has declared that 100% of his town has been flooded - no this is not your ordinary typhoon. As soon as my sister got home, I was relieved only to be reminded that our house in Project 8 is by a creek. We text dad and the water at the 1st floor of the house was chest deep. Then cellphone signal was gone until 2AM this morning.

Thanks to Internet,we were able to check on dad and a few other friends. But a few other friends and colleagues, we haven't heard from just yet.

As of 2PM yesterday, many people were still on their roofs waiting to be rescued. Death toll has risen to about 80people and a good number still missing. A friend's car also drowned in his basement parking. Friends families are still in Cainta, stranded on their 2nd floors. The sight of the news is very disheartening.

There is so much rebuilding to do now. RELIEF is number 1 on the list as MANY lost a lot or lost everything. And we start to Rehabilitate and REBUILD. Keep our positive spritis high and take each day one step at a time.

We also need to Heed the call of Mother Nature. Climate Change has seriously sent us a message. The Environment is our friend but we have seriously exploited it, and I say that about the entire country. It's not just about Luzon, it's about the entire Nation.

What does Kindness Involve

I believe Kindness involves honesty. Kindness also involves challenging the other to be better.

To be tolerant of a person's wrong doings and bad attitude is to be rude. Help her/him be more aware, help her/him to grow.

How do you continue to be kind to someone who refuses to listen is a different story. But I also think that it is not kind enough to just let things be if that is the case. Because whatever his/her mistake is, it is then bound to happen over and over again. Perhaps the kind thing to do is go above the level of reprimand, even if it'll hurt the person.

Kindness at work should always go beyond friendship. You need to remind colleagues that at work, it most of the time not an attack on you but on the value of your work and the attitude that goes with it.

It is most kind for a person who works in a team, to think always of the team and how his/her work (or her refusal to do her work) affects everyone and team's end product. For a single person can ruin everyone else's hard work by not doing his share and not giving it his/her all.

hmmm