Trauma in Ondoy's wake

The sunburn on my nose and forehead has begun to peel. No, I did not go to the beach. Who would go in this weather?

 

Saturday Surprise: Flash Flood

We had so many things planned for that weekend: maybe a barbecue lunch, dinner out to a fancy resto, a movie, some errands perhaps, or a relaxing massage - but our weekend activities was decided for us instead by Ondoy.

I wanted to sleep-in that Saturday morning (I drove home from Batangas the night before) but was woken up early by my worried girlfriend Liz: her sister Belle lives in Pasig too, and the flood in their area is rising fast. My dad and I had a quick coffee and tried to make our way to Belle's house. One of my Uncles volunteered to drive my Lolo's Tamaraw FX for us - we needed a high enough vehicle. The traffic was horrible. When we finally reached Ortigas Extension via East Bank Road, the FX could no longer move forward because there was already about a meter deep water. Even on foot, the water was already too deep to traverse. We saw one vehicle being pushed across - it was the only one that tried.

Share your Ondoy Story to help the Nation Heal

The victims of the ravaging flood brought about by typhoon Ondoy are in dire need of the basic necessities: food, clothes, shelter. Please send your donations to these addresses.

I am not a psychologist, but I do know that talking about your traumatic experiences helps you cope with the emotions, knowing that your experiences are shared my many others gives you a sense of assurance that things will get better.

Where were you when...

I encourage you to talk about your story, here, on your blogs or with friends and family: share how you lost and how you survived, share your frustrations, vent your anger, release it and learn from it, let's give suggestions to each other about what to do next time or how to build safety in our lives...

Dealing with a vehicle submerged in flood water

We are all still reeling from the damage caused by typhoon Ondoy - we have lost lives, houses, livelihoods and properties. Now that recovery has begun, we are looking forward to getting our lives back to normal. My next few posts hopefully bring some hope back - some reassurance that things will be better soon.

What to do when your car is submerged in a flood?

Images of cars and other vehicles floating in flood water or stacked over each other reminds me of the horror that was Ondoy. I was myself praying the water would stop rising on that rainy Saturday night - the water level reached up to our garage where our cars were, but thankfully it stopped right at my car's rear tires.

But a lot of our kababayans are not as lucky. Right now their cars and other vehicles are dead, filled with mud and gunk. But there's hope still. I suggest you show this post to someone you know whose vehicle / car was submerged in the flood water of Ondoy. It just might save him/her his vehicle...

Launching my own domain: Reyjr.com

The trumpets sound!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I respectfully introduce you to my blog:  

Reyjr.com | Born on a Syzygy

 

Born out of friendships across the globe,

Born out of passion for blogging. Unfold

a brand new chapter online, behold.

Born on a Syzygy - let life be told.

Invite you to stay, ti's my humble abode

in this blogosphere. Not to be bashful - be bold

and ask you to read all the stories retold.

Born on a Syzygy - Reyjr dot com... sold!

-reyjr

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Vice Presidential candidate Mar Roxas' (Royal) Family Tree

He's a former President's grandson, but Vice Presidential candidate Mar Roxas is also an Araneta.

Mar Roxas was born Manuel A. Roxas II, a namesake of his grandfather, former President Manuel Roxas. We all know this obvious connection because of the name, but I think the majority of us do not know that Mar Roxas is an Araneta.

The Akafellas needs a Tenor - it could be YOU!

I am excited to share with you that the Philippines' premier pop-capella singing group, the Akafellas, is looking for a new dude to complete their awesome octet.