Cleaning Up Ondoy's Wrath

Every Filipino is a victim of super typhoon, Ondoy. In my family home, this was the first time that water came inside our garden. I had to show this to my sisters abroad because since they migrated this year, this was one for the records for they stayed in this place for 30 years and never encountered anything like this.

In our condo, water came inside our unit. I was not there but the neighbor said it was knee high and the street was waist deep.

Power and water were cut off from all units. Since our unit was on the first floor, all my appliances were "swimming." My DVDs were floating. I had to say goodbye to my two computers. RIP Mac G5! :)

The greatest lesson is not to be attached with material wealth. I didn't feel any "loss" because the safety of my loved ones were more important. Good thing my family was not harmed or taken away from nature's wrath. Time to clean up...

Milenyo 2006 and My Garden 2008

The super typhoon Milenyo last 2006 was very memorable for me. On that day, we lost electricity, communictation and most heartbreaking of all---our favorite mango tree! The tree was sentimental for all of us---it was with us for more than three decades. We have the same age :) The tree witnessed all our family history from the day I was born. I grew up playing "house" under its branches. As a young kid, my siblings and I would climb up to pick baby mangoes. We also had a big swing under it to enjoy the breezy air. In the neighborhood, we were the only one with an old tree that was seen from the street. When it was fruit bearing time, people from all walks of life would knock on our gate, asking for our baby mangoes for free! So when Milenyo hit us, the "death" of our mango tree was well-documentated. Suddenly, we had no shade in our house and the memories of growing up faded away.

But I never gave up on nature. Since Milenyo happened, I wanted our garden to be like a "jungle." We planted diffrent plants and trees---not knowing if it would bear fruit or if it will live, haha. Every morning, I walk to our garden to be refreshed---thankful for another fine day! Flowers, butterflies, my pet parrot and Pipay (mini pinscher) greet me and it feels so good to be one with nature. The parrot came into our life by accident. There was a big typhoon, years before Milenyo and he just landed on our "departed" mango tree. We caught him and has been a member of our family for a decade now :0

I am no green thumb but I got a Davao pomelo tree from Tagaytay City, don't know if it would bear fruit (in my wildest dreams!). We also have banana, santol, langka, atis, mango---all in its infant stages. Maybe it would take another decade or so to see its fruits or maybe not see them at all. But I planted them for our next generation. I've been in the city all my life and I would want my future family members (nieces, nephews, future kids) to experience what we had---trees to climb up and play! Hmmm...nature...