It's the hottest weekend in October for nearly a century. Having the weekend off for once has it's benefits, especially when being able to write this in the garden. But I feel a twinge of guilt as well. All this sunshine is in sharp contrast to the stormy weather that is hitting the Philippines at the moment. It seems that the only time that country makes international news is when something bad happens. And with an average of 20 typhoons hitting the archipelago a year, it is somewhat a certainty.
Here in England, it is commonplace to complain about the weather. About how it rains all the time. How cold it is. How it is better abroad. Having lived abroad, I know just how green the grass just is on the other side. For all the sunny days in the tropical climate, the stormiest days are truly terrifying. Especially when witnessed firsthand. It is quite ironic that the name of the weather bureau in the Philippines is PAG - ASA ( Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) which is supposed to mean "hope" in Filipino. We usually though of any news reports from them as "impending doom" to be honest.
Still, it was not always doom and gloom. It was always surprising when PAG-ASA would get it wrong. Now Typhoons are generally classified by Signals no. 1 to 3, depending on the wind speed. The higher the number, the greater the destructive power. Now there is the Signal no. 4, which is the designation for the Super typhoon. It is very rare that this is ever used.
So it came as a surprise one day while in elementary school, that the report was raised of an impending typhoon that was on its way. In response, my school decided to take precaution and send all the elementary students home. My brother was in high school then and I had to wait for him to be released by his teachers. I waited at the elementary building with a friend of mine and came to a decision. I looked up to the darkening skies. I watched as the gentle breeze started getting stronger. I was going to do the first thing that came to mind in the face of a storm brewing in the horizon.
I went off to play computer games.
Yes, while everyone else was worrying about the oncoming winds and rainfall, people panic buying canned goods and covering their windows with plywood, I decided to blow some cash playing Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat 1 and Dragon Ball Z.
Hadouken!
Finish him!
Kamehameha!
My brother knew exactly where to find me after he was left off from class. And what did he do?
Kicked my butt in the games for the next hour or so .
We did get home a lot later. My dad did get a little ticked off that we did not get home sooner. We had to do all our chores pretty quickly and settle down for the night.
And the typhoon?
It never arrived.
