Skip to main content

Ondoy, Baha, Pepeng etc


This is my first post for the month and I can't help but write about the 3 most popular words in Manila these days;Ondoy, Baha and Pepeng.

I was stranded in Cubao last Saturday night after the onslaught of Ondoy. Our humble abode was expectedly flooded and I was home on Sunday in time for the clean-up. Ondoy was really devastating and everyone was caught unprepared of his wrath. Whether it was caused by global warming or just plain carelessness of the urban folks, what happened made us realize how helpless we can be when nature gets back at us for all our lackadaisical ways.

"Baha, baha"everywhere! I am not new to being in a flood prone area. I spent almost 20 years in a compound in Quezon City where moderate rainfall results in flooding. Now that we're living near Espana, the more it became a common sight to me.

And now, Pepeng... Why do I feel that this typhoon will not be that bad as expected. I am biased by the fact that when PAGASA says there's a storm signal, nothing happens. But if they don't say anything, the rains come and the flooding happens. Let's see if this hypothesis is still true tomorrow.

I am positive that all these will come to pass and the events will just become part of stories to be repeated over and over again. That's life...and as long as we have faith, everything will work for the good of those who are called according to His purpose.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Just Saying!

I chanced upon this blog as I was 'Googling' and I realized that I have not written any post for the past year. When the pandemic happened and I started working from home, I thought it would be the best opportunity for me to start writing again. My excitement produced 2 blog posts, but that was it. Nothing followed. Fast forward to this time. Since I have some time to spare, let me just say this regarding what's happening out there. We are all tired of the quarantine life and wish we can go back to how we live before this virus came to being. We blame the government for all the inefficiencies and lack of foresight, insight and what not. We compare our state with other countries and their seemingly better response and outcome. We all have brilliant ideas on what to do and what should be done. We cannot even agree if face shields add a layer of protection or not! But do we really have to stress ourselves with all of these? Is it even worth the energy? Do we think something go...

The Beauty of Giving

It is heartwarming to read how people are coming together to help and support all those involved in this war against the corona virus 19. Indeed, the blessing in this crisis is the transparency of people and the willingness to help those in need without a second thought. We have proven once again that we can care beyond ourselves. Hopefully though, this selflessness goes beyond the end of this pandemic. Giving sincerely is powerful not only for the heart but also for the mind and soul. It provides an intrinsic reward that’s far more valuable than the gift.   It’s ‘finding one’s self by losing it in the service of others. As we nest in the comforts of our home, let us continuously find ways to help others in even small and meaningful ways.

Growths and Tumors of the Mouth

A colleague in the practice of dental medicine referred to me a 40-year old female with a large pinkish, cauliflower-like mass on her lower right buccal gingival. It apparently started 2 months prior to the consult as a small pinkish pedunculated mass, nontender, that was often irritated during teeth brushing. She wanted it removed. Without biopsy, the characteristic of the mass is more consistent with squamous papilloma. I scheduled her for excision biopsy under local anesthesia. More and more people are experiencing some ‘growths’ in their oral cavity. I think this is mainly related to the lifestyle we have adapted these years. Smoking, eating food with irritants or preservatives etc. are the usual culprits. For information, these are the more common growths and tumors that we usually see in the oral cavity. Please be guided and consult your dentists if you notice something similar in your mouth. Abscess This is a soft, pus containing swelling. Th...