September 30, 2006

Deluged


Mother Nature must have been seriously dismayed (or rendered vengefully envious....BwaHaHa!) by my Miss Tourism photo because less than 48 hours after I published my post beckoning all and sundry to come hither into my quaint country paradise, she unleashed a ferocious storm called Milenyo (international codename: Xangsane) upon our hapless metropolis and beyond. It wasn't so much the heavy rain but the merciless wind that wreaked fantastic havoc everywhere. Old, stalwart trees were viciously uprooted from the ground, cement walls crumbled like caked bread to the earth, sturdy vehicles fell over as if they were flimsy toy cars, big billboards instantaneously transformed into lethal weapons as they came crashing down streets.

Since Thursday's terrible typhoon - the worst we've had in ten years - much of our city has been shrouded in darkness. The power company people continue to work frenetically to repair the vast damage caused by toppled electric posts. In the meantime, throngs of familes are flocking to the hotels and malls to seek refuge from the cloying heat and mind-numbing boredom.

We are still fortunate. My husband (just call him MacGyver!) ingeniously found a way to tap into our apartment building's generator system so that, apart from having only the usual emergency lights on at our unit, we also have our electric fans, fridge, and computers working. We also have running water. My parents and brothers from across town are going crazy because they have no electricty and water.

Although we have had computer access, my blog has admittedly been neglected because my full attention has been stolen by our toddler who is suffering from withdrawal symptoms brought about by the sudden absence of airconditioning and the unfathomable disappearance of Sesame Street, Barney and Blues Clues DVD-viewing in his everyday life.

Imagine my surprise when, upon finally checking my blog this morning, I found that my Pregnant Pauses has been chosen Bestest Blog of the Day ! WOOHOO!


Bestest Blog of the Day: 09/29/2006
Pregnant Pauses
...by Julie from "Flip This Body"

Pregnant Pauses, by blogger Irene Tuazon, is a cornucopia of fun, sassiness and humor. A self-proclaimed, "Photographer's Muse / Loony Stage Mother", Irene blogs from The Phillipines with a voice that is fresh and extremely funny.

Irene's blog description states, "A pregnant pause is a momentary stillness laden with significance. It is rich, prolific, provocative, wow. It is a threshold for ideas and can translate into one to one thousand emotions. It welcomes imagination and brims with untold possibilities. Sometimes, it is even pinched with humor. Life's most unforgettable moments are highlighted by pregnant pauses. Now, I gladly share with you mine."

Wow is right. If the description hasn't already sucked you in, try her post on her run in with WWE Smackdown's Big Dave Bautista, or the pics of her baby being cooked alive!! But, on a dime, Irene will turn around and hit you with a sentimental photograph/ poignant quote combo that's heartfelt and true.

I really enjoy visiting Irene's site because you never know what she's going to do next. She keeps you guessing, in a really good way!

posted by Bobby Griffin @ 12:07 AM

Special thanks to Getting-Sexier-By-The-Day Julie and the marvelous Bobby Griffin for the rave review. And thank you so much to all of you for your amazing support. Love yah!

Truly, this is a blast of light and cheer amidst the deluge.

Now, please excuse me as I have to perform my gazillionth song and dance number to amuse my restless wild child.

24 comments:

Jules said...

So glad to hear you're ok! Now I can finally go to bed! :-)

Just kidding - I'm up at 1:15 am because I went out for drinks with a friend after the show. But I WAS wondering where you were. Thank the lord, you and your family are safe. I hope your family in the south gets their power and water back soon!

Jean said...

All my wishes so that this hurricane causes less problems!
I looked at your blog well: cheer!

Thank you for your visit on mine.

Lizza said...

Glad to find out you're okay. Congratulations again!

Irene said...

Sexy Julie - Thanks so much! I'm really touched by your concern! We're feeling hot and bored and our restless baby is driving us up the wall....but we're very okay! c",)

Jean - It wasn't really a hurricane that hit us....just a very nasty storm. c",) MERCI! Do drop by again!

Lovely Lizza - I'm glad you're also fine, dear kababayan! Our poor country has been through far worse things than this, right? c",)

Anonymous said...

I hope everyone is ok in aftermath of hurricane. Congratulations! on being bestest blog. Nice time to come for you. :)

Anonymous said...

Glad you and your family are all well. Congrats on the bestest blog!!!

Sony said...

Nice blog. Those pictures of the Phillipines are fantastic (the ones in the earlier post about tourism). What a beautiful country.

Congrats on being Bestest Blog and thanks for your comment on my site.

FU said...

hello!!!

thanks for visiting my blog! how'd you find me?

my dad used to live in the phillipenes. in makati to be exact, but he moved back home to toronto now. he says he misses the weather.. but judging by that pics of the rain.. i wonder why? hahaha.

we have it bad here coz of the snow in the winter.

congrats on being the bestseststestests blog :)

Mimi Lenox said...

Irene,

So glad you are safe and happy with your beautiful family. I love your spirit and positive outlook on life. Keep sending us those amazing pictures. Now, go dance for your baby child!

Kiyotoe said...

Congrats on your "celebrity". Glad to know that everything is okay and everyone is safe and sound.

By the way, ask MacGyver if he knows anything about cable? I'm paying way too much for HBO.

Anonymous said...

wow! didnt know the typhon was that bad. lola just told me that there was no electricity and my mom too. i didnt know it was that strong. i hate being away from home and everyone else when there are things like that. grr! by the way! congratulations of your "award". i miss you and everyone else!!! hugs and kisses to everyone!

ChemGrad said...

cheers!

Ian said...

I'm glad to know you and your family are all right. Here's to renewal of air conditioning and Sesame Street very soon...

Ian

abovo99 said...

Ok...you and your family are fine...that's good to hear...that's all I want to hear from people in phillipines for right now. Congratulation for your success of your blog.

Anonymous said...

Very compelling post. Thank you for sharing with the rest of the world what you and your community are facing. You are lucky to have a resourceful husband. Congratulations on winning best blog. I plan to stop back and hope things will be getting back to normal for you soon.

Anonymous said...

Glad you survived the typhoon. At least the mall businesses seem to thrive at this time. Congrats on being named bestest blog.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you're all okay, Irene! And congrats on Bestest Blog! You deserve it! I'm adding you to my blogroll - something I've been meaning to do for awhile now!

Reeholio said...

Hi Irene,

Congratulations on the award. I bet it made your day!

Lucky you for your resourceful husband being able to tap into the electricity. A bit easier than trekking halfway across Manila to find an internet cafe with power, like Lizza ;-)

Irene said...

Magical Lexa - Thanks for visiting! You and LOKi are always welcome here. c",)

Michael - Thanks for the well wishes! c",)

Sony - Thanks! Miss Tourism hopes you will consider visiting the Philippines - in times of better weather! c",)

Irene said...

Fu - Found your page through Carlo. Your Dad lived in Makati? That's where I'm at now! I'm not surprised he said he liked the weather here. Most of the people who are sick of the cold do. But right now, I could do with some snow!!! c",)

Mimi - I'm dancing! I'm dancing! For the hundredth time, thanks for being so wonderful. c",)

Kiyotoe - Thanks a lot! Funny you mentioned cable. Do you know we got away with free cable for two years? It was already hooked up when we moved to our apartment and nobody ever charged us. The cable company found out about it 3 months ago and began billing us recently. BUMMER! But it was good while it lasted. :p

Irene said...

Carmela Sweetie - We're all doing fine here. Don't worry! It's just the lack of electricity and water that's driving everyone, especially Camille, up the wall. But Lola and the rest of the family are coping okay. Hope all's well there. We miss you, Cowgirl! Haha! c",)

Worm - Cheers to you too! :p

Irish Ian - Thanks! We just got word that my folks from across town has their electricity back on. Hopefully, we're next in line. We're crossing our fingers! c",)

The Body Talk - Many thanks for the concern! c",)

Irene said...

Precious Gem - Thank you for the kind words! Really appreciate it. c",)

Boxer Aurea - Oh! You should see the malls here now with the kids all out of school and bored out of their minds. It's like a fiesta inside! The hotels, too, are jampacked, despite the room rates being jacked up.

Mommy Nelia - Thanks for blogrolling me! Mwaaah! c",)

New Zealander Reeholio - Thanks! You just gave me an idea. I should invite Lizza to come over my place so she can just blog from here! c",)

slaghammer said...

I’m glad to hear that everybody is doing reasonably well. I hope your life returns to normal without much more misery.
Congratulations on your Bestest Blog acclaim. You certainly deserve it.

Irene said...

Thanks, Slaghammer! Your hope, thank heavens, has just come true. We got our power back on a few minutes ago. Yipee! c",)