Chronicles of Nika» Philippines

Chilly Christmas

Nika — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 19:01:33 +0000

It’s started to get really cold here a week before Christmas and we’ve been told the cold air will last until early January because of the breeze from Siberia. We’re used to it since we have it each year, however I think it’s gone colder this year. I can’t sleep without a blanket anymore. >.<

I'm thinking of looking at some outdoor thermometers that we can afford so we can check how cold it gets. Our dogs sleep outside so I don’t want them to feel cold, if it gets really chilly, we can bring them inside. It doesn’t get as cold as Baguio here but for us it’s already pretty cold and chilly.

Storms, storms, go away.

Nika — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:21:26 +0000

One of my favorite movies is Twister. I really love it, especially Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. I remember they have underground shelters or storm cellars to hide in when a tornado comes, sometimes they used makeshift ones like the underground mechanic shop near the drive-in.

It’s good to see storms in movies but I really don’t like them in real life, especially when they cause excessive flooding. I remember how bad it was during Ondoy and flooding happened again during the other two storms, Peping and Mina.

Cold and Rainy October

Nika — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 12:42:43 +0000

October begins with Typhoon Quiel badgering lots of Filipinos. Many barely survived the onslaught of Typhoon Pedring a few days ago but now they are facing another storm. Floods haven’t dissipated yet on many areas and if the coming typhoon brings in more wind and water, flood levels will just rise.

Many thought and hoped that the floods of Ondoy would never happen again but it did. Our government really needs to work on revamping the drainage system of the country or we’ll end up with the same predicament each time a new typhoon passes by.

Cheap shoes and rain don’t work together.

Nika — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:22:48 +0000

I need some new shoes. I was trying to save some money on shoes when I started working but I ended up spending more because the cheap ones I got doesn’t stand well on rainy weathers. I really liked them because they were really comfortable but I guess they can only take so much. Maybe I can buy myself a pair of privo shoes this Christmas. I usually wear casual clothing and I really am tired of wearing sandals all the time. My sister saw me looking over some designs and I think she’s interested in getting one for herself as well.

Summer rainfall.

Nika — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 10:34:22 +0000

Summer has officially started but we’re still getting rain every now and then. We haven’t made any plans this summer because we can’t really go swimming when it ends up raining. I don’t think we’ll be getting storms that will make me buy women’s rain boots since it’s summer, but I’ve seen lots of changes with the weather lately.

I’ll wait for a few days before deciding if I need to invest on rain gear rather than summer ones.

Smoking.

Nika — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:59:50 +0000

I’m allergic to smoke. I get coughing fits when we go to places that has smoking areas so I usually avoid bars that allow indoor smoking. I used to hang out in UM (beside DLSU) during my breaks because I need to get lots of papers printed out for my classes. I usually see stacks of cigarette boxes in each stall but not much cigar. I guess students usually go for the cheaper alternative so most stores carry cigarettes. As micro businesses they earn a lot because students are usually in a budget so they’d buy individual pieces rather than boxes during the day. No wonder there are lots of “yosi” vendors in each street corner near local colleges. They earn a lot of dough from selling candies and cigarettes per piece to students.

Replacing my EON is taking eons.

Nika — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:34:34 +0000

Ugh. I wish Unionbank had an automatic replacement process for their EON cards. They’re system is down a lot when I check with my bank so it took some time before they accepted my old card to be replaced. I finally filed the replacement request last Monday and I was told to call them again after two weeks to check if I can pick my card already.

I wish they’d implement a faster and hassle-free replacement feature or facility for EON users. Now I know why they called it eon. It takes them that long to process your card application and replacement. >.<

It’s so cold.

Nika — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:10:20 +0000

I don’t know why it’s still so cold here in Batangas. I rarely use my fan at night (even in the afternoons) because its so cold. The cold spell usually ends on January 6th but it’s already the 20th. Maybe it’s an effect of global warming. I have to wear thick shirts and pants at night so I won’t catch a cold. It’s bizarre. >.<

El Nino and summer vacation.

Nika — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:02:50 +0000

February isn’t such a good month for us especially since we have El Nino. Water supply is less and it seems we’ve been getting black outs every now and then. March is coming soon and we’re expecting intense heat especially since summer is starting. I really need to get an air-conditioning unit for my room because summer will be unbearable if El Nino continues. My two younger siblings will have their normal summer vacation but my third sibling who’s taking up nursing will be busy with school and duties. She’s been spending a lot of time with her class mates and duty group because their CI’s have been expecting lots of input from them. I even saw her researching about treatments for eczema the other day. Then today she was studying about pregnant patients, it seems they’ll be moving to the maternity ward for their next duty. I don’t know how nursing students manage to do all the things required from them. I don’t think I have the guts to do what they do.

MMX babies.

Nika — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:29:29 +0000

I think a lot of my friends are having babies this year. Some have already started their baby girl announcements and that means I need to keep some money for baby showers and baptisms as early as possible. You can’t really say no when a friend asks you to be their baby’s godparent. It just gets harder during Christmas, since you get lots of tots lining for their gifts. xD Even if it can get expensive, I wouldn’t say no. Its quite nice to know that your friends trust you that much that they are entrusting their child under your care if something happens to them.