Lessons I learned from our recent experience with fire in Manila

02 September 2016

It has been about 2 weeks since a huge fire hit our family compound and neighbor's houses in Manila.  That wasn't our first scary experience with fire but it was our first fire that really caused harm and damage to our own house.  Here are some lessons I learned from that experience, hoping that people will understand and learn from it as well.

1.  Fire spreads fast

From the moment I saw the orange glow from our window to the time we got out of the house and into the street, the fire had already raged and was burning my aunt's house which was right across ours, like our windows were a meter apart, I think.  It took all of 2 minutes.  You have to judge immediately how much time you have.  At a crucial juncture, you may not be able to save anything at all but yourselves.

2.  A raging fire is scary

A raging fire is scary so you have to have your wits about you.  No matter how prepared you think you are, your first instinct is to run but you have to look out for your family, particularly if you have kids and older family members.   So, it's important to keep the panic down to keep others calm too.  I was fearful and my heart was hammering in my chest but I had to stay focused and calm.  If you show your kids that you're afraid, they'll be afraid too and may become hard to control and at this critical time, they may effectively delay your efforts to leave as quick as possible.  Give orders that are precise so they'll be able to follow immediately.  That is what I did, just instructed them on what to do and we all left the house immediately.

3.  Bring only important, irreplaceable stuff with you

I only had a few minutes to spare as the fire was very close so I only had time to pick up my file folder containing receipts for house and other payments and my bag that had my phone, money, identification and some toiletries (I'm a mom, my bag has my home or so they say!)  I also stuffed Patrick's mobile into my bag as I was grabbing it.  On hindsight, I should've taken my folder with our birth documents too which was right beside the other folder that I took but that slipped my mind.

4.  Take your portable gadgets with you

Yes, I know I said bring only important, irreplaceable stuff but gadgets contain vital information too and cost a lot to replace if gone.  But I say it because it was unfortunate that our tablet was lost, not from the fire but because of someone's sticky fingers.  Now, I don't necessarily blame the firefighters because I would think that they'd be too busy fighting the fire to even actually take anything from the people that they're saving.  It may be that there are some strangers who take advantage of the opportunity to get into other people's houses during the commotion.  Portable gadgets are easily taken and concealed, you see, compared to other valuable bulky items like the television set or dvd player.

5.  Watching your house and belongings burn is agonizing

You are watching everything you've worked hard for dissolve in flames.  You wonder how much of your home is left.  You worry about how to rebuild.  You worry where you'll spend the night and the next few nights after.  You worry about how to even get to your job the next day. We were relieved when we were finally able to get into our house to find that we only had water problems to deal with.  My aunt wasn't as fortunate.

6.  Cleanup is a painstaking process

You just don't deal with the aftermath of the burn.  You have to deal with waterlogged furniture, appliances and floors.  It's like being hit by two of nature's greatest destroyers.  Nothing was burned in our home but bedrooms and the living room were flooded. Firefighters doused everything with water to prevent the fire from spreading to our home.  So, curtains, upholstered furniture and the beds were drenched.

The smoky air also lingers.  It was already a week but the burnt smell continued to waft from my aunt's burned house, especially when they started clearing up the debris.  Ashes also float in the air and the dirt around the house is black.  Those with asthma will have it bad and I suggest wearing masks ( I should've).  The atmosphere was choking.

Washing of clothes and other belongings (those that can still be used) will take days to finish.   My aunt was using two washing machines at a time to deal with everything and she was at it for about a week before it tapered off.  We also had to rewash some of our clothes that were left hanging in our laundry room at the roofdeck level.  They were stinky from smoke.  Of course, our beddings and curtains also had to be washed too.

7.  Keeping a stash of clothes for donation is ideal

I usually keep a collection of clothes in my closet.  These are clothes. mostly T-shirts, that Patrick gets from car events and some that we don't use anymore but aren't shabby.  We keep them in case of a situation like this where someone needs clothes.  I simply took this pile of clothes and gave it to my aunt. They come in handy because people who suffered in fires, usually have nothing to change into and that's one of the priorities.  Towels, slippers and shoes are also helpful.  My cousins needed office clothes too because they have jobs to go to.  So, reorganizing closets regularly can help collect clothes that are rarely used and can be used for situations like these.

8.  The community should come together to help

In the Philippines, our family orientation is such that nuclear and extended families live together and most times, within a neighborhood.  Family reaching out to help during a calamity is a no-brainer.  But, it's not common for the community to help.  There is no volunteerism which is sad because cleanup and repairs can be done fast and quick if there are more people to help, and it's a big weight off the victims' shoulders if they don't have to pay for other people to help them.

Daiso Japan's Dehumidifiers are Effective! :) #DaisoJapanPH

02 September 2016

Daiso Japan's dehumidifiers are effective and it took me a while to test them. We bought our dehumidifiers from Daiso Japan in Robinsons Manila about a month ago.  I told Patrick that we needed to buy one to put inside Stanley (our car) because there was one time when the car seats were covered in mold/mildew spots after continuous rains!  We were happy to find that they were offering a "Buy 2 Take 1 Free" promo on them.  We immediately chose 1 Lavender scent, 1 Citrus scent and 1 Unscented to test all three out :)

After a tornado, it's a fire...

20 August 2016

The last thing that you want to hear in the middle of the night is someone shouting "Fire! Fire!" at the top of their lungs.  And that's exactly what happened last August 20 in Sampaloc, Manila.  We've had similar experiences with fires in Sampaloc.  That time when a tanker blew up in the street fronting our compound and when there was a fire across the street from us.  This time, our house was flanked on two sides by a huge fire  - on our left and in front.  Let me tell you how it went....

First time ever to experience a tornado in Manila

14 August 2016

So we in Manila have had monsoon rains for the past 5 days (and counting).  It was just a regular Sunday, everyone was doing their own thing at home when the power went out.  Okay, that's fine, it'll come back in a second.  While waiting, it didn't come back on, and then I heard this whistling sound and I braced myself for some strong winds.  Never in my life did I expect a tornado to literally pass over our house.  I only found out that it was what it was when I went up to our roofdeck and saw the destruction.

Visiting the PAF Aerospace Museum Aircraft Park

06 August 2016

When the birthday celebration of Grayson Lucas ended at around 2PM, we took the chance to visit the PAF Aerospace Museum Aircraft Park, right on the grounds of the PAF Aerospace Museum.  It was a great chance to be up close and personal with different historic aircraft used by the Philippine Air Force.  This was the first time for me and the kids.  Patrick visited the place when he chaperoned my niece Den during her field trip in school.

The 1st birthday of Grayson Lucas at the PAF Aerospace Museum

06 August 2016

Yesterday, we went to the PAF Aerospace Museum to celebrate Grayson Lucas' 1st birthday.  We were all excited because the kids and I haven't been to the PAF Aerospace Museum before.  So, this was a birthday party, a reunion and an educational field trip rolled into one!
Thanks Jops and Gabs for inviting us!! :)  Happy birthday Grayson Lucas! :)

Attended a free ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) Seminar that taught the basics of teaching ESL in Japan

27 July 2016

Last July 23 and 24, my High School friend Erlinda (who represents companies looking for prospective Filipino employees/workers) held a two-day seminar/orientation for people who want to work in Japan.  She presented opportunities on the first day and offered a tutorial for ALTs on the 2nd day. She actually regularly does this now since the demand is becoming great but this is the first time I've been fortunate to attend.  It gave us a chance to catch up too, during the break and afterwards :)

Tasting Bo's Coffee's "Sablan Reserve" Premium Washed Bourbon #boscoffee

02 July 2016

I love coffee and it's always a joy discovering new coffee products and tastes.  We received this 200g can of Sablan Reserve as a gift and it has been sitting in our pantry for a while now since it had to be ground before we could actually brew it.  It was worth the wait! :)

1-Day Sale at The Reading Room in Cubao X

02 July 2016

It's always nice to discover new shopping haunts, particularly if they're entrepreneurial boutiques that offer unique and interesting products.  Today, we found one when we went to The Reading Room, Shop #39 in Cubao X (formerly the Marikina Shoe Expo).  I saw their 1-day sale announcement on Facebook yesterday and as Dana and I browsed their products, we squealed when we stumbled on their Totoro Luminous stickers and then and there we decided to visit their shop :)  This was also the first time for the kids to visit the former Marikina Shoe Expo.

Admission to the National Museum (and its other museums nationwide) is Permanently FREE!

01 July 2016

Our family so enjoyed our visit to the National Museum and the Museum of the Filipino people last May that we follow the National Museum of the Philippines' Facebook page for announcements on FREE admission schedules.  Just yesterday, I was so surprised and exhilarated to learn that the National Museum, through its Board of Trustees, has established that admission to the National Museum and its other sister museums nationwide will be PERMANENTLY FREE starting July 1st 2016!