:exclamation: Disclaimer: I was supposed to post this entry two days after Typhoon Pepeng hit Northern Luzon, but was too busy to do so.

Everyone was rushing to go home while I, on the other hand, was rushing to go to work so I could finish the report I needed to submit before 7PM. It was only 4PM when I left the house.

The MRT station was jampacked with anxious passengersl ike I’d never seen it before. I received a forwarded text from a friend telling me that Typhoon Pepeng was expected to arrive at 9PM that night. People around me were talking about it too and I couldn’t help but feel nervous. The rain was pouring really hard outside.

It’s crazy how women tried to squeeze themselves in so they could enter the train as soon as the door opened. I was pushed too many times, but I patiently gave way and waited for my turn. I am 6 months pregnant and my tummy is really big. So you can just imagine how difficult it was for me to stand and wait for the train that would take me to work for more than two hours. Yes, you got that right. Two hours and 15 minutes to be exact. Then I stood all the way from Guadalupe to Quezon Avenue station for about 20 minutes or so.

By the time I arrived at work, it was already 8PM. And again, you can just imagine how exhausted I was. Unfortunately, I was too late for my report. But guess what? My friend did it for me. Thanks, Mae! I brought her donuts and gave her a big hug as soon as I saw her.

I checked Twitter updates about Typhoon Pepeng as soon as I was at my desk. Everyone seemed so frightened. Most of them were praying earnestly that the typhoon would change its course. I couldn’t help but feel scared since our house was submerged in flood up until my waistline just a week ago when Typhoon Ondoy hit Metro Manila with no mercy. We lost a few furniture and stuff, but it’s still nothing compared to others who had lost their homes and loved-ones.

I also posted my own prayer on Twitter, then I told myself that if the same thing would happen again I’d just leave everything up to God. That if it was His Will, then be it. What’s more important was the safety of everyone. Material things can be replaced easily as long as you work hard for it, but human lives cannot.

I watched the news next morning and found out that Pepeng had change its course. I was relieved because I didn’t think Metro Manila could take another blow that quickly. But I knew I couldn’t be happy knowing that my fellow countrymen in Northern Luzon was greatly affected. Seeing them suffer brought back sadness and fear that I once experienced during the Typhoon Ondoy.

It was heart-breaking, but I will never stop believing that every storm will end.