Troubleshooting: Changing a Flat Tire

I don't know how to drive but I do know the principle of changing a flat tire. My dad has always been angry with my siblings for not knowing how to change a flat tire or even how to take care of their cars. He always says "takbo kayo ng takbo, hindi naman kayo marunong gumamit." He also adds that he is already tired of fixing their mess. This made me think about the past problems that my siblings and I faced that my father had to fix. Even if we were in the middle of the express way or back in school, he would rush to the site and fix the problem...he's not even a mechanic.

Not only in changing a flat tire, but also in our personal problems. He was always there to guide us and even battle "evil" school nurses who want to cut my nails. My father taught me how to
choose my battles, fight it on my own if I can, and ask for help when I can no longer handle it. He just doesn't want us to keep on running with flat tires.

In life and in changing a flat tire, you just have to remember that there are necessary tools to help us get by. What matters most is that we know how to use them. The jack is there to lift the tires from the dirty ground, the wrench to remove unwanted attachments, and the spare to help us to keep moving forward to our destination.

Gone Because of Ondoy

A little over a week ago, may family along with countless others were left in shock because of the deadly storm. I have never been to attached of material things, and now I truly believe that it is a blessing that I'm not. However this experience made me realize how utterly dependent I am to electricity and the physical comforts of life. We were one of the lucky families who didn't need to evacuate from our house. We had a second floor, that has two rooms. We bunked in our brother's bedroom together with his family for about 1week (until we had electricity) and the help stayed in my bedroom. It would be bratty of me to complain that I lacked sleep and such so I will not expound on that. All i want to remember is that my family and I are lucky because we are still alive and safe, aside from the cuts and bruises we incurred while trying to salvage what's left of our belongings.

The water inside our house almost reached the light switch. Outside was a different matter altogether. Our front gate, which towers over people (approximately the height of two people), sank in the muddy waters. Our cars floated after being submerged in the flood. Good thing we were able to save our rice and some of our canned food. On the first night we survived on biscuits and Pandan Cake because we cannot cook our rice because there was no electricity and the stove was left in the kitchen...outside.

This was just the beginning, our cars floated after this

For me, the first night, Saturday was the most difficult part. Our neighbors were staying on their roofs and asking for help. We were trying to call all the emergency numbers and our friends, but the signals were so out of whack. It was probably the time where we were in a panic because we didn't know if our friends and relatives were OK. But thankfully, the following day we were able to receive news from them; they were alive and well but they were not able to save their stuff. A sigh of relief went over us...it's funny how a simple text message can wipe away your fears and pain.

A week from now I will be celebrating my birthday...I guarantee that this will be a year that I will never forget. This incident changed my life and the way I view things. Hopefully I would be able to say that I am a better person because of this.