Two days of brownout, five days without an internet!

Just when I was prepared to spend more time online last week, typhoon Basyang (International name: Conson) struck the country to spoil my plans. The result: two days of blackout, five days without an internet connection and a blog without an update for a week! It was a resounding reminder that even if we like to think that we are always in charge of our lives, the truth is, we are not.

Since I promised to update my blog on a more regular basis, my initial plan was to wake up an hour earlier every day to write my blog post and drop Entrecards before I go to the office. I only slept for a few hours last Tuesday night as the typhoon wrought havoc. The wind is too strong as it kept on pounding roofs and anything in its path. I was anxious as this was the first typhoon that we encountered in this new house. Thank God, the house was still intact when I woke up the next day. But everything was in total darkness, there was a blackout. On my way to the office, I saw small trees uprooted along the main roads, branches scattered and some streets were flooded. Most parts of Luzon were affected by the blackout; there were even no traffic lights on that Wednesday morning.

It was only last Friday when the electricity was restored. But then we were disappointed when we discovered that we also don’t have an internet connection. We tried calling Smartbro, our ISP, but that was a complete waste of time. After countless times of dialing their technical support number, all we were able to reach was their IVR saying that our antenna was inaccessible. We tried calling during the day, morning, afternoon and even during midnight but we never got to speak with a live person. We tried holding for a couple of minutes up to an hour until we ended giving up. Great service, indeed!

Thanks to the makers of “Plants vs. Zombies”, I was able to survive the weekend without an internet connection.

It was only yesterday morning when I discovered that we finally have an internet connection. Hallelujah!

It could have been worse. Some families were left homeless by the typhoon. In fact it left some people dead. I can only be thankful that we were not severely affected by the typhoon.