Flood here in Laguna | The Diary Game 7-23-2024

Well, let me tell you—it was crazy yesterday, totally worth a blog entry. Actually, it started with the usual: going to SM City in Laguna. You know, some retail therapy just hanging out with friends and grabbing a little food. Then, wham! Totally out of left field, it turned into this really wild adventure that I never would have expected!
I was having my iced latte and window shopping when the sky just decided to open up and pour. I mean, it really was raining cats and dogs; the rain was coming down in sheets. Before I knew what was happening, the whole area started to flood. Not a little puddle here or there; I'm talking knee-deep water everywhere.

The first picture I took was from the bus, showing how intense it really was. You can see the rain pelting down and making everything resemble something from a disaster movie. People huddled under available covers of sorts, trying to keep themselves dry, though it pretty much remained a lost cause. Umbrellas were useless against the sheer force of the rain, and everyone's feet were soaked.

By the time I hit the entrance of the mall, it had escalated to another level. The whole entrance was flooded and the cars were trying to drive through what resembled a mini-river. Insane! People were wading in the water with their bags above their heads. Some even decided to take off their shoes and just walk barefoot to avoid ruining their kicks.

Things only got more chaotic as night fell, as the streets around the mall were completely submerged, giving one the impression that the whole city was underwater. The lights on the water created this surreal scene, very dreamlike. Motorbikes and cars were crawling, trying to pass through the flood; people were helping each other—rather heartwarming to see amidst all the chaos.

This experience taught me a lot about how we react to sudden, stressful situations. Yes, that moment of immediate panic hits, but so does this equally wonderful feature of resilience. It was pretty inspiring to see everyone coming together to help each other out and make the best of a really bad situation. It reminded me of just how resilient and strong we can be when life throws us a curveball.

The whole experience really made me realize just how prepared we are against natural disasters. I mean, theoretically speaking, it's one thing to learn about climate change and the rising frequency of extreme weather events in class, but to be directly caught in the middle of one? This experience taught me to appreciate preparedness, to be ready for anything, and to have a plan in case something goes wrong.

In the end, it turned out that even my little visit to the mall was a lesson on resilience, community, and preparedness. It was a wild and quite unexpected adventure for which, really, I'm not going to forget anytime soon. Well, at least I got some good content from it, right?

Stay safe and dry, everyone! And remember, sometimes life's biggest lessons come from the most unexpected places.