Storm Front

Just some quick cuts before I get back to monitoring the coming storm for my work.

Agnes: As promised, here's a link and this one too where you can check out some info on Philippine pre-colonial history.

Dean: Woohoo! I just got me a copy of Year's Best Fantasy & Horror: Seventeenth Annual Collection (edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin Grant). Now to get me an autograph of the story Kite of Stars...

JP: Well, it's been pretty weird weather here.

Normally, December is cold season: not that cold but enough to wear warm clothing or jackets in early mornings. So it's surprising to see the Philippines being battered a series of typhoons and storms, especially one that's supposed to rank storm signal 4.

(I've only experienced storm signal no. 3 once here in the capital and that one was purty hard. However, [identity-protected] has had more experience with bad weather-- having grown up in a province that was constantly ravaged by typhoons-- so I figure she isn't overawed much.)

In the provinces, it's pretty bad. A lot of the flooding going around is due to the illegal logging but of course, it's also because the soil's oversaturated with water. With two storms coming on the heels of each other, where's the water going to go, right?

Here in Imperial Manila (the capital), people are getting ready for the typhoon that's supposedly bigger than the whole country. Still, despite the threat of storm weather, life goes on.

For example, I heard they've cancelled schools in all levels to be on the safe side. And on my way to work, I saw a number of billboards that have been brought down though others were still up.

However, I also saw a couple of school buses at a nearby museum with kids (in jackets to be sure) lining up to go inside. Also, government street cleaners were cutting grass at a nearby monument.

Huh. Go figure.

For meself, the news must go on so off to work I go!