Goddess, I Am.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the few days, you’ve probably heard that my poor and rather destitute country has been made even poorer and more destitute by the latest – and possibly the meanest – of all typhoons over the weekend.

Imagine this – a month’s worth of rain fell in approximately 6 hours, all thanks to Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana), which is now wreaking havoc somewhere in Cambodia. That’s a hell of a lot of water. As of today, 4 days hence, much of the province of Rizal and some areas in Manila are still underwater.

I’m going to take a break from writing about Macbooks and weight loss supplements and my usual nonsense to join the throngs of Filipinos all over the globe appealing for help on behalf of those who lost their loved ones and homes. Please, please, PLEASE help out in any way that you can. Used clothing and other dry goods are welcome, but as of this afternoon, I heard that the Philippine Red Cross in Rizal is running out of food, so non-perishables are of the utmost importance right now.

I know every other province in the country has several donation drives going on, so please take the time to find out what’s going on in your area. Cebu City has several drop-off points for donations, and you can find the full list here.

Cash, which I strongly encourage, can be donated through various agencies:

1. ABS-CBN through Banco de Oro.

Account Number: 56300-20111

Account Name: ABS-CBN Foundation Incorporation

2. The Philippine Red Cross through your trusty cellphone load.

Just text: RED 5/25/50/100/300 to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart)

3. TXTPower.org.

SmartMoney: 5577514418667103

GCash: 09179751092

4. Worldvision Foundation accepts dollar donations through BPI.

USD Account Number: 4254-0050-08

Account Name: Worldvision Foundation

For those out of the country, you can still send help in many ways. I’m thinking the easiest – not to mention quickest – way you can help would be through Paypal. TXTPower.org is accepting donations through Paypal right HERE.

I believe there are are hundreds of other ways to donate, so there’s absolutely no excuse not to help out. With another typhoon coming hard on Ondoy’s heels (tonight, to be exact), this country needs all the help it can get.

No, I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth yet again, and I do intend to write something meaningful soon-ish. (And by meaningful, I mean no nonsensical babble on The Equestrian Corner riding apparel.) For the moment, however, this girl is very, very busy and very, very tired, so this sort of cursory update will have to do for now.

This month has been a very hectic one for me. Sixteen days ago, I took a quick day trip to Cambodia to get a 30-day stamp on my passport. A week later found me and my man in Koh Chang for the mini holiday from hell – one that I’ll have to write about, and soon. And last Wednesday, we were off to Vientiane, Laos for another visa run. That’s way too much land travel, even for this Wander Girl, so I’m quite happy to give my trusty backpack – and my feet – a bit of a rest for at least a couple of months or so.

Work wise, I experienced a bit of a dip on my regular income for the past couple of months, so I had no choice but to take on some additional freelance work. I am still, however, by no means secure, so I decided to also take on a part-time job teaching kids how to write. I’ve only been on the job for a couple of days, but it’s been great so far; and apart from the horrendous commute I have to go through every day, I have no complaints.

So why am I working so hard? Well, apart from the obvious “because I can” answer, it’s because I just can’t be idle. Plus, I’m saving up for a MacBook, so for now, it’s all work, work, and work for me. That is, until I keel over from exhaustion, possibly in the middle of Silom. Now that would be something interesting to write about.

I’m babbling, I know. Must get some sleep.