BLACKOUT IN SINGAPORE?
Nah. That never happens here in Singapore. The circuit breakers in houses might trip because of overload (I am told this is also the reason why houses are authorized to have only one water heater each.) or maybe defective appliances. But it has never been a widespread blackout.
The first time it happened here in the flat we're renting was earlier on, when we just moved in, and Lau and Vivien, the owners of the house, were still here prior to relocation to China. It was something about the power outlets in the kitchen, concerning the microwave, the electric airpot and the rice cooker. Lau ironed that out and it never happened again.
Not until the ac unit in our room died a natural death, and then we had a series of circuit breaker trippings again. It was a matter of finding out what's been switched on when it happens that we found out it was the ac. It's quite a nifty circumstance that Lau and Vivien were here again spending Chinese New Year. So when it was determined that the ac was causing all the problems, they had to buy us a new ac. Well, maybe they didn't really have to. Maybe it's a lucky thing that we're more friends than landlord and tenants, that they were more inclined to buy the ac for us.
All went well after that, until about a week ago, when Papa was in China, right on the day he was due back. I was up early morning and when I turned on the hall lights, the breaker tripped. I've never had to deal with that before, and Papa always told me it was easy enough. Having no choice cause I was all alone, I had to get up on the ladder and switch it back up. It didn't stay up. I had to try again and again before it did. Alright, so that was still easy, but it got me a bit worried when it wouldn't stay up. Sometime during the day, I happened to look up towards the old ac unit by chance and saw that it was switched on. I went to Vivien's room and saw that their ac was on too (split type). I tried to think nothing of it... I couldn't entertain a scary thought cause I was all alone and it wasn't quite daylight yet. That's the last thing I needed.
It's 4am now. Papa slept late in the afternoon and woke up at midnight, hungry. I was still awake, watching 'War and Remembrance,' the tv series, on dvd, so it was like a marathon thing. So, the dutiful housewife that I was, I got up and prepared him something to eat. When we started turning on lights in the hall, the tripping started. Papa turned the switch up, twice I think, before it stayed up. It's a good thing Papa was here because, guess what, the two old ac units were switched on again, with nobody touching the buttons. We turned them off and thought nothing of it. When I tried to turn on the hall lights, the breaker tripped again. And this time, no matter what Papa did, it wouldn't stay up.
It's a good thing too that I kept a calling card tossed into our doorway several weeks back. It offered a 24-hour emergency service for anything and everything... power failure, house cleaning and repair, water heater installation blah blah blah. So we called them... and yes! they were coming. Well I'll be damned. I don't think we have that kind of service in the Philippines, well... definitely not from Meralco... heh.
And they were pretty quick about it too. 15 minutes after we put the phone down, they were here. Another 45 minutes and the problem was solved. Aah... splendid lights.
The culprit was not the ac after all, it was the light in the hall. But don't ask me what was wrong, I'm just a storyteller in the dark, not an electrician. I'm just happy that all's well that ends well. Papa and I will have to forego sleep for now though. We'll have to be up in two hours anyway cause it's Monday and Papa has to go to work. Good thing he was able to sleep in the afternoon. Come to think of it... maybe that's why he slept in the afternoon, even if I specifically told him not to so he could go to bed early last night, cause it's a work day today. Geez...
That still doesn't explain something though. How come the old ac units kept getting switched on... all by themselves?
To my friends, if you're my friend, don't give me any ideas. I'm a scaredy cat... I really am. Please don't be cruel. Please?
Nah. That never happens here in Singapore. The circuit breakers in houses might trip because of overload (I am told this is also the reason why houses are authorized to have only one water heater each.) or maybe defective appliances. But it has never been a widespread blackout.
The first time it happened here in the flat we're renting was earlier on, when we just moved in, and Lau and Vivien, the owners of the house, were still here prior to relocation to China. It was something about the power outlets in the kitchen, concerning the microwave, the electric airpot and the rice cooker. Lau ironed that out and it never happened again.
Not until the ac unit in our room died a natural death, and then we had a series of circuit breaker trippings again. It was a matter of finding out what's been switched on when it happens that we found out it was the ac. It's quite a nifty circumstance that Lau and Vivien were here again spending Chinese New Year. So when it was determined that the ac was causing all the problems, they had to buy us a new ac. Well, maybe they didn't really have to. Maybe it's a lucky thing that we're more friends than landlord and tenants, that they were more inclined to buy the ac for us.
All went well after that, until about a week ago, when Papa was in China, right on the day he was due back. I was up early morning and when I turned on the hall lights, the breaker tripped. I've never had to deal with that before, and Papa always told me it was easy enough. Having no choice cause I was all alone, I had to get up on the ladder and switch it back up. It didn't stay up. I had to try again and again before it did. Alright, so that was still easy, but it got me a bit worried when it wouldn't stay up. Sometime during the day, I happened to look up towards the old ac unit by chance and saw that it was switched on. I went to Vivien's room and saw that their ac was on too (split type). I tried to think nothing of it... I couldn't entertain a scary thought cause I was all alone and it wasn't quite daylight yet. That's the last thing I needed.
It's 4am now. Papa slept late in the afternoon and woke up at midnight, hungry. I was still awake, watching 'War and Remembrance,' the tv series, on dvd, so it was like a marathon thing. So, the dutiful housewife that I was, I got up and prepared him something to eat. When we started turning on lights in the hall, the tripping started. Papa turned the switch up, twice I think, before it stayed up. It's a good thing Papa was here because, guess what, the two old ac units were switched on again, with nobody touching the buttons. We turned them off and thought nothing of it. When I tried to turn on the hall lights, the breaker tripped again. And this time, no matter what Papa did, it wouldn't stay up.
It's a good thing too that I kept a calling card tossed into our doorway several weeks back. It offered a 24-hour emergency service for anything and everything... power failure, house cleaning and repair, water heater installation blah blah blah. So we called them... and yes! they were coming. Well I'll be damned. I don't think we have that kind of service in the Philippines, well... definitely not from Meralco... heh.
And they were pretty quick about it too. 15 minutes after we put the phone down, they were here. Another 45 minutes and the problem was solved. Aah... splendid lights.
The culprit was not the ac after all, it was the light in the hall. But don't ask me what was wrong, I'm just a storyteller in the dark, not an electrician. I'm just happy that all's well that ends well. Papa and I will have to forego sleep for now though. We'll have to be up in two hours anyway cause it's Monday and Papa has to go to work. Good thing he was able to sleep in the afternoon. Come to think of it... maybe that's why he slept in the afternoon, even if I specifically told him not to so he could go to bed early last night, cause it's a work day today. Geez...
That still doesn't explain something though. How come the old ac units kept getting switched on... all by themselves?
To my friends, if you're my friend, don't give me any ideas. I'm a scaredy cat... I really am. Please don't be cruel. Please?
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