BLACKOUT

There is a new phrase that has come into my daily routine - Power Cuts.

In this country where demand for electricity outstrips supply, what happens is that electricity gets cut in certain areas. Sometimes it is planned and you can check the newspaper if your area is scheduled for one and at what time but more often than not, the cuts are just unexpected.

Because of this, one of the criteria we had for selecting an apartment is that they should have backup generators. Else, we will have to go get inverters to keep the important appliances up and that does not mean aircon. That will be your fridge, computer and a essential lightings. Usually when there is a power cut, the backup generator will kick in within 5-10 seconds but sometimes it doesn't.

These power cuts just continually reminds me of how uncertain things are in this country. On a good day, it would happen once or twice,with the generator kicking in almost immediately. I absolutely dread it to happen when you are showering after dark. Remember that it is not only this block that has a power cut. It is the entire area, including the street lights, so it is pitch dark. Luckily, I haven't been in that situation yet but the hubby has. We usually do not move for the first few seconds, crossing fingers that the power would come back up. Else, we would be inching for the torch or powerlight that we have in the house.

Everything goes down during the power cuts, including the internet connection that takes some time to start up again. Sometimes in the evening, I will sit on the couch trying to see how often is this going to be and if I should start cooking because I am totally not interested to cook in the dark.

So far most things are quite tolerable but this really can be unbearable. Everyone has been telling me about it gets only worse in summer when everyone wants the aircon/ fan/ cooler switched on. With temperature going up to as hgh as 40 degrees, I can only imagine. In any case, my backup plan is to run back to Singapore if it gets so bad. HA!