Boy oh boy is it sunny out here in the Philippines today. It’s April and you’d know it’s summer when Siri says there would be a high of 36 degrees Celsius. Hell that’s hot enough. Well there you go; it’s summertime!
Have you ever noticed that this is the season wherein blackouts are rather frequent?
It’s not just you who notices it. There’s a perfectly good explanation why this happens.
Do you think my featured image is odd? Not at all I say. Even in the evenings here; you’ll still be feeling the heat.
Normally you’d be breaking out the electric fans, cranking up the AC and also everything else that says “heat heat go away”. Now that’s just you; an individual. But imagine if there are hundreds, thousands, or ten thousands thinking of the same thing? That means there would be a huge demand of electrical load. Sometimes there’s so much that a power plant can barely keep up or can’t keep up at all.
And there we have it; A blackout!
If you’re living here long enough, you’ll know what to do right? Just in case you don’t; let me show you what could come in handy as preparation for this season.
Ah and if you’ve read my previous article, if you’re wondering about my laptop. I can’t find a battery replacement but I hooked it up on a monitor and an Uninterruptible Power Supply that I got from Ace Hardware.
SEE ALSO:
I NEED AN UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY… FOR MY LAPTOP
No power means no entertainment, no artificial cool breeze which means boredom and frustration and we need to be prepared to counter that.
This would mostly include stuff that are rechargeable or don’t need batteries at all.
Hmm now where should I start? Oh I know, let’s divide it into categories shall we? I want this short so let’s first tackle the biggest issue when there’s no power during the summer.
And let’s find you some good deals too while at it. Sounds good?
“I hate the heat” loadout
What a time to be alive, I myself hate the heat but absolutely love the advances in rechargeable technology and also innovations in electricity-free cooling. So, what do we got?
First line of defense is this:
Generic Rechargeable Mini USB Fan
These things are popular in crowded areas. To where I come from. you’ll see these in Jeeps, waiting lines and well just plain works when you got no fan around. They come in other forms but this is the most basic you’ll see. Gets the job done better than the hand cranked fans that came before it. Rechargeable too, some can also be powered with AA batteries,
Get one at Shopee if you need a cheap one. It costs just a hundred pesos, very cheap and easily replaceable. Let’s get you a good deal here.
But if you want an upgrade and you want something literally cooler then I give you:
Mini Misting Rechargeable USB Fan
Things like these never ceases to amaze me. First there was electric fans that has a humidifier. Now there’s this. I’m not sure when this was a thing but I can say that it’s a step up from the basic USB mini fans. Though with that upgrade comes with a higher price but not above 500 pesos.
The one I found is priced at 427 pesos, not bad considering some are overpriced.
You can get the mini misting fan here at Shopee. I like their site. They got plenty of payment modes and yes it includes cash on delivery and you can chat the seller right away. Much much better than Lazada’s prices.
Writing all this is making me thirsty so how about a drink? A real cold one that can cool you off with mist? (Oh and don’t drink super cold water if you feel really exhausted, you might startle your heart out.) If you don’t know what I’m talking about then here’s what it is.
Arctic Squeeze Mist ‘n Sip by O2Cool
This is the first drinking bottle that I’ve seen that has a misting mechanism on it. So what it features is double wall insulation which stores cold water for a longer period of time. As a drinking bottle you do squeeze it as with any other sports bottle and easy to do it too. Heat beating you down? Beat it back by pressing on the misting button and *poof* 
you’re provided with a spray of fine cool mist. Certainly better than dumping cold water on your head.
Oh and this is how it looks like in action.
Although this is a really cool drinking bottle, it’s pretty pricey for all these features. I’ve scouted one out in Lazada PH and it costs over Php 2,042. Understandable since it ships from overseas. Though if you live in the US, you can get yours on Amazon for $12.99
Though I’d reckon getting from Amazon might be a cheaper choice.
Frog Toggs Chilly Pad Cooling Towel
A towel. I can’t stress enough how important this is in the summer season. Who wants to be a walking waterfall eh? Now this is no ordinary towel. This thing is extremely absorbent. And what it sucks up, it evaporates quickly and the towel dries up after doing its job. Need to use it again? Just soak it up in water. You’ll be cooling down in no time with this towel.
Found one on TacticalAsia and it costs around Php 750. Not bad since you’ll be keeping it in your arsenal even after summer.
If all else fails; get a hand fan. Better than nothing though some gives better airflow just like this one:
Hand Fan Which You Can Buy Near You
Say hello to the Philippine Abaniko fan. In our native language we call this baby as the “pamaypay” and it really gives you the cool air you’re asking for. This is cheap, durable and stylish too. There are newer ones out there that can fold too but I like this one because it’s really durable and resilient. You can find this anywhere in the Philippines. I just haven’t a clue if this gets exported.
I might be a tech guy but you can’t really move forward if it weren’t for the old tech and hey even old tech can get the job done. While technology certainly makes our lives easier; let’s not overdo it and become very lazy in the process.
Well I’m done with the heat hating. Wait for my next article and we’ll tackle entertainment during power outages! See you guys and gals soon!
The Hardware Dude 