A few weeks back my flatmate knocked on my door and told me about the burning smell. We hurriedly went out of our flat and saw a thin smoke in the hallway but there was no fire alarm heard. We hurriedly went down using the stairs and reported the matter to the watchman. He with a man from the office hurriedly went up and then came back to us after some minutes and informed us that there was nothing to worry about. Someone in the flat adjacent to ours was grilling a fish and that was what we smelled. (Hmm, the fire alarm was smart -- there was no danger at all! Praise the Lord!) I got very nervous. At the moment when you were in a situation like that, you would think of nothing else but your safety, your important identification cards and documents. It is really very important to have a 'grab bag' and to always wear decent clothes even when you sleep. In the news today, a fire broke out in a certain area here. (Read more here .) Some Filipinas are homeless after the f...