Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all bloggers and blog readers!

Asiaten Hotel

During our sortie in Tarlac City for the culmination of the Emergency Employment Project of DepEd, we were booked at the Asiaten Hotel owned by Mr. Danilo Asiaten. Set in the heart of a residential subdivision, the hotel presents a cozy relaxed atmosphere away from the noise of the highway plied by North-bound buses and private vehicles 24/7.



Converted from being a school compound into a residential hotel, the two-level U-shaped Asiaten Hotel looks like an apartment complex with a large communal area in the middle.



Near the gate is the reception area where guests can check in or out 24 hours a day. Manned by helpful and courteous staff, each guest is greeted with a smile and advised of amenities available or problems at hand - we were informed the night we arrived that there will be a power and water cut-off from 7am to 9am the following day.


Though the parking space may be limited, a security guard ensures the safety of vehicles parked outside the compound. Not to mention the fact that it is inside a secure residential area with little or no non-resident traffic.



A poolside restaurant adds to the comfortable and relaxing breakfast. They serve Filipino, Continental, and other dishes to clients. They get your order for breakfast before bed time including the time you wish to have them so it can be fresh and ready by the time you take your seat on the iron and rattan chairs with your laptop on checking your morning email through the free wi-fi internet connection provided.

I hope to visit Tarlac again in the future in a more personal time to truly savor the soothing ambiance of the Asiaten Hotel.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all bloggers and blog readers!

Memory gap

During a recent trip to Baguio City, I observed that the conductors of buses seem to have a good memory of who owns which luggage.

During pre-departure, the conductor receives the bags of the passengers and ask them where they are getting off. He then arranges the luggage depending of the passenger's destination. So how can he be sure that the passenger handling or taking off a luggage is the same passenger? In my observation, he commits them to memory.

As he receives a luggage, he looks at the face of the passenger and at the luggage. It is here where I believe he makes a mental note connecting the passenger to the luggage. Theft can happen when during stops, a passenger takes somebody else's luggage from the compartment. The bus companies seem to be able to avoid this by limiting access to the compartments to the conductor. The driver never opens the compartment.

If a passenger wishes to take something from their luggage, it is the conductor who opens the compartment and observes the passenger. I think during this time the conductor tries to retrieve the face-to-luggage connection he made earlier.

So far, I have not witnessed any theft of luggages during a provincial trip with Victory Liner.

Hybrid public transport

During a trip to the Municipality of Lubang in the island of Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, I chanced upon this hybrid public transport:



This is a tricycle that carries the body of a jeepney. It has two seats in front and two two-person seats facing each other at the back. Its 'hood' resembles that of a jeepney including headlights, radiator grill, bumper, crash bar and vertical posts.

I haven't really tried riding one because we were on a tight schedule and I was the designated photographer at the time. The next chance I could get to visit Lubang and stay longer, I will make it a point to ride one.

Lubang Island has two municipalities divided by a mountain range. The other town is Looc. The only ways to get to Lubang from anywhere in the Philippines including mainland Mindoro is from Manila via Roll-on, Roll-off ships, a medium sized wooden ferry, a not so often 60-person commercial flight via AirLink, and chartered planes.

Lubang is so isolated and inaccessible that crime rate is down to zero and the land and its beaches still virtually virgins.

If you do plan to visit Lubang, please be sure to have a mobile phone using SMART telecom as there are no other service providers in the island.

Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon

I got a chance to be on an official visit to Cagayan de Oro City and Bukidnon a couple of weeks back.

Upon arrival at Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City, we had a quick breakfast at Koresko Hotel in the outskirts of the city before returning to the airport once again.

From there, we took a light plane (a Helio Courier I believe is the name) owned by the Summer Institute of Linguistics. SIL has a language center in Nasuli, Bukidnon and operates the light plane to ferry their linguists from one tribal center to the other.

I noticed during take-off that the plane was parked beside some assets of our Philippine Air Force based in Cagayan de Oro City.

Among our humble air assets are:



MG-520 attack helicopters,



UH-1H helicopters and OV-10 Bronco counter-insurgency aircrafts.

As we took the 45-minute flight to Malaybalay, Bukidnon, I can't help but appreciate the beauty of the Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon landscape.

I am amazed by the shaping of the lands by shallow rivers - that I believe to be the venue of the popular white water rafting.


There are, of course some farm lands that abound the area. They farm almost every crop from rice, to corn, to bananas, to pineapples.


Others even built their on inland resorts (I think) on these untouched lands whose access roads remain to be dirt roads.


In Bukidnon, we met with local officials, teachers, parents, and students and distributed the LGU-private sector led, and later DepEd supported, Essential Health Care Packages. These packages include toothbrush and toothpastes for oral health care, solid and liquid soaps for hand washing, and medicines for de-worming.

Later that day (and after a butt-aching 2 hour drive through winding - twists and turns sharply - road), Cagayan de Oro City's representative to Congress (one of two that they have) suggested adding a fourth component of the package - a feeding program. He suggest that kids with clean teeth, clean hands, and worm-less tummies are not complete without proper meal.

In the evening we stayed at the simple yet comfortable Discovery Hotel and Restaurant located near the Mallberry Suites Business Hotel and Robinsons Cagayan de Oro.

It was a wonderful experience to see CDO and Bukidnon. I get to meet its people, savor some of its delicious local delicacies and (ehem!) flirt with its ladies (just some smiles, winks and small talks and nothing else).

You should see it for yourself.

Generosity in the midst of economic crisis

We often hear public utility drivers whine about increasing fuel prices. They seek increase in fare that are held back by the government. We never hear about their generosity to some passengers who themselves do not have enough cash to pay for their fare due to one reason or another.

In the Philippines, public mass transport is owned by private individuals, groups or companies. Buses and some taxis are company-owned. Jeepneys, most taxis and AUVs are owned by individuals or groups.

For those owned by individuals or groups, drivers are employed on a turn basis - you drive today, you have a day-off tomorrow. Some drive the vehicles everyday. From the earnings of the day, drivers need to pay the owners what we call a boundary (a fixed amount that serves like a rent for driving the vehicle), they spend from that income fuel and repairs when needed. What's left becomes their own personal income that they take home to their families. So, you can see how important it is to them to have a good balance between fare rate and fuel cost.

But like the Filipinos that we are, we tend to be generous even if we have not enough for ourselves or our families. Maybe it is the religious upbringing in most of us or it is our character that makes one a true Filipino.

Just yesterday, I got into an AUV plying the Megamall-Pateros route. When the dispatcher began collecting our fixed P30.00 fare, one passenger seemed confused at how much the fare was. He repeatedly asked the dispatcher how much the fare is and how much the other passengers paid for their fare.

In the end, he conceded that he only has P20.00 with him which puzzled us.

Why did he get on the vehicle when he did not know if he had enough money to pay for the fare? That was the question that ran through my mind, blurted by the dispatcher, and - probably - thought by the other passengers as well.

The passenger never responded. I don't think he even paid for the fare.

And the AUV driver, the good man that he is - God bless him and his family - told the dispatcher to charge the fare to him. The dispatcher agreed and gave the driver his due from the fare collection less one passenger's fare.

I never knew what that guy's problem was. And I am not in the position to ask.

During the ride to Megamall, I remembered when I had the same problem. I took my sister to the sea port for her trip to Iloilo eating lunch on our way. When we were about to part ways at the gate, I gave her extra for some food at the ship (her ticket allows her free meals anyway). All I had left is twelve pesos which I thought will be enough to get me back to Quezon City.

When I paid the fare, I was told that the money I gave is not enough to get me to Quezon City. All my money is tied in my bank account and I did not bring the ATM with me.

I told the driver to drop me off wherever my payment brings me. He just smiled an said not to worry and that he will take me to where I am going. He added that at least, I told him that I did not enough cash unlike other passengers who do not pay the right fare.

God bless that man. And God bless all our PUV drivers who spend their days and nights on the risky streets to feed their families and educate their children.

Tacloban City

I went ahead the Secretary for the 33rd Founding Anniversary of DepEd Region VIII in Tacloban City. The actual venue of the celebrations is the DepEd Regional Office in Palo, Leyte.

When I arrived at the airport, I got to see the new planes used by the Philippine Airlines for their PAL Express flights. This one came from Cebu direct to Tacloban.

While in Leyte, I was booked by the regional office in Mac Arthur Park hotel now managed by the Philippine Tourism Authority.


In the evening of the first day, I was treated to dinner at the Ocho Seafood and Grill restaurant.

There they have fresh seafoods for customers to choose from. Once you pick a fish, you tell them how you want them cooked or ask them for the best way to serve your meal. I had plentiful and it was fun.

Cebu City travel

Last September 8 to 11, I went on a trip to Cebu City for the 3rd National ICTs in Education Congress hosted by the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development Incorporated (FIT-ED) with the Department of Education (DepEd) Philippines.

It is the first time I truly saw Cebu. The last time I was there for a management committee meeting, I only got glimpses of the place.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport is, I believe, the smallest International Airport I have seen.

We stayed in a dormitory at the DepEd Eco-Tech Center in Lahug Cebu City.

It was a pretty nice place almost similar to the cottages of the Baguio Teachers' Camp - commented one of the reporters who were with us.

The rooms were quite cozy and are affordable at about P270.00 per night sans meals.

Why eat indoors when you can try some of the fine food outside? Just a few meters from the gate, there are makeshift stalls that serve regular and exotic meals.

Romy, the driver assigned to assist us told of servings of eels and grasshoppers in the stalls.

Unfortunately, we only learned about this during our drive to the airport for our return trip.

Traffic jam

On my way home this evening I witnessed a traffic jam that I could only used to imagine. I'm afraid I was unable to get a photo as the drivers and commuters may get offended. They are after all caught in a jam while in the middle of their excitement to get home.

But I did get a snap shot from Google Earth and drew some lines using GIMP image editor of my Linux OS on the place as what I have seen.

This jam is so tight the traffic enforcers may need to be creative enough to untangle it. And I can only ask you to imagine. Just imagine the line of vehicles on all lanes reaching back from about 200 meters to as long as a kilometer.

And everyone has only one thought in mind: to get home as soon as possible. And I mean everyone including those who caused the jam.

Solutions to rising fuel cost

On my way home one night, I got to ride shotgun with the jeepney driver. I found out that the driver is not merely a hired help but the son of the owner of the jeepney. The vehicle we are riding is their source of income. And it helped finance the college study of the boy.

The topic of our discussion went around the prospect of father and son to minimize overhead cost that is fuel. At that time, diesel prices were running at about 55 to 56 pesos per liter.

A leading means of coping with rising fuel prices is conversion of vehicle engines to liquefied petroleum gas burning ones. Since that solution only works for lighter vehicles with lighter loads like taxis, the key to saving on fuel for this family is converting their diesel engine so it can run on biodiesel.

I learned from the driver that the government is actually offering jeepney owners a P450,000 loan to have their engines replaces with custom biodiesel consuming engines. The amount also includes components like specialized fuel tanks and pipes and other engine parts.

Another option is a much cheaper refit costing only P50,000 pesos.

As a graduate of marine engineering, the driver knows some of the advantages and disadvantages of having a new set of engines and doing a simple refit.

While I forgot all about the pros and cons of the solutions, I was able to remember the thoughts of the driver on his father's plan to buy a new jeepney instead.

To him, a refit or a new engine beats buying a new jeep. First among his considerations is the cost. He thought they can save hundreds of thousands with a new engine and some minor repairs on the chassis and the body.

The move of the government to assist owners of public utility vehicles is, at best, a noble one. But I believe, the government can do better. With all the minds, skills, and experiences at its disposal, they could have come up with a better solution.

Sure, fuel cost is affected by rising world oil prices and fluctuations of the dollar but a solution will always present itself. The govern should just take a closer look at things and have an open mind. What they should keep closed are their thoughts to having prospective campaign sponsors from big oil companies whose reservoir of black gold is almost drained.

Expense or convenience

Just last week, the construction of the C-5 U-turn flyover has concluded. Now vehicles coming from Makati and Quezon City can use the flyover to get to Pasig or Pateros via Buting.



In the past, commuters and drivers alike need to go further to get to Buting after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority implemented the no left turn rule in C-5. They will either turn right to Kalayaan and make a U-turn near Fort Bonifacio's Gate or drive ahead and around Market! Market! to be in Pateros. Some opted to use the new bridge in Sta. Rosa, Pasig.



This new u-turn flyover has come as a convenience to these travelers.

But just how many need this flyover? Will this prove to be the convenience people need or be just like the flyover in Meralco Avenue that crosses Julia Vargas where only a trickle of the daily rush hour travel fly through? We'll soon see.

Music to my subconcsious

This morning, I was able to get to the terminal at almost 9:00. As I was waiting for the next FX to come along, I heard a Visayan rendition of a popular song played in parties and discos.

At first, I thought the song is about a party that the singer and his companions joined one night. They had fun in that party and later on the lead singer asked one of his friends for a prepaid load of three hundred pesos so he can call someone to say hello-lo-lo-lo-lo.

The music got stuck in my mind and I sang it, or at least a part of it, in the office. One of my officemates knew the song an since she is Visaya, she told me my interpretation of the lyrics was wrong.

What the song actually told is that, yes the guys did join a party and had fun but among those served for them to eat is what we call "butete." They ate the butete and were poisoned by the food. It resulted to them feeling dizzy (nahilo-lo-lo-lo-lo).

On my way home, I now have a better grasp at what the song means.

As luck would have it, I heard the song again as the radio station the jeep I was taking was tuned in to played that same music.

It was bad enough that I was playing the song in my head in the office, now, I am still playing it in my subconscious up until the time I am about to sleep.

Sheesh!

Of work and play

During the commute home, I had nothing to do but worry about an unpaid service rendered to our office. While in my stressful and distressing thoughts, I overheard four people talk about work and play.

There were two males and two females. One of the females is obviously the most senior employee since they address her as ma'am.

When they boarded the jeep, they began their discussion about a sports event where they came from. The two girls must have played in that game since they were both wearing uniforms. The two boys were probably just spectators because they were in the usual friday outfit of collared shirts and jeans.

After a few moments of teasing the "players" at how they fared in the game, their discussion shifted to things that happended in the office. They were laughing about how one of the guys was surprised by their boss with a question and gave an answer that is not in any way related to what was asked.

After a few minutes of office talk on the subject of questions and answers, they shifted back to the game that afternoon. This time, they talked about their other officemates and how they played.

The senior gal got off at her stop leaving the three others continue the journey with me.

Since the remaining three seems to be going to the same area, they changed topics to who lives where and who lives near to whoever. They even discussed who the town mayor of the last girl is.

In a minute or two, all three got off at the same stop to take another ride to where they are going.

And that ends their talk of work and play.

Most unfortunate

This morning I arrived at the PUV terminal at around 8:20 hoping to get on board soon and be on my way to the before 9:00. But what greeted me is a very long line of fellow commuters waiting for their turn to get on board.

I was debating with myself if I will go and wait in line or if I should take another way to the office. I chose to wait in line.

By experience, if I take a jeepney to Pasig City, then take another FX to the office, it will probably take me more than an hour to get to the office.

I asked the dispatcher why the line grew longer than usual. He said that there is an on-going boat race along the Pasig River and most roads used by the drivers on their return trip is closed. the boat race is part of the celebrations for Araw ng Pasig.

I had no choice but to just wait. And it is past 9:00 already.

Waiting it out, I was able to get on board after 30 minutes and be in the office in another 15. What a way to start the month...

Right turning vehicles keep right

As far as I know, the rule in a highway without a traffic light is that vehicles that will turn right must stay on the right lane and those crossing will keep the middle or left most lane wherever applicable. This however, does not hold true in C-5.

Everyday that I commute from home to the office, when we get to the corner leading to Valle Verde Subdivision, our PUV always has a hard time turning right on that corner. Well, the traffic is usually heavy in the part of the highway but it is not the volume of moving vehicles that gives us a problem turning right. It is those educated and mostly professionals who drive their cars along the right lane even if they are not turning right.

It always amuses me to see these driver in nice cars, wearing nice clothes looking all educated. And yet the education seem to have been placed on the backseat just to be on the lane where the vehicles move faster.

And what's bad about it is that if you get to cut them off so you can turn right, they'll get upset.

As the expression in one of the jokes I received through email says: the nerd of this people!

New facade

Mayor Fred Lim of Manila making putting his own make-over of the Pasig river shores. I chanced upon a project being undertaken under the Quezon Bridge near Quiapo market.

On my way home from a meeting at the Presidential Management Staff Building in Malacanang, I took a jeep plying the Pasig-Quiapo Echague route from Arlegui to Quiapo's Quinta Market. At the back of Quinta Market right beside the bridge is the Quiapo Terminal of the Pasig River Ferry.

Between the passenger waiting area and the pontoon dock is a beautification project being undertaken by the Manila City government.



The wide area about a quarter of a kilometer long is being paved with red and off-white stones. This walkway stretches from the edge of Quinta market bordering FEATI university up to the point where the river is met by another stream.

I don't know yet how this will look like when the project is done with all the displaced settlers under the bridge and beside Quinta market. And how will this sort of a promenade be accessible to the public without compromising the security of the ferry terminal.

An update is forthcoming!

Those who are first become last

There are times that you feel unfortunate to at the end of a long queue of people trying to get a ride to the office. And there are times that you feel very lucky to be first in the line or in the first group to board and leave.

An of course, there are times that even though you were the first one to leave, the driver of the vehicle that is last to leave drives a lot faster than yours.

Just this morning, I was lucky enough to leave before 8 that will assure me that I will arrive at the office right before nine. While we were on the highway (C-5) just past the u-turn slot near Valle Verde when suddenly, an FX AUV tried to bump us. It turns out that the "rammer" is a coleague of our driver. They both belong to the same transport association. And this second AUV is supposed to have left about 10 minutes after we were on our way.

Lo and behold, a third AUV was also there and overtook us.

In the end, our AUV, that left around 7.45am was the last to reach my stop. And I thought I was lucky to be in the group that went out first.

And so, the first, became last. Haaay...

Lovers are they?

On my way home tonight, I took an FX from Megamall. I took a seat at the back along with a couple who I thought to be married.

As we waited there for the vehicle to fill up and when it eventually left, I came to realize that they were not married and may be just friends. I figured this out when I heard the lady describing her daughter to her friend.

I never really thought of them as having an affair but merely chancing upon each other at the mall and since they are probably neighbors (since they discussed neighborly things). At any rate, the lady was, well, sort of a little sweet to the guy . Patting his leg, leaning on to him makes it look sweet. But then again, I do not know the depth of their relationship so its not really my business.

So, that is the more telling part of my commute today. Hope to be able to share some more in the future.

Community activities

In the last couple of days I commuted home, our public utility jeepney (PUJ) ran into two consecutive community activities of the same nature by two different baranggays (villages) bordering the same main transport route.

Friday night, I got held up in a 30 minute kilometer long traffic jam because of the Santacruzan that passed within the boundaries of Sta. Rosa, Pasig City. It was a long 3-lane crawl from the Pasig Plaza to the T-intersection near Ado's Panciteria. Fortunately, the procession turned right at the next corner. When the tail end passed that next junction, we zoomed to our destination in no time.

But then again, last night on my way home, our PUJ is once more stuck in traffic. Good for us it only took about 20 minutes for the parade to turn a corner before the Ado's panciteria T-intersection. If the line proceeded using the same route as before, I would have ended up taking the same amount of time to get home as the other day.

Although these two events are being undertaken by two different communities, these communities border the same main road and plotted their routes to include this road. Good thing I am not leaving the house today. If I had to and there is a third baranggay I did not know about, I'd be stuck again for almost the same amount of time.

Music and calls

In my previous post, I narrated about a quiet ride from our house to the office.

This morning, I had a partially quiet ride.

I am again seated at the back of the Mitsubishi Adventure AUV with four other passengers. One is listening to the music, the other just watches the scenery go by. The fourth was joyfully talking on the phone.

First, she called her (presumably) female friend as asked about the number of a male friend. Then she went on talking about other stuff. Her other phone rang after that and she is now talking to the male friend. By what I hear, the guy was thinking she is using a brand new unit as she explained that the unit she uses is an old one.

All this is happening while the music-listening passenger was tapping his knee to the beat of his overly loud music that leaks out of his plugged ears.

Silent run

As always, early morning commutes are quiet. I got into the FX as the last passenger in, paid my fare and we were all set to go.

The ride was uneventful. The four of us at the back are all dozing. I did not take much notice about those up front since everybody was really quiet. Nobody knew someone so there is no reason for chitchat. All we could hear is the music coming from the stereo.

I did not notice anyone using a personal mobile audio device either. No iPods. No MP3 players. No mobile phones with MP3 player or FM radio feature.

We all rode in peace trying to get some more shut eye that we were not able to have the evening before.

It was a silent run.

Family ride

When I commute, I notice that drivers often bring members of their family with them.

At times, drivers of passenger jeepneys bring their wives with them. Their wives are the ones who collect the fare and hand out the change.

Sometimes they bring their young children along with them. These are kids about 3 to 5 years old who do nothing but sit and watch the world go by.

And more often than not, it is the whole family who come along. The wife does her thing collecting fare and giving out change while the kids sleep, play or just sit and stare.

Family members mostly ride shotgun with them. Once they do this, the two-passenger front seat becomes off limits to passengers. Other times, wives sit behind the driver holding with her the cash box.

Even though bringing their families with them means one or two passengers worth of fare removed for the duration of the trip, it makes life easier for the driver. Bringing their wives remove the need for them to collect fares and give back changes. It also give them time to bond. Talk about things and life and plans for the future. It also allows the family to be together and when the jeepney reaches the far end of its travel, they can all go malling.

Driving passenger utility vehicles is not just about earning. It is also about sharing your line of work with your family.

Quiet ride

As I went for work this morning, I noticed that the ride was quiet except for the music coming from the vehicle speakers.

I surmised that most people, especially when they travel alone, do not open a conversation with the other passengers. Even if there is a cute passenger sitting right next to them, they don't even try to muster courage to start up a conversation.

I guess everybody just want to get to the office, clock-in their report time and go about their work.

Interaction and verbal exchanges take the back seat during morning commutes.

Rice shortage

We on our way to Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya, we were discussing how the landscape looked.

We took a Helio Courier single engine propeller aircraft from the Plaridel Airport in Plaridel Bulacan for Bagabag Airport. The plane is owned and operated by the Summer Institute for Linguistics. They often lend the plane to the Department of Education for the official trips of the Secretary.



Below us, we can see the vast expanse of Central Luzon as we made our way from Bulacan, through Pangasinan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and finally, Nueva Vizcaya.

There are rice fields everywhere. There are also patches of built up areas spread all over the flat surface. There are clusters of houses, villages, towns, and cities.



The main topic of our discussions is the current rice shortage in the country.

We wonder why there is a shortage when we look at the fields, we see rice lands everywhere. Is there someone hoarding all these rice? Is there someone or some group earning from this perceived shortage? What is the government doing about it?

Well, we have a lot of ideas but we are still confident that this "virtual" shortage can be taken cared of. We hope that the President is well supported in curbing this "crisis."

If not, well, we go back to eating corn.

Commuting, Dating

On my way home yesterday, I saw a young couple sitting across me. They are sweet with each other exchanging whispers and they are young. Definitely high school.

Like me, they are on their way home. Most probably from a date (the girl was wearing make-up). And the date continues. On the jeepney.

Most young couples do this dating-rides. It helps them spend the long trip liesurely. Though, maybe, they can cut back on the sweet holds, kisses, and embraces that couples do while watching a movie, in a dark theater. And they probably think it is alright.

Lucky guy. I am sorry for the girl. I am still an uptight Christian you know. :)

Mobile communication

While on my way home tonight, I sat beside a commuter who got a call from a female friend 5 minutes after he got on the van.

They talk about a lot of things. Of life and love. Of friends and foes. And of plans for the weekend. So I minded my own business and thought about what I should do when I arrive at my stop. But still, I cannot keep myself from listening in since they were not so discreet.

At any rate, I was thinking that the guy used to be very close to the girl and that he may be looking for a way to be with her again.

He flirted.

She flirted.

He asked her out. He asked her to watch a movie with him tomorrow. But she has to pay for the tickets since, he said, he did not see her for a long while now.

In the end, we got to his stop. He got off from the van but not from the phone. He walked to the next jeepney stop, phone at hand pressed on his ear. Still flirting.

Commuting is not just sitting in the van waiting until you reach your destination. It is also a time for phone calls and catching up.

CSI on the road

Along with the high volumed discussion on religion, genealogy, and food is another high volumed discussion on a crime they may have heard or known of.

They were analyzing the crime scene on the fly. They talk about it as they have heard or seen it and are coming up with theories on what might have happened.

As I was able to discern some of them, their theories have basis and may be plausible. But I am not sure. I did not see or hear what they have seen or heard.

Maybe it's because of all these movies and TV shows they are watching that "educates" them. I'm just worried when people begin to do surgery on other people because they are avid fans of Grey's Anatomy or any other hospital-oriented TV shows. :)

Religion, geneology, and food

I overheard four ladies discussion in crisp highly audible voices about their work in the Church. They talked about what each of their contributions are, the roles they play, and the groups they are part of.

Then they began to discuss about priests, where they are assigned, where these priests were once assigned and who among those they know are members of families they are familiar with.

Genealogy is the next part of the discussions. They talked about who they know, who his/her parents were, and where they lived. Then came several "historical" accounts about the relatives of the people they know. This also includes the nicknames some of these people bear.

And they finally wandered to the topic about food. Food they cook, food they ate, and food served to them. They even talked about how best to cook certain meals and exchanged recipes on a few.

Seating arrangement

While seated waiting for the FX to leave, I was asked by the lady sitting with me where I will get off. She was seating nea the door while I sit near the driver in the front row. Since her destination is farther than mine, we exchanged seats. This way, she does not need to get out of the car to let me pass when I get to my destination.

It is an unritten rule in commuting that those whose destination is the farthest should be seated the farthest from he exit as well.

This is especially observed in AUVs like the Toyota Tamaraw FX or other similar vehicles like the Mistubishi Adventure or Isuzu Crosswind. These vehicles are used in garage to terminal transports.

Passengers, without much discussion, agree to the seating arrangements with the least bother to the other.

This practice is best followed during the rainy season. Less movement meanse less opportunities to get wet.

Pedestrian watch

It cannot be avoided. When we commute we tend to look at other passengers with us. But we also look at pedestrians along the street.

I heard a comment from another passenger who noted how similar a mother and her daughter looked. The two were crossing the street as we passed by an intersection.

I did not catch a glimpse of the two ladies so I did not know if they are indeed as lovely as my fellow commuter saw.

We always take notice of many things when we are on the road and more often than not, we have a comment or two about what we saw.

People watching is a way to kill time. It works for bystanders and it surely works for commuters as well.

Radio ad

The ride home was, well, uneventful. Not much chit-chat from those on board. It seems as if everybody is just looking forward to getting home. It is, after all, the eve of a very long vacation.

While waiting for comments or discussions to begin, my attention was caught by the advertisement from the radio. The ad was for a leading shampoo brand.

In the ad, a guy talks to his close friend about a girl they knew in high school. This guy describes to his buddy how he remembers the time when he sees the girl, what he felt and how regretful he was he never tried to court her.

The buddy informed the day dreamer that he knows the girl and asked if he wanted to be set-up for a date. The dreamer agreed and his buddy dropped the bomb, "actually, my friend, she is married to me."

Question: if you are best buds or close friends, how come you did not know your friend married the girl of your dreams?

Best position

On my way to work today I just realized that in order to pick-up commuter chatter, one must be placed well in the middle of the group.

While riding shotgun with another passenger, I heard chatter from the rear of the vehicle that I cannot discern. Add to that the usual noise of morning traffic and the on-board audio and all I got is, chatter.

Well, I hope to put myself in a better location next time.

Japanese TV series and learning language skills

Before I went home tonight, I had to go to a dinner with my fraternity brods. Unfortunately the hosts changed the venue without even informing the restaurant where they first made reservations.

During the trip to the restaurant just in the periphery of Greenhills shopping mall, I was able to watch a tagalog dubbed Japanese TV series. The title of the series is Hana Yori Dango. It is the Japanese version of the ever popular Taiwanese series Meteor Garden. Meteor Garden was also dubbed in tagalog.

I remembered doing a marathon viewing of the series on pirated DVD last Christmas. I had no choice. We only had one DVD player and television and my sisters and my mom are fans of the series. We watched it from morning to the morning of the next day.

The series was introduced in the Philippines only this February.

On my way home bearing the frustration that I was first at the venue only to find out that I was moved elsewhere, I took a Jeep to EDSA. During the ride, all I heard was chatter among passengers. One thing that really caught my attention is when the "conductor" tried to find the person who paid P50.00 to give his change, no one answered. Irritated at the lack of attention, the conductor returned the change to his cash box.

After a while, a person sitting next to the conductor asked for his change. He paid P50.00 and he is yet to get his change. This got him into a light tongue lashing from the conductor.

The conductor mumbled about how he asked who is yet to get a change for fifty and nobody answered and then suddenly this guy next to him asked for his change. The changed that was being handed out a few minutes earlier.

After reaching the end of the jeepney's trip, I transferred to a FX for my ride home. During this time, the only chatter I heard is from a family sitting behind me and the noise from the TV-phone. The TV-phone is a modified phone with a UHF-VHF receiver to allow viewing of free TV. I am sure it was made in China. You can find some info on this in my other blog: blagsasapot.

The family was letting their child watch some news and listen to some music. The kid repeats some familiar word heard from the phone. The mother repeats the word again and asks the child if he understood the word. I don't really know if the child is a he or a she.

The songs they listened to are modifications (almost bastardized versions) of original songs. Most contain sexually suggestive lines but the parents don't care.

It's good though that the child only retains specific words and not whole phrases. Maybe in time, he or she will know what those words meant together and wonder why his/her parents allowed them to listen to such a music.

In the end, the couple argued about the husband spending more time downloading stuff than attending to the domestic needs of his child and wife.

Silence

My trip this morning is uneventful. Everybody are asleep.

It seems that the humid and warm evenings are getting into the sleeping routines of people. Everyone I was commuting with are sleeping. Probably it is because of the mellow music played by the driver.

I got off at my stop and I hope the rest get roused up before the PUV passes their stop.

Manny Pacquiao

Tonight on my trip home, I joined one of my officemates who uses our company car. Through the radio, we heard the news and opinions about Manny Pacquiao winning the boxing title from Juan Marquez.

The opinions discussed during the trip are whether Manny's win was indeed a win. He won through a split decision in yesterday's fight.

Some analysts point out that Marquez should have won the match based on their own unofficial scorecards. All of them, at least, respect the decision of the three judges. Pacquiao got one point ahead of Marquez to win the match.

Another discussion was on the report about a lone white car that has been victimizing pedestrians with handbags. This mostly happened in less secure subdivisions in Quezon City.

The driver apparently follows a prey and when he gets the chance, speeds up, grabs the bag, and even drag the unsuspecting victim for several meters. Right now, QC police are on the alert for the white car whose driver will probably just relocate and continue his mayhem.

In closing, we talked about sleeping in the office since the hot afternoons make people weak and succumb to sleepiness. I admitted that I slept just after five while the rest of my companions failed to get one.

Vacation woes

While riding the FX to work, I heard two guys talk about this:

1. Time to report to the office
2. Where to stay during vacation

FX is a model of the Toyota Tamaraw Asian utility vehicle (AUV) primarily used as a public utility vehicle (PUV) due to its large capacity. It comes between the regular jeepney and the taxi cab.

Reporting time

It is common that people who know each other are interested in the times they get to work. This discussion usually start discussions covering other topics.

This topic is also a form of assurance for some that they are not the only ones who are late for work.

Vacation

As vacation looms, where a person spends that time forms another topic. People compare notes on their planned vacations. They talk about where to stay, what to do, and sometimes how much it costs.

Today, the other passenger will be spending his vacation in the house of one of his buddies. His buddy will be alone this Holy Week and he welcomes the company. He will spend it there with his other buddies and they will probably drink themselves to exhaustion during the four days they will be together.