Thursday, March 12, 2009

Ang Karanasan Ko Sa Biyahe Ngayon (from Bryan Amparo)

I just read this blog from solerasturias.blogspot.com

Ranting about your travel seatmates... and talk about weight!

I hope you kind of enjoy reading this.

-----------------

Minsan talaga pag bumibiyahe ako, nabu-bwisit ako sa mga katabi ko...

Tulad na lang ng nakatabi ko kanina, super taba. Tapos siksikan, syempre hindi naman ako makareklamo kasi nga nasa public utility vehicle ako... At ang siste, hindi lang siya ang mataba.
Pagsapit sa Alabang ng bus, marami ang nagsibabaan, pati yung ibang matatabang kahilera namin sa animan. Pero tulog na tulog ang kumag kong katabi. Kinakalabit ko kaso balat kalabaw. Sinasabihan ko pero yung patugtog niya malakas pa sa boses ko. Alanghiya, eh di nagtatatalon ako habang nakaupo. Ayun nakaramdam at umusog naman... hahahaha!

Dapat itong mga matatabang ito nagje-jeta... Maging considerate naman sila sa kapwa pasahero. O kung ayaw nilang magbawas ng timbang, mag-taxi na lang sila... Iyan ay kung kasya sila sa taxi... hahahaha! Sama ng ugali...

asturiaschronicles.blogspot.com

Friday, February 20, 2009

Bigtime Jeepney Ride

"Bayad po."
"Saan bababa?"
"Robinson po," sabi ni Drei sa tsuper.

Ordinaryong Sabado ng gabi. Pauwi si Drei galing sa bahay ng kanyang kaklase sa San Juan. Walang kamalay-malay ang damuho na ang nakakabagot na biyaheng ito ay magiging masaya rin sa huli.

Biyaheng San Juan-Rosario ang dyip na nasakyan niya, pero hanggang Meralco lamang ang biyahe nito. Dumadaan ito sa Pinaglabanan Shrine, Greenhills Shopping Center, at Robinson's Galleria, kung saan bababa muna si Drei bago umuwi sa ParaƱaque. Maluwag ang dyip; apat lamang silang pasahero nito.

May pumara sa dyip sa tapat ng the Arena - ang sinasabi nilang tahanan ng volleyball. Marami ata ang sasakay, sa isip-isip ni Drei... may kasama pang bakla! Nasa P. Guevarra pa lang ang dyip dinig na dinig na sila. Sa wakas nakasakay na ang buong grupo nila. Ang dyip na aapat lang ang pasahero, aapat na lamang ang makakaupo! In fairness dun sa nakaupo sa dulo, may hitsura... Nakasuot siya ng itim na blusa, nakalugay ang mahaba niyang buhok, medyo chinita... teka lang...

"Parang kilala ko ata ito ah..."

At kilala nga niya. Si Bernice Co ng UST Women's Volleyball Team. Ikaw na ang maging Drei! Isa kang maswerteng nilalang.

Ang tanong na lang, ano ang gagawin niya?

(a) Magpapa-autograph
(b) Kakamayan niya si Bernice
(c) Tititigan na lamang si Bernice
(d) None of the above

Ikaw na ang maging Drei. Ikaw na rin ang maging torpe.

Huminto ang dyip sa Madison Street sa hudyat ng pulang ilaw ng stoplight. Maya-maya pa'y may dumaan na nagtitinda ng bulaklak at tumapat sa estribo ng dyip. Tamang-tama ang dating niya; bibigyan na lamang niya ng rosas si Bernice. Nakaltasan siya ng trenta pero walang kaso kay Drei.

Abalang-abala ang mga pasahero sa kani-kanilang pakikipagkwentuhan sa mga katabi nila. Natural, pinakamaingay ang grupo nina Bernice, sa dami ba naman nila. May magkaibigang nag-uusap tungkol sa pulitika. May mag-asawa rin silang nakasabay. Kanina pa pinagmamasdan ng anak nilang babae ang bulaklak na hawak ni Drei. Ngayon ay hinahawak-hawakan na ito ng bata. Pinipigilan na ng kanyang ina ang anak, pero bubwelo na sa pag-iyak ang bata.

"Eto oh... sa iyo na lang." Inabot niya ang rosas sa bata.
"Naku, hijo, wag. Baka magalit ang girlfriend mo," sagot ng ama ng bata.
"OK lang po." At kinuha na ng tuluyan ng bata ang bulaklak. Paalam trenta pesos.

Nakalagpas na ng La Salle Greenhills ang dyip, at malapit na sila sa panulukan ng EDSA at Ortigas. Paghinto ng dyip, akmang bababa na ang grupo ni Bernice. Ano na ang gagawin ni Drei?

Bahala na si Batman.

Inunahan niya sa pagbaba ang grupo. Nagtatakbo siya't tila may hinahanap, at mukhang nakita na niya ito: Isang bulag na manganganta na nakapwesto sa tapat ng POEA.

"Manong, alam n'yo po ba ang 'Annie's Song' ni John Denver?"
"OO hijo."
"Magkano po ibabayad ko sa inyo?"
"Bahala ka na."

Akmang titipa na ang bulag pero pinatigil muna siya ni Drei at inabutan niya ang bulag ng singkwenta. Hinanap ng kanyang mga mata si Bernice, at ayun, papalapit na sila sa kanila. Pinaaalahanan niya uli ang bulag na hintayin siya. Lumapit na siya kay Bernice

"Hi Bernice! Ako si Drei, fan mo ako."
"Talaga?" at napapangiti si Bernice. Naghiyawan at nagsipulan naman ang mga kasama niya.
"Ah... eh... Pwede ba kita mahiram saglit?" Tinuro niya ang daan dun sa bulag. At binulungan niya ang bulag na simulan na ang pag-awit.

"You fill up my senses like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain..."

Pagkatapos ng awitin, kinausap uli ni Drei si Bernice...

"Ah... ano... sensya na..." impit na bigkas ni Drei
"Bakit naman?"
"eh... kasi... yung bulaklak kanina... ano... sa'yo ko sana ibibigay... eh..."
"Hahaha..." At napangiti na naman si Bernice. "OK lang iyon. Kesa umiyak yung bata diba?"

Saglit na katahimikan. Bumalik na ang bulag sa pagkanta.

Si Bernice na ang nauna, "Ikaw rin ba ang nagpa-request ng kanta?" Tumango si Drei.
"Salamat." Hinalikan niya sa pisngi si Drei at kinamayan. At nagpaalam na ang grupo nila sa kanya; biyaheng Fairview naman sina Bernice.

"Like a storm in a desert, like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses, come fill me again..."

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Return of Biyaherong Pilipino

It has been long ago since I last posted here.

I'll be posting your travel stories. Soon ;D

Thursday, October 30, 2008

BLOWBAG (and other travel tips)

All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day is coming. And as expected, viajeros like you and me are trooping to cemeteries to visit their dead. And it's about time to review what we should do before traveling.

General travel tips:

(1) Prepare everything you need before trooping to your destination. It's good to have a checklist of your things to bring.

(2) Avoid bringing sharp-edged and pointed items such as knives, compressed gases like aerosol, firecrackers or anything that might explode. These will be confiscated by the police and cause you inconvenience.

(3) Do not leave your belongings unattended, especially your children.

(4) Keep your cool. We had enough of Rolito Gos.

(5) Have enough cash on hand.


To those who have cars, good for you because you don't have to rush to the terminals (and the bigtime rollback in gas prices). However, you should have these on mind:

(1) Check your BLOWBAG (Battery, Lights, Oil, Water, Brakes, Air, Gasoline).

(2) Have a good amount of rest before traveling. Don't take the risk of driving if sleepy. Find the nearest stop if you have to rest in the middle of travel.

(3) Inflate your spare tires. You don't know when you will need them.

(4) If you have somebody among your companion who knows how to drive, much better. You can rest and the travel would not be disrupted.


Those who will travel through public utility vehicles:

(1) Submit and cooperate to security procedures. It's for your own good.

(2) Ride to reputable carriers only. Sulpicio Lines, anyone?

(3) Be vigilant. As much as possible, don't entertain strangers. They might be Salisi Gang members.


And when you're on the cemetery:

(1) Do not play too loud music. Or better yet, don't play music at all. Not everybody loves listening to Gagong Rapper, Ely Buendia, Sarah Geronimo, and Diomedes Maturan.

(2) Do not bring playing cards, alcoholic drinks, deadly weapons, weapons of mass destruction and the like.

(3) Remember you're here to pay respect to your dead love ones. But also respect the living who are also paying their respect.


Hmmmm... Now you're ready to go! And one thing more: bring your common sense with you. :D

Thursday, October 23, 2008

No Speed Limit on EDSA - No Problem?


October 21, 2008. A car was burning in EDSA. The driver of the car, a doctor, for some reason, can't escape. And to make matters worse, a bus, which was racing along with another, rammed into it. The doctor died because of burns and, as the medico legal results says, severe head injury. Aside from it, one of the buses collide at a bus dropping off a passenger, at all places, the middle of EDSA.

The bus driver of the "killer bus" surrendered to the police. He was interviewed and said that they cannot let their guard down against their kalaban. That's why they speed up to the nearest bus stop. As for the tragedy, he's resentful, but this would not change what happened.

In a congressional inquiry a month before the tragedy, MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando said that there was no speed limit in EDSA. Interviews quoting him after the tragedy said that the reason behind this is that the MMDA is still making changes along EDSA.

If you are sane, you don't accept these reasoning.

All kinds of speed demons are in EDSA. From jeepneys, cars, trucks, and buses. There was saying in Filipino: "Hindi pwede ang aanga-anga sa EDSA," means that you cannot survive EDSA if you're not tough and aggressive enough.

But to say that there's no speed limit at EDSA is too absurd and too irresponsible for the MMDA Chairman to say, at the very least. On the other hand, LTO said that there is such; 40kph for light vehicles (cars, jeepneys, vans) and 30kph for trucks and buses. But these was way back in the 1960s.

We have to put an appropriate and update speed limits, not only at EDSA, but to all major thoroughfares of Metro Manila, and the whole Philippines as well. We have to take action to stop these speed demons, before another killer bus (or any vehicle for that matter) take lives of many.

This also serves as a wake-up call to bus operators and all government officials involving roads. For bus operators, they should educate their bus drivers about road safety and prioritize the safety of their passengers and other road users before profit. And as for government officials, they should make road safety priority, before politicizing, early campaigning, and joining singing contests in national TV.