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

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.

Funny Travel Moments

A sleepy man rode the LRT. To overcome his sleepiness, he decided to drink water. But upon opening the bottled water, it splashed to other passengers.

...

This happened during the '60s. A man bought a live chicken and two bags of vegetables. Paper bags were used then instead of plastics. He placed the bags on the floor of the bus, and as expected, the bottom part soaked up. As he got off the bus, the vegetables rolled off the bags, and the chicken went loose. He got all those vegetables and the live chicken back with the help of the passengers. And he forgot something: "Patola!" exclaimed one of the passengers.

...

A funny yet embarrasing moment. A pretty girl in a white uniform just got off the LRT. A man in his thirties approached and whispered to her that the zipper at the back of her skirt is half open. She can't believe it at first but she's nothing left to do but zip it up.

...

A guy is listening to his favorite song, "My Love Will See You Through" at the bus. He didn't noticed that he's already singing aloud. And at the climax of the song, he gave it all and belted it out. To his surprise, the passengers gave him a round of applause.

...

Most of the illegal settlers within the PNR tracks were relocated. But, of course, there are some waiting to be relocated. A guy in his teens opened the window of a train and right after, he was on the receiving end of a urine splash.

...

An intoxicated man rides a jeepney and vomits... to the woman beside him.

Ang Kwento Ng Isang Jeepney Driver

Ako si Edong, isang jeepney driver. Me asawa't tatlong anak. Sarili kong jeep ang ipinapasada ko, bunga ng limang taon kong pagtatrabaho sa Saudi. Ang ruta ko ay Alabang - Pacita. Maraming pasahero sa rutang ito, pero may mga araw na, sabihin na nating medyo malas.

Tulad na lang nung isang linggo. Umaga pa lang inaalat na ang biyahe ko. Nag-Muntinlupa ako para maisakay ang mga estudyante. MunSci sa Tunasan, national sa may Bayan, Pedro Diaz sa Bayanan. Marami pang bakante ang jeep ko di tulad ng iba. Tinatapatan ko na nga kada kanto, kaso bumaba pa yung ibang pasahero. Nainis pa ata. Putcha, pag minamalas ka namang talaga. Dere-derecho yun hanggang hapon. Buti na nga lang at nakabawi nung gabi. Pumila na lang ako sa Alabang. Nag-Susana ako.

Pag malas ang biyahe, tulad nun, two hundred na lang ang nauuwi ko. Halos kulang pa sa pangkarga ko ang kinikita ko. Kaya minsan inaabot pa ako ng gabi para lang makarami ng boundary. Pero kung maswerte, aba! Five hundred, seven hundred. Nung isang araw, alas-dos pa lang ng hapon, naka-five hundred na ako! Umuwi ako alas-otso, eight hundred!

Pero sa mahal ng diesel, bihirang bihira akong makapag-uwi ng lagpas limandaan. Oo, bumababa nga pero sa tingin ko kulang pa rin. Aba'y grabe ang tinaas ng diesel noon. Ngayon, nababasa ko sa dyaryo, malaki ang binaba ng presyo sa world market, eh dito wala pa atang sampung piso ang binaba. Ang mga walang hiya, ganid sa tubo. At kung ako lang, ok lang na ibaba ang pasahe, basta ibaba rin ang presyo ng diesel.

Mahirap talagang mamasada, pero mas mahirap ang biyahe pag walang pasok sa eskwela. Yung tipong lumalabas ako ng alas-kwatro y medya, alas-singko punuan na pag may pasok, pag wala bilang mo ang sakay ko. Bawi na lang sa padalawang ikot ko, yung nagsu-Susana ako. Mga nag-oopisina sakay ko. Aba, maraming tsikas. At ang babango pa. Pag maswerte talaga, katabi ko pa. Saan kaya nagtatrabaho ang mga yun? Siguro sa may Madrigal, o di kaya sa Filinvest. Pag gabi marami rin. Yung mga nagtatrabaho naman sa call center, ayun.

Ay napahaba na pala ang kwento ko...

Ito talaga ang gusto kong ikwento. Yung minsan naholdap ako sa biyahe. Dun sa paglagpas ng palengke ng San Pedro sila nagdeklara. Sa may United yata sumakay ang mga walanghiya. Walang street lights, kokonti ang tao, tamang-tama para mang-holdap.

Tatlong maria ang pasahero ko. Tatlong barako ang holdaper. 'Di nangholdap sila, siyempre di na 'ko pumalag. Nilimas yung mga gamit ng pasahero, pati yung kinita ko't cellphone ko. Mabuti na lang inuwi ko yung ibang kita. Pero yung isang pasahero matapang. Inaagaw na yung bag, ayaw pang ibigay. Tapos binaril. Gulat ako. Nagbabaan ang mga gago.

Tinakbo namin sa Family Care yung babae, yung sa Pacita. Sa dibdib daw tinamaan. Kaibigan pala niya yung isang babae, tinawagan yung mga kaanak. Sabi ng mga doktor sa Family Care, di nila kayang operahan yung babae, ililipat ng mga kaanak sa Asian. Isinama ako nung isang lalaki, tatay ata nung babae. Sa daan pa lang, pasalamat na ng pasalamat sa akin.

Kinabukasan, nagdala na ng pera yung mga kaanak, reward daw. Kako, ayoko naman. Kusa kong pagtulong iyon. Sa akin sapat na yung makatulong. Minsan lang naman mabigyan ng pagkakataon, maging bayani.

Ito ang kwento ko. 'Pano ba 'yan, bibiyahe pa 'ko.