(Too) Slow and Steady (Rain)

Not exactly my very first experience of commuting in rain.

The first time was when I commuted from Estrella to Ayala RCBC in light and isolated rain. I could say this would be my first legit experience of commuting in rain given that the rain was heavy all throughout the trip and many more. The route I took for this entry is the usual Ortigas to Ayala one...

October 10, 2013

I went out late at school at 5:20 instead of the usual 5:00 due to many projects assigned to us classmates. We had to rush these that day but doing so still didn't allow me to leave by 5. By the time I left it was already raining heavily. Knowing that I'm supposed to leave at 5, I ran from inside the campus all the way to the outside halfway to the bus station to get in a bus as soon as possible. I walked afterwards.

I was able to get in a MetroLink bus (not sure if Alabang or Baclaran, but the bus is an orange one). By the way, MetroLink again! Before I got in the bus I already took a bath since the drainage of the bus was in its door. The water flowed down there so I became very wet instantly. I settled myself in the left window side of the bus (as usual) and paid the regular fare of P16. Looking at the bus, it obviously came from Japan - with all the Japanese signs and the looks of the interior and exterior. I'm not sure though if that bus is part of what Noli De Castro (a known local newscaster and radio host) referred to as Japayuki buses.Moving on, my dad called when I was at Crossing. 5:30/40 I think.

The tickets I got for this experience (lower set). The upper set is from "The Bag Who Cried Bomb"

The traffic was slower than usual for obvious reasons. And what's more, not only is it raining hard, but also thunder and lightning are included. I then saw that there's a thin sheet of water flowing in the roads of EDSA. It's not that I'm afraid that the road will soon be flooded, but seeing that only shows how strong the rain was.

Long story short, I felt cold inside the bus with the aircon on and my shirt already wet. Eventually, my shirt dried up.

Going through stations in the stretch of Ayala, only a few passengers boarded. Unlike the usual mass of people waiting to board in Ayala PSE for example, only a few were waiting. I can see the smiles the commuters were showing once they boarded the bus. I originally thought that buses would be full and a lot more passengers would be waiting in stations in such rainy condition. Turns out, the reality seems the exact opposite. Lesson learned.

We're now beside the building of RCBC. The bus is stuck there. Traffic was standstill on the other side of the intersection where the bus is supposed to unload passengers. Because of that, the driver nevertheless let the passengers going down at RCBC unload so as to not waste time. It would be easy for me to go to the building then - no need to cross roads and so on.

But the challenge is far from over.

I just realized that the intersection between the island we were unloaded to and the office is flooded gutter deep. I tried to look for other access areas without flood but there was none. Without other options, I decided to remove my shoes and walk in the flood. It's mostly collected rainwater anyway; I doubt that it came from the drainage. Thankfully I was wearing shorts at that time so crossing it was easier. Moreover, a wound from my foot has healed well already so I don't need to worry big time on getting Leptospirosis (no signs of having that up to this posting. Hehehe). I was finally able to cross the flood and arrive at the office. 7:20 I think.

Eventually, my parents and I got stuck at Makati. Although the rain has stopped, the roads we're to go through are flooded and our car won't be able to pass through. We then decided to eat dinner in a mall and wait for the traffic to subside.

After eating, we left the mall at 8:40 and still the traffic was heavy. No choice - we'll have to wait. My dad let me sleep in the car so I decided to do so. I then woke up and realized that we have escaped the traffic. And the time we did so - [drumroll] - 9:40! Yep! One hour of waiting. It's light all the way to home so travel wasn't that any longer anymore.

Total time: about 4 to 5 hours. The longest travel time from school to home.


It's just a realization of how heavy rain lasting for about an hour or two can paralyze the metro. Floods have been a problem in the city since I don't know when. Where are the plans? Is there even hope? Is there even something done to solve this seemingly-chronic problem? Or it's just that this problem is already something that we're used to making us think that solving it wouldn't matter?

I should expect longer commuting times, though, with or without rain - now that we're in the -ber months and traffic is naturally expected to be heavier than in any other month of the year.

Something new in store for me: Commuting from my province in the North to the house using Del Carmen or other bus companies traveling through the same route it travels to.

The Bag Who Cried Bomb

Can you guess the day I had this experience?

Route: Ortigas to Ayala RCBC (LRT Ayala Leveriza bus)

I've been experiencing longer commuting times on the same route lately and this experience is definitely the longest one so far. The first was when I boarded an AC Trans bus and arrived office at 6:40 from the usual quarter to or at 6. That day was a usual work day; no situations whatsoever. It doesn't compare to this, however.

Though the weather is fine and I boarded the bus at the usual time, traffic was heavy to standstill starting from Crossing all the way to Ayala (before turning right) - just because of a bag that had been suspected of having a bomb. Some inconvenience!

I boarded Taguig MetroLink bus 823 in Ortigas just after 5 in the afternoon. I then sat at the left window seat (my preference) and paid the fare. As always, I kept the tickets in my pocket (and again, yet another set of MetroLink tickets; this time, though, Taguig - not the usual Malanday ones). Everything was usual - the stops, the traffic (so far) and so on. My dad then called me on the phone (he usually calls me when I'm at Crossing).

Then I noticed that the traffic was heavier than usual after Crossing. The sky got darker and I'm still somewhere in Boni. My dad called and he was surprised when I said that I'm still there. I just said that the traffic is heavy. My dad called again and sadly, I'm still far from the office (somewhere in Guadalupe/Orense I think). This traffic is really heavy!

At EDSA Orense

The driver then decided to open the TV. Instead of the usual movies-in-USB movies, the TV display was of Inquirer's (a popular periodical) "Catalyst Media" containing fresh news, videos and commercials. It's the first time I encountered such thing in a city bus.Then the ticker mentioned the password to the bus WiFi so I decided to connect my phone and tweet that I'm inside the bus in hell traffic.

The videos featured Mikey Bustos, various music videos and TMZ-like discussions from iCM. In one instance, the TV played a music video of a negatively-known group here in the Philippines. It just reinforced the negative ideas I hear. What group is that? I won't say.

Scrolling through tweets, I saw some tweets saying that there is a bomb threat in EDSA FB Harrison due to a bag thrown in a bus. Then I thought that it could be the one causing traffic. True enough, it was. The threat was so serious such that both sides of EDSA in that area were closed to traffic. The sniffing dogs indicated the possibility of a bomb, so closure had to be done.

At EDSA Estrella

My dad called me at long intervals, only to say that I'm in a place not so far from the previous place I mentioned. At one point, I became bored and went back at looking at the window full of red lights. Heavy to standstill traffic.

EDSA Buendia

At "Ayala Ibabaw"

See how hard it was to commute. I saw masses of people going from "Ayala Ibabaw". As in masses. We were able to escape the traffic after the bus turned right for Ayala. Thank God!

Commuters waiting in Ayala PSE took the toll for the route. There were many of them, but only a few were able to get in.

Ayala PSE

 Then there's another stop where many people are waiting... Again, these people took the toll.

Paseo I think

Then at 7:40, I was able to get off the bus. Finally! After more than 2 hours of travel, I'm out! That experience, then, becomes the longest time I commuted for the route.

Eventually, the bag was discovered to only have contained dirty clothes and other stuff - no bomb. Geez! Whoever that person is, may you realize your foolishness!

I wouldn't say that the actions of the bomb squad were unnecessary, however. I just hope that they'll be able to expedite the process next time.

Photo Journey/Vacation: Trip to Bataan

This is our first time to go to a beach as a family this summer. We are to go to Mactan Beach before school starts.

Going to Bataan from Manila isn't that long compared to going to other beaches in Luzon. For me, this is the nearest beach so far from Manila. I got the chance of photographing the beach, sunsets and the like.

On the way from Clark to Dinalupihan via SCTEX you have the scenery of Clark Airport (DMIA), Omni Airfield and most of all, agricultural land. I got lucky with this shot, with us traveling at 100kph. Shooting these subjects aren't as easy as you think even if the road is smooth. Nature at its best. Cow Breastfeeding. Belated Happy Mothers Day!

Full resolution photo: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7456/8752945045_8fc599deb9_k.jpg

Originally, we were not supposed to go to Dambana ng Kagitingan but thankfully we were able to drop by...

Full resolution photo: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7321/8752216829_0474e0a7c1_k.jpg

This monument is something for us to thank former President Ferdinand Marcos for, although I'm not his supporter...

We went on to the beach in Bagac, Bataan after paying a visit. I saw a sign pointing to Jaime Hilario Integrated School- La Salle although we weren't able to pass by that school.

Upon arriving at the beach (Montemar Beach Club) I started taking pictures. Thank God the weather is perfect... Perfect for swimming, perfect for picturing.

Full resolution photo: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2843/8753367710_1553672ee0_k.jpg

I started to wait for the sunset by five o'clock. Soon enough, it has paid off! If you can notice it, the inoperative Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is at the right side of the picture...

Full resolution photo: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2838/8753361934_8af16d0312_k.jpg

Here's another shot. Now with shades of red, yellow, orange, blue and violet!

Full resolution photo: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2838/8753361934_8af16d0312_k.jpg

Dusk! If you notice it, you can see the sun's rays... Sunset's over at this time, though.

Full resolution photo: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5452/8753350964_5beed88041_k.jpg

I happened to wake up at around 4:30 in the morning so I took the chance of doing long exposure shots. Unfortunately for me, I can't manually focus the lens so there's a big chance that it'll look blurry. And sure enough, this one's quite blurred. Another problem was the moisture in the resort room. Upon opening the camera the lens became foggy so I had to wipe it off carefully using my sando. The pictures got clearer somehow. Fortunately, though, the stars are visible. Looks nice! You can see the wave at the left.

Full resolution photo: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5329/8753346322_b6eb933d7d_k.jpg

I hope you enjoyed!

Rodics in Kabihasnan 2013

How did I get Rodics for my class? Here's a long story :)) Getting Rodics for Kabihasnan 2013

Like what I've said in that previous post, my class got Rodics! And still, some of my classmates were doubtful, but not for long!

Our teacher told us that we should buy Rodics at least once or twice. Breakfast would be a good time to do so. It's kind of "forced buying" but eventually it won't be...

Our food options

As the one in charge of booth matters I was assigned to assign shifts for my classmates. I took a shift on Friday to keep me free on the night and on Saturday. This is not the case for others, however; but it won't matter eventually.

We were assigned in a booth in the middle of the booth areas. That became a problem for me as it may discourage customers should it be very crowded. Eventually it didn't matter.

Five classmates were selected in designing the booth. I don't know how they'll design it so I left all the designing to them; I'm not that good in art. Dismissal came and my classmates and I visited our booth to see how much they've done. Not much but it's fine. We posted the tarpaulin carrying the Rodics logo and our meal options. That's for our promotion team below :)

Sure is the best P95 you'll ever spend!

One of the students from the school body saw it and immediately called for his moderator. Upon return he was proudly telling his moderator that there's Rodics this Kabihasnan. We were all amazed with the impression. More confidence for my classmates!

The LSGH High School Community prepares for Kabihasnan 2013

Friday. February 15, 2013. Kabihasnan Day One. I didn't eat breakfast just to have Rodics as my breakfast. When I went to the booth there were just a few buying; the fair hasn't started yet.

The bell rings, off to the classroom, flag ceremony and the other usual stuff... I was assigned to be part of the fair parade along with two more classmates. Oh no! How about my breakfast :( Anyways we went down at 8:00 for the parade. Again, ceremonies, speeches, performances and so on... Let's skip this part, shall we? :) Ok. We paraded around the oval... After that I met my classmate and asked how the booth was going. He said that the lines were very long and we've had a lot of customers. I rushed in to see and boom! There's a line, everyone was busy and so on. Thankfully I was able to have my breakfast. My classmates were thanking me for getting Rodics. They were no longer doubting. In fact, most (if not all) of them had Rodics for breakfast! We were all sitting at the ledge (the green one in the photo above) eating our breakfast.

I've said that the shift assignments won't matter, right? Well, after seeing the need for manpower, my classmates willingly helped in the booth regardless if it's their time or not. Some didn't attend to their assigned shifts but attended for other times anyway. Also, the staff of Rodics also called for backup; two staff members weren't enough.

Time went by (10:00AM I think) and unfortunately (or somehow something my classmates can "rejoice" on) we went out of stock. For some time we were helpless with no supplies coming. Although they've called for more, much time was lost. That meant rest for us in the meantime :)

And by 11:00 (I think) supplies arrived! And again (unfortunately) we went out of stock for the second time! And what's more, it's peak hours! Lunch time to be exact. Eventually we had supplies (again) and we went selling again. Because of that day, Rodics promised more supplies + more staff to anticipate the demand on Saturday.

The owners were quite surprised with the sales on Friday. 

Saturday. February 15, 2013. Second Kabihasnan Day. Before getting in to school, I saw this!

It's a big day for my class! And fortunately on Saturday we had no sold out incidents. We were well-prepared this time. For morning the line was very long; the queue was 5-8 minutes from the end of the line. I asked my classmates if they can expedite the queue a bit more. We did so by accepting orders on the line so they can simply get their meal upon their turn in the booth.

Rodics here, Rodics there, Rodics everywhere! During the second day you'll see tables filled with Rodics boxes, trash cans filled with empty Rodics boxes, and so on! Bestseller!!!

Anyway, just a break from the booth. And here goes my social life :))

Our friends from a school we had an interaction with went with me and some of my classmates. We went around the school to talk, have rides and so on. We settled in a place with few people to have a quiet place to stay. Yes, we were having fun with each others' company. Whew! And while we're having our sweet time some of my other classmates (who were willing) were at the booth. There came a time that we had nothing else to do. So our friends (along with my classmates and I) helped us count and sort the chits :)) very helpful~ My teacher saw it, and was cheerfully thankful about it. They loved Rodics as well, by the way. One of them brought one home and shared it with her mom. Anyway......

Even at night Rodics kept on selling for both days. Although it's no longer peak hours there were still some customers buying meals from us, most of which were to be brought home... At one time all booths were to be shut down to give respect for the anticipated mass. Upon reopening of the booth the lines went long again, according to my classmate. He was so happy telling me about it. I saw our chit basket containing a lot of chits- a small mound I'd say! Quite a lot for "a few minutes after reopening".

 

And hours before the end of the fair (the next one in two years after this) I had my "own time". My classmates supported me for the whatever I needed on those hours. That was their way of saying thankful, and I was thankful for them and to God for the grace He has blessed my class very much for two days. At the end, we ended up having the highest gross sales for Kabihasnan 2013. And because of that, we had a good class party at the end of the year :D

At the end of the day, this out-of-the-box idea became a "box office" success!

The staff talked to me at the end of the fair and told me to take Rodics again for the next one. I told them that I'm no longer going to be able to pick them in the future but definitely in two years time someone else (still in LSGH, for the next fair) will pick Rodics. That will be for sure! [I hope... Whoever plans to get Rodics in the next Kabihasnan, better be good in negotiating ;) ] I am also VERY MUCH thankful to them for their effort in selling the meals. I expressed my thanks to them by treating the staff family's child with whatever he wanted...

Many thanks to the staff of Rodics!

This post brings me back good memories of my class..........

Getting Rodics for Kabihasnan 2013

This is what I remember... It may be slightly different from what actually happened but it should be right for the most part.

When I was a kid my dad introduced me to Rodics, a diner found in UP Diliman. My first meal with them was a jumbosilog. For me at that time it was just "fair"; nothing special. Then at one point (I don't remember how) I ate their tapsilog and voila! My taste buds fell in love with its taste. The best tapa there is! I like it for its taste, serving size and the shredded meat. It's easier to eat and it's very much worth it for its price- P75.

Years after, before the start of my sophomore year in LSGH...

Days before the start of school my family and I ate dinner at Rodics in UP Shopping Center. As usual, like most customers, I ate tapsilog; my parents ate the same and my younger brothers ate barbecue/hotdog (jumbosilog).

First day of classes. My homeroom adviser raised some concerns for the year, including the class fair booth. She asked for suggestions, then Rodics came out of my mind. I suggested that Rodics be our booth. Asked if I have a contact I said no but I'll try to have one. Then there was the change of periods. She called for me outside and told me that I should go for it. By the way, she's a UP graduate and since then she had big faith in it. My classmates on the other hand were very doubtful as they haven't heard of Rodics and that the idea is very much out of the box. One classmate, however, was confident but with some concerns.

It's a good idea. It's June. So we agreed as a class to keep it a secret as we don't want others to get the idea and call for them; however, it was mentioned to a select few outside of our class, and their impression was favorable.

To convince my classmates I bought some tapsilog at Rodics Salcedo for them to taste the day after. Only a few did but they loved the meal after their first bite. Other batchmates saw it and I only said that it's "homemade, nothing special."

Months went by and February (month of the fair) was nearing. I asked my teacher if I can start working on it so my other classmate (that helps me) can do so but there's no furnished contract yet. December came and still no contract. I started to doubt with Rodics being our booth; my classmate and I badly needed the contract. January came and only then was the contract furnished. Now we have to catch up before it's too late!

I saw the contract and for me all of the conditions would be fine except one- the gross share. The school's kind of demanding a big percentage- that would be a problem.

I went to Rodics UP Shopping Center to supposedly meet with the owner (my classmate told me to meet with him [not the owner] there). I waited for some time but still no owner. I asked the staff if the owner was coming. They said no but they handed me out a calling card. I called the owner and told me that I should go to the branch in UP Village. Thankfully it's not that far so I went there. I talked to the owner and showed the contract. And like my thoughts the gross share was the only problem. The rest were fine. Negotiations had to be done.

I bought five tapsilog meals and went to my classmate's house after for a group project and I said the [so far] bad news. The ones I bought were for them, by the way. One told me to stop negotiating with them if they wouldn't accept the contract at all, or if possible raise the price. I thought of it and based on my calculations the price would have to be raised to P95 to favor Rodics. I asked my parents if they're willing to buy tapa for P95 and they quickly said yes.

Monday came and I referred the owner to my teacher (who will do the rest of the talking). My teacher still told me to negotiate with them so we can get Rodics. She's very confident with the idea...

So some days after I called the owner at home and told her of the idea of raising the price. During the conversation she was up for it but still thinking about it. "I'll need to do some pencil pushing" she said. P95 was okay but P100 is not. She didn't want to ruin the image of Rodics as a cheap diner. I stated my situation as the one responsible for the class booth. We had no other options but Rodics. I convinced her that it will be a success in school, most especially with the parents going on the second day of the fair (Saturday).

Days after (again)....

During our outbound orientation I (or I think she told me) asked her if Rodics said yes to the contract...

MUSIC TO MY EARS! RODICS SAID YES!!!

I was rejoicing inside... Finally! They said YES! My teacher told me that the contract will be signed some weeks after. The owner's son (who happens to be a former LSGH student) will be going to LSGH to sign the contract. Halleluiah! No more stress for me. Just some more tasks for the booth and we're off!

Still, however, some of my classmates are still doubtful of it. I understand, though...

We agreed to only spill the beans at the week of the fair. Even so, only a few knew about it 'till Thursday, the day before the fair.

So what happened next? Find out here! Rodics in Kabihasnan 2013

Planespotting Page Now Open!

Hi readers!

I'll be deleting the April 26 Spotting session posts as it's not reader-friendly. Nonetheless, this blog will remain active and will still feature some planespotting write ups. The other blog is wholly dedicated for planespotting pictures and videos. Write ups will be very rare to not at all. That's sort of my own airliners.net

Enjoy!

New blog: theindigardenerspots.blogspot.com

Quick Guide to Philippine Planespotting in Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL/RPLL)

The planespotting group in the Philippines is known as the Philippine Planespotters Group (PPSG). It's composed of planespotters mostly from the Philippines and sometimes from other countries. Local planespotters are based in different airports in the Philippines, usually in Manila (MNL/RPLL), Cebu (CEB/RPVM) and Davao (DVO/RPMD). The group can be contacted through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/philippineplanespotters/

Planespotting in Manila (MNL/RPLL)

There are many planespotting locations in MNL, usually close to Runway 06. Spotting in 24 is quite rare; there are only a few good spots in 24. Here's a few of the possible spotting locations in Manila:

 Satellite image courtesy of Google Maps. Legends by fellow planespotter Johannes Paul Victorina Lastimoza

A. PPSG HQ (http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=14.498150&lon=120.997823&z=18&m=b)

It is located near the threshold of Runway 06. Here you can get close up shots of departing aircraft should 06 be the active. However, you can only get belly shots if the other one is. You can also take pictures of landing aircraft but there's a better spotting location if landing A/C is your preference. Spotting in this location is best during afternoon onwards; sunlight shines on the airplanes' fuselage. Food and drinks are available at very affordable prices. There is a covered area in this location as well, should you wish to take a rest. The only disadvantage when taking close up pics of departing aircraft would be the airport fence. If you can insert the lens then there's no problem. If not, however, you might end up having a vignette effect on your pictures. Another would be the airport guards. Although this problem was already resolved, there are still some who would say that it's prohibited to take pictures of airplanes even if the airport General Manager (through an official letter) said that there's no rule existing on the ban on planespotting and that it's perfectly fine to planespot.

PPSG HQ

Lunch in the PPSG HQ

B. Tulay (http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=14.495817&lon=120.999594&z=18&m=b)

This is only walking distance from PPSG HQ. Here you get a good view of landing aircraft. You can see departing aircraft but your view is limited. Just be ready to bear the foul smell coming from the river.

Viewpoint in the Tulay spotting location

Spotters in action waiting for the arriving A/C to come closer

C. Along Kaingin Road
For side shots of arriving and departing aircraft, plus a good view of Terminal 1. You will need to climb up the concrete culverts/trees lined along the road to get a view of the runway/terminal.


D. Terminal 1 Departure Deck

Quite far from the PPSG HQ. I haven't tried spotting here, but this area is a good alternative when 24 is the active. You can get close up shots of parked aircraft in T1 and in the Remote Parking Bays. The Antonov 124 usually parks in the remote bays should it land in MNL. The location isn't spotter-friendly, however. Airport guards may be the issue but an inviting smile and good reasoning can pull you off. Good for rare airplane spotting as they usually park at the Remote Parking Bays.

E. Departure Area Off Ramp
Same restrictions as to location D. Provides you a good viewpoint of domestic aircraft arriving from Runway 24 OR rotating from Runway 06. The location allows you to include the Control Tower in your composition.

F. Along West and East Service Roads
Relatively safe for planespotters. Provides you a "province" look of Runway 24 arrivals. You also have the option to include trees and tall grasses or the Makati/Bonifacio Global City skylines for a more modern look. Offers a good vantage point to LTP and Villamor provided your lens has enough focal reach...Dramatic runway 24 late afternoon/sunset departures are also in the menu.

With special thanks to Johannes Paul Victorina Lastimoza, fellow PPSG member, for his added contribution in this guide.

Partial Lunar Eclipse in the Philippines

This is a quick entry for now... I'll put more details regarding the eclipse sometime. For now I'll post pictures :) All of the pictures were taken today, April 26, 2013.

 Full Moon hours before the eclipse. Taken 12:02 AM in the Philippines

Original photo:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/93327846@N07/8681318735/in/photostream

 Partial lunar eclipse in the Philippines. Taken 3:45 AM

Original photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/93327846@N07/8682429946/in/photostream

Flowers and the Moon

Since I'm in the mood to take pictures and post it, here's some flower pictures for you! Take note, though, that the flowers haven't opened yet :)

New Life

 

Settings: 13mm, f/5, 1/640 sec, ISO 100

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93327846@N07/8674206384/in/photostream

Hope in a Flower

Settings: 8mm, f/4.2, 1/1600 sec, ISO 100 with Auto Retouch and Toy Effect Creative Retouch

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93327846@N07/8674200534/in/photostream


For some time the moon kept me occupied. So here's a moon picture~

 

Waxing Gibbous Moon

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93327846@N07/8676712039/in/photostream 

Commuting Solo

(you can see my previous post on commuting here)

As mentioned in my post above, I'm learning how to commute. And thankfully I was able to pick up the skill very fast. In a matter of days I was able to commute solo. And that day is the same day this blog post is posted... Below would be my experience...

April 15, 2013. Card day in La Salle Green Hills. I and my friends planned to hang out in school to talk about anything... Acads, classmates, grades, and so on. And like what I've said, I'm learning how to commute, so I asked my dad a few days back if I could try commuting solo to LSGH. He allowed me to...

(it's as if you're having your first solo flight... Nah!)

So he told me that I'll ride with them in the car going to my mom's office. Upon arriving at the office I'll be riding a bus going to LSGH. And after the gimmick I would ride a bus going to that same office. From there I and my mom will go home using the car...

ROUTE: RCBC Plaza to La Salle Green Hills
TARGET TIME: 8:30-9:00 AM

Okay... Our driver will just guide me to where you can board a bus from Ayala then he'll leave me from thereon. We arrived at the office at past 8:00 in the morning. I'm already late, then. But before boarding a bus I took the chance to pass by Makati Central Post Office to see if I'm lucky to have new stamps for my collection. Unfortunately, there's none. So we went ahead with going to the bus stop. He told me that the bus stops somewhere at Buendia Ave. so we went westbound to find one. We were able to find an air conditioned bus with the sign ORTIGAS ILALIM in no time so I boarded the bus and our driver left me from there. P18 is the fare going to Ortigas. The bus is MERSAN, by the way.

 

On the way we have GMA 7 to keep us entertained. And have I mentioned my interest for the British show Sherlock? Well, the show on the bus was Detective Conan dubbed in Filipino, as seen in the picture, so I watched anyway... The travel time was roughly an hour.

 

Northbound @ EDSA

I arrived at LSGH at about 9:30 in the morning. Late, but that's okay. It was no big deal, thankfully. Then goes our gimmick. One of them gave me J.Co, so I was like "Okay, thanks a lot :D.. But I'm commuting... How can I bring this? :))" We'll tackle that later. We bought Makati Supermarket Spaghetti for lunch at Unimart... We commuted back and forth between LSGH and Unimart for us not to consume much time... Hours passed and it was 3:00 in the afternoon. By that time we finished the gimmick and we went to Annapolis (classmate's house) to have a little rest. We went there by walking from La Salle to there, by the way.

ROUTE: Annapolis to RCBC

TARGET TIME: Before 6 in the evening

I was supposed to leave my classmate's house by 4 but my mom allowed me to leave at 4:30. So yeah, we hanged out for 30 minutes more... By 4:30 I left the house to get a bus. EDSA is nearby, thankfully. They accompanied me to the station before totally leaving me. In no time (again) I was able to board an air conditioned PAMANA bus with the sign LRT AYALA LEVERIZA. The bus wasn't filled; only about 3 rows can be occupied. I paid P23. 

Onboard the PAMANA bus

Southbound @ EDSA Ortigas

And oh, by the way! What about the J.Co? Well thankfully I was able to have it with me without struggling. Thank God! It's a special one for me...

Carrying the J.Co

Roughly by an hour we're already in Ayala. The bus got filled when we were there. So at Ayala Ave. Extension cor. Malugay St. I got off the bus and off I am to RCBC. I arrived there at about 5:15. Not bad!

Well, I've never shown bus tickets here in my blog. But this time here's my first set of tickets in commuting solo!

Me and the Philippine National Railways Train

As I've mentioned in my previous blog post, it's been my childhood dream to ride the Philippine National Railways train. Everytime we go to my grandparents' house (in Parañaque) I always get fascinated by the blue COMMEX trains of PNR which rarely (for me) show up when we're in the service road. That was before I got fascinated by airplanes (but I still do for PNR).

The PNR COMMEX trains... (image from wn.com / Renzelle Mae Abasolo)

My parents always discouraged me on riding it because of its poor state. Much more, informal settlers beside the rails throw human waste/garbage on the trains. For sure you wouldn't want to come home or go to office smelling foul. But that never discouraged me to realize that dream...

Thankfully, the state of PNR has improved over the years. One of which would be the relocation of informal settlers away from the rails.

South Korea donated their second-hand DMU's to PNR. Although second-hand, it's still in good shape, and its interior is encouraging... Moreover, it can run fast. The old "bulok" (my dad describes the cars that way) trains would run slow, but this one can run as fast as 60 kph. Not very fast, but reasonably fast. 

 The Korean-donated DMU. Image from Dark_Lord_bus_hunter08. (Original pic)

While learning how to commute from my dad, I suggested that I ride the PNR. He discouraged me 4 x 4. I insisted, he insisted more. At the end, I rode the clean and airconditioned PNR DMU on the first day of learning.. A childhood dream realized!

More improvements made! Japan donated their second-hand train sets to PNR as well. Again, although second hand, it's in perfect shape. PNR then used the donated cars to serve Naga/Albay routes (which had been discontinued due to a typhoon damaging the rails and neglect). Also, they repainted their old engines. It looks "new" again :)

Because of that I also wanted to ride the Bicol Express (serving that route) to get the experience of riding a train long haul (other than airplanes of course!). Moreover, riding it wouldn't make a big hole on your pocket even if you get the sleeper coaches. The time now is summer time. I proposed to my dad that we ride the PNR this summer to visit Albay but he discouraged me again since it'll just consume your time and that the train travels at night; he said. The point of riding (to see things outside) is defeated.

Oh well... I just hope that the Bicol Express will wait for me. Who else wants to ride the PNR?

I own none of the pictures posted in this blog post. Should you be the owner and would wish that the photo be removed then I will gladly accept the request.

Learning to Commute...

It's quite a shame for me to learn how to commute at the age I'm in. I should have learned that skill years before... It's not the very first time I've commuted, however. When I was a child I'd oftentimes be with our house cook in commuting via jeepney to the market to buy ingredients for our dishes. There I've "learned" how to commute. Hop in, pay and disembark at your destination. Since then it's always been that way; I haven't commuted solo or at least be given the chance to pick the right jeep and to pay for the fare.

My first time commuting solo is via tricycle from a nearby station at home until our parish. That was a year ago. Again, quite a shame since I'm already "late" with it. My school's "parish involvement" project (thankfully) forced me into this. At first it's "inconvenience" for me but now I'm enjoying it; I've extended my help after the project (which is the objective of parish involvement).

I have had other commuting experiences from other countries like in Spain. I was part of World Youth Day held in Madrid last 2011 and most of our transport (I was with the Philippine Lasallian Family group) was via the Metro Madrid train, the EMT (blue city bus), and the Renfe train (going to Alcorcon). We were given a ticket that's valid for all modes of transportation. Commuting there is very much different here...

(I'll post a pic of the ticket if I can still find it)


My dad made me (thankfully) learn how to commute due to my increased out-of-the-house activities. Projects at classmates' house, gimmicks, school affairs and many more. Going to those places using our car is already too expensive (I live in Parañaque; usual destinations would be in San Juan/Pasig/etc.). It would have been cheaper if we stayed at our old house (in San Juan; explains my schooling in LSGH) although we don't regret moving to our current residence.


First route to learn: From my house to La Salle Green Hills
Target arrival time: 8:00 AM

From my house, you take a tricycle going to SM Bicutan. Then, you cross the other side to either ride the bus or the Philippine National Railways (PNR) train. If you ride a "B" bus then that's the only bus you'll have to ride 'till Ortigas (the plate indicates ORTIGAS ILALIM). If you ride the train, however, you can either take a "C" bus (that stops at all stations including Ortigas) or take the MRT. After that La Salle Green Hills is a walk away.

So I and our driver (who'll teach me) left the house at 7:00 AM. We rode the tricycle (P10) some five minutes after and by 7:20 AM (15 minutes travel time) we're in SM Bicutan. We crossed to the other side using the footbridge and decided on which mode of transpo are we going to use... Bus or train?

Try po natin yung PNR...

We checked and saw that the next train arrives at 8:00 AM.

Di tayo makakaabot sa La Salle kung mag-ttrain po tayo. Mag bus na lang tayo...

We then joined the crowd waiting for the bus. Most of the buses are Ordinary Fare buses. Airconditioned buses are quite rare in that route. Then I realized that all of us are doing everything just to ride a bus, regardless if you'll be cramped or it's ordinary. Ride the bus- you're good! Some thirty minutes passed (7:50). We tried to cram ourselves in but to no avail.

Di na tayo makakaabot nyan. Mag PNR na lang tayo. Dali! Parating ng yung susunod na tren.

We went up to the footbridge, and saw four buses. We still took the PNR to avoid the risk. So a ticket to the train costs P10... Quite cheaper than a bus!

There were a lot of people waiting as well. 8:00 am and the Korean-donated DMU arrived at the station. Upon opening of the doors the people crammed themselves in, regardless of the orders being said by the station guard to give way to disembarking passengers. I wanted to obey, but I had no choice. If I did then I may have to wait for a long time again. Thankfully, everyone in the station was able to board the train... And off we go! The train is cramped as usual, and the aircon isn't strong enough to keep us cool, but that's better for me already! I can get used to it... The train engineer always warned us of pickpockets. I heeded the warning.

Inside the cramped PNR DMU. I'm not complaining about it :)

My parents always discouraged me of riding the PNR, but that's another story. Riding it has been my childhood dream. (You can read about it here.)

Mas mabilis nga mag PNR! Ayan o, traffic sa SLEX!

Good choice, then. Riding the PNR... We saw the traffic at SLEX (which is not unusual) and realized that riding the bus would be more time consuming. We disembarked at Magallanes Station. Fun ride!

It's a long walk to the bus stations but that doesn't matter. The MRT station is closer. We considered riding the MRT but the lines are long so we rode the bus instead. We rode an airconditioned "C" bus going to Ortigas (P15) and as usual it is cramped. We're lucky as we're the last passengers able to cram ourselves in. At Ayala most of the passengers disembarked so we were able to sit in the chairs. After that everything's smooth sailing. I was able to arrive at LSGH at 9:00 AM. Total travel time: 2 hours.

Going home...

La Salle Green Hills to home
No target time

We left LSGH at about 12:20 in the afternoon. We boarded a J. BEA bus (with the plate SUCAT BICUTAN) at 12:40 PM. It's an ordinary fare bus. Our driver asked me if it's okay; I said yes (doesn't matter much to me anyway). The fare is P22 per head.

Onboard the J. BEA bus. The pilots of British Airways flight 5390 experienced harsher winds...

The travel time was quite fast.. I don't remember what time we arrived at Bicutan but we arrived at home at about 1:40 PM. Again, we rode the tricycle going back. Total travel time: 1 hour.

Lessons learned: In rush hour, the PNR is better... Travel is MUCH MUCH longer than a car, maybe double. Leave the house early :)

More of this exprience when I go solo sometime (which I may a few days from now).

Favorite Shots from "Holy Week in Pandi, Bulacan"

Here are my favorite shots for this event. Again, I personally think that this is "professional level". If you don't, however, just let me know why and how I can improve on it ;)

Nazareno

This image (poon) is quite iconic here in the Philippines. I'm specifically talking about the Black Nazarene. It's an image found in Quiapo Church. Devotion for the Black Nazarene is very strong here in the Philippines. Processions on January 9 (called Traslación) are known for the presence of millions of devotees (believing that the statue performs miracles), long procession times and so on. The longest procession so far was in the year 2012 when it lasted for 22 hours.. Yes, TWENTY-TWO HOURS!

Another picture of the Nazareno (which is obviously not black)

Pagbalot ng Kayong Lino

When I was still young I didn't see a difference between the Pieta and the Pagbalot ng Kayong Lino statues. My only differentiation is that this one has the cross while the other doesn't. Well, now I know more differences. The Pieta shows Mary carrying Jesus while this one doesn't. In plain translation, Pagbalot ng Kayong Lino means "Wrapping in Linen Cloth". I'm not sure if there's really wrapping of cloth here, or that the cloth in the cross is its representation. I wonder.

Skylines and Sunsets

One of my interests is photography. It's quite obvious with my first two posts ;) I don't own a DSLR but I do own a point-and-shoot, a Panasonic Lumix ZS19. It's not available here in the Philippines; mine was bought in the U.S. of A.

Here's some of my shots (that I personally think as "professional level") as an amateur photographer... Sunsests... Skylines... the moon! (soon)

The Ortigas Business District Skyline

This one is a long exposure shot.. By the way, I forgot to mention. I'm also in to light painting, which involves long exposure shots.. I'll post about it when I get the time to do more of it ;)

Sunset in Metro Manila

No filters used here. You can directly look at it the time I was taking this shot. The best sunset picture I have so far... I have other sunset pictures (taken in LSGH) but it doesn't show the sun as a circle.

And about the moon, I'll post it sometime :D

Holy Week in Pandi, Bulacan

Holy Week (Semana Santa in Filipino) is an annual event where Jesus's Passion and Death is commemorated. During the Holy Week, various activities are held, such as Senakulo (reenactment of Jesus's passion and death), Washing of the Feet, and many more. One of the usual sights on the roads (most especially in the province) during this week are processions.

Processions are a show of life-size figures and statues portraying the Passion and Death of Jesus. Usually, the statues would be the Apostles, the saints, the ladies (like Magdalene, Veronica, etc.) and most especially Jesus. In some provinces the number of carrozas (carriage- carries the statue) may reach a hundred or more, but in my province, we have sixteen. One of the 16 is my lola's.

In our province, there are two procession dates, one on Holy Wednesday and another on Good Friday. Holy Wednesday processions do not include crucifixion images. Good Friday processions include ALL statues. The parish is Immaculate Conception Church of Pandi (ICCP), by the way.

I will be posting the pictures by their order in the procession. Two pictures of a statue would mean that the first was taken on Wednesday and the second on Friday. And unless indicated otherwise, the statue appears on both procession days.

San Pedro (Simon Peter) Notice the garment change? Not all statues change garments, however. The carroza had a yellow garment during Holy Wednesday.

 

San Judas Tadeo (St. Jude Thaddeus)

 

 Huling Hapunan (Last Supper) The carroza had a black garment during Good Friday

Panalangin sa Halamanan (Agony In the Garden)

Panalangin sa Halamanan (Agony in the Garden) This version has no angel

 

Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) This is my lola's carroza; active since 1983.

 

Nazareno (Nazarene)

Pagpako sa Krus (Crucifixion) There were two soldiers last year. I don't know what happened to the other... This appears on Good Friday only.

Hesus Nakapako sa Krus (Jesus Crucified) This appears on Good Friday only.

Pieta. This appears on Good Friday only.

Pagbalot ng Kayong Lino (Wrapping in linen cloth) This appears on Good Friday only.

Santo Entierro. This appears on Good Friday only.

Veronica. This was taken on Holy Wednesday. The statue wore a black vestment (instead of white) on Good Friday.

Santa Maria Magdalena (Mary Magdalene) The carroza had a red garment during Holy Wednesday.

 

San Juan (St. John the Beloved)

Birhen Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mary)

I'll be uploading a video soon. It's the lineup of carrozas for both Holy Wednesday and Good Friday processions. Stay tuned! (although you may have to wait for quite some time)

You can see my favorite shots for this event here.

You can see more pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/93327846@N07/sets/72157633125266391/