December 28, 2007
11:39 AM
We're on our way to Palawan - the beautiful island province lying between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea - for a family getaway.
The taxi that's taking us to the airport is an early 90s Mitsubishi Lancer. The front passenger door was extremely hard to open from the inside. The driver explains that he deliberately didn't have it fixed so as to trap any would-be carjackers. Wow! I wonder what a panicky carjacker would do if he found he couldn't get out of the cab he just held up. I'm glad I'm in a different profession.
The cabbie is your typical, garden variety Filipino Taxi Driver. Oh so full of tales, political commentaries, jokes and all. He's an excellent driver too, by Filipino standards, of course. I thought I would punch a hole right through the car's flooring because I instinctively "stepped on the brakes" a couple of times during our short trip.
We're nearing the airport, at last. Now the real flying begins.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Can't wait to read my blog
December 14, 2007
8:47 AM
I'm writing this journal entry on my mobile phone and the jeepney's full, as always. An old man beside me keeps looking over my shoulder to read what I'm typing.
Whenever I turn to "catch" him, he casually turns the other way, pretending to be innocent. We've been playing this "cat-and-mouse" game three times already.
The fourth time I sense that he's doing it again, I turn towards him and see as his eyes close. Now he's pretending to be asleep!
People are funny sometimes. Hahaha.
Now I've forgotten what I was going to write about in the first place ...
8:47 AM
I'm writing this journal entry on my mobile phone and the jeepney's full, as always. An old man beside me keeps looking over my shoulder to read what I'm typing.
Whenever I turn to "catch" him, he casually turns the other way, pretending to be innocent. We've been playing this "cat-and-mouse" game three times already.
The fourth time I sense that he's doing it again, I turn towards him and see as his eyes close. Now he's pretending to be asleep!
People are funny sometimes. Hahaha.
Now I've forgotten what I was going to write about in the first place ...
More Helping Hands
December 12, 2007
9:09 AM
The lady getting on the jeepney this morning had one of those suitcases with wheels, a box, and a large plastic grocery bag filled with her stuff.
Everyone gave her a hand without any hesitation. Nice people, really.
9:09 AM
The lady getting on the jeepney this morning had one of those suitcases with wheels, a box, and a large plastic grocery bag filled with her stuff.
Everyone gave her a hand without any hesitation. Nice people, really.
What traffic?
December 6, 2007
9:05 AM
A three-car motorcade, complete with police motorcycle escorts, passed us this morning on the expressway. 'Never got an idea who they were or what their hurry was. No traffic for them, the lucky bastards!
9:05 AM
A three-car motorcade, complete with police motorcycle escorts, passed us this morning on the expressway. 'Never got an idea who they were or what their hurry was. No traffic for them, the lucky bastards!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Helping Hand(brake)
I took this picture a few months ago. The jeepney I was on was still waiting for passengers. This other jeepney stopped a few meters away and the driver got off. He lifted up the hood to add water to the radiator and the vehicle started to roll backward and so he calls for help. Another driver walks up and gives him a hand.
Here you can see the driver (in blue) preparing to add water to the radiator while his friend (light shirt & denim shorts) takes on the role of emergency brake. Nice gesture, don't you think? It sure made my day.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Text In The City
December 6, 2007
8:51 AM
The jeepney that's taking me to Sta. Rosa, Laguna where I work is still waiting for passengers at the terminal. I can't help but noitice three other passengers sitting across from me - they're all texting.
The guy directly in front of me is lightly holding his celphone with both hands and is using his thumbs to type. What I find amusing is that he's been looking around casually at all the other passengers the whole time. Talk about multi-tasking.
The young girl to his right is speed texting. The staccato sound of clicking keys is quite amazing. She must be doing a hundred characters per second. Wow!
The lady on the other side is smiling sweetly to herself while sending & reading her own text messages.
A woman to my right is also using her mobile phone. She's typing and reading her messages, all while keeping the gadget inside her bag. Must be really top secret, for-your-eyes-only stuff.
8:51 AM
The jeepney that's taking me to Sta. Rosa, Laguna where I work is still waiting for passengers at the terminal. I can't help but noitice three other passengers sitting across from me - they're all texting.
The guy directly in front of me is lightly holding his celphone with both hands and is using his thumbs to type. What I find amusing is that he's been looking around casually at all the other passengers the whole time. Talk about multi-tasking.
The young girl to his right is speed texting. The staccato sound of clicking keys is quite amazing. She must be doing a hundred characters per second. Wow!
The lady on the other side is smiling sweetly to herself while sending & reading her own text messages.
A woman to my right is also using her mobile phone. She's typing and reading her messages, all while keeping the gadget inside her bag. Must be really top secret, for-your-eyes-only stuff.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Homebound Sardines
December 4, 2007
7:14 PM
I'm on my way home from work. My back is starting to hurt. The passenger van I'm on has forward-facing seats of 4 rows. It's designed so that 3 people could sit comfortably in each row - 2 on regular seats and 1 on the jump-(folding) seats.
To maximize revenue, the driver adds 1 more person per row so that there would now be 4 passengers in each row. The vehicle doesn't leave until all its seats are filled. I'm sitting uncomfortably because only one of my butt cheeks is properly supported on the jump-seat near the van's single sliding door.
A good number of vans plying this route are imported units from Japan. These are modified (i.e. converted from Right-Hand Drive to Left-Hand Drive) to be used as public shuttle vehicles. As if 2 people sitting on a factory-installed jump-seat wasn't punishment enough, try 2 people sharing a poorly-made jump-seat; poorly-made as in unstable contraptions with the backrest at an awkward-leaning angle. If you happen to be sitting in one of these seats, do be careful about leaning back because you might hit the knees of the person behind you.
With traffic and rising fuel costs, shuttle van drivers will do everything to make each of their trips count.
We're so squeezed in but I'm starting to forget about my aching back because now I think I'm getting a leg cramp ...
7:14 PM
I'm on my way home from work. My back is starting to hurt. The passenger van I'm on has forward-facing seats of 4 rows. It's designed so that 3 people could sit comfortably in each row - 2 on regular seats and 1 on the jump-(folding) seats.
To maximize revenue, the driver adds 1 more person per row so that there would now be 4 passengers in each row. The vehicle doesn't leave until all its seats are filled. I'm sitting uncomfortably because only one of my butt cheeks is properly supported on the jump-seat near the van's single sliding door.
A good number of vans plying this route are imported units from Japan. These are modified (i.e. converted from Right-Hand Drive to Left-Hand Drive) to be used as public shuttle vehicles. As if 2 people sitting on a factory-installed jump-seat wasn't punishment enough, try 2 people sharing a poorly-made jump-seat; poorly-made as in unstable contraptions with the backrest at an awkward-leaning angle. If you happen to be sitting in one of these seats, do be careful about leaning back because you might hit the knees of the person behind you.
With traffic and rising fuel costs, shuttle van drivers will do everything to make each of their trips count.
We're so squeezed in but I'm starting to forget about my aching back because now I think I'm getting a leg cramp ...
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