My 5-star Cab Ride

I never felt so moved after alighting a cab. I tried to contain myself for I still couldn’t believe what I heard, what I saw…

A few minutes ago, when my turn came to board a cab, I immediately thought of things I could do during the ride to make up for the lost time I spent in the queue. I was composing a text message amidst these thoughts “ang swerte ko naman, ang lamig, ang ganda, ang linis, ang bago, ang ganda ng music”. Manong has good taste, I thought to myself.

So I inquired what station he is listening to. “It’s a cd ma’m”, he said. I was curious why he preferred classical musical. “Hindi ‘classical’ Ma’am. Instrumental songs good for ballroom dancing.” He said this type of music relaxes him. He recounted how one time a passenger got excited with the the songs of the same genre he played during the ride from Cubao to Antipolo. Hinting that the lady would be delighted, he excused himself briefly, ejected the cd from its player and surprised the lady by handing it over.

Charity indeed is a leveling field! That cd was his favorite but he never thought twice to give it away, even to a stranger! How detached are we from our favorite things that we would be willing to part from them in order to make people, let alone strangers, happy? The lady passenger must be affluent and yet how touched she must have been over this self-giving. Self-giving? Bah! That’s too grand an adjective. What is self-giving to most of us? Maybe the 'here-r-my-old-clothes' type. But to give our treasures and enjoy the process at the same time?Now that is quite unheard of and yet it's a whole new refreshing experience!This man reminded of the saying “No one is too rich, that he can’t receive anything. And no one is so poor, that he can give nothing.

And indeed he is poor. He lives near Payatas. He would sort out Music CDs from the garbage and would redeem those that suited his taste. He showed me the cd case of the one he is currently playing. The title is Bachelor from Paris. Fancy a man living near a dumpsite and reveling on French music.

People really throw those stuff? Stuff that makes life so beautiful. For indeed my experience was a 5-star cab ride. Was it the music? I doubt it. It was the quality of the person driving it. Beauty is written in the heart of any man. It does not choose class, gender or race. I remember how Pope B16 insisted that Beauty can save the world and how he insists that one of the marks of greatness is the capacity to be awed.

He shares his love for music with his wife. The radio plays for 24 hours, he says. His children also caught this fever. When I asked how many children he has, he said, “Anim pa lang ma’m”. A taxi driver with 6 children! “Never naman po kaming nagcontraceptive Ma’m”.

For years that I’ve been talking to friends about the perils of RH Bill, I doubt my credibility when I say that to have many children is possible, for I am single myself. My friends are accomplished with good jobs, and yet as early as now, they only envision 2 kids. Mahirap ang buhay, they say. And yet here’s a cab driver whose reason for having many is “Kaya ibinigay ng Diyos sa yo ay dahil may tiwala siya sa iyo!”

How deep is the man’s faith!

His life, his jolly character, his generosity, his faith... I’m sure thye have touched silently many people’s lives. I was reluctant to leave the cab because he seemed to have more stories to tell. Tears were about to fall from my eyes as I handed him the fare. How little is my faith despite the many blessings I have. As I lay down to sleep that night, I thought how lucky I was to queue for almost an hour in order to enjoy a 5-star cab ride.

Is This a "Morning" Task? - Scheduling Important Activities for the Right Time of Day

Is This a "Morning" Task? - Scheduling Important Activities for the Right Time of Day

The Passenger's Prerogative

I was struck when I rode the MRT's women-only carriage this afternoon. A lady passenger, perhaps in her 40s, offered her seat to an older woman who's struggling to keep her balance while the train moved. A few minutes later, another lady offered the same gesture to another elderly. As if surprised by this uncommon act, she kept on saying Thank You until she got seated. When finally the good Samaritan was able to seat herself, the old woman beside her rephrased her gratitude this way..'but pa ang babae, thank you ha'. Hearing the remark, I silently nodded about this sad fact (ooops sorry guys, I don't mean to offend haha)

This isn't to turn down our men. I think, generally, the Philippine society is not lacking in gentlemen. Perhaps some are shy to show it (hey, don't be). Others will argue the cliche 'Kung ano ang kaya ng lalaki, kaya rin ng babae' Awww. Wag naman. Let's be grateful about the gifts that come along with our sexuality. (I don't mean to argue about gender issues here. That will be a waste of energy coz that ain't my purpose in the first place).

To concede with an "I can't do it, can you help me?", is not about being pacute, but to admit one's dependence (thereby humbling) and admiration (thereby empowering) to another.

So gentlemen, Filipino gentlemen, don't be stingy in using the passenger's prerogative. Live up to the dignity of this homeland known for the bayanihan spirit especially among our maginoos. Prove the frustrated Filipina and the elderly lady in this story wrong when they said we don't need you...because we do...Cheers!

Dreaming of a happy-family-life-ever-after?


http://cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=99&id=1754

Portrait of the City:
Some After-tour Musings

For P500, this one-of-a-kind tour is definitely worth more than its price. Brainchilded by Filipinas Heritage Library for the National Book Development Month, this tour kept its promise and more with a tour on the beautiful (or once beautiful) spots that inspired our local artists to write about. Albeit an hour late, the ‘tourists’ were entertained by the exhibit put up by FHL about the then gems of the city.

The trip started out around 10 am, first stop is Sionil Jose’s La Solidaridad Bookstore. My bus seatmate was so excited that she declared it a too early payback to see her idol in person. I would never forget Sionil’s remark that we were “the country” then in South East Asia in the 50’s.

On the way there and on times when we are moving from one city to another, our tour guide Janna reads us some literary pieces both In English and Tagalog. [One brings to memory the good old times back in a classroom where a lively exchange of ideas and sorts take place]. She would occasionally stop to comment on a place or situation, recalling how things used to be.

On how Pasay was the summer spot then, along with Cavite and Laguna. People worn out by the cities, then the area of Intramuros, Binondo, Escolta and Ermita, would seek rejuvenation in this place with all its beaches and summer houses of the old rich. Pasay derived its name from a Bornean princess. Ermita is derived from the word ’ermitanyo’, named to pay tribute to a hermit who did charitable acts in their village. Makati started out as a small hacienda donated to the Jesuits by the Roxases. Ateneo and UST aren’t in their original location now.

Some sad notes along the tour. A lot of buildings in magnificent architectures are slowly giving in to decay. I wonder if they never really evoke a feeling of inspiration from the passersby or the city officials to seriously rethink restoration” or even “maintenance”. Janna was pointing out that the Burnham city plan didn’t push through because they have to use the money for irrigation. What a beautiful city Manila could have been. Just think of European piazzas. Then it wouldn’t really be that expensive to experience a European park, would it?

Passing by the bridges displaying the gloomy Pasig River would lull and tempt me to close my eyes and think of Venice. The constricted streets of Binondo would make me dream of the narrow streets of Vienna.


At around 1 pm, we stopped by a Chinese restaurant in Binondo for lunch. This was a time to socialize a bit and get to know the rest of us. It was interesting to note how only a handful of men were there. A mom with 2 teenage girls spending their Saturday in style. Notice how Chinese-looking most of them were. We had only one foreigner, an Australian, also an avid reader of Jose.

After the hearty lunch we headed for Bahay Nakpil-Bautista. The curator, Mang Tessie, is an old yet energetic lady very much caught up in her craft of describing the parts and parcels of what used to be the house of Gregoria de Jesus (widow of Andres Bonifacio) and Julio Nakpil.

She led us to the room where a replica of the controversial ‘Parisian Life’ of Juan Luna is hanging. She then began talking passionately about all the other pieces in that quaint living room. Chiara sat on the bench where Rizal and the Katipuneros once sat. At that instant I entered another room that instantly conveyed all sense of poignancy over something that hasn’t yet seen the light of the day. Playing the kundiman Saan Ka Man Naroroon, I was enchanted by the portrait of the girl standing by the window. It brought back idealistic and patriotic feeling over this mother land that seems to cry “saan ka man naroroon”, grieving over the unrealized dreams of her sons and daughter, or their lost ideals of honesty and integrity that could yet rouse the dreams once more…. ”Asahan mo sa habang panahon, alaala kita, saan ka man naroroon.”

After Quiapo, we started our way to the last stop, University of the Philippines, still enjoying the afternoon lecture despite the sleepy mood that the lazy afternoon invites you to.

Overall, how pleasant the tour turned out to be. It left in me hopes that one day might soon be realized. I would like to think that it’s possible. We already have the smiles of the people that foreigners would often wonder about and instantaneously equate with hope.

We certainly are in need of more of these activities. Because in them a sense of hope is rekindled and a new breed of people are born where culture is appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed. It need not be pricey to be culturati. It may well cost only about 5 servings of coffee from Starbucks. All it needs is a little openness, a restraint perhaps to quirk over classic novels and music. (Because music touches individual as illustrated in this article http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/birth_pangs_of_new_era_in_music/ )Or if not, maybe a little diversion from all the typical gimmicking that is there.

Let your love flow...

This is my recent favorite picture not because I got my hair blowdried right (although that's a plus too) but because I at least found a spot interesting enough to spur an inspiration to write... I mean to blog.

This was a shot outside the Vilage resto in Sing. And thank God for Vilage coz after one is done trying Singaporean cuisine (Chinese, Malay, and Indian although too scared to try the latter) one has had enough and starts clamoring for "real food". In fact I vowed from the moment I stepped my foot in this cosmopolite dwelling to stay away from curries.

Anyway, enough of the diversion. Let your love flow...is a shot taken by my two friends, Jake and Amy who made my short stay in Singapore as pleasant as can be. I say short coz it was indeed very short with most time spent for Lawson training.

A shot that will remain a fave for the longest time I bet. It is etched in my memory, my heart and goodness knows, my desktop. It made me vain for a time that I had to crop it and take away my presence in that picture so that I can focus on how powerful those words are "Let your love flow..."

I know of another version and if I find time, I might as well insert the word "over" before "flow".
At times, love will be easier if it overflows. When one is filled with love and so can't help but love. Okay I'm not talking of romantic love but of love in general...for a person...mom, friend, husband, boyfriend, daughter, teacher, colleague etc...

Enter the complicated me. With a little play of words and the hope that I won't be misread, let me further discourse...

"To let love flow" is to leave love at the mercy of circumstance. To love, when it's easy to love and one feels like loving. But "to let love overflow" is pro-active in the sense that one is in a hurry to be in love and for it to overflow. She wants to be filled with it and so she asks for it. She asks for it? Wait, I thought I speak about loving and not about being loved in return. Correct.

She asks for it but she asks not from people, demanding that they love her in her better and worst. She asks that she be filled with love from the only person who can give it gratuitously. And you are right. God.

When I was there in Singapore, I felt good being in a strange place. I felt at home with myself even if I'm not home. Catholics are a minority in that part of the world. One time, I laid my rosary in a bench and a good old man, taking an afternoon walk with his grandson and obviously enjoying, asked if I was a Catholic. I said yes. And he said "good". "Are you?", I asked back. "Yes, it's good to be one". I cannot forget how people say the rosary there with a lot of fervor and no trace of hurry. It was very enlightening how they take their faith seriously even if there were just a handful of them. Amidst the somehow hedonist culture, since Singapore is one of those countries with Affluenza(to borrow a term coined from a recent book referring to the sickness of the affluents), there's hope in Singapore but only with the prayers of their fellow Catholics.

And boy was I glad to be back in my good ol' Manila enjoying the luxury of so many mass schedules in Makati and chapels even inside buildings. They said it was "heaven" to live here. And I didn't quite believe it until I realize how it was like to be away.

Only when one is away that one gets to appreciate the "luxuries" that one has here. The luxury of faith, of friendships, of unhurried conversations and pleasantries. So what if only few can afford "home theatres" . These theatres do not necessarily make a "home". No matter how slim and sleek they may look, to me they are still flat literally and poetically.

So Filipinos, let your love flow...let your faith flow...And ask that both may overflow. Cheers!

Lifestyle. Perhaps one of the most attractive and appealing way of describing our day to day life, with style.

Perhaps, by stating that this is our “lifestyle”, we conceal what might be a rather dragging existence that we ourselves cannot admit that we have.

Perhaps by appending the word “style” to “life”, we can fool ourselves in believing that we lead our “life” with “style”. But first, we ask ourselves, do we really have “life”, as one can comment over a hyperactive child, “He is full of life!”. And then next, do we have “style”? Or we just let the society, media and all, tell us how we ought to behave even if it’s far from our dignity as human beings.

So this blog will attempt to put into words the joyous ride of life by your fellow traveler who believes that she has found what you’re looking for. Lifestyle! Its definition, she’s sure everyone can derive, its content, she’s pretty convince everyone has a list, but its dignity, she’s doubtful you’ve ever given a little thought of it. For the dignity of lifestyle lies in the quality in which this LIFE is lived…with STYLE.