Cab Driver Stories

I was late this evening because our mighty van broke down again and discharged its batter while on my way to work. Funny because that keeps on happening these past few weeks and I am literally fed up with it. Maybe it is time to sell the darn thing. I don't really know what to do with that. Anyway, this article is about a cab driver. I took a cab obviously to work, and what is funny is that we managed to squeeze in his life story in 20 minutes. Weird right? Lemme tell you about it then...

I was planning to just keep mum and think about the time I have wasted because of the van incident but this cab driver suddenly uttered a word, I could not understand it because I was busy looking for change in my bag so I asked about what he said since he probably did not know where I was asking him to drive to. He knows Eastwood but it is just the way I asked him to pass through that might be the question. But surprisingly he said, "yung kaibigan kong babae kasi tinawagan yung operator ko" (My girl friend called my operator) so I said to my self "oh! this is one of those cab driver stories again" so he won't fall asleep while driving since cab drivers here in the Philippines usually do it for 24 hours straight. I asked him why and so he went on telling me about this woman she slept with, she was calling his operator so as to force him to show up everytime she needs him. He told me that he's got a wife and kids too but they were already old enough that they do not meddle with his affairs anymore. His wife was menopause already too so if he philanders or not it was okay with them too. I somehow got that idea from him but I might be mistaken. Anyway, in the 3 years they were doing these things and that girl friend of his was doing other men too, she decided to name the kid she just gave birth to after him. He even asked her about who was the real father of the kid but she begged off, in the end she still got him declared as the father in the birth certificate. Might be because he was the one who showed up in the hospital and helped her get out of it too. I was really wondering why of all people this cab driver was opening up to me that much when in fact I was only there for 20 minutes, he was a little old and we kinda drifted off to other stories aside from that. Imagine I was just sitting there and he told me his life story in a couple of minutes... that was a treat...

Well at least he is doing his job of getting me to where I needed to go... alive! That is what's important... do you have your share of cab driver stories? Let me know!

Going Back Camping

Yes you heard it right! I want to go back camping. It was about 2 years ago when I last did that. It was in ANAWANGIN Cove which is an island off the coast of ZAMBALES a province about a few hours south of Manila. Even if we only made makeshift outdoor grills that time, the food was awesome! Imagine how scrumptious the pork chops, hotdogs and salted egg with tomatoes turned out. It was a sight for sore eyes! I would really love to go back there a few weeks from now. I am planning to have my photography friends with me since they want to experience seascapes and landscapes this time. That would be the perfect destination.

Some drawbacks would probably be the amenities that are available there. They did not have decent comfort rooms I think because of the cove’s remote location. The care takers could only stay there for a while and take you from that place to the other islands in the morning. I need to plan this out as well with my peers since we would need tents to sleep in. There are no resorts or hotels there unfortunately but everywhere you look in that place is breath taking! I want to go back camping!

The question is; who’s coming?!

Reconnecting

I really love Facebook now... imagine a long lost friend saw me on another friend's profile and easily added me up. Now we got to chat a little via PM and it was an awesome opportunity to reconnect with her after all these years. I was only taking a handful of stories from her brother who happens to be one of the greatest guys I have ever met in college; but now that we are officially friends in Facebook I think we will get to have a lot of time knowing each others activities through this medium and I really like this day OH GOD THANK YOU! Ate Lay which I fondly call her liked my portfolio too so she is planning to shoot with us soon, I will hook her up with the Nocturnals so she would have all the photos she wants heheh... right guys?! ^_^

Now there are also old classmates from elementary, high school and college reconnecting with me.... this is just too good to be true! I wish we could get to meet each other soon!

I have a lot of things to thank for in this world and these are one of them. The one above knows how to make me happy. I thank him and Saint Claire for their help, a lot of things are happening now and I hope these great things do not stop. Happiness and contentment.... my family and friends... and everything else I hope falls into place.... with that I will be truly happy with my life.

Learning from the Past

It is quite saddening to see that there is a rampant increase of road rage in the country. I saw 2 of them indicated in the news paper today and if you think about it, there are even a lot men and women too that are involved in car accidents each day. It is a nightmare to manage this in Manila because of the monstrous traffic that has horrified countless human lives but I already learned to live with it. You treat it as normal as possible so you would not go insane in these conditions. You are lucky if you have motor trade insurance but not everybody is blessed with that privilege. Sometimes I understand that only the rich can afford it in this country and I hope that situation takes a different turn this year.

If there would be something I would like to change in the current structure and system in this country I would like to start seeing us complying with international standards. Maybe make the newly elected President would take action on this after the May elections. Or maybe lessen the importations of second hand cars that would endanger us and help stick with what local producers can provide; because in the long run it would be beneficial for both us drivers and the riding public. I know it is an ailing industry and the time to make necessary action to improve things is now. I would not want my kid's future be controlled by a few rich businessmen who only want to earn a buck or two when car safety is on the line.

Accidents happen but if I know how to manage finances and pay for small insurance premiums that would get my family safe then I should never worry. If ever it occurs sometime in the near future, then I would save a lot from what could make me bankrupt in an instant. Third party liability types which are required now never meant that it would obviously cover everything so we have to think big. I want to feel safe and the last thing that I would want to hear is that I need to pay for something more because insurance did not cover it. An unfortunate incident did happen to me a couple of years ago; when I got my car 50% wrecked and I really learned a lot from it. You guys should too!

Medicol Advance... Thank you!

From Left to Right the awesome people from Medicol and Starcom Ms. Ji Candelario, Ms. Lenni Balicud, Sir Avel Bacudio, Me and Sir Abdel aka Abbie @ the Bacudio Shop. They were all so nice and accomodating!

Opportunities come and go and I have learned a lot about that fact these past few months. I witnessed something new for my self, my site and there are things that the wonderful people from Medicol Advance gave me that I will never forget. Let me take you for a spin on my final fitting with the fabulous fashion designer Avel Bacudio.

Final fitting, I was with Avel Bacudio, Ms. Lenni Balicud and Mr. Jon Santos
(Medicol Advance, Starcom and Hwangs Inc.)

Sir Avel served us caviar and blue cheese... I actually love blue cheese but as they also said it was not a thing to eat while we were in a conversation LOL he even joked about it that it smelled like you know what! Haha! =)

We were also treated to a few short stories from his trips outside of the country, but that one is private too LOL

You probably have read my first encounter with the kind designer here and it was very nice for the people from Medicol Advance to hook me up on this day so I get to see his pad. Since I live just a stone's throw away from his condo unit, I met with Ms. Lenni Balicud and Mr. Jonnifer Santos (Starcom and Hwangs inc.) in Panay Avenue and proceeded to his place after wards. Of course I took pictures!

Avel showed us around his posh place. I noticed a few key pieces that he also is fond of. I like the geometric shapes he puts into thought when he designs. Yes ladies and gentlemen, he is also a budding interior designer.

It was a whirlwind of events that happened in a few months, and this post was created to thank these people who made these great things possible! It was an awesome learning experience to attend the Medicol Advance the Nation Launch, I got a lot from their great speakers. I love the fact that I won an outfit too just because I wrote about it on my site. Thank you also to Ms. Kai Palileo also for coordinating the things needed to make this happen.

Now Sir Avel, Nuffnang Philippines and Medicol Advance got this awesome outfit for me. Now ain't that a sight for sore eyes! =)

This experience has taught me a lot about kindness, seizing opportunities and the value of having fun with life. Thank you Medicol Advance! It would never have been possible without you guys! So my dear readers from the US, The Philippines and elsewhere in the world, if you have headaches and pain you don't know how to handle; trust only Medicol Advance and they'll give you more than a cure... it's an experience you won't forget in a lifetime! I mean hey! I even popped a few when I got into the office because I had headaches from the lack of sleep and short rains in the afternoon; and that took care of it! Make sure you get one from your nearby drugstore and you probably would get the chance to win the things I have... you can never tell! =)

PS.

For those of you who wanted to see how I look like in the outfit, I decided to bite the bullet and pose for my co photographers this weekend. I'm not a model and don't worry I have not changed my mind about my photography, I'll still shoot!

Here's a sneak peek on what I look like with the outfit! Hahah!

I was so lucky!... Thank you Medicol Advance, Nuffnang Philippines and everyone who made this possible! Thank you so much for this! =)

Dog Dilemma

I know I have asthma and it has been a big issue at home because there are a lot of things that trigger my allergies. I did not want this to be a hindrance to my family life but I think it just did. I am allergic to seafood, but one more thing that triggers it is fur. Not those fancy things people wear but it is those which animals have. You probably think that hairball you often see when sweeping floors is harmless. Imagine; I almost got hospitalized because of that. My Mom wanted to get a toy dog so she could entertain herself every once in a while. She treats it like family and since I would not be able to bear the hardships of getting one I think little dog boarding would help me a lot.

Yes I do miss them a lot!

I on the other hand wanted not just a toy dog but a huge Siberian husky and even went the extra mile to build an air conditioned room since we live in a tropical climate. I read books, got veterinarians and aficionados of the breed to help me out in the beginning and got one last August. I had instantaneously got symptoms and brushed it off a month after it was here. When my doctors found out, they immediately asked me to do the worst next thing. I had to give him up and let my cousins adopt it. I literally had no choice. If only I had somewhere to put them and get some help then it would have made me get doses of antihistamines for the asthma. This was a full time job though since they needed special care in our side of the world. Oh man I miss them a lot! Now how am I going to please my Mom and not get attacks again? Let me know what you guys think!

TGIF!

Last night was a blast! I went out with friends from an online community I frequent in and we had some guests who were doctors from a province down south so it was a little arduous to have me introduce them to ladies that night. I felt that since this was my territory I should let them at least have fun right? But then again I didn't have time to work on meeting some my self... anyway I still had fun with friends and a couple of strangers LOL... but that was just the start of the evening.

I had a few drinks again. Somehow I really needed it to relax a bit, I was a bit tensioned but sure enough after a few bottles I got a little smooth talking to them and yes I did get tipsy too. It was a little dose more than what I used to drink and I was not feeling sorry going back to drinking a lot again. I did not have a hangover which I really despise when I do this deed. Anyway I will be still limiting things, its just that I probably screwed up and did this out of necessity last night. I mean I did have fun, imagine I was making out with a girl at around 7AM LOL and got her number too so I would probably have fun this week.

Thank God it's Friday!

Dreaming Big!

The business minded me started an itch again and this time it is now in a direct collision course with my financial decisions. I have not thought about other businesses to do because I am quite busy at work. The economy has not been strong in the past year and finding the ways to earn extra income is inevitable. I need to make an effort to practice saving and use my resources smart before I turn around to find out that I barely have funds in the bank. That would be a catastrophe waiting to happen and my family could be at risk.

It makes me want to sleep early but I do see the need to get investment a try. I have to guarantee that I would not compromise what I have. The last thing that I would want is to run out of funds while the economic crisis is flourishing. That would be a nightmare. There might be some blue chip stocks, options that I should take a look at and InvestmentForge plans as well. I will make this work and there would not be a better time to impress people with financial decisions to get my life straightened out. Wish me luck because I desperately need it now!

There Still Are Heroes Among Us

I am really happy today. Why you ask?!

I'll tell you a story...

My brother went back to Ireland yesterday because his vacation was already up! As much as we wanted him to stay longer I think there are some things he still had to fix in Ireland so he went ahead and got his bags packed and set on the 20th. When I went back home they were still there arguing about what to include in the luggage and there were a couple of things he tried to bring for people in Eire for "pasalubong" purposes. He filled up this huge duffel bag that could even fit me inside it. So its a mixture of clothes, shoes, stuff from Bohol and a couple of goodies from the local grocer. He carries this in and out of the country and it is quite convenient since you can push it around as it has small sturdy wheels on it too. When we said our goodbyes I never got to accompany him to the airport anymore since the seats were full and Mum and Dad would probably be the best to go with him that time. They got on around 10:30 I think and used this pickup truck my Uncle lent them since our van was barred from traveling in a number coding scheme implemented by the government. About 30 or 40 minutes passed, I received a call from my Mom (and this was where I felt something was definitely wrong) she said my brother's bag is missing. It fell off somewhere in EDSA (but it could be anywhere from our house to Ortigas!) and they tried going around circles but could not find the bag anymore. They knew someone probably picked it up and we were frantic trying to at least find it but my brother's flight was already coming. It was noon when they decided to just leave it and go back to the airport. I was really worried because now, he did not have any clothes to wear once he goes back to Ireland. Just the few old clothes he left there and the one on his back. Good thing he had his papers on another bag or else his ticket and trip would be compromised. But just the same we were all very depressed that day because of the incident and we were still hoping to have that bag recovered. He left a sad boy, and so were we.

I tweeted, posted on facebook, told DZMM, DZBB, Love Radio 90.7 and everyone that could help even the police where they even said that we should not be hopeful it would still be returned anymore. I know how it is in the Philippines and probably anyone can attest to this; that sometimes Filipinos tend to not return things like that because of poverty and all the things unrighteous to men.

Today, I was listening to DZMM teleradyo (Radio and Cable TV broadcast) but turned off the TV because I was trying not to be depressed by it and get some sleep. Then just a few minutes after, my Dad suddenly came upstairs (since we live in a 2 story house) and told me that the bag was found. People from DZMM got the bag from a guy who lived in a Barangay close to us. I was ecstatic!

Imagine after all that drama, a good samaritan gave it to DZMM, then they announced it. Mom and Dad claimed it this afternoon. I guess there are still some good people in the Philippines. It is something to be optimistic about us PINOYS and our good heart! At least there are some who still choose to be good at this day and age. I will let you know about this guy tomorrow and I will post his pictures in this article so I could at least let you guys know who this hero is. Thank you! Thank you! We can't thank you enough kind sir!