Para sa mga motorcycle dudes

Para sa lahat ng motorcycle dudes:

Nitong hapon, habang pauwi ako, may napansin akong motorsiklo na pilit sumisingit sa gitna ko at ng kotse sa tabi ko. Wala naman space sa gitna namin at talagang hindi na kasya kahit na motorsiklo. Pero eto sya, pinipilit na gumitna. At naisip ko, “Ano bang problema nito at sinisiksik sarili nya dito?” Bad trip talaga!

Hindi ito personal, pero hindi talaga maganda ang tingin ko sa inyo. Alam ko masama na maghusga ng pangkalahatan (katulad ng pagiisip na lahat ng pulis ay mga “tongpats dudes” kahit na maraming pulis na tapat sa trabaho), pero hindi ko maiwasan. Minsan, iniisiip ko na sana ay pagbawalan na kayong dumaan sa mga major na lansangan. Oo, masamang pag-iisip, per masyado na akong maraming masamang karanasan sa inyo.

     -Marahil ay pakiramdam nyo na sa inyo ang daan, lalo na pag nago-overtake. Isipin nyo, ang service road namin ay dalwang lanes lang, opposite lanes. Pero nakagawa kayo ng paraan para gumawa ng sarili ninyong lane–sa gitna! Ayun,kayo at kami at ang iba pang motorista ay nalalagay tuloy sa alanganin.

     -Lagi kayong nasa gilid o gitna ng daan, naghihintay ng butas upang umabante at magovertake. Nakaka alanganin ito sa mga koste na nasa likod. Hindi namin alam kung ano ba talaga ang gusto nyong gawin. Para kayong kiti-kiti na aabante, titigil, pupunta sa kaliwa, pupunta sa kanan! Ano ba talaga! Sa gitna na lang kasi kayo lumagay, okuphanin ninyo ang isang space!

     -Pag nakabanga kayo, wag nyo naman takbuhan. Madali sa inyo ay humarurot lalo na kung traffic. Nangyari na sa akin na nabangga ako ng isa sa inyo habang traffic. Ayun, tinakbuhan ako porke kaya nyang lumusot. Wag naman sana ganun.

Mahaba pa ang listahan. Pero ang bottomline, maraming irresponsableng motorcycle dudes. Oo, marami ring driver ng kotse ang ganun, pero mas mahirap sa inyo dahil malilit kayo at para kayong mga daga na laging naghahanap ng butas at lusot ng lusot.

Hindi ako galit sa inyo ng personal. Sumasakay din ako ng motorsiklo…masarap nga sumakay dito dahil ramdam mo ang hangin. At alam ko na marami rin sa inyo ang “safe drivers.” Pero sa napakaraming mahilig rumagasa sa lansangan, sana ay maging responsable tayong mga drivers.

Kaya sa inyong lupon, PEACE tayo!

:)

Another birthday, another year

 Nowadays, they say that, with all the hardships in life, all the violence, all the problems our country is facing, all the poverty, there’s nothing to celebrate about when your birthday comes. I beg to disagree.

Celebrating does not necessarily mean throwing a grand and lavish party. Celebrating can mean a simple dinner with your family and loved ones. It can mean going to mass and thanking God for all the blessings. It can mean simply being thankful for another year that has passed.

There is so much to celebrate and be thankful for [at least] with each birthday that comes around.

               -You have family and loved ones surrounding you.

               -You have food to eat, money to spend, and shelter to live in.

               -You have the ability to laugh and be happy and make others laugh and happy.

               -You can bask in the sun and play in the rain.

               -You have overcome [maybe] thousands of problems, big or small, in the past year.

               -You have accomplished a lot and made a difference with your achievements, big or small.

               -You have touched a life, whether you know it or not.

There are many (thousands) other things to be thankful for. Whatever your status in life, there must be something, some reason. In addition, the mere fact that you are alive and breathing on your birthday, meaning you have lived another year, is something to celebrate!

So instead of thinking of reasons why NOT to celebrate your birhhday, think of the MANY reasons why we have to tell ourselves, “Hey, celebrate! Today is a special day for you!”

To me and all the other birthday celebrants today and this September, here’s to being thankful for the past year and to anticipating another beautiful year ahead of us!

Mr. Suave in my list

It has been 4 days since I heard Barack Obama talk to thousands (millions at home) of people when he accepted the presidential nomination for the Democrats. It has been 5 days, and yet, I can’t get forget wome of the points he raised. Yes, I know, this [he] doesn’t concern me personally, and I’ve been trying to forget his speech. But watching this charismatic man speak has made some of his words stick in my brain.

You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country. We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President – when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.  We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job – an economy that honors the dignity of work.

***

And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.

[AMEN!].

***

Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.

[Nobody in the Philippines, too, Mr Obama.]

***

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America’s promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our “intellectual and moral strength.” Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can’t replace parents; that government can’t turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need. Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility – that’s the essence of America’s promise.

[Yes, we can blame only so much on the government. We must learn that we, as individuals, also have responsibilities.] 

***

 We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination…This too is part of America’s promise – the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

[A bit idealistic, but I, too, believe that we can become united despite our differences. There will always be that unifying thread that will keep us together.]

 ***

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone

Reading his speech is definitely much more different than hearing Obama actually deliver it. He is a charismatic man with lots of energy and promise. I was awed by he way he spoke that I was actually convinced to vote for him if I was asked to vote on the spot, right there and then, until I realized I can’t vote for him because I’m not an American citizen. So I just came to the conclusion that either he really cared for America or his acting skills and his ghost writers are really, really good. Save that I was actually hoping that Hillary Clinton finally break the Glass Ceiling, I might acutally root for him to win.

November 4 is approaching, and until then, we will all be left wondering if he can walk his talk!

Body charge: full

I’ve been working hard for the past few months (ehem, really?), and I was, no need to say, burned out. This weekend, I decided to recharge. Yes, I worked last Saturday…and yes, I did attend some parties (two of which were mine), but despite the Starbucks coffee I drank Saturday night, I was able to sleep in Sunday morning and get the sleep I lacked for the past weeks. Yehey!

I know I’m going to need the energy this month. I hope my body charge will remain full.

Happy September everyone!

:)