this good old pair of shoes...

this good old pair of shoes is 15 years old, and i can't seem to find a replacement for her.  she's older than my eldest child, the oldest even among my personal belongings.


she carried me along so many walks, to some of the many uncharted treks i can now only cherish in my memories. she's with me in the most mountains in cordilleras, finding and assisting those communities that society seems to have forgotten... she has carried me as well through the boondocks of mindoro where only the mangyans are willing to dare climb... she has unselfishly taken me to the flourishing forests of bataan, conspiring to reprove pampered students who just wanted to take advantage of the reward of not going through the rigors of ROTC training... yet when almost my legs and limbs seem to surrender, she refuses to give up... she almost perished with ondoy, but somehow managed to survive the flood.  


for a long time, i was in search for worthy replacement, and i was in fact able to find a pair or two, but even with their so-called "state-of-the-art design", they failed miserably in comparison with her.  in the end, she's still the one that fits me best...  


now that mountains are calling me up again, i am sure that this good old pair of shoes of mine is still up for the challenge, until the next climb...

Peak 612 Climb

Link

PHILMOFO XCM FUN RACE

29 august 2010... the fun race is on!

Maykaingalan, Rodriguez, Rizal

last 15 Aug 2010, i had a chance to bike in a remote community of maykaingalan, rodriguez, rizal upon invitation of a bike buddy, jaymz. he was looking for a local resident who could do a clearing of paths along mt. balagbag & maykaingalan. the single tracks in these areas is part of the route for philmofo xcm fun race and the cogon grass are just too tall that there is a possibility of getting lost.

maykaingalan has a reputation for bikers that is why i willfully

assented to jaymz' invitation. this is actually my second time to be in that place. the first was when we do a track reading of the entire course of the fun race. but at that time

, i was really not so keen of the surroundings since i was simply too tired to notice; i had cramps on both of my legs that my concern was only to survive the ride. besides, we were only passing through maykaingalan that time. this ride however is entirely different, both on the route and purpose and perspective.

the ride was kind of an easy-leisure mountain biking, quite enjoying every bit of it. river crossing en route to mascap is always delightful, refreshing. climbing at around 500 meters asl with the sun shining is quite daunting but the views on top easily erased the exhaustion and be simply captivated by the sceneries.

but then with eyes wide open, human as i am, questions began to linger. what is happening to this place? what have we done? can we undo what we did and unmake the things we made? mountains are now barren with only few little trees standing. but with all the charcoal that the local residents are bringing down, will there be anything left for the next generation? poverty is all written all over with the community having lesser option to take but to continue doing what they know can somehow fill their needs. is there any better options that people like me can do?

helplessness is the devil that hampers our spirit to do the things we ought to be done. this feeling stifles the very fabric of our capacity to transcend our own limitedness and impedes our consciousness and determination to respond more creatively and effectively. we are helpless, so we thought, and the malady lives on...

i bike because i know i can do something... but will that be enough?

Bike Commuting

for over a year now, i am proud to say that i am using my bike on my way to work at least three times a week. i spend PhP 120.00 for fare to and from ortigas center. this means that i saved PhP 360.00 every week or at least PhP 1,400.00 every month.

i really don't know how much do i contribute to minimize carbon emission, although i think there may be a way to know that. considering that there are already a good number of bike commuters today, our collective effort is a good sign of our common desire to minimize the impact of humans on our environment.

but there are also dangers on the road especially for bike commuters. i share the road with other people using other means of transportation: drivers of motorized vehicles, motorcyclists and pedestrians. some of them show little respect for a bike commuter; that is why, there are dangers out there which i need to be alert to every time i ride my bike.

even then, biking to work is becoming part of my lifestyle; it is becoming a way of life, not just an alternative of doing things. personal safety though is necessary, complete cycling equipment which includes helmet, shoes, gloves, back and front lighting, is non-negotiable.

the flood that was ondoy

26 september 2009... the flash flood was an eye opener.... more than anything else... we're simply a speck of the nature's vastness and it is her laws that we should listen to... she speaks so clearly...

but often we opt to ignore... and for that omission, we suffered... and yet, we seldom learned.

almost a year have passed and we are confronted with the same problems. no concrete solutions have been made to at least prevent ondoy from happening again. no concrete plans, no long term goals, no actions have been done, and here we are again...

many nations are experiencing a different world right now, floods in china and europe while russia is burning. what are we to expect in the coming days?

are we ready for another ondoy?

The Miracle of Birth

we were expecting her to burst into existence on February 2009, on its 3rd week to be exact.  on her scheduled check-up,05 February 2009, my wife, wila, was told by her OB Gyne that she was already due to deliver. 

wila just came from divisoria, running around buring stuff for her client... on her way home, she passed by the clinic of her doctor.  she was no longer allowed to go home... apparently the water bag was already tore and water in her womb was slowly diminishing... she called me up and after rushing through the work at hand, i hurriedly went to the hospital where she was to give birth.  her doctor just gave me a list of things to prepare.  i called up my brother and soon he was there to help me out... he went home and prepared the things...  that was 1530hrs.  by 2000H, wila gave birth to laya.  her doctor showed her to me; she was a mere 5.5 pounds.  so little but so angelic... just like her kuya, amos.