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.

Sad Day for Mountain Biking

i was supposed to do a quick ride that morning, well, just to let my thigh muscles relaxed after a long ride two days ago... to do this, i thought of assaulting shotgun, a favorite destination that will surely shock the whole out of me. beside, shotgun is just a few kilometers from home.

before leaving, my wife reminded me to be back before 0900H, since it's easter sunday and we need to participate in the church celebration... oh yes, its easter sunday, so i expected a very wonderful quickie.

i started pedaling at around 0630H, i was in a hurry to reach the shotgun's trailhead so the heat of the sun wouldn't catch me up as i rode that uphill. and then as i started the ascent, a truck filled with garbage overtook me, first strike... dust and smoke made the road partly invisible for a moment; but that was okay, had those dose several times already... but the foul stench of garbage and wastes almost made me dismount and simply collapse. the good thing is, it is easter sunday and i know that there'll gonna be a resurrection at the end of the road... so i continued on.


after reaching the sharp curve of the ascent somewhere on the middle of the whole shotgun's stretch, i need to dismount and rest a little... cleaned my nose and got ready to ride again... when another truck passed me by with all the stench, second strike... where are they heading? i wondered.
well again, its easter sunday...

quickly, i mounted my bike and pedaled hurriedly, another truck might overtook me again, i couldn't bear any longer, so i thought. reached the top really quick and started the downhill portion... and on the last uphill stretch of the road, i suddenly heard a truck's engine coming now from atop... heading towards me as i was uphilling, dust & smoke enveloped me again, but no foul stench... now i am almost certain... another one coming down... they were fast in unloading the garbage... where are they dumping those wastes?

and then as i was about to reach the top, another truck passed by with all those stinky matters and alas, they are dumping now the garbage to that "sanitary" landfill, third strike... IT IS A SAD DAY... ON RESURRECTION DAY!!!

Mountain Biking

mountain biking is now becoming popular in the philippines... and maybe considered as an "in" thing in the sports and hobbies lists.

i started pedalling as early as the highschool days when my uncle bought me a bike, which was then called "semi-racer". however, since i graduated from highschool, took college and started to work and got married, this span of more than 20 years, i totally forgot about biking. until one day, a friend told me about his addiction to mtbiking... in 2008, just before my birthday, my loving wife asked me what would i want for a gift on my birthday... i told her, "what about a bike?"

she bought me one, a mall bike, steel bike but good enough for exercise... i used that bike for more than five months... did some road riding until i finally got the feel of biking again... and then i bought a decent mountain bike... good enough to hit the trails... and this present rig has already 3000 kms under its belt...

i do bike commuting 3 times a week and a trail run on weekends...

the story of the universe (part one)

it has been said that the universe is in constant process of becoming, that creation is still going on. the Judeau-Christian scriptures has it that God created the universe from absolute nothingness represented by the symbolic term "darkness", until He said: "Let there be light"! in six days, creation was done in such a magnificent beauty and "everything was good". and so it was, and still is.

and then, science took the center stage.

everything has a beginning. and it is universally accepted that every perception on the origin of things is influenced by one's socio-cultural, religio-philosophical backgrounds. it is for this reason that as there are as many cultures in the world, there are as well as many stories of creation and origin of things. this diversity however talks of common origin ...

Sea Turtle

Last night I had a dream, my son and I were walking along the beach when suddenly a sea turtle appeared asking for help. The poor sea creature was badly hurt that it couldn't even moved its shell and was drifting by the waves. Astonished rather than moved by mercy, my son approached it and ask: "what are you, a dolphin or a penguin?"

sometimes it is really hard to figure things out especially if the moment does not fall within our so-called comfort zones. we seem to avoid those that made us uncomfortable, uneasy. we seemed to be rather preoccupied with the things that remotely affect us, like the headlines about holywood stars. we simply pass off those things that really matter.

the way i see it, this is one of the most problematic aspects of making people turn their heads and hearts for the environment. how do we encourage people to be aware of what is really going on and participate in the tasks of nurturing the planet. as long as we avoid to confront the issue, the tidious battle for the planet cannot move forward. we may have al gore and other other influential people who tirelessly advocate the environmental concerns, but they can only do much. There may have other "inconvenient truths" produced, published, and they may even win academy awards or nobels, but until they are unwritten and put into something real and effected, we may have to expect defeats. until we turn our gaze towards the very soil we are standing and carress it with our own hands, we may have to expect other sea turtles adrift by our shores begging us to listen.

it was sunset in anilao, batangas and nature showed its majesty.

for a moment, i allowed myself to be captivated by its splendor. i was grateful that at that moment i was with my friends and family. the view was something that i would cherish the rest of my life.

there is always a moment in my life that nature simply takes over and i just hope that this sense of oneness will never escape me.

xandiwa boys

ang gandang pagmasdan. konting panahon na lang, may magmamana na. 21 years na pala since 1986, matanda na talaga tayo. tinutubuan na nga ako ng puting buhok, marami-rami na nga eh.
but here is the continuation of the mayoyao experience. it has been a long a time since i have attended Easter Vigil, if i am not mistaken, the last time was in bicol, amos was yet to be born. it was a great experience especially after hearing kuya noel's matchbox story.
this particular day was special not only because it was holy saturday, but it was also mina's & fr. bong's birthday. after the vigil, the birthday celebration started. it was a touching celebration. indeed, fr. bong is well-loved by his flock. we sang sandiwa and the mayoyao people sang their pieces. and then it was time to rest. we were simply tired.

Easter Sunday! while our ninja-preacher was at it again doing what he loves and does best, the whole of xandiwa was finding their easter eggs. this time, the boys had unwitted the girls. while i was hiding those colorful eggs, the boys had victoriously spied on me. it was good thing though that the girls happened to spy the boys and told us what they discovered. but the crime had already been committed. but come to think of it, should the women of jerusalem didn't peak on the tomb of the nazarene, there shouldn't have been easter celebration. without that curiousity, christianity could not have been born. of course that's another story.

the time to say goodbye to mayoyao had come. but not yet.

Now for the story of the falls.

It was a great holy friday, but i believe not for the pious people of mayoyao. the kids were simply enjoying their togetherness, although a faction is starting to emerge. Tugel took the 1st word, nonong the fourth and no-el, the ninja preacher turned into a scout master, took the seventh and took the parishioners' breath away! and then we took couples of beers before finally embracing the soothing weather of the cordilleras.
then, holy saturday came. the appointed time to the falls had dawned. we were all caught by surprise but this day was actually our "good friday" observance. just like our LORD, it was indeed a day filled with falls, more than the three falls that the Nazarene had suffered. well, just ask tita angie (nonong's mom) about it. but after so many falls, we reach finally, not the calvary, but the falls - and it was a relief. the resurrection happened so quickly even for a while because we know deep inside ourselves that we have to experience those falls again. and jerome actually and quite literally demonstrated what that fall means. but then, he was actually inspiring because after the fall, what we heard was the very consoling word "I'M ALIVE!" for indeed we are all are. THANKS FOR THE FALLS!

a holy week experience

it started as a thought, but somehow it became a plan, then an adventure. that was the mayoyao holy week experience.
six families, plus a ninja preacher, assembled at the NLEX - Tabang Shell gas station at around 0200 HRS. it was at this moment that i became convinced that the idea jomer had suggested some months ago has indeed become a reality - an adventure all of us will cherish for like eternity, maybe as long as xandiwa lives.
exitement was in the air as we exchanged views and plans, and two-way radios. then we started our trip to the mountains, but first we had to find our way through the rice fields of nueva ecija. the breakfast at the outskirt of caranglaan, nueva ecija was a splendid show of how prepared each family was for the trip. but mina's adobo has had a long way to go.
for most of us, the dalton pass was already an awesome site to introduce us to the north eastern part of the country; until tugel's ordeal began. it was in bayombong, nueva vizcaya.
solano is a place where xandiwa families would never easily forget. and we thanked God for its presence and it was holy thursday, probably the longest holy thursday in tugel's biography.
at 1800 HRS, we were still in solano and it was beginning to get dark. then we continued on less tugel's hi-ace.
we arrived at banaue at around 2000 HRS but without going through the fogs of ifugao which made our drivers blind. and then, fr. joe tagupa couldn't simply refuse - that was indeed a great show of christian spirit. the door was knocked and fr. joetags opened and welcomed us. dinner was served and everybody was simply wanted to rest, the coldness of banaue was just too enchanting that our eyes became so heavy.
at 0730 good friday, we started our ascent or descent to mayoyao, fr. bong garay was too wary and kept sending jomer a message. he already prepared the beds for us. it was one unforgetable moment, the thrill of passing through the mountains of cordillera was simply astonishing - taking of pictures was endless - it was 4 hours for a 41 kms road. but just on time for the lunch that fr. bong had prepared for all of us! mayoyao is simply amazing!