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.