7/365: Totally Random: Hybrid Bus

I don’t like Metro Manila buses.  No offense but I have valid reasons that I’m sure most people taking the public transport regularly will agree with me on this.

I don’t like the way they are being driven, of being too crowded and overloaded, their smell of expired air freshener and their unwashed curtains.  I don’t like when their drivers are inconsiderate with their female passengers by stepping on gears and breaks that caused us to be knocked or rolled down while riding and alighting from these buses.  They are also being the favorite targets of unscrupulous people like hold-uppers and pick-pockets. 

I could stand eternally waiting for public transports like jeepneys, taxi, tricycles or even “habal-habal”  but the Metro Manila buses will always be my LAST choice for a  a ride. This does not include the buses for provincial trips though – I love them.

That is why I was amaze when I saw this beautiful bus stopped in front of me looking so clean  fresh, and not too crowded.  I can see the whole inner part of the bus from the avenue where I was standing from through its clear and wide windows.

It was a very inviting scene for someone on the road waiting for public transport. I automatically hopped in the bus feeling both excited and curios.  And when I was inside the bus the more I got impressed! 

Here are some of the photos I took while inside the bus.  I’m feeling awkward while taking these photos because some of the passengers are looking at me but I can’t help myself ha ha.

Near the driver’s seat

view from my seat

Some facts and features of  the Hybrid Bus:

• Electricity-diesel powered making it environment-friendly and energy-efficient
• Emit-less compared to a typical diesel engine bus
• It has six closed-circuit television cameras, high-powered air conditioners
• It has a GPS system that tracks the location of each bus, coral-colored people with disability, elderly and pregnant seats, luggage and shopping bag racks
• It has low floors for easy entry and exit
• It has a 27-seating capacity but can accommodate as much as 50 people
• Initial route (M1) is navigating through Buendia and Kalayaan, the major avenues of South Superhighway, Roces, Ayala, Makati Avenue, Pao de Roxas, Edsase
• Fare is in the flat rate of PhP20.00

Finally I’m seeing another pleasing public transport in our city roads that’s why I’m too happy to share it with you through this random post.  If you want to know more information about these hybrid buses you can check them on this link.

By the way let me close this post by greeting one blogger friend Arline of The Pink Line.  This lady is currently inactive with blogging but not with the outreach programs of Pinoy Bloggers Outreach (PBO) .

Bless your good heart dear and Happy Birthday to you!

6/365: Back To Reality While Looking Back at My Holiday That Was.

Why is it that as much as you wanted to linger in the holiday spirit it’s the more you feel that you have just been off loaded from a roller coaster drive?   I mean you are enjoying the spin and yet before you knew it the enjoyable spin suddenly stops and then time is over.

This is how I always feel during the Christmas season particularly in the month of December. I feel that things happen so fast and the moment that I am finally enjoying then reality is back - just like a strong thud!

Pardon me for ranting about this today.  As you know today is the first Monday of 2014 and most people will be either going back to work, school or to whatever usual regular thing they do.

The same thing for myself.  I am now bracing myself to be back to reality.  I just really wish that whatever the coming days will bring will serve as inspiration and not a distraction to my on-going "365 Day Blogging Challenge".

So before I let myself be engulfed by reality, let me check if  I had been kind enough to  myself during the Christmas season.  The reason why I’m having this check right now is because I tend to forget about myself during the holidays. I shopped for gifts to be given away, be a mom, sometimes work even during holidays.

There was even a time that I did not attend any holiday-related party because I am so caught up with responsibilities.

What about this recent holiday?  Hmn…

1. I was able to set up our holiday home décor during the first week of December.  I used to set up in mid-November in time for my son’s birthday.  Anyway at least our home was not décor-less during the holidays.

2. One of the best part of my December is that I joined the most important running event of the year – the 37th Milo Marathon National Finals.  I joined the media fun run and for some twist of  fate and luck I brought home a most cherish possession a runner could have.   A trophy from the most prestigious running event in the country.

And oh, I also received two awards from work. 

3. Sometimes I missed parties and get-together invites because they are scheduled at the same time.  Specially during the last weekend before December 25 – they are clogged on that date.

This time I was able to at least attend three holiday parties one of which is a swimming party from one of my hubby’s association.  Brrr… night swimming on a cold December breeze!  It was fun anyway!

4.  I also had the chance to spend time with good old friends.

5. The disappointing part of my December is my not being able to complete the 9 Midnight Masses (Simbang Gabi). I missed the last two nights due to commitments which are also holiday related.  This is the first uncompleted Simbang Gabi after a series of years that I am able to complete the 9 masses.

6. When in the city, we usually stay at home during Christmas Day because we are expecting visitors.  We are the perennial hosts (LOL).  It was actually during the last week of December (just before New Year) that I find time to enjoy the holiday with my family and shop some things for myself.  I joined my kids during their shopping spree using their “aguinaldo” (Christmas cash presents) and we roam around the city hopping from one mall to another.  Those are days of quality time spent with my awesome three!



7. December 31st was one great New Year’s eve.  We welcomed 2014 with the usual bang and fireworks and lots of food!


I could say that my last month of 2013 was busy (as usual) but fun and enjoyable!  How did you spend your holidays?

By the way let me close this post by greeting one funny blogger friend - Lallah of Telelalahbells who is celebrating her birthday today January 6.

Happy Birthday girl! Hope that you will come back to blogging soon!

5/365: Sunday Poem and Photograph: Santa Missed You This Christmas Buddy And I Never Replaced The Vase

How do I break thee? Let me count the ways.

I break thee if thou art at any height

My paw can reach, when smarting from some slight,

I sulk, or have one of my crazy days.

I break thee with an accidental graze

Or twitch of tail, if I should take a fright.

I break thee out of pure and simple spite

The way I broke the jar of mayonnaise.

I break thee if I’m in a playful mood,

And then I wrestle with the shiny bits.

I break thee if I do not like my food.

And if someone they shards together fits,

I’ll break thee once again when thou art glued.

~Henry N. Beard, Poetry for Cats~

The photograph was taken during the first Christmas spent with our adopted stray cat "Timothy Mingz".  The Christmas stocking is an extra stocking of my daughter with her name on it.  We temporarily labeled the stocking with “Mingz” name and hang it in the cabinet where my favorite vase used to be an adornment until Mingz broke it.

The following Christmas I permanently named that stocking with Mingz’ name and just like my kids, Mingz always got presents from Santa on Christmas mornings. 

A pang of sadness hit me as I hang the Christmas stockings last Christmas.  Mingz went to cat heaven in February of last year.  Last Christmas was the first Christmas without Mingz.    I never replaced the vase even after he died.

I used the poem “How Do I Break Thee” to add a little lightness in this post.  I saw that there’s an on going fun in Facebook that my fellow blogger is on that I interestingly joined.  It goes like this:

“Fill Facebook with poetry. Like my status and I will give you a poet. Select a poem written by the poet and post as your status.”

“How Do I Love Thee”  by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is one of my most favorite poem.  I just thought that it is fitting to add a poem patterned to this when writing about my most beloved pet.

How about you?  Who is your favorite poet or what is your favorite poem? Can you relate it to your pet? Or to anybody?

4/365: What I Wanted For Christmas 2013 That You Can Give Me on My Birthday This 2014 (LOL)

Back in Christmas of 2012 I remember being tagged for the same meme as "All I Want for Christmas" and I ended up buying the things on my wish list aside from the  BabyRuth bar that my hubby surprisingly placed on my home desk after seeing a glimpse of my draft post back that time.  He said he saw me googling the photos of BabyRuth bars (D_mn! why he didn’t chance upon while I’m googling the Garmin watch? LOL)

So after that I told myself that I will not join such meme again because no Santa showed up to grant my wishes even I provided the whole year as my time frame to receive them (lol).

But last year (which was just 3 days ago) around four days before Christmas (hmp!) my favorite (insane) blogger who usually don’t do this meme suddenly joined the fun and tagged me on his “All I Want for Christmas” post.  And because this blogger is really one of my favorite plus that I am worried that I will be excluded from his "SOLEMN BLESSINGS”  I am now complying to the tag of no other than (tadah!) Tripster Guy!

I may need to break some rules here though.

First,  I will not be tagging anybody because Christmas Day is over.

Second, I replaced the Christmas photo with this!



Third, instead of the Christmas wish I made it my BIRTHDAY wish (evil grin).  And following the footstep of  Tripster Guy I will be a little extravagant  with my wish list this time. 

Here’s my list!

1. A huge ladies bag something similar to my Charles and Keith bag that already retired hu hu hu.



2. A replacement and hopefully of the same design of my Geox boots that is also nearing retirement hu hu hu.



3. Garmin running watch (again?). No pink color please.



4. Any one among my fave women’s original scent:
    Dior’s Poison or Dune / D&G (Red) by Dolce & Gabbana / Euphoria Blossom by Calvin Klein.



5. (As usual)  BabyRuth BARS.  Not the bite size please.



6. And of course WORLD PEACE!
If you will contribute to this I will consider it as equivalent to you granting all my wishes.  So you don't need to worry about granting my wishes numbers 1 to 5! Just be part of WORLD PEACE and I'm happy!



There! You all have 70 days to grant my wishes. Hurray!

3/365: On The 3rd Day of 2014 I Called In Sick

I woke up today with my head spinning and my throat aching and sore.  I have been feeling the symptoms the other day but as usual I ignore them and go to (over)work plus do all the (overly) other things that I plan for that day.

Well that is so me.  I always thought I am super woman, invincible and such.  Then of course my overworked rusting body will make me realized later that I’m just human capable of being sick.  Until my muscles are really aching and shaking, my throat can’t produce an audible voice and the digital thermometer ticked on a number that is over 39  that is the only time that I will admit to myself that “Oh yeah I’m sick”.  I then pick-up the phone and called in sick.

As I searched for over the counter medications in our cabinet,  I was morosely scolding myself (in silence) “Why do you need to be sicked at the first week of the year?”.   Before either I, me or myself morosely reply to this question, my “OC” mind is having a mental analysis on what my strength-limited body can do.  I’m just slightly sick you know, not really ill.  I will definitely not be staying in bed even with a fever.  I know that there’s a lot that I can do that I don’t need to physically stressed out my body.

Aha! Perfect time to go back to those drafts that I have been working on before the end of the year.  This is the sign that I should take the challenge that I have been contemplating for quite some time…. (that you all probably know by now what this is about). 

So I stopped scolding myself and powered on my lappy.  Now I know why I should be staying at home today.  I consider my being slightly sick as a blessing.  It gave me a whole day of extra time to finalize things that I have been wanting to finalize.

But before I let myself be lost in the limbo of my keypad I remember that I still have a pending promise to help one blogger friend who has been having problem with his blog for weeks now.  And I’m so glad that everything worked out okay on his blog.   He’s so happy that he sent me this message.  

Thanks Jondmur!

I’m happy as well that my day turned up well in spite of my being sick.  It is really up to us how we can make our time worthwhile.

What about you?  How are you doing this 3rd day of 2014?

2/365: The Things that I Miss When the Christmas Season is Over. (A Repost from My Former Blog)

My second entry for my 365 Day Blogging challenge is a repost from one of my blogs that I already deactivated.  At first I was hesitant to include this on my 365 Day Blogging challenge but this is the most perfect time to re-post this or else I will need to wait another year.  Anyway this is Christmas holiday related so here it is!

***** 

A lot of things have been said how good it is to spend the Christmas season in the Philippines and just like every Filipino I totally agree to all of them .

The Feast of Epiphany was celebrated last Sunday, January 6, this also officially marked that the Philippine Christmas season is over.  In spite of the long season of celebration, I still can’t help but wish that it is still Christmas.  Oh how I enjoyed these things during Christmas and now I am missing them…

Simbang Gabi (Dawn Mass)

I am one among the Roman Catholics who annually observed this devotion.  Not only that I am completing the nine-day novena, but I also experimented doing it in my own way.  The mass starts as early as 4:00 AM which means that you need to be awake earlier than that.  This is really challenging especially for  working people who needs to take away sleeping/rest time.

The Food outside the church after each Simbang Gabi
Going out of the fully packed church, you will be welcomed by the delicious smell of Bibingka, Puto Bumbong, Suman, Tsaa (Tea) and a lot more Filipino Christmas food.  Modern food stores are now selling these foods all year round but nothing compares in smelling them right under your nose while they are being cooked and prepared in front of you. and then consumed them while they are still hot!  Oh so yummy!




December Breeze
The Philippines is a tropical country and it’s hot most of the time. The cold December breeze is such a breather for everybody.  At least once a year we can experience a cold temperature less the rain and storms.

Hearing Christmas carols at dawn time
I just love to hear these undying songs especially at dawn time when everything is still quiet and peaceful

Buying and wrapping gifts and receiving thoughtful gifts
Though this part can sometimes drain your Christmas bonus, the feeling is fulfilling though that you are able to express your thoughtfulness even once a year (“Minsan lang sa isang taon” ).



The festive mood and decorations everywhere.
There are people everywhere mostly a whole family.  In spite of the traffic and holiday rush, there’s a unique look of joy in everybody’s faces.



And most of all… isn’t it that most people are extra forgiving, charitable and thoughtful during Christmas?  What about you? What do you miss most about Christmas?

1/365: Prelude to the 365 Day Blogging Challenge

While my fellow bloggers are enjoying (and some are still contemplating) with their “2013 Year End Post”, I’m contemplating on pursuing a long-time-pending-blogging-challenge – the “365 Day Blogging Challenge”!

Quite a challenge huh!

Some calls it “Prompt Writing” a prompt or a habit to get you writing each and everyday of the year.  Some calls it “One Post A Day’ .  But for whatever it is called this is simply a damn good challenge for bloggers.

This has been my goal since I started blogging for myself but I’m always in doubt that I can do this so I kept on delaying.   But that’s what challenge are for right?  It will not be called a challenge unless you know you can do it easily.

So why am I taking it this time? Here are some reasons:

1. This is the perfect time to start this – New Year!

2. As I have said, I have always wanted to do this.  I was doing this when I was younger on a private journal.  There was no pressure back then so I can quit anytime.  Doing this online  - I’m sure there are lots of eyes who will be watching me succeed or fail.

3. Writing is my first and real love so I don’t want it to be taken over by the other things that I’m doing in life or may I say to be eaten out by some other things that I’m doing.

4. I am VERY disappointed with my last year’s posting on this blog.  I am guilty of not giving this space my time that it deserves.  I’m worried as to what happened to other bloggers who drifted out of blogging and then finding it difficult (and awkward) to come back to blogging because they drifted out for so long.

5. Part of this disappointment is that when Google released the latest ranking and this blog failed to get its former PR2.  Remember that I bravely took the risk of losing my PR2 when I changed this blog into a dotcom because I knew I can get it back easily as long as I maintain this site the way I did when I started this.  However due to less time spent to this blog for the last six months of 2013 I failed to get back the same PR that I have prior to the dotcom upgrade.  I swear I’ll get it back this time if not higher!

6. I don’t want to stress out myself  in writing long(er) posts.  Most online readers have short-attention-span anyway.  They tend to skip-read when your post is really long.  The daily post will help me create something short and yet interesting.  Of course there will still be long and meaty posts from time to time.

7. I know I developed a handful of loyal readers who felt disappointed every time they visit my blog and landed on the same post (sigh*) from their last visit.  Some of them even wrote to me and said that “I hope I could write more often”.  I hope I can grant your wishes this time.  Let me also express my sincerest thanks for your support.

Now the question is... “Can I do this?”.

This is extra difficult for me because I am maintaining more than one blog one of which is also a dotcom. Well I have all of you to nag me if I’m missing some days or becoming too far behind right?  So you all will be my support to achieve this challenge!

Stay with me till we reach the 365th post okay?