Yesterday on my way home from Med City where I had a check up with my doctor, I saw this guy in a small red car. I was sweating inside a jeepney at that moment while he was inside an airconditioned car with windows tinted, except for the windshield. His left hand was raised and palm wide open. I was wondering what he was doing when I saw his left pinky inside his nose. He was dialling an unreachable number. Hahahaha….
Forgetfulness runs in the family. My grandmother always forgets where she puts her cellular phone and her wallet. My mother leaves her eyeglasses wherever she happens to be and then promptly forgets where she left them. What she needs are cheap glasses so that she will have plenty of spare placed strategically around the house. I on the other almost always forget something when I’m going to the washroom during lunch breaks. I have to take another trip back to my desk because I left something I needed behind. Maybe it is plain carelessness on my part or maybe age is really catching up with me 
Tatsulok sa Boracay…Kinuha ko ito nung pumunta kami nung isang taon.
(Triangle in Boracay…I took this when I went there last year.)
On my way to Baybay from Tacloban, I was jolted out of my somnolent state when I saw a motorcycle with a roof. Forgive the surprise of an urbanite because I’ve never seen anything like that before and I have never imagined putting a roof over a motorcycle. For other city dwellers who are also unfamiliar with such a site and whose eyebrows are now raised in disbelief, yes, it was a motorcycle and not a tricycle and yes I can definitely distinguish one from the other. I’m a great fan of tricycles. I thought that it was just a freak thing but I saw that there were more of them as we went along and some had 3-4 passengers riding astride aside from the driver.
I asked one of staff in the office that we went to in VSU about what I saw and they told me that it was called a habalhabal. I theoretically knew what a habalhabal was. My high school Melai, once mentioned it to me that in Carmen, Bohol (where my ancestors and hers came from), habalhabals were the only transportation that can penetrate the interior towns where there were no highways, just dirt roads. However, she failed to mention that it had a roof or maybe the Bohol variety do not have roofs unlike their Leyte counterpart. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention or innovation, in this case. The staff explained that since the passengers wanted to be protected from the heat of the sun and from getting wet during downpours, drivers began putting roofs on their motorcycles. I was told once that a habalhabal could accommodate as many as 10 passengers. Imagine, 10 passengers squeezed together in one motorcycle? Talk about another level of commuting discomfort. I think the seats of these motorcycles are extended so that they can accommodate more than three people.
Incidentally, the word habal is a Visayan term for animal mating, particularly for dogs. I don’t know if the picture of how all the passengers are squeezed in the vehicle brings to mind such a basic animal activity or if there is another simple and innocent explanation in the etymology of the term. Keeping in mind the Visayan quirky sense of humor then I don’t think the explanation is anything innocent, simple maybe, but not so innocent 
Before my 2005 trip home after five years of not visiting, I bought a trolley bag, an instamatic camera, and gifts for my relatives. I was excited about my bag because it represented the possibility of more travels and camera because it was an instrument to capture happy memories. Unfortunately, midway through my trip, the camera broke down. Good thing I was able to borrow from my cousin so I was able to use something for the rest of my trip. The bag survived but was torn in a small not so noticeable place from the rough handling at the airport. However, when my brother’s trolley bag was damaged when he was on his way back to Malaysia, he borrowed mine and I never saw it again. If only he bought a Briggs and Riley bag then when it was damaged, he could have sent it back to them to repair, for free, then he would have returned my bag, or maybe I’ll ask him what became of my bag and tell him to just replace it with a Briggs and Riley.
My officemate and I were on our way home talking to each other inside the FX when the voice of the man at our back impinged on my subconscious. He was talking softly on his cellphone. I wasn’t really paying him any attention. The words, “I called you and texted you but you did not answer” just drifted through my awareness. I was kind of preoccupied already because it was almost time for me to get off and my conversation with my officemate was still on-going. I did not catch the next part of that one-sided conversation until I hear him say, “So you’re saying that you want to break up with me?” in a sad, resigned tone. Of course I could not hear what the person on the other end of the line was saying, much too low for my bionic ears. Hehehe. When I heard the words, it took all my self-restraint not to turn my head and look at the guy at my back. Half of my mind was on following his conversation while one fourth was on my companion and the other one fourth preparing to get off. Then I hear him say, “Alam mo di ko kaya. (You know I can’t do it.)” still in that soft and sad voice. My imagination was running wild with various interpretations, no he can’t break up with his other girlfriend, no he can’t leave his wife and their nine kids (hehehe, so nine kids are too much), no he can’t hang up his black cape (i said wild, didn’t I?) or simply, no he can’t do it if he has to be the one to say goodbye first (ohhh, how sweet…my foot :p) Then the conversation ended and I heard something like a sniffle. I really almost turned my head but then the FX stopped and after saying goodbye to my officemate, I got off the vehicle.
Who says you can’t hear anything interesting in public transportation? Certainly not me because I’ve heard plenty of interesting stories about strangers and even about friends from complete strangers who thought that only walls have ears but not their fellow passengers.
Today, businesses find that it is worth their while to invest in a company website. It is very important to be highly visible in the Internet. Whenever people need information on a product, place, service, and etc. they usually look it up in the Internet. There’s even a new expression, “google it†to mean search it in the web. Some businesses are even operating purely online with no physical structures, bringing down their cost considerably.
When opening an online business, it is important to invest in great ecommerce software. The software should be affordable, easy to use and can be customized according to your needs. Aside from these attributes, good software must also have a back up of 24-hour technical support and great customer service. For small and medium sized business who cannot afford to employ full time IT support staff, a software seller with a very accommodating technical support would be invaluable.
For online retail shops, shopping cart software comprises a big part of their software needs. Shopping carts help online customers organize their purchases and make on line shopping experience stress-free and satisfying. So now shoppers do not need to worry how they can carry all the stuff they bought. They can just wait for these to be delivered to their homes.
End of the school year is here once more. Our colleges and universities have spewed thousands of graduates again into the already strained market place where the demand for jobs highly exceeds the supply. Sometimes getting a job is like going through the proverbial needle. So for all you newbies out there, here’s a tip, package your resume well and include a well-written cover letter. The cover letter is the first thing that a prospective employer reads so make sure that your letter is catchy, well-written and make sure that all your I’s are dotted and all your t’s crossed. The Internet is full of websites that can help you come up with great cover letters. They even have templates you can use as pattern. So what are you waiting for, draft that letter and resume and make those employers sit up and take notice.
I always dreamed of living in an exclusive village or subdivision, not because I want wealthy neighbors but because of the atmosphere in these villages. Most of the houses are well designed and maintained, picture-perfect streets with trees shading the sidewalks and the peaceful atmosphere. What’s not to like? It’s really a far cry from the apartments where we have lived. Our neighbors are nice and all but there are always noisy people around.
It would be nice to experience living in a neighborhood, in one of those top rated Branson real estate, where you won’t hear the radio blaring day in and day out and the only off key singing I would hear is my voice in my room singing along (or trying) to the karaoke.
On our way to work, my mom and I rode the jeepney. I paid for the fare since she always pays for the more expensive tricycle ride but if we ride a taxi, she’s still the one to pay for the taxi. Hehehe. Anyway, when I received my change, I was disappointed that it was so little. I was expecting more but since the jeepney rates along our route are not as fixed as they should be I just let it go. However, a little while later, the driver gave me additional change. I was really surprised because I did not say anything to him. Maybe he saw my puzzled frown when I saw my change through the rearview mirror, or maybe his conscience kicked in, whatever the case, I was glad for the additional change.
Then in the afternoon on my way home in an FX, the driver just charged me P15. The fare is usually between P15-20 but drivers usually charge P20 especially during rush hour and if they make use of a barker. I was expecting the driver to charge me P20 because there was a barker calling for passengers when I rode the FX. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that my change was P5 more than I expected.
Life can really give you good surprises even if they come in small packages
