Passenger Talesstories about my experiences as a traveler and passenger

Eto ang pasaporte na ginagamit ng mga nagtatrabaho sa pamahalaan pag opisyal ang biyage nila sa labas ng bansa. Para makakuha ng ganito, kelangan ang may kulay na litrato para sa pasaporte, liham galing sa puno ng inyong ahensya para sa DFA, authority to travel, service record at certificate of no pending case.

(This is the passport used by government employees on official travel abroad. To get one, you have to bring a colored passport size picture, letter from the head of the agency to DFA, authority to travel, service record and certificate of no pending case.)

Construction work is one of the most hazardous jobs. Construction workers handle heavy equipment and materials. Depending on the project, they may be assigned to work on the 60th floor of a high rise building or build a flyover or bridge with just a safety belt and narrow scaffolding that keeps them from falling to their deaths. Before, construction companies were not so concerned with investing in safety equipment for their workers. There were a lot of accidents in work sites that resulted in severe disabilities to death for some of their workers. The advent of regulations and standardization bodies have cut down considerably on work related accidents because companies are more conscious of the safety of their workers and pedestrians affected by the company’s projects. Nowadays, construction companies strive for zero accidents in their construction sites and put up protective barriers to minimize accidents caused by falling debris to passersby.

Are you a movie or TV addict? Are your weekends, vacations and any free time spent watching TV, reruns and movies in dvds? Is your house littered with dvds of every sitcom or drama that ever hit the television screen? If you are the ultimate couch potato, then why not try making your couch comfortable by investing in home theater seating to improve your viewing pleasure, that is if you haven’t done this already? Just imagine having theater seats right in the comfort of your home. If this isn’t the ultimate fantasy of couch potatoes, I don’t know what is.

Yesterday, we decided to look for a Catholic Church to attend mass. I searched for the churches and mass schedules the night before. When Sunday rolled in we woke up late. Our only chance of attending mass was at the Catholic International Parish somewhere in Hannam-dong. We tried asking people from the dorm how to go there, unfortunately nobody was familiar with the church but we got instructions on how to get to Hannam-dong. We thought it must be easy to spot the church once we’re in Hannam-dong. But before we rode the bus to Hannam-dong we decided to check out the university near us where according the the roommate of Sol there was a Catholic Church inside the campus. So we walked to the University. We asked the guard and the other people walking in and out the university but we were told (by those who understood us) that there was no church inside and that they do not know of any Catholic Church nearby. After that futile search we walked down to a bus stop to wait for Bus 273 to take us to Hannam-Dong. We paid W1000 bus fare and proceeded to make sure that we’ll get off the right bus station. When we got off we were instructed to go the subway. Unfortunately, we did not know if we were to take the subway and to where. What we did was go down and tried asking people if they knew of any Catholic Church nearby. It was very hard work because we had a hard time understanding each other. What we usually did was use the guidebook given by my friends before I left. We just showed them the question that we wanted to ask. However, luck was not with us. Nobody knew of any Catholic Church nearby. We went up again and tried asking more people. While we were asking we continued walking. After quite a while we spotted a building with a cross. So we crossed the street to get to the building. We saw a signage with a cross over a scroll. We followed it but when we got there we felt that it was another Christian denomination because there was no statue of Mother Mary near the entrance. So we continued walking because further on we saw another building with a cross. We came across a young man who looked like a student. We asked him of he could speak English, and he did, very well. We asked him if he knew of a Catholic Church nearby. He said, “Is that where they pray to Jesus only or to Jesus and Mary?” So we replied, “Jesus and Mary.” He was apologetic but he did not know of any nearby church of Jesus and Mary. So we continued walking to another building with a cross on it. It was a Methodist Church. Finally, we gave up and decided to find somewhere to eat. We did not know where we were anymore. We just kept walking inside the numerous alleys somewhere in Hannam-dong (?). While looking for a place to eat we came across a street market. After finally choosing a restaurant where there were pictures of the food and the price was not so expensive, we sat down and ordered. I forgot the name of the restaurant but what was amazing was that their rice was inside the omelet. I guess you can say it’s “kanin na, ulam pa.” After eating we browsed through the street market where I finally bought boots and 2 pairs of leggings.

At around 4:30pm we decide to head home. Of course we did not know where we were anymore. We just decided to go by our instincts and some common sense. We headed to the streets where we saw blue buses (the color of 273) pass by. We saw another signage of a cross over a scroll and we learned that this meant that the church is Presbyterian. When we got to the bus stop we saw that our bus did not pass by there. So we kept on walking. We stopped and asked somebody where we can find Bus 273. He pointed us to another direction but I was not convinced of his direction. I think he thought we were asking for Bus 243. We disregarded his direction and proceeded to follow our instincts. While still on the other side of the highway, we saw Bus 273 pass by. We were triumphant at finding the route for our bus now all that was left was finding the nearest bus stop, which we finally located after a false start. Of course our misadventure for that day did not end there but I’m too tired to relate it all and besides this is only about finding the Church and I’ve gone completely off the track.

Anyway, when I was finally in my room and reading the gospel for the day, I realized that it was the Solemnity of the Epiphany where the three wise men went to search for the Messiah. When I read the passage I quickly realized that it somewhat mirrored our experience, there were three of us searching for the Church and nobody could point us to the right place. Unlike the three wise men, there was no star to guide us, only crosses but not for the church we were seeking. And unlike the three wise men, we did not find our way. Even though that experience can be termed as a failure, it strengthened our drive to look for a Catholic Church before Sunday arrives again so that we can finally say, we found what we were looking for.

Yesterday, after walking around the area near KDI, we decided to take a taxi back to our dormitory because our legs were already aching from the long walk. When we told the driver to take us to KDI, he could not understand us. Since we could not speak Korean, I had my friend show the driver the instruction given to us about taking the taxi from the airport to the school. Unfortunately, my friend only brought the English instructions, which the driver could not also understand. We tried to give him directions since the way was just very simple. What the driver did was call up the number indicated in the paper we showed him. He talked to Mr. Yoo, the program coordinator, who gave him instructions to take us back to the dormitory. I was very surprised at the way the driver made the call without charging us extra for that extra service. It seems that it’s the way they are here in Korea, service over and above what is expected. It was like that even yesterday when we arrived at the airport. The person who was supposed to pick us up did not arrive yet and we were asking the person behind the tourist information desk about the possible entrances and exits in the airport in case the person picking us up was waiting somewhere else. The girl at the counter asked us what the cellphone number of the person was so that she could call him. Since we did not know, we were unable to give it to her.

I guess Korea is very friendly to tourist. The problem is the language barrier. It would be best to have a basic knowledge of the Korean language because a lot of Koreans, particularly the shopkeepers, restaurant owners, bus and taxi drivers only speak Korean. We’re really having a hard time going around Seoul because of this but of course we didn’t let it stop us Our motto is, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”

People are very health conscious nowadays. They are trying to stay away from fried foods in order to minimize the health disorders derived from eating too much of this kind of foods like, high cholesterol, hypertension and obesity. They turn to other ways of cooking like boiling, steaming and grilling.

For different meats and fishes, grilling is a delicious way of preparing them. All time favorites include chicken or pork barbecue, grilled fish and steaks, and my personal favorite, grilled hamburgers. However, there are studies that relate grilled food to cancer. It has something to do with eating the charred parts which are said to cause cancer. Nowadays, technology has come up with ways to enjoy the taste of grilled food without the harmful side effects, something like healthy grilling. You can enjoy the delicious taste of grilled food without the charred parts. Another advantage to this technology is that you can grill inside the house because it is smoke-free. A great way to enjoy favorite grilled dishes without the hassle of the conventional way of grilling.

Earlier, a friend and I were discussing changes she wanted to implement in her life this 2009. We talked about saving money and laying aside something for the future by continuing her Social Security payments and taking an insurance policy. Usually when talking about insurance with retirement in mind, we mean the permanent life insurance as opposed to term life insurance. Permanent life insurance programs are more expensive because these are designed to be permanent and pay death benefits. Term life insurance on the other hand, provides coverage for a limited period of time. If the insured dies within the period, his beneficiaries will be paid the death benefit. However, if not, the insured can either continue the policy and pay increasing premium or he can also drop the policy.

The Internet is a good place to find information about the different types of insurance and what would suit your lifestyle best. It is also the best place to get term life insurance rates and permanent life insurance rates. The more information you have, the higher your chances of getting the best life insurance policy there is in the market.

Sometimes it really happens that when you choose a certain path because you think it will be easier and more hassle-free, it turns out to the opposite. This is what happened to me last December. After our office party, I was scheduled to go to a get together with my former office mates at Greenhills. Since Greenhills is some distance away from UP Diliman, I left the office before the party really ended. I sacrificed my opportunity to win a flat screen TV, the grand prize of our Christmas raffle, because only those present when their names are called will be able to claim the prizes. (Turns out it wasn’t much of a sacrifice since my name wasn’t drawn.) So I left the office at past 6:00pm so that I can be at Greenhills by 7pm. When I got to Q Ave MRT station I decided to take the van to Megamall instead of going up and taking my chances with the train. It was rush hour and my bags were bulky. Besides, even if the journey will be quicker, I’d have to walk a bit to take an FX bound for Greenhills at Megamall. When I got inside the van it wasn’t long before we were on our way. The van looked new and it was very cold inside. The ride was going well until we stopped at a Petron gasoline station somewhere in Cubao. I thought the driver was just going to have gas refill but I saw him get water instead. That was fine. What wasn’t fine was that we were at the gasoline station for 20 minutes while he filled and refilled the water tank with liters and liters of water. I was already grumbling that the van’s water tank must be a bottomless pit. I wasn’t the only one getting restless. The other passengers were already fidgeting and murmuring too. Finally after 20 minutes we were on our way. Unfortunately, the driver just brought us to EDSA so that we can take the bus or taxi to Megamall. In fairness, he returned our fare in full. Since he no longer had change, it was up to us to divide the money between ourselves. We were really pissed off with the driver and the situation. Of course we can’t do anything but make the best of the situation. I and some of the other passengers caught a bus that will take us Megamall to our various destinations. This unfortunate incident turned out to be fortunate for me because I saved a lot of money from my fare. Instead of the P35 van fare, the bus ride was just P11 and I was able to get off at Ortigas and take the jeepney to Greenhills, another savings because jeepney fare costs P7.50 while FX fare from Mega to Greenhills is about P20 or P25. I still managed to arrive in Greenhills at 7:00pm.

And our get together was a great success. I guess all is well that ends well.