Passenger Talesstories about my experiences as a traveler and passenger

I rode the bus today to get home. I usually like riding the bus but when I got on I remembered one aspect of bus-riding I don’t like, buses show movies. Usually the drivers show action, suspense or horror movies, which I’m not fond of. Of course you can’t expect to watch chick flicks because almost all the drivers are males. Anyway, the movie that was showing was an American-Vietnam war movie. It was almost finished when I got on so I don’t really know the story. From what I can gather, it was about American soldiers trapped in the Vietnamese jungles or something. What was striking was that there was this American soldier that got trapped in one of the caves where there was a Vietnamese woman and two children. The Vietnamese woman was brandishing a knife while the American was holding a gun but he was telling the woman that he was not going to kill her but he just wanted to go up the tunnel. The woman was shouting I will kill you in Vietnamese and she was a bit hysterical because she was facing the enemy who could kill her and the children. The woman was yelling at the soldier while the soldier was trying to pacify the woman and gesturing towards the entrance of the tunnel. The woman made the children go into the tunnel while keeping the American at bay when suddenly there was a sudden explosion because unknown to them, an American fighter plane was bombing the area. When the explosing subsided, the man and the woman found themselves trapped in the cave and they tried to dig their way out together. Unfortunately, they were not able to do it in time. The movie ended with the woman losing consciousness due to lack of oxygen, then the man losing his consciousness also and the oil lamp lighting the cave also flickered out. So I guess the lesson of story is that in a dangerous situation, enemies should cooperate with each other to get out of the situation as fast as possible and just continue fighting when they get out.

After the movie was finished, I saw the conducter replacing the CD. I was wishing that the player would get broken because I did not want to suffer through another movie. But before that, I was made to realize how dirty public places really are because there was this old man who transferred to a seat in front but on the other aisle. When he was seating down I smelled something odorous. I was wondering if it was him then the woman seated beside him suddenly stood up and transferred to another seat so maybe I was right. Suddenly the man blew his nose using his finger and dropping it to the floor on the right side of the bus. Yikes. Then he took out his hanky and blew his nose again. When he got off, he held on the back of the chairs until he was able to get off the bus. Just imagine the bacteria or virus transmitted by that single act.

So anyway, the next movie was starting. I could sense that it was a horror movie and it was but what was surprising was that it was a French film with no subtitles. It was the third time I got on the bus and they were showing European films. Anyway, that bus film incident really brought home the fact that globalization is really at work because bus driver and passengers in the Philippines were watching a French thriller where the French characters were riding a Japanese SUV while listening and singing along to a British popsong while on vacation in Croatia (I checked the Internet. Hehehe). I should have taken note of the digicam one the girl characters was using. Maybe it was from another country also.

I rode the bus on my way home yesterday because I came from a training orientation and not from the office. I like riding the bus but I do not like it when they play a movie. It was just my luck that they were playing an old local action movie. The hero was a judge, played by a veteran actor, whose wife and daughter were brutally killed by a gang of men. One of the killers was a brother of a congressman and the judge knew that he would not be able to get justice for his family through the legal process. So he became a vigilante and started killing the suspects. As usual with these local action movies you see a lot of blood and gore and some sex scenes. In this case it was between an old actor and a young actress. It looks kind of weird. Maybe if it were in real life, the older man would be using enzyte to keep up with his very much younger “leading lady”. I was not able to finish the movie, which was a good thing, because I had to get off already.

You’re really grown-up when you start talking about insurance, either education insurance for your children or life insurance for you. This was our conversation during lunch break one day last week at the office. An officemate was lamenting the unfortunate outcome of her education insurance investment because the insurance company became bankrupt. We also talked about the impact of the recent financial crisis on the insurance companies. I asked them if this means that it’s not worth investing in insurance anymore. They replied that it’s not so because insurance companies have become wiser already and are more careful in their processes. This means that people can still invest in insurance like life or pension. The web is a good place to check out a free life insurance quote. If you want a more personal touch, then there are many insurance agents available who will be glad to share with you their products in person.

Buying a readymade house is easier than having to build one from the ground up. Of course, once you move in that’s when problems start to crop up. I can remember my mom complaining about the fixtures that got easily broken, how water leaked through the exhaust fan in the kitchen after it rained and also that the paint washed away after cleaning the walls. Some of the back jobs were done by the owner but we had to pay for the others. Now we have a problem with the toilet. There is something wrong with the flush. I think it leaks although it still works. It’s not a Kohler toilet but one of those not so expensive brands. Maybe that’s the reason why some people want to build their own houses because they want to put in equipment with the brands that they prefer and trust.

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. I did not know what to give to my mom. My brother texted me and asked what our gifts for her would be. I told him that I just planned to treat mom to lunch after attending mass. He told me that if she wanted to go to a beauty parlour then he will send some cash as reimbursement. I told my mom about it but she was not in the mood for the beauty parlour that day. We had lunch at Amici after the mass and she wanted to buy some blouses. So I told her I would pay for one. It turned out that there was nothing she liked. It was only yesterday that she got around to going to a parlour and having her hair cut and dyed then footspa and having her nails done also. I told my brother and he said he’ll send the money tomorrow.

Earlier this year I attended a baby shower. I was at a loss what to give for a baby boy. Good thing that the person who organized the party gave us suggestions of what the mother wanted. Suggested gifts were not expensive like clothed diapers and clothes. So when it was time to open the gifts, there were a lot of diapers opened. I guess I was not the only one who is not creative with gifts. But the nicest gift was a personalized gift from the sister of the mother-to-be. It was a simple crib decoration that she made with strings and beads. It had the name of the baby on it. Her gift was opened before mine so I was kind of ashamed when it was my turn but my friend, the mom-to-be was very enthusiastic in her appreciation for my gift so it was ok.

Recently, our office invested in security cameras for the gate and the lobby. However, this did not stop the theft of an LCD television from the executive meeting room. We were met with the loss of the LCD television after coming from a three-day weekend. Up until now, investigation is still ongoing. I don’t think the investigators have any leads yet. Right after the loss of the TV, the guards were more vigilant in their inspection of bags and cars. While talking about the theft, I suggested to an officemate that we should buy more cameras and put them in strategic places like halls and fire exits. He vetoed this as being too expensive. I guess that is true. Unless they can find a cheaper way to improve the security in the building, office equipment and other properties will continue to disappear.

My mom’s wish to buy a car seems to be becoming a goal already. She was talking about how long the processing time is that’s why she wants to be sure that one of my brothers will make good on his promise to contribute a certain amount. Months before when she first talked about buying a car, I searched the internet for the models within her budget and I asked around about what brand would is the best. My officemate mentioned Toyota because there are models that are models within my mom’s budget and parts are abundant here than other brands like Honda and Nissan. It would be great if we were rich enough to afford a European brand but I’m sure there is a dearth of automobile parts for these kinds of cars if you have to have it repaired. I’m sure Ferrari parts are not grown on trees in this part of the world. You seldom see somebody driving a Ferrari, even here in the capital.

Earlier, my officemate and I were talking about building houses. She mentioned that it is easier to get a loan if you buy a ready-made house and lot than buying a lot then building a house separately. I have heard from my friends and relatives how difficult it is to build a house because you can be sure to always overshoot your budget. It is a constant headache from the design stage up to the constant monitoring of the contractor and the builders. Now, one also has to keep in mind environmental considerations. If you only have limited budget and it’s only going to be a small house, I’m sure you won’t be able to hire a contractor with bpi training. Sometimes it seems better to just buy a readymade house. Who cares if the houses in the neighbourhood look the same? The con however is that you cannot also be sure of the quality and structural integrity of the readymade house.

While I was in Cebu, my friends and I ate at Larsian. It’s a very popular barbecue place since I was child. However, eating there requires a cast-iron stomach because it is not quite hygienic. I wanted to eat barbecue and puso that’s why my friends brought me there. Puso is rice cooked inside weaved coconut leaves. It is makes eating rice very easy if you don’t have a spoon or fork.

Larsian is styled like a food court with all the stalls selling grilled food so you can just imagine how smoky it is. When you enter the opening, you’ll be greeted by barkers calling out for you to eat at their stalls. There are long tables in front the stalls so all the customers will share the long table with each other. The first step is to choose a food stall then choose the food you want to order. Menu usually consists of barbecued chicken parts and chicken entrails like liver, heart, intestines, etc. and same with the pork. Grilled fish and squid are also available. The seller shall cook or heat the food that you’ve chosen then serve it to you in a plate wrapped in plastic. You’ll also be given plates wrapped in plastic. In lieu of spoon and fork, you’ll be given plastic to wrap your hand in so that you can eat with your hands. The plastic comes in handy because there is washbowl or sink available for you to wash your hands. I enjoyed the dinner very much even though I smelled like barbecue after.

In order to complete my Cebu food trip, we proceeded to the nearest Orange Brutus place to order mango shake. Orange Brutus was also very popular (and only?) fastfood place when I was still in elementary and high school, before the advent of Jollibee and McDonalds. It was known for its mango shake and sausages. I think that it’s only their mango shake that still remained true to my memories.