5 Benefits of Biking In The Morning

QUEZON CITY, Philippines - I went biking this morning.. Just want to share how awesome it feels to do it in the morning, when everyone's still asleep. Hahahaha.. So here is the story..

My bike is equipped with Shimano.

It's my off today! Friday. And I wanted to do something fun. I decided that I would go biking.. I haven't touched my mountain bike since I bought it last Christmas (it was a gift from an ex-coworker.. yes, she's that rich.)

I went around our subdivision (wow! just kidding though, it's not even gated.) So, again, I roamed around our area--Project 4--and discovered a lot of things. Biking, other than being beneficial to our health is also an awesome way to know yourself. Yes.. So true, you can forget yoga.

Here, I am listing down those other benefits I think biking has.

Suspension, baby.

1. Biking All By Yourself Helps You Reflect

..about life, of course. For every bumps, not of life but of what the humps cause, you'd definitely  realize "what the heck am I doing with my life?" Well, biking helped me think about my life's up and downs. Although, it's gets better day by day (hopefully,) there are still challenges that I am facing. But about yours, not really sure how to assist you. Just go biking, and you will see.

Sweet.

2. You Can Catch the Early Food

 Saw a woman selling cariocas (kariyokas.. not sure how it is spelled) and decided to buy one. It's 7AM in the morning for heaven sake, don't expect me to buy something better. But it is indeed better than any other street food out there.  Honestly, I don't like cariocas. I like sugar but not these. But I was surprised that it tasted better in the morning! It's crunchy and hot. The funny part is when I was looking for a bananacue I actually asked her "Do you have barbecue?" Stupidity at its best.

So my point is, if I didn't go biking, I wouldn't appreciate this little wonder right here.

Trying Photography Using A Mobile Phone

QUEZON CITY, Philippines - I never owned a DLSR or DSLR whatever. So I don't have an idea on how that "reality freezer on 2D" works. (UPDATE: I now own a DSLR) Since I have a phone which takes decent pictures, I decided to try photography and came out with these wonders! I AM GOOD, RIGHT?!

University of the Philippine Diliman

UP's University Ave, Diliman, QC

Oble showing his birdie to me.

Limelight: The Head Teacher

PASIG CITY, Philippines - What does it take to be influential? Aside from that killer smile and that overdone beauty queen wave, there’s got to be something those people have to be called influential. Everyone listens to what they say. Everyone pays attention to what they do. Everyone wants to share their message. From Oprah Winfrey to our very own Manny Pacquiao, many people in history have been influential to others. It seems like everyone has the potential to become significant. You don’t have to be as popular as Walt Disney to be an influential person. If you will just think about it, they must have become famous because of their influence! You can be influential in your own right. Want some proof? Meet Ms. Melarry Ribay.

Ms. Melarry Ribay, an English teacher, is perhaps the most influential person I’ve ever met in my entire career as an English tutor. It was my first day as a tutor in this academy in Ortigas Center. All of the employees were busy with their own tasks. Some teachers were teaching, of course, if not chitchatting. Some were surfing the internet. Some were filing documents. I then realized something was noticeably missing. Where’s the head teacher? As far I know, every educational institution has at least one person, other than the boss, who looks after everyone—a manager, a supervisor, or a head teacher. And in this place, why did it seem like everyone asked one another for help instead of going to the person in charge? Wasn’t there any? Since I was a newbie, I didn’t have the gut to ask. So I waited and waited. Until one day, a head teacher was finally introduced.

Her name is Melarry Ribay. She was not introduced as Ma’am Melarry or Professor Melarry (as she was once an English lecturer in Asian Summit College.) Rather, she was called Teacher Melarry because she opted to be called that way. I didn’t really ask more information about her because I was reluctant. But I heard good things. So good things, they sound too good to be true. Then I found her Friendster account. The facts were not lies at all! In her profile, I saw all her achievements. She had been there, done that, and yet she chose to be a head teacher in this humble academy.

Although most influential people get much interest for being different, you will soon be convinced that Miss Melarry, however straightforward she may be, is certainly an exceptional person. Her influence to the people she has been with is something noteworthy.

She was not so tall but her height was average for Filipina women. In a group of people swarming around a store that’s on sale, you wouldn’t notice she was there because she wasn’t tall. Her skin was bronze, if not dark, or most probably the typical kayumanggi with some yellowish accent. She had that Tyra Banks hairstyle; moreover, her thick bangs were covering her whole forehead. Her hair was dyed ash brown and highlighted blonde. It was long straight hair. Her earrings were sometimes enormous and weighty. I didn’t weigh them but I could see because her ears were sagged by their heaviness. She had this Nora Aunor-like mole on her face, right on the tip of her nose. If ever she’d get salvaged (may God forgive me for the thought), her face dilapidated, I would still recognize her as long as the mole is there, intact. I seldom caught her wearing her eyeglasses, and if ever I did, they would be those younger people wore. Rather, she was always wearing those light brown contact lenses. Her face didn’t show any signs of aging at all, even though she’s already in her late thirties.

Words: Mightier Than A Sword (Essay)

MANILA, Philippines - Is the pen really mightier than the sword? Edward Bulwer-Lytto thought so. Pens are used to write words while swords are used as a weapon to apparently hurt people. So, do we still agree that the latter is less powerful than the former? In my case, I do agree. Words do not just hurt people, they also change lives, whether for the better or worse, they have the potential change someone’s life forever.

Words, what are they? And where did they come from? According to the dictionary, a word is a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation that functions as a principal carrier of meaning. Linguists believe that words are universal, that no matter how we had contrarily evolved into another set human beings, we would definitely learn how to use words, but probably in a different manner that they might have cultivated into.  Words are therefore simple. But I think words are more than words. They are very powerful, yet we unconsciously do not realize how robust and controlling they are. Words are the greatest innovation man has ever developed.  They can inspire, influence, destroy and even build whatsoever. They move mountains, travel around the world in as fast as 1 second, and even kill people.  Still don’t agree?

There have been a lot of instances that people changed the world because of words. Whether written or spoken, they just mean a lot. A lot of wars were started by an exchange of words. A lot of friendships were destroyed by words. A lot of lovers were separated by words. Whether we like it or not, words will always be a factor, if not the main reason, that destroys good relationships. But are words really that bad? Not really. Words give us hope, life and inspiration. Let’s use Japan as an example, when tsunami struck this East Asian nation, people used words to express their thoughts. They used them to tell stories of heroism and courage. They used them to tell words of wisdom. And more importantly, without words, we can never have that chance to help and save lives.

In my 21 years of existence in this world, I must say words have never been my best friend. In other words, I am having a hard time using them. They sometimes agree with me, and most of the time, they betray me. It is always hard to find the perfect words that I really want to express. It’s so frustrating. I always have that “it’s on the tip of my tongue” moment. A single word can make a big difference and once we said them, we can never get them back.

I remember a point in my life when I had the chance to be part of the top section in our elementary school. I was a third grader. I was in the second section but I was doing great. In fact, I was doing so great that the school supervisor even heard about my performance, so one day, she visited me. It was the middle of the school year; I saw her talking with my adviser when they called me up. Then she said the magic words, “Do you want to be transferred to the first section?” It was too fast that I didn’t even have the chance to breathe. The pressure was on me. They were waiting for my answer. My head shouted “Of course! I want to be in Section 1.” But my mouth betrayed me and said, “No, Ma’am.” That very instant changed my life. From that moment on, they never put me in the first section even though I was the top pupil in Section 2 class. If I had said “Yes” that day, I could have had exclusive teaching advantage in school. I could have been the Valedictorian, well not really, but at least I would have gotten higher grades.

My story is a good example of how powerful a single word can be. Once executed, we can never take them back. It’s either they pick up us, or pull us down. The words we speak or write have a different upshot on the individuals they get to. And from there, everything can change permanently.

Collection Idea: Tomica

MANILA, Philippines - The only thing I collect is Tomica (aside from downloaded pirated games. ) Tomica is not Tom and Mica dolls (if ever they exist and if that makes sense.) It is a brand of toy cars--diecast metal cars--from Japan that feature real life cars.  From Honda Civic to Mitsubishi Lancer, name any Japanese car and they got it. So far, I have 24 in total. I started collecting once a month last year but hasn't purchased any for months now. I removed it on my priority list because I have got lots of bills to pay: cable, internet, mobile phone (credit card), and phone line.. Oh crap. That's too much for a working student like me. A normal Tomica isn't expensive, though. It is PHP169.95 (USD 4.18) a piece while the limited edition can be as much as PHP350.00 (USD 8.60) a piece.

I won't be showing you all my cars, but let me feature some of the ones I really love.

Here is Hummer H2. It is my Collection No. 005-111015. Scale 1/67. The good thing about this is that it is really huge! I mean, it is still small but compared to the others, it so fat ass! And that's what I love about it. It's ready to kill!

Hummer H2 posing for the camera.

This is a rare find.  Collection No. 006-111127. Scale 1/64. I had not much money when I saw this in a mall and that was the only time I actually saw one. So I grabbed the opportunity! If only I could ride it home, that would be an appreciation.

Jeep Wrangler is really awesome!