EZ-link card

This night, I chanced to ride the same jeepney that I rode
to work this morning.

I was reminded that this morning, one of the passengers
argued with the driver because he told them that they paid 2.50 pesos
short of the fare. The passenger told him that their destination is
only a kilometer away and 7.50 each is too much. She even pointed to
the notice inside the jeepney. But the notice stated that the minimum
fare in Manila is 7.50 pesos. She either didn't understand English or
pretended not to in order to wriggle out of paying the right fare.
The driver told her (passenger) not to bother as he didn't want to
argue.

My EZ-Link card and that of my mother were short of the
proper value when we rode a bus from Clifford Pier to Harbourfront in
Singapore. The display showed "pay cash to the driver". The norm is
to pay the exact change to the driver. Unfortunately, my lowest
denomination was a SGD 50 bill. We just tapped our cards again when
we alighted. At the Harbourfront MRT, I "topped up" both cards. The
lowest top up value is SGD 10. Both our EZ-cards value showed 9.92
instead of 10. The difference between the stored value and our fare
to Harbourfront was automatically deducted from the new value of the
card. Actually, each of our EZ-link card's value was 12.92. SGD 3 is
not displayed because it is a deposit for the card and refundable when
returned to Transitlink.

I like this cashless system because it lessens arguments and
cheating.

If this could only be implemented here, perhaps, there would
also be lesser "tong" and corruption in the streets.

sayong
08-30-06 11pm

mass surprises

This Sunday, our parish priest emphasized the importance of
the use of short words in human relations. "I love you", "Please
forgive me", and "May I help you?" can make a lot of difference.

Last Sunday, the message was the involvement of young people
in church services. But my mother and I heard this in a mass in St.
Joseph's Church in Victoria St., Singapore.

St. Joseph's Church is said to be the first place of
Catholic worship in Singapore.

Aside from The Lord's Prayer and Lamb of God, only two songs
were sung familiarly, "Blest are You, Lord" and Maranatha's "I will
Serve You".

The service reminded me a lot of the masses I attended in
Geneva a decade ago. Those were more solemn, though.

To my delight after the mass, my high school classmate,
Honey, saw me and my mother. We haven't seen each other for about
five years. She was also on vacation with her mother.

The world is really small.

sayong
08-28-06 11:45pm

hip sprain

I spent half the day at De Los Santos Medical Center again,
for a check-up on the hip sprain I got from partying last night.

Around 8:30pm last night, the Philippine Navy Band started
playing dance numbers. Some of us went dancing on the space provided.
I must have been dancing vigorously because I suddenly felt a tearing
pain on my left hip. I continued to dance for a few more minutes to
warm down. When I went home, it was already hard for me to walk
straight because I couldn't put pressure on my left hip and foot.

I put Salompas on my hip and took an Ibuprofen pill. When I
woke up, it was even harder for me to walk straight. I took another
Ibuprofen and went to the hospital.

The doctor who first saw me couldn't decide and asked me to
wait for the clinic director. The doctor didn't arrive and I was
again asked to wait for the doctor who'd report after lunch. This
doctor arrived at 2pm.

The first doctor was the same one who checked me a month
ago, and who didn't recognize that my sore throat and tongue were
symptoms of one illness. It took Dr. Federico Malubay from Malacañang
Clinic to cure me.

sayong
08-25-06 10:20pm

Glück im Spiel

"Glück im Spiel, Unglück in der Liebe." (Lucky in cards,
unlucky in love.)

I must be extremely unlucky in love because for the past two
years now, I've been consistently getting minor and major prizes every
office anniversary and Christmas celebrations.

Tonight, I got a 2,000-peso worth of gift certificate for
Nike products.

Last Christmas (2005), I got 1,000-peso cash. In last
year's anniversary celebration, I got a bag. In Christmas 2004, I got
2,300 pesos from the party with the staff of Ople Foundation and an
umbrella from our agency's party.

Before these, my officemates used to make fun of my
misfortune in raffles and other lotteries. There was a time (2001
anniversary celebration of our agency) when everyone of my
officemates/roommates won, but for me. In my supervisor's pity, he
gave me his minor prize (Manila Hotel cookies and envelope bag).

Oh well, if I'd be unlucky in love, I might as well be
fortunate in material things :)

sayong
08-25-06

reality

Qeueing for almost an hour to ride a taxi with a broken seatbelt and I
realized that vacation is over. I'm back in Manila.

sayong
08-22-06

Malacañang Clinic

I was shocked to learn that today is the last day of
Malacañang Clinic.

Only last Monday morning, I consulted Dr. Federico Malubay
on my cough and colds. He asked me to return after three days, which
is tomorrow. But the Clinic will be closed already tomorrow, as the
staff will be busy packing up.

Since July 31, I've been visiting the Malacañang Clinic a
lot. It has helped me a lot, particularly Dr. Malubay and his nurse
Fern. They have helped a lot of other people, too.

But starting next week, it will no longer serve the public.
It will be dedicated to the employees and their dependents alone.

Fern said that she has no other option but to apply for
early retirement, along with many others, including the doctors, as
they will no longer be needed. She said that Dr. Malubay is also
retiring.

Sad.

sayong
08-16-06 10:40pm

Maalala Ko Kaya

Another weekend came and went.

My memory is really short. Just now, it took me a while to
remember what I did this weekend to make me feel so tired.

Perhaps, my afternoon nap, which was ridden with dreams,
corrupted my already faulty memory :). In short, it's hard at this
time to remember which were part of my dreams and part of reality :)
Dangerous, I know...

But my dreams are usually related to what is currently
happening in my surroundings or what will happen in the very near
future.

For instance, one of my dreams this afternoon was that part
of our main street was closed to traffic because of the filming of an
episode in ABS-CBN's Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK). The area in my dream
that was blocked was at the right of our house.

In reality, the MMK shooting is at the front left (at a
beauty salon in our street called Pyramid) and though there were some
slow down in traffic after this Sunday's masses, the street wasn't
blocked and vehicles weren't rerouted.

The church is just less than 10 lots away from our house and
Pyramid is half way across.

The filming is still going on and ABS-CBN's vans are still
parked across our house up to the Pyramid. My cousin said that it
features Roderick Paulate and Aiza Seguerra and it will be shown on
August 18.

Anyway, our area, Bacood, is currently a favorite location
for commercials and TV shows. Once every month at least, my nephews
or cousins would tell me that a film is ongoing in this or that
street.

We had more shoots last summer. One that I watched was the
filming of the Coca Cola summer commercial here last March 7.

Anyway, I finally remembered that I slept around 1am of
Saturday because I was still searching for a hotel on the internet. I
woke up early Saturday to wash 5 window blinds. It took me until 2pm.
Of course, I was also assisting my sister in taking care of my
nanny-less nephew.

I also slept around 1am of Sunday. By 7am, I was already
washing bags and more. Though I was already tired, I continued with
the cleaning of one of my aquariums (Hmmm…I found three carps dead
tonight).

After that, I fell asleep and dreamed.

sayong
08-06-06

unannounced fire drill

We finally had our unannounced fire drill today. Most of us
have been anticipating it since last week -- with uneasiness -- after
our quite shoddy fire drill three weeks ago.

My part was easy this time as it wasn't our floor that was
on fire. Nor did we have any victims to rescue.

Last time, my alternate communication team member was tasked
to be one of the victims. I had to do all the ringing of (and running
to the) fire alarm on our floor, the reporting and inhaled a lot of
smoke in the process.

In our meeting last Wednesday, we were told that alternate
comm. team members would have to ring the alarm. In their absence,
the nearest floor would have to assist.

But since I didn't have anything else to do today, I did the
ringing myself and acted as tail during the evacuation. Quite easy.

sayong
08-04-06

Dagupan still

I believe that most wishes have a way of coming true when they are
meant for the good of other people.

====================
Shang Yi

Credo in unum Deum
For He that is mighty has done great things for me - Luke 1:49