As a daily commuter in Philippine traffic, you can’t help but notice that there are these people shouting out the route of the passenger bus or jeepney that happens to be along and ferries people to these commuter vehicles. These are the people that you call, “the barkers”. They range from men, women and children and their only job for the rest of the day is to call out the routes so that people will get aboard the commuter vehicles. Some are so violent at times when the driver or the conductor doesn’t give them anything after they have called and called out to people. Personally I think that we really don’t need them and that they are just an added expense to the drivers that make their living. I mean, commuters/passengers regardless if they are called out to or not will always ride the buses or jeepneys to get to work and to go home or just to be wherever they want to be. These barkers are sometimes abusive of the drivers. Once I was riding on this bus wherein the barker who was calling out rode inside the bus and would not go down unless the bus conductor gave him 50PHP in exchange for his services. I mean cmon. People will always ride the buses or jeeps whether these barkers call out or not. I think that they just want the easy job hence they resort to this kind of profession which is really not needed at all. People are not dumb and the drivers have their conductors to call out to passengers. So they are just really for me an added expense and sometimes they can be so violent and abusive if not given what they want.
Filed under: Daily Travel Diary, all about the philippines , all about the philippines, bus trips, Daily Travel Diary, philippines, random thoughts
It’s been over a year since I have started commuting to and fro from cavite to the makati area. In the distance and time that it takes me to commute every day I am very mindful of details especially since you can’t be too careful here in the metro. What with all the pickpockets and such. Anyway, ever since I started I always get these morning bus commuting highlights and it would normally be an old person or around late 40’s they usually introduce themselves as minimum wage earners/workers and that they have been abused by their employers and that they are on strike and they pass around with these wooden locked boxes to ask for donations to help out their cause. With so many of them I encounter on a daily basis I sometimes question if their causes are really true or is it just another of those “scams”. They have the same spiels and they go from bus to bus asking for “donations” to help them out. Are they really on strike or is it just another way to make money easy by asking from charitable individuals riding the buses. Personally, I don’t give them money because I am really wondering if they are true or just a scam. What do you guys think? I think that if their cause was true that they should appeal to a policy maker or the DOLE for solutions, after all that is what they are their for. We spend so much paying taxes and these taxes should be put to good use and not inside the pockets of dirty politicians to help out the Filipino people.
Filed under: Daily Travel Diary , all about the philippines, bus trips, Daily Travel Diary, philippines
February 24, 2009 • 1:34 pm
We all know that money is something that we cannot live without added to that is the rising costs of everyday living and you know that you have to earn really well to be able to have a lifestyle that you desire. I got this smart tip from Ruffy and Ai’s morning show yesterday while riding the bus. They had pageant title holders as their guest and the segment that I caught was the one with Miriam Quiambao as their guest. I have always admired her because I think that she is a very smart and yet a very interesting woman who goes after her dreams. She went through a trying time after her short marriage to her ex husband but she has bounced back so well and is now on her own and living her life. She shares with the hosts a bit of advice that I’m sure can actually help out a lot of people out there striving to make ends meet and hoping to be entrepreneurs one day.
She said that in order to be a millionaire someday you need to start thinking like one and millionaires actually multi manage their money in a lot of different ways. So she told Ruffa and Ai that she actually keeps jars in her bedroom labeled with different allocations for each jar. Here is what she has: LTS (Long term savings – 10% for business starting), Educ. (Education – 10%), NECC (Daily Neccesities – 50% or more depending on your need), FUN (fun savings – 10% anything that you might want to spend on yourself or a trip) and that was about it. She has got I think 1 more jar that I was not able to remember but I guess that the ones that I listed would be enough and I plan to start on my own soon. Probably this end of the month. We all go from paycheck to paycheck and this kind of thinking is actually very smart and very good advice and we all should actually do it. We might be able to minimize our debts this way and have a more fruitful life.
This kind of tip is actually just a lot of common sense that we sometimes forget to do. It should be the case that after ever salary comes in we should be able to spare at least 5-20% of the total amount and let it go to our nest egg (savings). Hopefully we can always manage our funds.
So I hope that what I shared will be able to help others out there who want to be financially free.
Photo Credit: mudflat.wordpress.com
Filed under: Daily Travel Diary , bus trips, Daily Travel Diary
January 29, 2009 • 11:45 am
My daily bus trip from home to the metro yielded another thinking session. Last night, I just watched “ Meet Joe Black” with my sister and was confronted with the idea that I know is looming in each of our minds, the subject of DEATH. Death is something that we can’t escape. It is the routine of our life. A cycle that we must follow through. This line from Brad Pitt during the movie about the most certain things in life like death and taxes really does amuse me. Earlier today, my close friend’s grandfather died. He was 94 years old. I told my friend not to be so sad. For sure, 94 is a good age to die. My friend’s grandfather has seen much and lived through so many things. He has lived and for me I think that it is the most important question that we should ask ourselves when nearing our deathbeds. Have I lived? Really, really lived? Have you? Or are you just going through the motions of life without stopping by to smell the roses just because you have bills to pay and mouths to feed.
Death is for me a celebration of sorts. Not of course the accidental and brutal deaths because those are bad ways to die but rather dying because of old age. At the end of that cycle in our lives, we should be celebrated. Celebrated for the life that we have lived. Celebrated for the moments that we have shared with family and most of all, memories that we have shared with all the people who passed by through our lives.
If I died, I wouldn’t want anyone to wear black. There should be a party of sorts. No crying but rather laughter and fun reminiscing. Yes, I am different. I don’t want to be mourned but rather Celebrated…
Filed under: Daily Travel Diary , bus trips, Daily Travel Diary, friendships, random thoughts
January 23, 2009 • 6:17 pm
Yes, this thought came from the bus ride. We all get very busy sometimes that we forget about small things. Small things that should not be forgotten nor go unnoticed. I am not really so religious but have you thanked God lately? I mean, thanked him for the day and for the flowers and the food that you just ate. It’s easy to forget these things because we take them for granted with the thinking that we deserve them but hey, we should still thank God. Have you thanked a family member for small tasks at home? Honestly, I haven’t but I’ll make sure to do it later when I come home from work. Expressions of gratitude are very important and makes a person feel nice and that alone should be enough reason why we need to do it.
Do you remember to say thank-you’s to friends that have listened to you as you told them your stories whether they may be happy or sad? Have you thanked them for still being there for you after all these time?
So what are you waiting for, go and express gratitude and you will find great joy in so doing.
XoXo
Filed under: Daily Travel Diary , bus trips, Daily Travel Diary, friendships, random musings, random thoughts
January 21, 2009 • 4:50 pm
In the course of my everyday commute I always have lots of time to think, to ponder and to look back on things and people who have crossed my life. Today was not different.
Most would say that people do come into your life for a reason whether they may be good or bad and that the only thing that you can hope for is that they have taught you something that you could use to better yourself. In the past 2 years I have been through a lot of very upsetting and happy moments and those moments have been milestones of a sort. They have pointed me now to what direction I should take, made me realize who my real friends were, taught me that I was stronger than I ever thought possible and made me aware of what I am very capable of. These things I did not really realize before I turned that bend. In the past year, I have been through gossip that really shocked and angered me. People who do not really know me, had the gall to analyze my actions and to pass judgment before getting to the core of the truth mostly because they just wanted the intriguing talks and not really the truth of the matter, why? Because controversy for some reason sells more than the truth and I’m sure that most of you would agree. So I just let these people continue with what they were doing because at that point in time, I couldn’t really care more about what they thought. What was important is that I had my family, friends and Z. Little by little though justice in the guise of karma came to these people who attacked me and I could just smile and say “yeah, they had it coming”.
Does karma really come? I would say yes, basing on the way my story has turned out. It does come to bad people. I have always believed that what you throw out in the world comes back to you a lot of times over. Do bad people really get punished? I would say that they do get punished although sometimes there is this waiting period and justice seems to be a long way off but hey, things at their right time and place.
I do believe in karma and I do believe that if you do other people bad stuff that it will come back to haunt you when you least expect it. The world has this weird way of working. Do I believe in forgiveness? Of course I do, forgiveness is something that all of us should never forget. Do i forgive and forget? Hmmm…At this point, I am just human. I might be able to forgive but never forget….
Filed under: Daily Travel Diary , bus trips, milestones, random musings, random thoughts
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