Friday, August 29, 2008

Photofunia

Check their website, click me.


High and Low

Sobrang busy na naman this month, muntik nang maging lowest record ang August posts ko this year.

Pakiramdam ko tumaas ang confidence level ko sa pagsasalita pero bumaba naman sa pagsusulat.

Paano kasi, relaxed na relaxed ako sa interview session ko sa Telus. Wala rin gaanong pressure sa 3-day meetings with one of our biggest clients along with our foreign partners. Wala masyadong nose bleed.

Sa bago kong sideline ako nangangarag. This month I was welcomed by Writers.ph as one of their freelance writers. Nung nag browse ako sa mga available writing jobs, potek, wala akong masimulan! Ang higpit sa writing standards at ambibigat ang topics! Dun ko nalaman na marami pa akong dapat na kaining bigas.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

bits and pieces

Plano namin ni mahal sa December siya magbubuntis, pero due to insistent friends' and relatives' demands, imu-move namin nang mas maaga. Like this month na. So by end of August, magkakaalaman na kung positive. =)

***

Hay naku, may medals na ang Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia at Vietnam sa Beijing Olympics. Tayo? Wala, puro dada lang kasi.

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Kung totoo man yung binalita ni Jiggy Manicad na nasaksihan niya kung paano mag-agaw buhay ang isang sundalo sa loob ng apat na oras na paghihintay para madala sa pagamutan, hindi na kataka-taka kung ilan pang Trillanes, Faeldon at iba pang sundalo ang mawawalan ng pag-asa sa militar natin.

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Heto pa, kahapon di raw makita yung 34M USD na nakuha sa yaman ni Apo Makoy. Tapos ngayon, accounted na raw ng COA. Ang bilis, no?

Thursday, August 7, 2008

The Rush Hour Commute - Day 3 Result

Day 3: LRT is tops again; jeepney is last
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:50:00 08/07/2008


MANILA, Philippines -- The train kept a-rollin’—and took people to their destination in a jiffy.

On the last day of the “Rush-hour commute” race of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and INQUIRER.net on Wednesday which covered the Baclaran to Monumento route, the LRT emerged as the fastest and by far still the best mode of transportation in Metro Manila.

The race was aimed at determining the fastest and cheapest commute during rush hour.

Team LRT, composed of Tere Cruz and Tsai Montegrande of Philippine Daily Inquirer and Izah Morales of INQUIRER.net, found the queue at the ticket booth of the Baclaran station surprisingly light at 8 a.m., considering it was a Wednesday.

In two minutes the women of Team LRT were inside the train. They noticed that it needed repairs because some of the lights were not working. They also felt warm inside the air-conditioned coach.

The bulk of passengers came from the EDSA station; more were seen boarding from the Libertad and Gil Puyat stations. By that time the train was a standing-room-only affair. But the volume of passengers began to thin out as the train approached the Vito Cruz station.

The team arrived in Monumento in Caloocan City at 8:34 a.m. after traversing 15 kilometers and 18 stations. The best part of it all: not a whiff of pollution as the train whizzed by.

Convoy

Team Car, composed of Tessa Salazar, Maricris Tamolang, Emman Cena and Amy Rañola of Inquirer and Alex Villafania of INQUIRER.net, led a four-vehicle convoy and took one hour to complete a 17-kilometer stretch.

It traversed Roxas Boulevard, Burgos Avenue, McArthur Bridge going to Sta. Cruz, Manila, Abad Santos and Rizal Avenue. Numerous choke points, such as the stoplights at nearly every intersection along with the unpredictable jeepneys, slowed the team down.

The fuel consumption estimate for the Mercedes Benz S-Class (3.5 liter V6 engine) for the stretch was P212 to P219 (consuming 3.66 liters of gasoline). The 1.3-liter Toyota Vios consumed about P50 (0.84 liters). The Toyota Prius hybrid car (electric-gasoline engine) consumed P56 to P58 (.97 liters—surprisingly more than the Vios), and a 1.1-liter Chana Multicab needed 2.10 liters of gasoline, or P120 to P126 at prevailing pump prices.

Devotees

Team Taxi, composed of Ken del Rosario of Inquirer and Jane Octia of INQUIRER.net, reported that the cab driver suggested a shorter route to Monumento. But they could not take that route because of the traffic buildup. According to the cab driver, the traffic gets worse at around 10 a.m. when devotees flock to the Baclaran church.

The only delay it encountered was a gridlock on Quirino Avenue in Manila and a traffic buildup on 5th Avenue in Caloocan.

Team Taxi finished third. It paid P175 for the 56-minute trip.

Detour

Team Jeepney, composed of Pocholo Concepcion and Fran Gumapac of Inquirer and Lawrence Casiraya of INQUIRER.net, finished last and discovered riding the jeepney from Baclaran to Monumento was an exercise in stress management.

There were moments when it was like getting caught in a long funeral hearse; and then suddenly it felt like being rushed in an ambulance.

Finding the jeepney itself was difficult, especially if one has not traveled the route in a long time. A rerouting scheme in Baclaran has forced the jeepneys coming from Monumento via Mabini Street to make a detour in Pasay Rotonda. Standing on F.B. Harrison St. near Baclaran, the team were left with no choice but to take two rides—first was to board a Divisoria-bound jeepney, get off at Harrison Plaza across the Bangko Sentral, and then wait for another jeepney bound for MCU.

The first ride got stuck in a choke-point on Roxas Boulevard’s service road a few meters away from Heritage Hotel, before it slowly wound its way to make a U-turn along EDSA Extension and then turn right to F.B. Harrison in Pasay City. Traffic slowed down at the corner of Libertad St.

It took around 20 minutes waiting for the second ride at Harrison Plaza. Another slowdown occurred at the Manila Zoo approaching Quirino Ave.

Like Schumacher

Traffic was light along Mabini all the way to T.M. Kalaw and Taft Avenue—which goaded the jeepney driver to step on the gas and race like Michael Schumacher on a rampaging comeback.

It was a relief that Rizal Avenue in Sta. Cruz, Manila has been reopened to vehicles; however, the pockmarked road jarred the senses and seemed to transport the team in a rough rodeo game.

Demolished shanties

The scene was depressing on Blumentritt Street, where demolished shanties left a mother and her child staring into space beside a few belongings.

The entire trip took two hours and 10 minutes. Fare was P25.50—P8.50 from Baclaran to Harrison Plaza, and P17.00 from Harrison to Monumento. Those who can catch the jeepney from Pasay Rotunda will pay only P23.00.

Everything would’ve been bearable, except for the air pollution. Reports from Tere Cruz, Tessa Salazar, Pocholo Concepcion and INQUIRER.net

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The Rush Hour Commute - Day 2 Result

Team LRT 2 wins Day 2 of 'Rush Hour Commute'

Aug. 05, 2008 10:50:00
MAKATI City, Philippines – After a tight and exhilarating day two of the Rush Hour Commute, Team LRT 2 finishes first in the race from Santolan in Pasig City to C.M. Recto in Manila.

Experiencing a warm and shaky ride in one of the carriages of the LRT 2, Cita Goyagoy, Rissa Camongol and Lyn Rillon of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) and Izah Morales of INQUIRER.net arrived at their final destination in 33 minutes after leaving Santolan and spending P15 each.

The Rush Hour Commute is a race involving four teams from the Philippine Daily Inquirer and INQUIRER.net volunteers taking a train, bus, jeepney, taxi or car in three routes in Metro Manila during a rush hour from August 4 to 6.

The concept of the race is to determine the cost and time spent getting through pre-selected routes in Metro Manila. For Day 2, the teams races from Santolan in Pasig to C.M. Recto in Manila.

Team CAR, composed of Abel Ulanday and Fran Katigbak of PDI and Janie Octia of INQUIRER.net, finished second after being bogged down by traffic in Cubao and Legarda in Manila and witnessing two jeepneys collide, causing slight and brief congestion in Magsaysay Blvd.

Despite the delay, Team CAR cruised to the finish line in an hour and nine minutes, spending a total of P180 and traveling 12.8 kilometers. Team CAR reported consuming about two to three liters of gas.

Team TAXI made up of Ernie Sarmiento of PDI and Lawrence Casiraya of INQUIRER.net finished third without the frustration of hailing cabs and negotiating with taxi drivers, which was the experience of Team TAXI on Day 1 of the race. It took Team TAXI an hour and seven minutes to reach the finish line, costing them a total of P190.

Team JEEPNEY, composed of Cenon Bibe of PDI and Alex Villafania of INQUIRER.net finished last after having to switch rides in Cubao from Santolan to take a jeepney ride to Divisoria. There are no direct jeepney routes from Santolan to C.M. Recto. It took Team JEEPNEY 1 hour and 26 minutes and P27.50 each to get to their final destination.

For Day three of the Rush Hour Commute, the volunteers will be traveling from Baclaran to Monumento.

Accounts of the race, photos and videos of the volunteers are posted on the Rush Hour Commute site. The results of the race will also be summarized in the Talk of the Town section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Aug. 10.

Posted by : Erika Tapalla

Monday, August 4, 2008

The Rush Hour Commute - Day 1 Result




DAY One of the “Rush Hour Commute” ended with Team MRT winning the race from Trinoma North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay.

Team MRT is composed of Amy Rañola and Penelope Endozo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) and Janie Octia of INQUIRER.net.

The Rush Hour Commute is a race composed of four teams of volunteers taking a commuter train, bus, jeepney, taxi or car in various parts of Metro Manila at 8 a.m. on August 4-6.

The idea is to compare the costs and determine how long it takes for ordinary Filipinos to travel from one point to another during the rush hour. Day Two of the race will be from Santolan in Pasig to C.M. Recto in Manila while Day Three will be a commuter race from Baclaran in Paranaque to Monumento in Caloocan.

Team MRT suffered delays due to the large volume of people queuing at the North Avenue Station during Monday morning traffic. People swelled at the MRT ticket booths as passengers started trickling in. The team even had to leave a teammate behind since she did not make it to the starting line in time for the race. In the end, Team MRT still managed to finish first. Each team member spent P15 for the trip.

Team CAR, composed of Elvira Mata and Steph Asuncion of PDI and Alex Villafania of INQUIRER.net, finished second despite slight delays in leaving the starting point. Team CAR also stopped to gas up toward the end of the race.

Team TAXI, made up of Grig Montegrande and Kiko Gopez of PDI and Lawrence Casiraya of INQUIRER.net, had the most difficult time as they tried to hail a cab under the rain from SM North Station. Team TAXI was only able to get a cab more than 30 minutes after the race started. By the time they were finally able to hire a cab, Team MRT had already reached the finish line. As they braved Edsa traffic, members of Team TAXI said they had a lively discussion with their cab driver Jojo who was ranting about the effects of the oil price hike. Team TAXI spent a total of P180 for the trip.

Team BUS, composed of Iris Desvarro and Nita del Rosario of PDI and and Izah Morales of INQUIRER.net, was the last team to arrive at the destination. Team BUS took two hours to get from Trinoma in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay, listening to old songs from the bus as they plied the Edsa route. Members of the team spent P40 each to get to their destination.

Accounts of the trip, photos and videos of the volunteers are posted on the Rush Hour Commute site (www.inquirer.net/rushhourcommute). The results will also be summarized in the Talk of the Town section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Aug. 10.