Goals and Struggles

Been suffering a lot biking. Enduring exhaustion, pain, and the difficulties of climbing hills.  But after that, I would look in the mirror and see the results of my efforts.

Which brings me to this lesson - There is no worthwhile goal that is not accompanied by a period of struggles. If anything is worth achieving there will always be obstacles and barriers to overcome.

Pateros to Pililla to Pateros

SM Taytay going to Antipolo

Going up Antipolo. A truck breaks down.

Mang Vic. The kind faith healer and Rizalista that I met while bicycling uphill.  If you are sick and doctors can seem to cure you, you can find him near the vicinity of National Food Authority. His group can even cure AIDS he said.

Cyclists know this place.

There is something melancholy and poetic about a solitary flowing machine, the soil, and the farm.

Piso nga ba? I haven't tried.

Loading up fuel for the return trip.  Sinigang the Baka.  This stuff is so good you will forget your name when you taste it.  But you have to go to Pililla.

On the way home.  Pililla going Tanay

Rest for a while at a farm in Morong.

Climb from Cardona to Binangonan. It is just a short climb but I've never been able to complete it during the three times I've passed by here. 

Perhaps it's because I am already spent everytime I pass here.  Or because it gets steeper and more difficult as you go up.

Finally home. Total distance 92 kilometers.

So who's bad?

Cycling Safety

There are seven types of road vehicles in the Philippines: bus, truck, car, jeepney, tricycle, motorcycle, and bicycle. Out of these seven, our favorite contraption, the bicycle, is the most vulnerable.

If the bicycle bumps into the other four wheeled vehicles, the bicycle rider is the loser because the other five vehicles have more balance. Four wheeled vehicles are also sturdier and the riders are shielded from impact by the vehicles while a bicycle rider's body is exposed.

When it comes to a motorcycle versus the bicycle, the motorcycle is bulkier and faster. So when impact happens the bicycle rider will lose because the other vehicle is harder and has the greater momentum.

But still the bicycle is a great invention. It is fun to ride and gives us many health benefits. Cycling is practically a cardiovascular exercise.

So how do we make ourselves safer while we are riding our bikes?

1. Always check that the brakes are working properly.

Your brakes are the most important safety equipment you have on your bike. Others may emphasize the importance of wearing a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. But the first rule of bicycle safety is to not to get hit. If ever you get hit by another vehicle it means that you messed up with your driving and you are now suffering it's consequence. It is either: you saw an approaching vehicle but you did not use your brakes, you pushed your luck and tried to beat a red traffic light, or you counter flowed on the other side of the road when you got no business of being there. Remember that sharing the road goes both ways.

2. Make sure that your bicycle is well lighted at night.

Again, I repeat, the first rule of bicycle safety is not to get hit. Having blinkers, a front light, and rear light will help other vehicles see you on the road so they can avoid you. I have often encountered other cyclist on the road without any light. You are cycling on the proper lane a bit fast at 20kph. You are confident that it is safe. And then suddenly you see this other cyclist who is supposed to be cycling on the other side of the road suddenly appear before you. Aside from countering the traffic, they don't have any lights.  If I wasn't alert, we could have crashed into each other.

It is always annoying when some people has no regard for other people's rights and safety.

3. Wear a helmet

If all other precaution fails your helmet will save you from some injuries. I only said some because even motorcyclist who wear good helmets still die from collisions. If the impact is very strong, your helmet will not save you. But still wearing a helmet is very important.

There are some accidents where collisions could not have been fatal if the rider is only wearing a head protection. There are times when a helmet would have been enough to cushion the impact of the rider's head hitting something and prevent more serious injuries.

I was one riding a street where there were so many trees with low hanging branches near the side of the road. I pedaled on thinking that the branches were well clear from my head. I was surprised when they scraped my helmet when I passed by. I would have gone home with some severe head scrapes if I were not wearing my helmet.

4. Don't be stubborn on the road

The cyclist favorite slogan is “Share the Road”. It means be considerate when a cyclist is using the road. Motorist should look out for them because they are very vulnerable and fragile. And cyclist have every right to be on the road and use roads because bicycles can be considered vehicles too.

But to be honest. When I was a newbie cyclist, I did not know what the heck that slogan means.

And so, it maybe a good mantra, but motorist, who are not also cyclist may not be aware and because of that, may not observe it.

Don't be stubborn on the road. If a motorist seem to be insisting to take a certain place on the road ahead of you, don't fight for it with your bicycle. Always assume that they are not aware of cyclist rights. Don't let your sense of entitlement, your pride get the best of you. Don't risk your body to just prove a point.

A bumped car can always be replaced but broken limbs and cracked head can never be.

5. Pray

Pray before you ride and while you ride. If there is a deity out there who looks after the welfare of human beings, you will gain his favor by praying.

If there is none, well, it doesn't hurt to pray just in case there is someone.

Riding a Bike at Bonifacio Global City

Last Sunday, June 15, I was exercising, riding my bike at Bonifacio Global City. When I arrived at 7th Avenue, I saw this lady walking, with no care in the world, wearing only her bra!

I was surprised at first and did not know what to do. Should I look away. Should I move on and pretend she was not there. Or should I just allow myself to indulge at the sight. After all, It wasn't my fault that I saw her there and that, on this particular day, she chose to go out in public wearing only her underwear.  

To tell the truth this girl was pretty. She was not your everyday desperate types who like to show more of their body. Because there are not beautiful and that is their way of compensating.

Then I thought about taking her picture so I can brag, "Hey. Isn't it great to ride a bike at BGC. There are great sloping roads and then sometimes you get to see women walking in their undies."

But I did not do it. I was too shy.

I was puzzled. I thought - Is she someone who grew up in a foreign country where walking outside the house in their underwear is nothing, Is she making one of those women independence statement, or Did her boyfriend piss her off and  Is she rebelling?

Really. I love biking. You get to see different people. And sometimes you get to see something unexpected.  

I think I'm beginning to like BGC even more. :)

Elisco Road

One afternoon, I was riding a bike along Elisco Road when I heard someone shouting. As I neared a bend, I saw a couple struggling. A man was tying the hands of a woman with a belt while a boy was watching beside them. The woman kept shouting, “I am not leaving here! I am not leaving here!”

The woman wore dirty and greasy clothes. She seemed mentally ill.

I've never been the nosy type. So I just passed by and thought no more of it.

But a day later, I was passing by the same road and I saw the woman was still there. She was sitting quietly by the side of the road beside the tall concrete electric post. It seems that her husband was not able to bring her home.

I remember when I was still active in a church community, we visited a mental hospital in Mandaluyong. It was part of an outreach program. My group was assigned the tasks to clean the quarters of mentally ill patients. But I thought we were probably also sent there - to observe their conditions.

The patients in the mental hospital ranged in different stages of mental progress. There are some whom you could talk to like normal people. There are some who are lost in their own world. All they do is run around in the room for no reason. Some just stare at you blankly.

But what clearly struck me with the experience was one patient who was constantly singing. The melody was her own invention and the lyrics were here own. If you listen carefully, you will know her the story, why she was admitted in the mental hospital.

She was singing about a wife and an unfaithful husband.

Really. There are only two things that drive people to lose their mind. One is drug overdose, the other is a traumatic experience that a person was not able to handle.

Oh People. The things we do to each other.

I wonder what's the story of the woman in Elisco Road?  Why does she not want to go back to her family?

Last night it rained.  I wondered about the ill woman in Elisco Road. How did she manage? I wondered how it felt like sitting there, all alone in the dark? The mosquitoes probably bit really hard. But she wouldn't notice because her mind were somewhere else.

I wondered how does she eat and drink each day.

This morning I happened to pass by the road again. It was part of my usual workout loop.  I saw that the woman was still sleeping. Then I noticed that someone left some bread beside her.

She may have gone crazy. She may not want to go home. But her family did not stop looking after her.

It was a good enough thought for me since I think there wasn't much I could do to help anyway.

How I Started Cycling

One day, I was looking at my pictures and I saw that I've gotten really fat.

I realized that I needed to do something about it.

I don't eat that much but I was still gaining weight.

I thought, "What area do I need to work on? "

The fact that I don't go out much and I don't have any physical activity isn't helping.

I tried running but I thought I looked stupid. I checked every gym in Pateros but I knew could not sustain it. It would soon feel like a chore like everyone who goes to the gym eventually feels.

Fortunately, my brother told me he has a bike in his shop that he is not using. I told him, "Bring it home. I will use it."

So he took it home. I took it for a spin.

I enjoyed it. Suddenly this guy who never goes out much is cruising by neighborhood I've never been before.

I liked the freedom. I liked seeing people going about their daily activity as I was passing by.

I thought, this was something I could do everyday.

Senakulo sa Daan 2014 at Cainta

Every year, during Good Friday, organizers in Cainta Rizal, holds a parade depicting scenes and people from the Bible.

Jesus. This picture projects a certain aura.

High Priest.

Little Drummer Boys.

The mighty and powerful Centurion.

Jesus being taken away. 

Barabas.

Jesus in the custody of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Cainta's beauties come out. This picture does not do her justice. She looked  a lot better in person.

Makes me regret coming later in the morning. If I were earlier I could have taken a better picture as the parade was being set up.

 When this guy came, some of the little kids in the crowd got scared and started to cry.

Imposing Roman Soldiers. "Who let the dogs out?"  

Another version of the High Priests.  Every barangay in Cainta has their own entry for the parade.

Hello Cleopatra. By the way, I'm Anthony...

Alay Lakad 2014 at Antipolo

Tado: "Erning! Ihanda mo ang bisikleta. Mag-iikot tayo.
Erning: "Tama!"

My mission for today is to find out if there are still people who seriously celebrate Holy week. Because in this day and age, I think more and more people no longer  believe in the idea of a god.

But apparently, many people still do.

Station of the Cross on the way to Saint Francis Xavier Parish Church.

As we were going up Antipolo, I noticed this pilgrim was walking barefooted.  I looked at my watch. It was 5:40 in the afternoon.  If he started walking three hours ago, I could imagine how hot the concrete road was.

I did notice that his ankles had cracks and were burned.

Finally reached that top after one and a half hour ride from Pateros.  I sat down for a short prayer.

The downhill ride was a lot faster.  We were able to reach home in less than an hour.