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.