May isa pa, iyung A Tale of Two Sisters…Nawawala nga lang

Sa wakas, natapos na rin ang matagal na paghintay dahil bumalik na rin sa orhinal na tirahan ang GYM sa AKIC.

            Matagal na rin palang may gym ang CSB noong nakaraang taon pa. Nung second term ak nakakuha ng pagkakataon na mapuntahan to, iyun nga lang ang oras na nakalaan sa mga estudyante ay limitado mula alas tres hanggang alas kuwatro ng hapon. Nung mga panahong iyon, dalawang araw, Martes at Huwebes, ang tanging mga araw kung saan wala na akong mga klase sa ganong mga oras.

            Sa habang nandoon ako, dami kong mga nakilala na mga tao, mga madalas kong nakikitang pumunta doon para magbuhat: mga atleta, estudyante, propesor, maging  mga non-work personnel. Ang namamahala ng gym doon ay isang prof na kung  tawagin ng nakararammi ay si Sir Bong.

            Malaking gulat ko lang noong nalaman kong planong ilipat ng nakatataas ang gym sa Blessed Subilion Hall, ang tirahan ng mga atleta sa Pasay. Considering na malayu-layo rin ang lalakarin bago makarating doon, marami diumano’y mga kapwa estudyante ang nagreklamo tungkol sa paglipat daw.

            Relieved na ako na naibalik na sa dating kinalalagyan ang gym, sa mas accessible na Angelo King International Center sa Arellano Avenue.

            Ang mas maganda na doon, nagkaroon na rin ako ng sarili kong mga kasamahan sa tuwing pumupunta ako doon para magbuhat. Sila’y mga kapwa mga kamag0aral ko sa ilang mga klase na pareho naming pinapasukan ngayong term. So napaka-encouraging tuloy na ipagpatuloy ang gawiang to dahil alam mo na may mga makaksabay kang mga tao na lubos mong kilala lalo pa’t wala na ang pakiramdam na nag-iisa lang ako doon.

            May mga bali-balita na plano raw magkaroon ng sariling Sports Center ang CSB sa hinaharap para hindi na magrely masyado sa paggamit ng mga pasilidad ng Enrique Razon Sports Complex ng DLSU-M. Mabuti nga ang ganoong ideya ngunit maraming problema ang kailangan malutas ng nakatataas para maisakatuparan ang mithiing iyon tulad nang 1)lugar ng pagtatayuan, 2) panahong ilaan sa proyekto, 3)accessibility para sa mga estudyante.

Nice!

Hehehe! Nakita ko na rin siya matapos nang matagal na panahon.

            So I was in this place in Valenzuela, and upon entry I saw Nikko’s name on a logbook. Good thing I’d be able to talk to him with regards to the CSB ID lace he wanted for. I wasn’t able to reach him by neither phone nor text for a whole month so seeing him in person is a much-needed relief.

            Knowing Nikko for a long time, he’s really shy and quiet.  No one expected that he had a knack of talent over dancing. A talent he was able to show in several school events back in high school like Enigma and Alay Kina Nanay at Tatay.

            I was quite surprised to see him after such a long time, he looked a bit taller, bigger and his hair completely contrasted his personality.

            I’m quite curious on what he does on his course in UST which is Architecture (popularly known by many Tigers as “Arki”). I heard it is very hard, especially that by their first year, they are already doing plates and even models of houses.

            Soooo anyhow, back to what I was saying earlier, so we had an agreement that since I’m going to buy him a CSB id lace/strap, he’s to pay me back by buying me my own UST lace. I bought him the lace for 90-pesos so he has to pay me back sooner or later. Unfortunately, he was busy with finals and even though it’s sembreak he can’t go to school. Even he does, he won’t find any ID lace anyway since their bookstore went out of stock.

            He promised that he will notify me if ever he succeeded in buying me my own lace in exchange for buying him his own from CSB. So for the meantime, all I need is to wait.

Perhaps some of you may get confused on who this “Will” is. He’s not overseas buddy William Evans, nor is he fellow undergrad Willord Chua, nor is he even one-time conquistador William the Conqueror of Normandy. This particular “Will” is loud, opinionated, and loved by many. He is Will the Thomasian Blazer.

         I find him quite the reciter during Partdes (Philippine History of Arts and Design) every Monday. If there’s something in his mind, he doesn’t hesitate to raise his hand. Funny and witty yes, that’s why he became friends with my friend from last term’s Hartds-1, Trish.

         Just last Monday, he accompanied me to National Bookstore-La Salle Taft while I was looking for something for tomorrow’s Colrend. Since he’s on his way home to D. Jose LRT Station, we both rode the LRT. There we began to know each other better. He now know about my new interest in radio broadcasting while I now know about his past venture from web designing. 

         Despite already being in CSB for quite a while now and is now an AB-FDM, he still uber miss UST, CFAD, Arki, Arki friends, and Arki classmates. He also keeps on mentioning Dianne and Nikko DS since they were, after all, our common link to each other (Thus the reason we became friends in the first place).

         He’s really nice, and I really like his personality. Thus the reason why I’m also friends with Mark-not-the-Jamer, and my other ex-classmate from JoseRiz, whose colorful personalities shone like a fluorescent light bulb. 😀

“There is a Will in all of us…”

For quite sometime now, I’ve been noticing something about myself yet still wondering on what exactly made me make that thought in the first place. It was then I realized that my clothes smells very odd.

          I’m sooooo sleepy right now. Just like how I said it on my facebook status, it’s been one hell of a day for me. I even thought I may never get to live to see the next day.

1. P. Ocampo St./Vito Cruz-Taft Avenue

          Past 11 am today, I left SDA and headed towards National Bookstore-La Salle Taft. I asked customer service if their branch in Harrison have stock on an 18″x24″ watercolor paper. They do have such a paper but they never said that they actually have the size I was looking for. I need this for my then-upcoming midterms for Colrend. So I had no choice but go to Harrison Plaza to check out their stock.

2. Mabini St.
        
          I went to Harrison to check if they have what I’m looking for. They do but they don’t have any 18-by-24 inches of such size. Since I was feeling hungry, I ate lunch at Greenwich (first time in a long while). There I spent 113 pesos for my food.

3. Pedro Gil

       I took a jeepney ride behind BSP to Pedro Gil so I could then check out their branch. Same story but I did saw my cousin Louie who is supposed to have her sembreak from St. Paul U-Manila but was there with her friends, wearing t-shirts with imprinted “I Am a Paulinian” designs added with the presence of Mica who was there to visit her prof in UP Manila. I asked CS if they have what UI’m looking for in their SM San Lazaro branch but they don’t. Which left me no other choice.

4.  P. Noval

       This was my last possible option, since I have until 2:45 to get myself back to CSB, I rode the LRT towards Tayuman and eventually ended up in P. Noval. First stop was Joli’s. Despite the fact the UST was to have its sembreak that week, a lot of students were seen gathering in Beato Angelico.

      Back to Joli’s, I asked if they have what I’m loooking for but unfortuanetly they don’t have one in such a size. But the good thing is that they’re willing to cut their largest size to fit into an 18 by 24 size. By that would mean added cost totalling 42 pesos. I then realized that I also forgot to bring from hoem my things for the midterms (stupid of me, yes) so I have to buy the cheapest materials I’d need like RBY Dong-Ah poster paints (Php22.00 each), and a brittle brush (Php13.00).

   I went to Lexan’s to buy a small 12-peso mixing plate because one of the ladies in Joli is too bsuy entertaining customers.

I was to leave Espana altogether when I, just when I was about to see the “Arkong Bato”. realized I left my umbrella in Joli’s and my LRT ticket at Lexan’s so I have to get back.

4. Quiapo-Liwasa-Ermita-Malate-San Andres-P. Ocampo

   To save money, I took a 13-peso jeepney ride to Vito Cruz on a jep plying the Quezon Boulevard-Vito Cruz rourte. I know what consequences I’m risking but I had no choice. I’m already dead tired with al the freshness in me long gone.I’m sweaty and I am yet to have my midterm plate done.

    The jeep’s radio is set to Yes! FM and for the whole hour, they played nothing but Pinoy alternative msuic from now till those from 4 years ago. I sat there sight seeing places like Espana Blvd., the Lacson Underpass, Quiapo (once all glitter and now the epitome of Pinoy urban blight and despair), Plaza Miranda, P. Hidalgo, Quezon Bridge (endangered from urban blight and negligence due to vandalism).

       We took a turn to Liwasang bonifacio where I was able to see the staue of the plaza’s namesake, Gat Andres Bonifacio, the Philippine Post Office Building, Pambansang Aklatan, and eventually I was back from where I started: P. Ocampo.

I cam home sleepy, tired, and I wanna rest til tomorrow since I have to go back to school so I could finish my pre-midterm works for Comgrap.

Waghh!

One of this days, I’m planning on posting my first few plates I’ve made so far early during the duration of the term in Multiply and eventually on DeviantArt (When I have the time to register an account for this site). I was somehow a bit surprised with the plates I’ve been doing for the past 7 weeks or so. There those I know sucked (mostly those made from Frehand), others a so-so (my frequent use of sunsets/warm colors as my theme for Colrend and Desprin), and ‘mediocrish-er’ than the above mentioned (Comgrap works). 

Loved the experience! Enjoy!

Hay…It’s been a rough day for me. It was a real thrilling, fun and really embarrassing ride. I can’t stop seeing recent episodes of myself doing “Ah..ah…ah..” and “eh..eh…eh…” and a bit of “uhm…a…uhm…”. Eewww…

An article I think you may find interesting from the Philippine Star. 

It’s all about Philippine trains which was the MRT and LRT of the past, as well 

as the common mode of transport back then after the war. Enjoy!

——————

Modern Living

Terminal memories, railway dreams
CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren 
Saturday, October 18, 2008

Before the LRT and MRT our city was in a sordid mess caused by a reliance on PUVs (public utility vehicles) and a road network that disintegrated upon the onset of the yearly rains. Today we keep ou

t of total Armageddon traffic-wise by a growing usage of mass transit systems that run on rails.

Time was when our inner-city and inter-city transport was mainly serviced by highly efficient, environmentally friendly electric trams and steam trains. The late 19th century saw the opening of the original Manila-Dagupan rail line that was franchised by the Spanish colonial government to an English consortium. City transport via tranvias developed in parallel courtesy of a European investor named Zobel.

The Americans built on that initial line and extended it north so that it almost climbed

 up to Baguio (which was the goal until costs escalated beyond practicality) and south eventually to Bicol (although the original intent was to reach the Pacific coast).

World War II saw the tranvia system almost completely destroyed but the heavier inter-provincial train system was rebuilt because it was cheaper and more efficient compared to bus and car travel, which was hindered by the fact that we had almost no freeway or long-distance super-highway system in place.

The Philippine National Railways was the premier transport institution that rivaled inter-island shipping and the nascent air transport system in the ’50s to the ’60s. A magazine feature in 1960s gives an indication of the importance of the train system in Luzon in that era.

The report stated: “Every year, 8,600,000 Filipinos commute by train. Every year, too, the trains haul some 1,200,000 tons of freight over some 2,000 miles. These statistics indicate the heavy rail traffic and the importance of railroad in the economics of mass transportation in the Philippines.

“It is difficult, of course, to portray these statistics in terms of human interest in the space of a (short article, but a long peek is possible with Tutuban Station). Here, the climate of rail travel is evident. Here is found the melting point of rail tracks that stretch to the North and to the South.

“The Manila Railroad Company (the precursor of the PNR) sits at the helm of the country’s sprawling railroad industry. Its first and last concern is public service.”

This public service was best seen in the system’s main terminal — Tutuban Station.

The MRR in the ’60s was in the middle of gearing for the swinging ’60s. It had served the Philippines well in the ’50s, expanding its reach and diversifying into support services. The article went on, “The modernization of Tutuban Station is symbolic of the MRR’s progress. Today, 10 new powerful General Electric ‘Streamliners’ rumble across the tracks at Tutuban.”

To show how efficient it was, the report cited, “One diesel-electric locomotive pulling a freight train of 50,000 tons with a crew of five and using one teaspoon of fuel oil per ton-mile is the rough equivalent of 500 trucks with each truck carrying 10 tons.”

Imagine if we had kept this system and managed to expand it from the ’60s up to today. We would have reduced drastically the need for cargo and container trucks to enter the metropolis, clog up our roads, hasten the deterioration of pavements and pollute the air.

Such a system is acknowledged by the article for its larger contribution to the economy: “The railroads play an important role in the expanding economy of the nation. Products have to be hauled to markets and machinery has to be transported to the different factories and plants scattered throughout the provinces.”

The MRR also served the basic transport needs of the general public. “The MRR has done its best to provide efficient rails service to the public. That is its mission. MRR’s nerve center is located at Tutuban station. Here the personnel of the MRR’s main office operate. But Tutuban station is also a fascinating place. Children always find chug-chugging trains exciting objects. Light and shadow play with each other in the station. And the anonymous faces of the crowd hide a hundred secrets, a thousand dreams.”

The description continues a la Life magazine: “At Tutuban Station one is met at once by an anonymous mass of faces. The faces belong to the people who are either going or coming. The expressions on the faces are varied. Those who are going to have time to kill waiting for their train have the magazine stand and the juke box … but there are those who wait and think fondly of the joyous moment of reunion with their relatives in the provinces.”

Tutuban station was spacious and reasonably comfortable until the early ’60s. Mismanagement and the competition for bus lines, airlines and inter-island ships led to the systems’ almost complete demise. A short-lived revival in the martial law era was … well, short-lived. The PNR rail system is today a mere shadow of its former self. Tutuban Station has survived but only by morphing into a shopping mall.

The emergence of the LRT and MRT systems was welcome news. The systems have come, however, after the car, jeepney and bus systems have pushed the capacity of the metropolis’ roads (and peoples’ nerves) to the limit. The light rail systems should have come first precisely to contain all the negative effects of pollutive vehicles.

Inter-province travel for the majority who cannot afford air-travel is limited to overcrowded Japayuki buses accessed in grimy terminals along EDSA’s curbside with little by way of traveler comfort, clean bathrooms or accommodations for the elderly, the differently abled, women or children.

Imagine again if rail travel was prioritized for inner-city and inter-city travel. Imagine north, east and south modern train terminals for inter-modal travel in large sites that do not disrupt EDSA or any other road traffic. Imagine how much traffic congestion fast heavy-rail trains could eliminate from the NLEX and SLEX for both public transport and freight movement.

Imagine drastically reducing EDSA traffic by imposing a ban on any more franchises for Monumento-Caloocan buses that are never filled up and block almost all major intersections. The ban would force the LRT-MRT system to maximize its capacity, which should be subsidized by government anyway because it saves the metropolitan and national economy billions from shorter commute times and healthier urban air.

Of course this can be done if we only had the will and the common sense to rationalize our transport system. We would also have to make sure that urban design catches up with the requirements of increased pedestrian traffic between rail modes of transport. We are sorely lacking in proper, safe, well-lighted and weather-protected pedestrian interconnections, sidewalks and links between different rail-based systems, ground-based systems or parking (for park-and-ride options).

The MMDA is trying its best but what is needed is a set of standards for urban design that is based on a larger master plan for the metropolis. Here we go again. Without proper master plans, a modern code for urban design or an appreciation of how everything is linked together in the complex urban fabric of a crowded city, then we might as well be satisfied with railway dreams.

* * *

Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com

——

Source: City Sense by Paolo Alcazaren

——

By the way, I think the railway system from Tutuban going down south may already started putting up new tracks as seen now along Blumentritt LRT Station. Now that’s good news. I wonder if PNR would do the same for the Caloocan-Malolos route. 

—–

Pa-Promote Po!

Radio guesting on U-Talk with Ms. Au Zialcita and Ms. M this Saturday

October 18, 2008 3-4pm

with live telecast on DZMM Teleradyo

Please text DZMM(space)React(space)your message and send it to 2366 for your moral support!