Archive for April, 2006

21
Apr

Hit and Run

By sinigang 1 Comment
Categories: Weblogs

Phase I200406_1520

IT WAS MY USUAL WORK DAY MORNING. I got up, got dressed, had cereals, went to work. I parked at my usual spot, started my long, boring day. Right about noon, a co-worker went up to me and said, "hey I saw your car! Are you okay? What happened to you?" I looked at him for a good 30 seconds wondering what the heck he was talking about! And I replied, "what do you mean? sure, I’m all right. Could be better but I’m ok." "Your car, what happened to it?," he inquired again. "What?! You’re kidding right?" And then I left him and ran out to where I parked. Indeed, something happened to the car! I started cursing to myelf and couldn’t believe something like this can occur here in dreamland USA. I really am still naive always believing in the innate goodness of men… but see, you don’t normally expect these things to happen here. Sure, accidents take place all the time, everyday, but a hit and run?? The ideal would have been I hit a parked car, nobody saw me, I’ll leave my name and number in the windshield so the poor owner of this car can settle with me. BUT who would do that right?! I hit a parked car, nobody saw me, great! and then speed off! Perhaps, 10 out of 10 would do that under similar circumstance! Heck, I’d probably do it too!!!

I’ve had close encounters of almost accidentsin the past while driving but never really bumped into one, thank goodness! Been driving for about 7 years in the Philippines and about 8 months here (yes, I passed my road test with flying colors but with a funny side to it! That’s a whole new different topic ;-)); Never figured in an accident!

At least I wasn’t on it when this thing happened. On the other hand, I wish I was, so then it would be hard for the guy or whoever it was, to escape! So now, I have to pay the minimum deductible to the insurance company for the repair. Money down the drain….

Phase II

Pics19a What do you do in this situation?? Some nut just crashed your front side bumper and smashed your signal light and then decide not take responsibility for it and ran off? All my co-workers exclaimed, "call and report the incident to the police!" Awesome! I never did that before either. So I make the call. A police officer came to the workplace, asked for me and I met him at the parking area. He was a burly, nice man sitting at his police car. He opened his car window and then asked me what happened. He asked to see my license and then asked where the car was. He asked me to jump in as we go over to where my car was parked. He observed, made notes, logged in the incident in his notebook computer, and then gave me a file number. Told me to make an accident report and submit a copy to the police station, the insurance company and to the registry of motor vehicle. He was sympathetic of my plight and consoled me saying that whoever it was just made a criminal offense. So it was a felony and if there was a witness I could have sued the guy’s ass and file a huge claim!! Of course, he used formal language, that’s me retelling. My point, it was a quick investigation. The police officer was courteous and considerate. He made me feel like a victim, not a suspect being investigated. Don’t you get that sometimes with law enforcement people when they start questioning victims, like they did the crime or they’re guilty of something when they are in fact the ones aggrieved?

Phase III

The insurance company was great. They took care of everything! It wasn’t a big deal or anything. They went to my apartment, took a picture of the car, called in an assessor for the estimate of the damage, and made all the necessary paper work. I only have to give the file number from my police report then it was all them. Cool!

Phase IV210406_1810

I wait until I get the chance to have it fixed. When the weather gets warmer… For now, I’m driving a very shabby, crashed on one end of the bumper, scratched car. Thanks to the one who did it! What goes around comes around…

17
Apr

Holy wha?

By sinigang 1 Comment
Categories: Culture

WHEN YOU’RE IN A FOREIGN SOIL, it is so hard to keep traditions. You do the best you can. I am not a religious person but there are some things I feel I have to do for my faith during Lent especially in a place where it is not predominantly Catholic. In the Philippines, you get a Holy week holiday. Banks and government institutions close, practically every business shuts down on Good Friday. Depending on where you work, most companies give 3 to 5 days off to their employees to do their religious obligations. You may or may not spend it at church. You could be spending it like a pagan or a hedonist like nothing important about these Holy days. I think that is sacrilegious and a shame for someone who is catholic. I believe it is one of the obligations we can not skip as a responsible Christian. I apologize for saying that, I’m not trying to be self-righteous. The last thing I wanna be compared with is to a Pharisee. I have in fact on some occasion, blatantly spent Holy week doing things that weren’t exactly "Holy." I can only pray that He has forgiven me on those occasions…

Being here though heightens your longingness to commemorate God’s Paschal Mystery; of celebrating the very essence of the catholic faith- Christ’s passion, death and His resurrection. Back home, it is a week-long of praying in church, of doing visita iglesia, stations of the cross, listening to the seven last words, venerating the cross, even watching the old time bible classic movies, lots of contemplation and solitude, fasting and sacrificing.

How does a Catholic spend Holy week in America? If it’s hard keeping up with Lent in the Philippines, it’s doubly hard here. I’ll tell you what I did. You don’t get a time off on any of the Holy Days so you try to squeeze it in between and after work. For the entire Lenten season, I gave up 2 things as an offering to Him (I can’t say what they are…). I didn’t eat meat on Fridays and tried to eat as little as possible on that day. On Holy Thursday, I attended the two hour evening mass where the priest performed washing of the feet (of the 12 disciples), followed by a solemn procession with some hymns bringing the ciborium (the covered receptacle for holding the consecrated wafers of the eucharist) from the main church to the chapel. Then on Good Friday, there was only a 3pm Station of the Cross- inside the church, and another two-hour Holy Mass in the evening where there was also the veneration of the cross. I attended the Saturday Vigil which was a two-hour and a half service and then the Easter Sunday mass.

You think I did enough but wait til you hear what my family used to do in General Santos. We did everything! We could have camped outside the Church or practically lived in the Church because we would only go home to grab a light meal or when it’s time to sleep! On Good Fridays, we’ll be sitting at church at 12noon listening to the Seven Last Words (uttered by Jesus on the Cross) as it relates to modern times until 3pm, after which a procession by the thousand, to relive the 14 Stations of the Cross takes place. The first Station is outside the church and the second station would be about 2 or three blocks away from the church and then the third another three blocks and so on. At this point, older people and kids would start to faint and all from the heat and hunger. By the time the 14 Stations are done, you’ve walked half the town! It doesn’t end there. There is another two-hour mass at church followed by the veneration of the cross, where the whole congregation line up and one by one would go at the front of the church to adore the Holy cross in any fashion they please like kissing, kneeling down or just touching the Cross. When it’s all over you can’t even eat a lot especially, you can’t eat meat!

So what I did here was really almost insignificant. But again, you do what you can. Some Catholics here teach their kids of the "Easter Bunny"- the Santa Claus counterpart on this occasion. The Easter Bunny brings toys and money to the kids like Santa does on Christmas. So forget, Jesus Christ. Forget about His birth on Christmas, His passion, death and resurrection on the Lenten season. Forget about why we are Christians in the first place, bring in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny! Ask someone about Holy week here or Lent, you would most likely be asked back: "Holy wha???!"

06
Apr

April’s Promise

By sinigang 0 Comments
Categories: Weather-weather lang yan

Pics36 THE FIRST TIME I GAZED UPON APRIL’S BEAUTY last Saturday morning, I was awe-struck! Sure, I’ve seen her year after year in the Philippines but she’s been consistent there- always cheery and fun to be with, hot even! Here especially in the east coast, April seems to come to you as lovely, bright, encouraging and favorable- in short, promising! Then there’s her other side! Totally unpredictable, erratic, fickle minded and unfriendly. She appeared with all her glory that first day and didn’t have to say anything. She announced herself with such promise of warmth and comfort breeze. She made me smile! I didn’t expect that her arrival would simply erase my somber state but it did!

I love April, I announced! I love the season of growth, ah the smell of spring! Renewal of life; The cyle of life begins once more. The emerging buds adding color to life, dead trees coming forth to life, animals coming out of their shelters after hibernating, the birds flying back northbound to start a family, the insects flourishing in your yard (except that part!), the bees and butterflies coming out of their cocoons as they begin to gather nectar from the first flowers of the season. Farmers beginning to plant, for others, harvesting their crop from the past season. Spring cleaning starts here in America and so does in other parts of the world. People start mowing their lawns, Kids go out playing in the park, cyclists hitting the bike paths.

I did see most of that in April fools’ day. True enough, I was fooled. April’s unreliability and inaccuracy came flooding in. By the next day, just when some people were actually on flipflops, the weather changed. It was back to cold weather with nasty winds- chilly. Then she dropped the flakes! Yesterday Wednesday, it snowed and it rained! Imagine, a snow in April?! Locals said, "sure that happens, we even had snow one time in May. That’s just New England weather!!"

So it looks like April really couldn’t be trusted! I hate April, I therefore proclaim! She gives you false reassurances and empty promises. Please, no more biting, freezing, painful cold. April will hang around for still another 24 days. I don’t know what to expect anymore. Will April listen to my plea? I’ll be damned!