Tricycle of Manila

Totok of Bangkok

I find a very close similarity between these two mediums of transport in these two different Asian cities.

Both are three-cycled vehicles. Both have almost the same design, materials used in their construct and finishing touches. Both are micro-taxis that can deliver us to the very gates or doors where we wanted to go.

But there are also differences I see, toktok has more space than the Metro Manila’s tricycle.  On travelling, our tricycle cannot traverse the big national roads, such as EDSA, while toktok can travel in the main thorough fares of Bangkok and can even go to it’s Central Business Districts.

While riding the tricycle earlier and remembering my toktok ride, I had the following spontaneous reflections…

Journeying in these transportations is quite risky because those compete with bigger and more powerful vehicles. There is danger of being hit by cars and big public utility such as the jeepneys and the buses.  Yet we depend and trust the expert drivers of these cities’ micro-transportations.

Same as with our lives’ journeys, we encounter along the way more powerful and greater challenges than we are, but we are assured by depending on the expert Driver, Pilot and Navigator of our lives- JESUS! With Him we can be assured of the travel as safe and sound. And if ever there will be troubles on the way He can maneuver the vehicle to the best route possible to reach our destination!

As with traveling by tricycle and toktok I just enjoy the wind and the microcosms on the way that I won’t notice riding the bigger vehicles!

So as with our life’s journey, let us just enjoy our life’s travel with Jesus!

A picture during an earthquake!

If you are indoors stay there!

When I was a little boy, I was taught that the safest place indoor during earthquake is under a table, yet lately there was an unofficial report that the best place to be during earthquake is at a receiving room seating set (sofa) and lie down in a fetal position. Why is it safe? Number one is, it is with foam thus soft; two, there is an angled backrest that can protect you from the crashing of the wall or falling of grand household accessories such as furniture and appliances.

While indoor, stay away from the windows and the kitchen. Do not run down the stairways, ride an elevator or get out of a building while the tremor is going on.

If you are outside – get into the open!

Get away from buildings, power lines, towering structures or anything that might fall on you.

If you are  in a car or a bus call the attention of the driver to stop but it should be as far out of traffic as possible, not on or under a bridge, over pass or big tress, light and electric posts or signages. Stay inside the vehicle until the shaking stops.

If you are in a mountainous area.

Watch out for falling rocks, landslides, trees, and other debris that could be loosened by quakes.

Always be calm because only then can you be alert and have the presence of mind which are the important factors to survive calamities and disasters.

Next blog will be about what to do after the earthquake.

We can prepare for this too!

The fearful feelings of people are heightened by apocalyptic movies & predictions, the likes of 2012 and others. Religious end-times fanatics are on the feast – so, on the later part of “Successive Earthquakes” blogs I will give some layman-spiritual insight about it. I have posted also a blog about why God allowed earthquakes to happen? (Check out: http://prudy.graceplace.ph/god-allowed-the-earthquake-in-haiti ).

When I was a kid these are the things I was afraid of during earthquakes: the idea of a disastrous earthquake itself (I panic, who isn’t?), the earth opening up and swallowing me alive, be separated from my parents or one of them becoming a casualty, being dizzy and lastly if I die I might not be saved (I’ll talk about this last item on the latter posts).

After a losing fight with panicking and being dizzy, I just resolved to jumping up and down during the earthquake duration so I won’t feel the earth’s movement. Or I climbed the nearest Aratiles (wild Philippine sweet-berries) tree, and just imagine that the tree is just swayed by the wind! Smart isn’t it?

Today, let me share with you simple to do things during an earthquake from my informal research on it. I found out that there are three areas on how to be prepared to this unwelcome natural phenomenon [1] before [2] during, and [3] after the earthquake.

• On 1, we’ve learn to the best that we can not to panic. I don’t know how are we going to do that, but the best so far that I know is to trust in God, that no matter what, He is in control of uncontrollable forces of nature.
• Second is to have a family contingency plan if an earthquake occurs. Locate the safest place inside your house during the quake and make it a point that everyone goes there. Or if it happens during the working hours, when everyone is outside, have a location (rendezvous spot) where you can meet within the day, in the circumstance that mobile communications won’t function.
• Prepare a striking color bag (preferably backpack) with emergency items, torch (battery powered), emergency medicine, light food, such as few canned goods and crackers, have candies and bottled water too. Place it in an easy accessible location within your house.
• And lastly, be courageous and brave as we don’t know what will happen during these disasters. Be ready also to help other people who are more damaged and unfortunate than you are.

On my next post I will share things to do during earthquakes.

Just one very graphic picture of the aftermath in the terrible Haiti Earthquake!

Some people sent me messages regarding the earthquake in Haiti.  They asked questions about God! Specially when Pat Robertson made an unpopular comment which gathered a lot of unfavorable responses from non-Christians and Christians alike.

People became more aware of God and questioned His existence, abilities, powers, His omnipotence and omniscience because of this tragedy and other natural and man-made calamities: storms, flooding, tsunamis, volcano eruptions, forest fire, wars, bombings, brutal crimes, massacres, sea vessels’ tragedies and many others!

I have posted a blog in my other site when typhoon Ondoy devasted the National Capital Region of the Philippines with deadly and destructive flood last September 2009. I am re-posting it here:

How can we answer the question, “Why does a perfect, good and all-powerful God whom we believe and trust allows tragic disasters to happen?”

I’ve learned some things from the Bible, that I think, presented 3 simple but profound answers:

[1] The world is evil, not because of God’s creation or His will, but because of the evil forces, that is against Him, and mankind’s wrong choices.  On the latter point, I’m talking about the choices of the first man & woman when they choose not to follow God’s guidelines.  It was a bad choice and unfortunately in doing so, the natural movement of the forces of nature abandoned the good plans of God too, a very unfortunate consequence but real.

[2] On the other hand, God is in pain and suffers with us because He cares for those who are suffering in the midst of tragedies. That is why He touches the hearts of the people who have the capacity & capability to help! Through them He extends His assistance. Let us become aware that it is always a privilege to be of help!

[3] Lastly, God’s purpose is to make one day to do away with evil that caused all of these disasters.

I look forward to that time when eventually God will say, “Enough is enough, those evil things has to stop now!” I hope and pray that many of us are looking forward for that to happen. May it be  very soon!

We are the Apple of God's Eyes!

The very first Bible reading schedule I had for January 1 was Matthew Chapter 1, verses 1-17, the genealogy of Jesus.

I took note that in Jesus’ lineage there were 3 women’s names mentioned. It was a surprise because very seldom a woman’s name was included in a traditional Hebrew (the race of Jesus) family records, because this people had a very strong patriarchal society.  Women were second rate citizens.

It was also noted that the mentioned women were very unpopular and in fact considered least in their extremely conservative ancient community, these women were:

1. Rahab, a non-Hebrew, from Jericho and was a prostitute.
2. Ruth, also a non-Hebrew, a Moabite and was a widow.
3. Bathsheba, an adulteress.

BUT they were included in the record which means they were important and valued!

As I reflected on Jesus’ family record great lessons were impressed on me:

• God doesn’t look at you the way present societies and communities look at you.  You may have done something very wrong last year but God doesn’t label you according to your performance, on the other hand, He regard you based on what you can become! God values you even if… You can have a fresh new start this year!
• By that you can definitely say, no matter what you did in the past, what ever sin you may have committed He is always ready to FORGIVE you. Your parents may have disowned you, but He will not disown you. Your boss may have fired you because of bad evaluation, but He doesn’t keep a bad record. Your closest friends may have abandoned you because you hurt them, but He doesn’t leave you nor forsake you though you offend Him many many times.
• And because He doesn’t keep a bad record and never label you negatively, on the other hand He sees the best you can do and will allow you to be that.  He will use you to produce the best thing for yourself and for others!

Have a great 2010 with the way how God looks at you – You are the Apple of His Eyes! It will set this year right!

One…had been sick for 38 years. When Jesus saw him…he asked…”Would you like to get well?” (5,6)

Jesus talking to the paraphlegic man near the pool

Poster of 'A Christmas Carol' 2009 Disney Movie

There was once a rich man known to be scrooge, like that of Mr. Ebenezer of the story ‘A Christmas Carol.’  When he invited his certain gentle & meager neighbor for a Christmas dinner, the poor man was surprised but relented.

On the appointed time when the neighbor arrived at the rich man’s big house, he was welcomed warmly & accommodatingly by the servants.  During the dinner he was ushered to one end of the dining table while the rich man was on the other end.  The soup was served, followed by the salad, then by the sumptuous main entree with lavished wine. Lastly, the most delicious dessert was given.  But those were only served to the rich man while the poor neighbor was sitting and looking at every serving without losing his gentle and humble composure!

At the after-dinner-coffee-time, still only the rich man drinking, he was not able to contain his wonderment to the calmness of the needy neighbor in spite of the treatment he served him.

“Why in the world you remained composed as I treated you this way?”  Mr. Rich questioned.

To that the neighbor replied, “I never expected beyond who you are and what you can offer!” Then he greeted the rich man a Merry Christmas and humbly said good-bye because his family was waiting for him to their own simple Christmas dinner.

You may doubt the reality of the story, but let me ask you these questions:

Do you know the nature and culture of the company you work for?  Do you know the character and attitude of your colleagues, superiors, your friends and people you most often go with?

If you still often get frustrated by the way they treat you, most probably you do not know them yet.  Learn to know them more so you will not expect beyond what they can offer, so that you would not fret and complain!

I do not endorse compliance and toleration, what I would like to suggest is to learn to know the significant people in your work place, your vicinity or your community, so that you will know how to react when they treat you the way they are!

Expectations lead you to frustrations!  And frustration will make you an unsatisfied and an unhappy person!  Better know these people around you so you will not often get frustrated!

Carlo & his fiancee, soon both of them will be promoted from being single to being married!

While browsing over the net my eyes were caught by a blog, which I believed, appropriately an interest by many urban professionals here in Metro Manila.  I asked the permission of the blogger, Mr. Carlo S. Ople, to allow me to repost that blog here at ‘The Workplace’ he approved, thank you a lot Carlo!  He described himself as “the grandson of the late Senator Blas F. Ople and is currently a marketing consultant handling various corporate clients.”  He happened to be one of those who introduced me to seriously consider blogging when I attended one of his seminars!

Here is the detail of Carlo’s  blog:

I’ve been talking to a lot of young professionals lately and two of the most asked questions I keep getting are: when did I get my break and what can they do to get promoted quickly? It’s becomes very interesting though when you start to probe deeper. People who keep asking about getting breaks are most often than not just waiting for that opportunity to come along. They are very passive and they lack the initiative to actually “make that break” happen. That’s my answer to the first question – you don’t get breaks, you work for them. Opportunities will always come by but sometimes you don’t recognize them as opportunities because you’re too busy complaining about being stressed, not being recognized, and not being rewarded.

The same can be said for quickly getting promoted. If you’re doing your best and you’ve communicated to your superiors properly that you want to get promoted and that you want to grow professionally in the company, then it should be a matter of time before you get your chance. However, there will be instances that there really is no opportunity in your company and you’ll have to wait. If you can afford to wait a bit, then it’s up to you to do so. If not, then you can always consider transferring or applying to other companies.

What’s the worst that can happen if you work hard and smart? You get better. Not so bad right?