From road rush to road rash

April 16, around 10 am, I received a call and was informed that some property in school was missing. So I prepared myself to go to school. I just awoke at the time. By 10:12 am, I drove off to school. I was rushing. There was a car ahead of me and I thought it was our principal. Knowing that I could overtake him, I moved rightwards but unfortunately, just to meet a woman who was halfway to the center of the road. She was passing by a small truck selling watermelon on the side of the road. I was trying to avoid hitting her but she was hit by my side mirror. I got off balanced and thrown and rolled badly on a concrete road. What I had in mind at the time were a lot of things. What would happen to me? How was that woman? Would I be hit by the approaching car? I really saw the car approaching to me but luckily, it did not hit me since the driver (Mr. Lauronal, who was a father of my students) quickly applied break on his car. There were a lot of people. I could hear a woman from a nearby market shouting for help. I was lying on the road. I stood up and a witness was explaining what had happened. He was saying it was not my fault - It was the woman who was going to buy a watermelon who passed by the road. I saw a policeman and I complained to him why were the vendors allowed to sell on the side of a national highway. I saw that the woman was alright. She was trying to explain that it wasn't her fault. There were people there who know me. They were asking if I was okay. A fellow teacher and friend of mine was passing by. She (I call her Balot) was backriding with her husband. She approached me and told me that we go to the hospital. I would have rushed to school having the thought that I only had minor injuries. But looking at a number of road rash that I got, I realized my wounds were needed to be cleaned. I still managed to ride on my motorcycle and went to the hospital. Balot was really a great help. She accompanied me to the ER. There, I was initially treated with betadine. Then I was advised to have anti-tetanus shot. Balot was there all the time. She was the one who processed for my medicines. When it was my time to be injected at the OPD, she and her husband left. She informed my two nieces what happened, so the two girls came and helped me with my needs. Sheryl (a former student and a co-teacher) also came. They also proceeded to our place. 

Cindy (a co-teacher) and Small also came. She brought a disinfectant spray. It was very painful when applied on the wound. I never had such a kind of pain. I took shots of my road rashes and had them posted on a private group chat with my friends.

Now, the physical pain becomes real. The discomfort in sleeping is now happening. This is the point when you reflect, who's really to be blamed? That woman, the watermelon sellers, my fellow teacher who called me or me? I wished I did not decide to go to school or my phone was out of reach. But I decided to go to school. It was my decision. I decided to overtake the car. It was my decision. That was my choice, so here I am. Times like this one make me think how Jesus was feeling the pain of wounds he sustained on His road to Calvary. My own wounds make me realize the Lord's human nature of sensing bodily pains. It took Him three days to have all His wounds heal. It would take me longer for sure - a time enough for me to be constantly thankful that I am still alive. All the while I was really thinking about my hands. Were they okay? Could I still serve at the Cathedral and play the Church organ? I just pray that the Lord may strengthen me in all these. I know that I can get through this. 

LORD, hear my prayer; listen to my cry for help. On the day of my distress I call to you, for you will answer me. (Ps. 86: 6-7)

9 March MMXVI Partial Solar Eclipse

Celestial events for me, are really interesting. I see each of these occurences as a time when my existence on earth has a real relevance to rare astronomical phenomena that can happen every now and then. This morning, I took part in marveling at the view of yet another heavenly spectacle. Though not as great as the total solar eclipse, the partial blockage of solar disk view by the new moon phase is observable here in the Philippines today. Thanks to the help of my friends here in school, I took a shot of the partial solar eclipse using my smart phone with a 4-ply used X-ray film as filter. Cropping the picture zoomed in the low definition image of the astronomical event.

So they are secondhand. So what?

Sometimes, buying brand new shoes can be disappointing. After like a year, your shoes would probably look like the ones sold as "ukay ukay," a term used for places that sell secondhand goods (like clothing, shoes, bags, curtains, bed sheets, towels, etc.) at dirt cheap prices usually shipped from the US Salvation Army to the third world countries such as the Philippines (Urban Dictionary).

I have sorts of these items. From pillow cases to bed sheets, jersey shirts to shorts and jackets, I find having these secondhand products worth investing. Some of the items are unreasonably priced high, the fact that those are secondhand and are supposed to be a lot cheaper. Anyway, they will always be cheaper than the brand new ones.

So why not buy secondhand shoes? After all, with some good skill in bidding for a lower price (hangyo lubo in Cebuano), you can have the items with that hidden smile on your face. It could be as low as the last three digits you would settle for a brand new pair of shoes. Last February 25, I took the chance of shopping at an ukay ukay stand and bought two branded pair of items for only 750 pesos! I think the shoes looked descent enough. I soaked the shoes in Ariel Powder Color and Style for 4 hours and thereafter brushed them. I rinsed the items in Downy Fabric Conditioner to give them that better smell. Sun dried for 8 hours, the shoes looked clean and were ready to wear!

Black-Browning My Hair

Our hair, our crown of glory. But as we grow older, our bodies produce less melanin, which makes the hair appear black. But there is always a way to counter the appearance of gray hair.

I came to know this hair coloring product. It is a more practical brand since its unused contents can be further applied later.

First Time Cooking with a Glassware

When the Visions' glass cookware items were brought home, everyone was curious about using them for cooking on LPG stove. They were apprehensive whether or not it could withstand the heat when cooking. This morning, we put one of the glass wares to the test. I asked my brother to buy pork for Adobo (meat on vinegar and soy sauce reduction.) After mixing the ingredients (garlic, onions, banana blossom, pepper corn and seasonings) in the 2.25 L Visions' Cook Pot, the glass ware was placed on top of high heat stove. We were looking at the cooking process and we noticed that the boiling was a lot faster. We could see the food being cooked inside as the container is transparent. After around 45 minutes, the meat was already tender. Usually, when doing this recipe, the mixture would dry up. In this case, the sauce (reduction) was still there and the meat was kept moist.

St. Valentine's Date with the Choir

As usual, the school choir 2016 proceeded to MonMon's Bakeshoppe after the 3rd Mass on the first Sunday of Lent.

"Be with me, Lord," we sang during the communion. The prayer was also the celebration's psalm. As this day commemorates St. Valentine, everyone was talking about love matters.❤

Today, Ash Wednesday

Now, on this day of the opening of the Lenten season, I take this time to post something.

What's with having my forehead marked with ash? In this morning's mass, the priest had us told that it is the start of our journey in this season of Lent. The celebrant added that though it is marked with reflective and solemn mood, it is supposed to be also a time to be joyous about the assurance of Jesus of our salvation through his great love and mercy.

In the school, a fellow is apprehensive about having marked with ash for one might not be able to follow the "obligations" during Lent. Humans as we are, it is inevitable for us to commit sin, at any time of the year. For one thing, having the thought that one might find it difficult to do fasting and abstinence, is never an excuse not to attend to Holy Masses. On the other hand, one should not be comfortable about sinning, knowing that God is compassionate anyway.

For sure, God does not want us to live a miserable life. Every day, we struggle for living. What the Lord wills us to do is along the way of our living, we sow justice, make peace and give love. Doing these will surely give us that feeling of happiness. That when we close our eyes at night, we are joyed that on this day, we have seen the face of God in those whom we have extended our help and love.