Mandaue City , Cebu. Few meters from the SM City-Cebu (mall).
Suddenlty, fire trucks from the city and the contiguous cities came whizzing through highway … as if a little drop of ease, the traffic was in a laze. And in just minutes, with the fast and almost perfect flick of the hoze, the fire and fumes died in the pages of the blotter, as if nothing happened (that’s a view from afar).
By the time I downloaded the capture, I noticed the Fume’s Stare … with a gaping mouth…
Original Photo
People just love bread … anytime of the day. For this bread peddler, work is just a stroll. But the risk along the main highway is just a breath away. Pedllers like him oftentimes take a sudden halt for a buyer … right on the road … not by the shoulder. It’s a habit unchecked till these days. Jeepneys are used to it (most are infected with the habit as well). Private motorists usually give them a gnawing beep … they’ll just return it with a dagger-look or an uncaring stare … that mark separates them to be called a full-pledged PUJ driver or a road peddler … halting and cutting right on the spot … at any moment’s call. It’s the way life is on the other skirts of the country … and that what makes travelling around exciting and fun-in-knowing … just let go of the cellphones and Ipods … eyes on the road … hands on the wheel … no texting … always break if you must … there’s a peddler ahead … bread on the road …
Bread Peddler @ Sta.Barbara, Iloilo
With all the empty gallons strapped to his bike, this rider does not care about the busy lane going up the Old Mactan two-lane bridge and stayed on the yellow line all througout. Motorists seems used-to-bike-riders-like-him carrying anything they can (bagful of groceries, long umbrellas, and worst, month-old babies) … no one called hi attention or bothered to throw him a horn to keep him adistance. Not even any traffic enforcer (I didn’t notice one by the bridge) …. and call it a coincidence or forewarn … as we went down the end of the bridge, a bike-rider lay on the road ahead … unconscious … swarmed by the “Uzis” (short for the coined Filipino word “usisero” (oo-sih-seh-roh) … a term to mean … “gossipper” and “kibitzer”) … that’s the cause of the sudden traffic jam …
No wonder, the number of motorcycle accidents is rising.
Michael Jackson (June 26: Cardiac arrest) and Farrah Farrah Fawcet-Majors (June 25: Cancer) passed away. Icons like them are truly priceless.
Philippines. 19 June 2009. First officially declared A (H1N1) or swine flu Virus related death.
A woman died of heart-related problem and other complications. Prompted by her hospital records having flu symptoms prior to her death, an autopsy was performed confirming it was an A (H1N1) or swine flu Virus infection. She was not in the official list of the 445 cases of swine flu in the country. Health officials are currently studying her case, particularly, since she had complicated health problems and had been on self-medication prior to death. No further details were publicly provided. (Evening news today, reported, the fatality is an employee of the House of Reresentatives, which suspended work and “vaccinated” (?) most employees).
So, the Philippines is not spared of death case related to the A (H1N1) virus or swine flu.
Several schools and universities had been re-scheduling the opening of classes for a month now since the A (H1N1) virus or swine flu scare. Enterprising pinoys have taken advantage and taking leaps to a big, and most possibly, a long ride faster than the spread of the virus. Makeshift cloth face masks marketed as cheaper-recycables-washables overtake the supply of health-accredited-face-masks despite the warnings of health officials that they are not a reliable defense to the fangs of the virus and could instead propel the grasps of the virus.
Hmmmm…. well … but the B, C, D (E, F, G) market can only do so much … had there been a vaccine for the virus, i doubt the poor can afford or will buy one … food will be a priority … if infected, they can only wish a manna from the gods and rely on their faux medicine box of face-towel with bland-soup and hot coffee … all-in-one-against-any-disease. And if lucky enough, it would be a tablet of paracetamol today and a hope for another tablet the next day. That is life …
But I am always amazed of how the kids we call less fortunate can usually outgrow the elements of nature. I can only hope that they could with this new A (H1N1) virus or swine flu.
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