A headline in GMANews.tv proclaims that “Gas prices push up sales, repairs of bicycles in US.” I just hope this trend continues and not only there, but also anywhere else around the world and specially here in the Philippines.
The report says that because of skyrocketing gas prices, among other things, more and more people are bringing out their old bikes or buying a new one for the first time. This certainly augurs well for bike manufacturers and bike shops. In a way this is good for the bike industry and also for those individuals who would like to have a lifestyle change for the better. The bicycle is perfect for short trips, those usually less than 3 kilometers. Cycling instead of driving a car not only saves gas but also provides excellent exercise opportunities.
This was in 2006. No new data is available but if the increase was consistent yearly and coupled with the increase of fossil fuel prices, then we could expect perhaps around 12% bicycle traffic. I’ve counted at least sixteen (16) LBS (local bike shops) here in Marikina. With the expected increase in bike commuters then we could also see a corresponding increase in LBS soon.
If I myself only have the capital, I would open one.
The World Hypertension League has initiated the celebration of World Hypertension Day to highlight the ever present danger of high blood pressure. I myself has been diagnosed to have this disease eight years ago together with diabetes. Hypertension and diabetes is certainly not a good combination as it leads to heart disease, which I also happen to have.
World Hypertension Day has been established to highlight the serious medical complications of this condition and to communicate to the public information on prevention, detection and treatment. Each year, May 17th is designated World Hypertension Day.
Doctors advice sufferers to monitor their blood pressure daily and to do it preferably at home. This practice will give information to help them and their healthcare provider understand how to proceed with controlling blood pressure. It also shows how lifestyle and medication help control it.
The World Hypertension League gives these tips:
Whenever your blood pressure is high (equal to or more than 135/85 mmHg at home, check with your health care provider.
Make healthy food choices.
Eat less salt.
Get physically active.
Medications can help.
Remember to take your medications.
Monitor your blood pressure while on medications.
Report any side effects to your health care provider.
I am happy to note that I have been faithfully following these, and I’d say they work wonderfully for me.
Deadma? Dead ka! - Must see video for those who think they are immune to hypertension and its deadly effects:
I could already hear a lot of arguments against this: No, I can’t because it’s too hot; no, I can’t because traffic in Metro Manila is horrible and the pollution is very high; no I can’t because it’s beneath me to ride a bike. I guess all of these are kind of valid because indeed, Metro Manila weather (or Philippine weather for that matter) is hot, and it gets hotter in summer. Traffic is, well, unspeakable most of the time, and it would only become worse in the future. Pollution? Metro Manila is a city filled with second hand diesel engine equipped jeepneys that spit out noxious fumes and particulates at street level and other out of condition old model cars that have seen better days. And err, yes, the city’s CEO’s and other top executives wouldn’t be caught in their shorts riding the lowly bicycle on their way to work; they have to ride their company provided gas guzzlers all in their air-conditioned glory.
As I said, these are valid arguments and perhaps enough to sway most to avoid cycling to work. However let me present some redeeming, if not totally convincing points that would show quite an opposite picture of the sorry state of Metro Manila’s streets and environment, and other related social issues as well.
Gas prices have gone up and is expected to continue to rise in the next few months. Now, this could be both a blessing and and curse to so many people. Selfishly, I welcome this because my perception is that less people would tend to use their cars that consume a lot of gas. The less cars on the road, the less pollution in the environment, and the better for all and not just for cyclists. Our streets would become less filled with motorized transport and thus would be safer for cyclists.
Our major roads are traffic prone indeed. But who says you have to bike through these God-forsaken thoroughfares? There are lots of side streets that provide not only safer routes but faster as well. This is what I actually do when I bike to work. I avoid big roads where big vehicles pass that endanger me and other pedestrians as well. These side streets enable me to bike unmolested and thus let me arrive faster to my destination.
Sunburn is quite normal, but only if you leave yourself unprotected and vain enough not to let yourself become a bit dark after a little exposure to the sun. There are a number of ways you can protect yourself: sunscreen, long sleeved shirts and pants instead of shorts, leg and arm warmers that cover your limbs, etc. You don’t have to leave yourself at the mercy of the heat of the sun. Yes it’s warm, of course! This makes you sweat and lose those unwanted pounds without really trying and losing valuable time because you do this on your way to work. This is based on my actual experience! You could always bring your work clothes in a backpack and change at work, after a short rest and a cool shower at the office.
Rain? You have to bike in the rain to know how much fun it is. Even without raingear - no, specially without rain gear.
My bike to work routine is almost like a bike for life journey everyday for me. I save money, I help the environment recover from the abuses of others, and I keep myself healthy, for myself and for my family, all at the same time.
Now, go and buy yourself a bike! And ride it, of course. It will certainly change your life to a better and healthier one.
The theme for this month’s CMR is “FLORES DE MAYO and OCEAN MONTH RIDE”
This ride will take us to the flower capital of Metro Manila, then to the famed Manila Baywalk. We will also be passing by the Dangwa flower market to take time to smell the roses (and other flowers too). The last leg of this ride will culminate in a nice noodle feast of authentic hand pulled noodles at La Mien noodle house.
DATE: May 17, 2008 (Saturday)
ASSEMBLY: 7:00 AM, UP Diliman, AS Parking Lot (in front of Palma Hall)
RIDE START: 7:30 AM
RIDE END: Lunchtime!
RIDING SKILLS NEEDED: Newbie to Advanced
THINGS TO BRING: Bike(syempre) , helmet, shades, some money for lunch or flowers, friends, sense of fun, adventure, and humor. Noodles cost from P80-P95pesos
For inquiries, please email me or you can also reach Ricky at 0917-6039258
As I have posted before, the 10th Tour of the Fireflies was a huge success. Estimates of the number of participants ranged from 5,000 to 7,000 bikers, which included the youngest at 5 years old. Now as a gesture of thanks to the volunteer marshals and other personnel who kept the peloton safe and sound from start to finish, a simple thanksgiving party will be held in their honor at the FFB president’s house, located at 50 Maria Clara St. nr cor Kanlaon St., Bgy Lourdes, Sta Mesa Heights, QC. The house has an “Eric Pineda” signage outside. This is near Mabuhay Rotonda, St. Theresa’s College(Ma. Clara/D. Tuazon), Lourdes School of QC, Philippine Orthopedic Hospital(Banawe/ Ma. Clara.
Party starts at 6:30 pm on Saturday, May 17, 2008. Every one is encouraged to come early.
According to Ricky, party fare will be: pasta, dynamite lumpia, lambanog (Infanta , Rizal and Laguna variety). I’m hoping the pasta would be vegetarian and that I could attend in spite of my leg operation. If ever, I wouldl be riding my motorcycle instead of my bicycle.
I have a neighbor who is selling his car. He has confided to me that he is looking for a brand new one. If I had the money, perhaps I would consider buying it because after all, he has been taking good care of it. He cleans and polishes it almost everyday and you could say, it is in a showroom condition. He knows how to take care of a car, just as I know how to take care of my bike. And just in case I do decide to buy it, I would try to maintain its glow and pristine state. I wouldn’t want it to have a single scratch. But of couse, I would not hesitate to install a bike rack in it so I could haul up my bike and drive to any mountain trail and ride.
If you are looking for cars in San Diego then you would have an easier time looking for a car that meets your needs, or one that could bring you closest to nature up there in the mountains so you can ride your bike without worries going downhill.
Considering my current financial situation, I would really appreciate having someone who could give me an inheritance that I could use to make my life more comfortable and easier to manage. This may be a pipe dream, but one could never know if there’s one out there for you. If you are one of the lucky ones and you need help in understanding what to do and how to go about obtaining your share of the inheritance, and if you live in Orange County, CA then you could avail of the services of an orange probate attorney who can address your particular needs and requirements.
You could go to usa-probate.com for free information on the probate process and other related needs. The site provides access to qualified probate professionals in your county. It also features a guide on what process to follow and what important papers you need to have, as well as a time line about what to expect during a certain period of the process.
Urban legends about running into an unexpected inheritance from a previously unknown relative or institution are all over the internet. You might have heard one of them or may have even received scam letters or emails telling you that you have inherited such an amount from such a person. What a wonderful event this would be if the windfall is really true. However, a more real world situation is receiving an inheritance from parents or uncles/aunts without heirs except you. I wish I could be in a situation like this!.
Let’s say you find yourself in a similar situation, you are in for a treat. But if the estate you are about to inherit has some complications such as lack of liquid assets or another heir in line, then it becomes more tricky. And even if you have inheritance rights to the estate, it may take a while for the money to actually fall into your hands. In situations like these, you could avail of probate advances. These are not loans but money you receive and assigned against your share of the estate.
I wasn’t able to post last week that I will be hospitalized last weekend. The reason was that I didn’t really want to go and I was hoping something will happen before I had to actually go to the hospital that will give me an excuse not to go on with the planned operation. Nothing serious though. It was an operation to remove the bulging varicose veins in my left leg. (What an unglamorous thing to write about…lol) I would say that it was 99% successful, (the surgeon actually said it) because there were some veins left that I guess he did not notice when he was operating. He told me to go back after two weeks and we will see what could be done about it. I am on vacation from work until next Monday and the kids are in my sister’s in Cavite. So the wife and I have the apartment all for ourselves until we have to fetch them there this Friday.
The wounds hurt a little specially when I am standing for a little while. I have to put on compression socks after a week or so, but for now elastic bandages are all the doctor prescribed.
About biking, I guess I’ll have to wait until the wounds have healed and that could mean more than a month or so of waiting. I miss biking already.
My youngest child, Alyssa celebrated her 5th birthday last April 29. We gave her a bicycle fit for her size as a gift. It had training wheels so that she could get on to it without fear. After 3 days of being used and abused, the mounting bracket of the training wheels broke off so I had to remove them. That was last Friday morning and by mid-afternoon of the same day, she was actually biking on her own! With a little assistance from her Ate Bea, she quickly learned to balance herself in the bike. From that day on, she would wake up early in the morning and prod us to bike with her around the village. She is one proud and happy biker at age 5!
Update on Meeting Dr. Joy Barredo
Judy and I attended Dr. Joy’s free consultation for those who want to work in the UK. But more than that being the reason, I wanted to meet her personally. We arrived at the Alabang Towncenter at 3:30 pm and being early for the 4:00 pm appointment, we went around the center and looked for a token gift for her. We got her a simple capiz earrings which the sales lady said were designed by a known ramp model or something. I was vaguely familiar with the name but I could not recall it now. I sent Dr. Joy a text message to say we were there already and a few seconds later I received a response that said she was already at the front of Cibo, the resto where we were meeting her. A little before this, my sister and her husband arrived too.
Dr. Joy is actually the first blogger that I have met in person. I knew it was her the moment is saw her but my first impression was she is younger in person than what the picture on her blog shows. She was with the British TV crew which was making a documentary about her work in the UK. Dr. Joy’s partner Tom was also there. Ambo of pinoyambisyoso was there as well. I knew that one of her questions would be if I biked all the way from Marikina to Alabang, and I was right. Even Ambo asked the same question. I did not, I said and in fact I came with my wife riding on our motorcycle.
A pleasant surprise for all us was that we were actually interviewed by the TV crew and we are going to appear on British TV! Richard (one of the crew, I forgot his position though, sorry) said that it will be aired perhaps sometime in June (hope we can watch it!) I asked Joy if she could send us a copy of the documentary but she said it might not be possible because of some copyright law. We ended at a little before 6:00 pm.
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May 18, 2008
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