A Pinoy Biker’s Philippine Rural Adventures

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.

I just received an email from Dr. Joy of Usapang Pinoy  saying that finally, she we will coming to Manila to fulfill her promise of giving free consultation for those who wish to work in the United Kingdom. She has changed the schedule though. Instead of May 6 it will be tomorrow, May 5 at 4:00 pm in Alabang Town Center.

For those who have registered, see you there tomorrow!

I often meet a lot of other bike commuters on their way to work. Thus I have made friends with people who, like me, wants a healthy lifestyle and to save money too. I have seen daily wage earners biking even if they live 20 kilometers or so from their work just to keep a little savings for the proverbial rainy days ahead. But even as they save a little, more is needed to keep the family afloat. Expenses keep piling up yet earnings lag behind. Coping with a regular expense is hard, but it’s harder to face one that just pops out of the blue. It is during this time that they would need some cash advance to make ends meet. Biking saves money but having someone who could lend you some when you need it is just great.

Expenses mount as people choose to we live their preferred lifestyle. It may not be grand but at least more comfortable and enjoyable. Often, they resort to credit cards and other loans to finance the acquisition of whatever they fancy. In my case, I actually bought my first bike through my wife’s credit card. The cycle of acquiring loans and paying them off becomes endless. Payday becomes a fleeting moment in time to enjoy what they have earned the hard way. Thus they need loans to pay off loans, or cash for that all important matter at hand, like a date, and fast. For short term cash needs that require immediate attention there are payday loans they can avail right off the internet. This is a deal that doesn’t need any more thought than going online and clicking a button.

We all have different needs and each of them requires some clever ways to solve. But sometimes, we run out of creative juices to do so, just like a biker who loses steam midway along a race or a trail ride.  Just like what happened to me in one uphill climb during a ride - another biker had to push me from behind because I didn’t have the energy to go on.  In our daily lives, we come to a point when we need help in extricating ourselves from a dire situation. And what could be worse than being in a seemingly bottomless financial rut. People with a whole lot of financial woes due to unpaid credit card expenses, upcoming car loan payments, or just about any loan payments need assistance. And this is where payday loans online can be a lifesaver.

Ten years as a whole is a definite milestone for any undertaking. And much more if those ten years have been spent advocating for a very worthwhile effort to save the environment and promote the bicycle as a mainstream mode of transportation for the masses.

The Fireflies were once again at the pole position in yesterday’s Tour of the Fireflies.  They have been doing this for the last ten years and this time, all expectations were met and even surpassed.  Estimates from the media ranged from five thousand to more than six thousand, counting too, the provincial participants who staged simultaneous rides in Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod and Baguio.

A short program was held where costumed participants were presented.  Each of them explained the idea behind their costume. One of them had an idea of protesting against the conversion of arable lands to subdivision lots which contributes to the perceived current food crisis. Another one proposed eating bananas as an alternative to rice and corn.  His costume consisted of real bananas hanging all around his bike and banana leaves wrapped around his body. An Elvis Presley impersonator also performed for the bikers and was well received.

The Tour’s  kick off was initiated by a ten second countdown, led by Karen Crisostomo, who also emceed the program.  At exactly 7:00 am the bikers pedaled towards the Julia Vargas exit of the venue.

Upon return to Tiendesitas at a little after twelve noon, the bikers were greeted by a shower from a fire truck.  Several bikers welcomed this and let themselves be soaked wet to cool down.

There were some minor mishaps along the way but these did not deter anyone from enjoying the whole biking experience.

At the end of the Tour, a raffle was held. The major prize was a brand new bike.  Some of those whose names were drawn have already left and thus forfeited their prize.   Several awards were also given such as the youngest participant, a five year old boy, as well as the oldest biker, the largest contingent and of course the best costume.

Please read my e-article featured in the Firefly Newsletter distributed to Tour participants here.

From the Firefly Brigade, we thank all those who promoted, participated and volunteered in this year’s Tour.  We look forward to seeing you next year!

Now this is way off topic but still it is true that I do want to bike in the UK (well, not just bike of course but to work there if possible) and Dr. Joy Barredo of Usapang Pinoy, a radio program broadcast in Norwich, England (and can be heard through the internet) might just help me (and other Pinoy hopefulls in Manila) fulfill this dream.

She is organizing a free consultation and  forum where she can answer all your questions about working in the UK on May 6, 10:30 am to 12:30 nn at the Alabang Town Centre.  Please go to her blog and register.  Although it’s free, you should hurry up because slots are limited to 15 only. Deadline for registration is on April 30, 2008.

It’s just a little over a week now before the staging of the 10th Tour of the Fireflies.

Please check the Firefly site and our Mulitply account to join our online trivia contest. Win special edition Firefly Brigade Merchandise and special prizes from our sponsors: Firefly Lighting, Spyder Optics, Deuter, project.good, Julie’s Bakeshop and partner bikeshops…

See you on April 20, 2008 at 6:30 AM at the Tiendesitas Pasig. Look for me there, I will be the one with the bike! (Together with more than 6,000 others!)

The 10th Tour of the Fireflies will be on April 20, 2008. It will start at 6:30 am returning to the starting point at Tiendesitas, Pasig City at around 12:00 noon.

Last year we had volunteers from Ecorescue who manned the registration booths at Tiendesitas. The Firefly Brigade is once again asking for help and seeking for volunteers for this year.

The Tour of the Fireflies is an advocacy ride for Clean Air and sustainable transportation and is part of the Earth Day Celebrations in the Philippines.

Duties:

The volunteers will be helping out the Brigade during the registration for the tour.

There wil be two days for the registration:

1. Whole day Saturday, April 19;
2. Early morning of Sunday, April 20.

Registration will be held at Tiendesitas. There will be free food and shirts for the Volunteers.

We are in need of about 30 volunteers so we can work on rotation specially on Saturday April 19. On Sunday, April 20, registration will start as early as 5am.

This is for a worthy cause and a fun activity for summer.

If you are willing to volunteer, please leave a comment here with your name and email so I can contact you ASAP.

Or you can also log on the Firefly Brigade website for more information.

Update:

Volunteer Photographers/Videographers needed for the 10th Tour of the Fireflies (Apr. 20, Tiendesitas 6am-12nn). Free event T-shirt, meals/drinks. Volunteers can ride with the peloton (on a bike or ride with media vehicle) or will be stationed at critical points to capture the event. Email or text: tj_isla@yahoo; 09178031094.

The Firefly Brigade will be conducting a free Bike Clinic on Saturday, April 12, 2008 at the University of the Philippines AS parking lot, from 8:00 am to 12:00 nn. Please bring your bike, tools if you have them, water, snacks and a ton of patience.

Rosar Crisostomo will be the resident bike doctor available who will diagnose, treat and recommend remedies to your biking habit flaws and mistakes.

This free bike clinic is intended to help those who will participate, whether as a newbie or veteran, in the Tour of the Fireflies to be held on Sunday, April 20, 2008 at the Tiendesitas in Pasig. Non-Tour participants are encouraged to attend too since this will definitely help any biker who wants to improve their biking skills, whether as a weekend rider or urban assault specialist.