Safety on the bus

Two Sundays ago going home from church, we figured in a vehicular accident. Veck, Dana and I were on the Mayamy Transit Bus UVB-203 bound to Fairview, when we hit a parked bus in front of the Gate 3 of AFP in Santolan. Read news here.

Veck suffered a minor laceration to her forehead. Dana, who was sitting on my lap, was unharmed. Many other co-passengers were gravely hurt. Many suffered injuries along their jaws causing them to loose teeth. Others had wounds on their shins. Others on other parts of their faces. It was a bloody mess.

After that incident, I became more cautious when taking public utility vehicles. I mostly take the MRT when I can help it. As a word of precaution, here are some safety measures you can take while on-board a bus.

• Remain alert. It is important not to fall asleep or be drowsy. This can be difficult for some people so make sure you get enough 8 hours of sleep at home and not when traveling. You are in a better position to help yourself in an accident if you are awake then when asleep.
• Keep your cellphones fully loaded and charged. It is at emergency situations that you would need to contact a friend or family member for help. Also, ICE your phones. Label emergency contacts in your phones with I.C.E. so paramedics and other rescue professionals know who to contact in a case of emergency.
• Maintain proper posture. Whether sitting or standing in a bus, maintaining good posture allows your body to reflex into a more self-protective position when a split-second accident happens. Slouching is not advisable. It makes you more prone to injuries should a mishap occur.
• Speak up. As soon as you notice the bus driver over-speeding or swerving lanes where these are prohibited, notify the conductor or the driver right away. It is important to make them aware that there may be elderly, children or pregnant mothers on board and that it is their social responsibility to observe traffic rules for the safety of everyone.
  
  
• Inform your family. Especially for minors, let your parents know where you are at all times. Before leaving home, it is good to let them know what route you plan to take, and what time it takes for you to commute. Inform them once you've reached your destination. If there are changes in your itinerary, for example, you and your friends wish to stay at a Starbucks after you see the play, let them know as well. Make this a habit so they know immediately if something is wrong if this routine is broken.
• Know the nearest government hospitals in your area. When involved in an accident, it may be better to go to a government emergency hospital because of the medico-legal services they have. If you go to a private hospital, they will patch you up and ask you to go to public hospital because most private hospitals don't have medico-legals. You need a medico-legal report when you file a complaint at the Land Transportation Office.
• Pray. Ultimately, it is God who is our Mighty Protector. He is able to keep us safe from all harm. Psalm 16:1 says, "Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge."

Travel on safe paths, my friends!

A chronological Bible study guide I return to

There are many ways to read through the Holy Bible and one that I personally favor is a chronological study. That means you don't read the book from Genesis to Revelation, going through the books as they are listed in the Table of Contents. (I tried to do that when I was in 5th Grade. When I came to the Chronicles I read about events that were already described in Kings. I thought, "Oh. History repeats itself.")

Selwin Hughes and Trevor J. Partridge's Cover to Cover: The acclaimed plan to read the Bible through in one year as it actually happened has helped me read through the Bible once years ago. I plan to go through it again, this time in a slower pace, not compulsively speeding through the day's prescribed reading, but conscientiously chewing and digesting God's words as I go.

So, I begin not on 1 January 2012 but several days late, and I try to mull on the pages. I hit upon an idea. Read the Bible. Stop when a passage or verse jumps at me. Go to my notebook and dive deep into a timed writing practice.

I haven't exactly been able to do that, but tonight, since Veck and Dana are on a much belated vacation trip to the in-laws in Malolos, I am going to BGC hours earlier than my work shift to do just that. I've some chores to do (bring the Blackberry to the store for needed repairs, pick up a book order, etc.) that I really need to get going.

Finally, here I am, opening to page one of the daily reading plan.There is a slight dread. I've read every word of the Bible before. Is there anything new I will find? Shall I switch to a different version for a fresher perspective? The King James Version, maybe, and reconstruct my English syntax? I might walk around the office and ask people, "Where art thou having supper?" or recite "Thy payment shalt be applied unto thy account within two to-morrows of to-day." That would be a riot. I was not exactly looking forward to reading the Bible.

Then bam! Right there, I see something I missed when I first went through. Hughes and Partridge cover not just Creation on Day 1, but also Satan's pride and fall (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:13-19). That's what got me racing to my notebook. So early on, at the onset of 2012, God is warning me of the danger of pride. I better take heed.

Pride is when I convince myself I don't need God and do things my way. That my ways are better. That I'm always right. Nothing can be further from the truth. I am helpless, vulnerable, doomed and in desperate need of a Savior. Pride blinds me to that truth.

So I list the ways I can be full of pride.

"I already know this" ... when listening to a Sunday sermon.

"Some people are born slow so I'll just need to be patient" ... when people or colleagues seem to not get what I am trying to say.

"I can't be wrong" ... when someone disagrees with me.

"It's not my fault" ... when convicted of sin, or when Veck tells me how I can be a better husband and father.

"Let's try it my way" ... when God shows me the right path to take.

"Maybe later" ... when God tells me to do something.

The list goes on.

I bring this list to Jesus and wonder what He'll do with it. I suspect He'll put a blood-colored stamp mark on it: "Already Taken Care Of 2000 Years Ago."

O Jesus, I need a Savior! I need a King! I need You.

Pursue intimacy with God

What is your life's pursuit? To answer that question, examine your schedule. What activity do you devote more time to than anything else? David's pursuit is intimacy with the Lord. In Psalm 27, amidst war and many troubles, he wrote, "One thing I have asked from the Lord: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple." The reward David longed for was God Himself.

David knew this truth: when you have God, you have everything. The opposite is also true: when you don't have God, you have nothing. Are you scrambling up the corporate ladder? Are you bent on the pursuit of your career goals? The apostle Paul once pursued the top of the religious positions, until he learned that nothing was more important than intimacy with God (Philippians 3:8).

Inside each person is an emptiness—a soul appetite. You will want to fill that emptiness, but instead of asking God to satisfy you, you tend to grab at the "good things of life" like riches, busy-ness, relationships, (Luke 14:18-20, Mark 4:19). But these won't be enough. Only God can fully satisfy. "This is eternal life," asserts John 17:3, "that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

True Christianity is knowing God intimately. The result is a deep and growing trust in God; a transformation where everything the Christian does flows out of his love for the Lord Jesus. The evidence that you are indeed a true Christian is a hunger and passion for God. The Christian knows that life is all about God, and not about him (Colossians 1:16).

Man's chief aim is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. God loves you. He wants to hold hands with you as you walk together through the journey of life. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). Pursue intimacy with God.

One way we pursue intimacy with God is through prayer and fasting. But why fast and pray? First Timothy 4:7 tells us, "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness." We do not fast or pray for the sake of fasting and praying, but for godliness. Richard Foster pointed out, "More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us." We realize what our compulsions are. And we realize our deep need of God.

This is seen in the life of King Jehoshaphat. When he was surrounded by his enemies, he cried out to God (2 Chronicles 20). In his helplessness, he sought the Lord. "Prayer and helplessness are inseparable," said O. Hallesby. "Only the one who is helpless can truly pray. Your helplessness is your best prayer. It calls from your heart to the heart of God with greater effect than all your uttered pleas."

God spoke to Jehoshaphat. "Do not fear... for the battle is not yours but God's" (v. 15). Don't fight. Stand and see my salvation. I AM with you. God does not speak louder when we fast. But we begin to hear Him better.

"O taste and see that the Lord is good! How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" the 34th Psalm sings with a promise. "They who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing."

When we pray and fast to draw near to God, He draws nearer to us, and we enjoy our fellowship with Him. Soon your heart will testify: "Thou will make known to me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever" (Psalms 16:11).

Fired!

We had to fire Dana's nanny whom she had for quite a while. The teenage girl was having attitude problems, and that's the most difficult thing. She was referred to us by Joan, my best friend. She's the niece of their nanny.

We have very little expectations, actually. All we ask is that she can be trusted with money. She can, check! She doesn't hurt Dana when we're away, check! She does chores without complaint, check! We pay her dues on time.

Where she fails is day-offs. She goes away on day-offs and we can't rely on her to come back when she promises to. It's terrible. Reliability is a major issue, and although it hurts to fire someone early in the year during a time when jobs are hard to come by, it is harder to entrust the care of your daughter to someone you can't fully trust when you're away on work.

I propose that a Nanny Network be put up online. On the Nanny Network, parents get to put the names of ex-nannys and give recommendations. Name, photo, age and contact information will be there. Then previous employers can put comments like trustworthy, or solicitous, or great cook. They can also say, "demands three days off a week" or "refuses to do laundry" or stuff. That way it's easier for us to look up info when we're looking for nannies.

But we're not looking for one just yet. Ever since Veck finished her Residency at National Children's Hospital and been taking care of Dana personally, I've noticed Dana become more respectful, obedient, vivacious and joyful. My wife's a super mom!

This reminds me that I need to be reliable with work, too. When my employer expects me to be working at a certain time, I should be there working. A passage comes to mind: "Colossians 3:22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ." And I've nothing more to add to that!

The books I read this year

I wanted to list the books I read this year. So far, these are books I've read before. It's January. I'm putting toe to water before I plunge into reading books I haven't read before.

So, in chronological order of how I read them, my list is:

Writing down the bones, by Natalie Goldberg, nonfiction
Wild Mind: Living the writer's life, by Natalie Goldberg, nonfiction
The unpleasant profession of Jonathan Hoag, by Robert A. Heinlein, fiction
Ecclesiastes, Old Testament, nonfiction
Thunder and lightning: Cracking open the writer's craft: by Natalie Goldberg, nonfiction
Magic, Inc., by Robert A. Heinlein, fiction
And he built a crooked house, by Robert A. Heinlein, fiction

I am currently reading:

Job, Old Testament, poetry
The diary of a professional experiencer, by Eric Morris, nonfiction
Freeing the actor, by Eric Morris, nonfiction

I am looking forward to reading:


The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, fiction
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien

My life will be meaningless if I don't pass on three things to the next generation; a tragedy if I don't pass on four. One, my love for literature and reading. Two, my love for honesty and writing. Three, my love for truth and the theater. And the fourth, most important of all: God's love.

So much for resolutions!

On 31 December 2011 I decided to say good-bye to the year by writing. At about 7:00 A.M. I was already prowling the streets of Ortigas Center for a cafe that's open and will accommodate my simple wish with a table, a chair, and enough time to fill pages with writing practice.

But I was to be denied. There were no Starbucks or Seattle's Best that was open. So I hunkered down and settled myself in McDonald's El Pueblo to write. The counter person was Marvin (his name tag showed it was so), and he was as friendly as a croc that hasn't eaten for days. I asked for a double-cheeseburger meal--yeah I figured once a year is a good time to eat beef--and he shooed me off like a fly by saying, "Come back 10:30. We only serve breakfast."

I ordered a Big Breakfast meal and Marvin wasn't paying enough focus as he counted my change bill-by-bill, coin-by-coin onto my palm so that my money slipped from my hand onto the food tray. I said, "Never mind. I'll count it myself." Then he just stood there waiting for me to leave. "Is everything ready?" I asked. He pushed the tray in front of me. It carried a small cup of iced tea, and an unappetizing styro package. I asked if he could put a lid on my drink and he made a face.

I decided the food wasn't celebratory enough so I decided I wanted a bag of large fries. He got my P100 bill but didn't give my change back. Instead he gave me one of those numbers and said it'll take two minutes and my fries will just be served at my table. I asked if he can put a lid on my drink, please, and he did. I asked if he gave me my change already. He gave a confused look on his face and said, determinedly, yes.

Whilst I took my tray, my spilled money, my number, and the unappetizing food away to find a desk, I found none empty to my dismay. I approached the counter again and asked the manager if they'd open the upstairs because there wasn't anywhere one can eat. She said, "No, but I'll have someone find a place for you." It ended up that she herself found a spot for me: the desk where they have they entertain reservations for birthday parties. Naturally it carried all sorts advertising paraphernalia for the birthday reservations. She merely nudged them to the edge of the desk and asked me to sit down there and eat.

I said, "I hope you can put them away because I've some stuff of my own to put on the desk aside from the food." I meant my notebook. I wasn't there to eat. I was there to write. What she did was entirely genius it made me think she was the reincarnation of Albert Einstein. She shoved all of the advertising paraphernalia off the desk and onto one of the plastic seats. How perfect!

I started to write and thought I couldn't, because I felt I have just been served the worst service of my life. To top it off, the food was terrible. I asked Luis, one of the crew, to follow-up on my fries. It's been over the delivery time Marvin promised. As Luis went behind the counter to fetch my delayed order, I counted my money. I was sure of it. Marvin did not give me my change for the fries.

When the fries arrived, they were old. I told Luis, "Why was I made to wait for fries that are old anyway? I wouldn't mind waiting for freshly-cooked fries." He went away with my tray. After three minutes the manager came back with hot fries. I said, "What did you do?"

She said, "I made you new ones." No apologies offered. Nothing. Just plain curt and efficient. I made you new ones. Be thankful. Eat them.

The "new fries" went cold in two minutes. Which led me into thinking they were the same old fries only dunked into the frier to heat them up. Terrible service. I didn't even finish my Big Breakfast Meal. It didn't look edible at all.

To add insult, Luis and the manager began setting up desks and tables all over the restaurant to accommodate more guests... Neither bothered to ask if I'd be more comfortable in one of those desks than in the one I was in, with McDonald's Birthday Party advertising paraphernalia right beside my seat.

So my new year's resolution? Never to eat at McDonald's ever again.

*

That resolution was broken the same day. Before going home I bought my wife and daughter a McDonald's meal from the nearest one in our area. So much for resolutions!

Anyhow, I realized that being in the customer service business myself, I should be conscientious of how my customer feels. So that's the lesson why I received bad service from McDonald's. So I would know to treat all customers without prejudice with decent human courtesy.

All that happened December 31st, 2011. It's January 1st. I will never eat at a McDonald's ever again.

Veck and Dana just brought me home some pizza! Yum!