I particularly enjoyed this assignment, and I liked the way it was edited. So here goes..

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Vol. XX, No. 254
Wednesday, July 25, 2007 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES

Motoring

BY ANNA BARBARA L. LORENZO, Reporter

Seven heaven

Being of the middle class with just one car, the number coding scheme with its questionable efficacy spares me a degree of road rage once a week, even as it forces me to spend Mondays as an ordinary commuter and pedestrian.

Who wouldn’t jump at the chance of a day being chauffered around in a bmw 7 series?

My day kicks off with a ride on a bumpy tricycle, a frumpy FX, and a cramped standing-room-only train. An additional five- to ten-minute walk or a taxi ride is optional, depending on where coverage takes me.

One particular Monday early this month was different. It was not what you’d call perfect weather. The sun was not shining any brighter and no birds were singing, but there was a Sterling Silver BMW 730Li in our village waiting just for me, along with a chauffeur to steer it through the heavy Monday morning traffic. (A dream come true, but seeing it parked right next to my six-year old sedan was a sudden jolt back to reality which I deliberately ignored.)

Unfortunately, my calendar was empty that Monday of all Mondays and I had no official excuse to parade around the metro, leaving me no choice but to tell the driver that we were going to BusinessWorld’s offices in Quezon City.

So, I got in the car. And it dwarfed me.

My barely 90-lb. body felt inadequate in the roominess, but my legs were happy being fully stretched out, lounging while the world passed by.

It was just as well that I had left my fake Prada sunglasses at home: push-button window shades took care of the morning glare. Besides, the car was so fancy, with lots of buttons and controls, that it probably had one used for ejecting passengers audacious enough to sport counterfeits.

I resorted to busying myself with texting to mask the awkward feeling of being out of place inside a swanky ride — not a very good idea since the driver was not used to driving within the innards of Pasig City. Missing a couple of turns, however, proved the manageability of the 730Li when it came to making U-turns on tiny streets.

Since the city roads were mostly congested, there was no chance to put the 7 Series to a speed and power test, a pity since the spec sheet promised zero to 100 kph in 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 244 kilometers per hour. Then again, Metro Manila precludes any chance at all for vehicles of all types to run free, so to speak.

Decided on the magnanimous gesture of sharing the BMW fun, and the Arts and Leisure team decided to have coffee and an impromptu meeting at a nearby coffee shop.

Probably the last word in tems of car space.

On the way and back, my boss, Lali Herrera, was impressed by the car’s luxurious interiors, while fellow reporter Jeffrey Valisno shared my sentiment about the luxurious space. His advice: "If your boyfriend ever says the standard breakup line, ’I need space,’ give him a BMW."

Like kids, we pressed button after button and explored what we could do to the seats, the windows, the monitors, and everything else our curious fingers could get to.

If there was one thing I did not particularly like, however, it was the iDrive — not because of its complexity but because I felt a more subtle button or pad was needed to match the inside’s sleek and elegant lines.

Put the 730Li through some inelegant paces, though, as my 50-kilo rice subsidy for the quarter was waiting at the office. What better way to bring it home in style than to haul it in a BMW, and a 7 Series no less? Word of advice for those considering similar endeavors: me and the sack would fit in the trunk and still travel comfortably. In fact, there was probably enough space to fit me and eight sacks (not that I needed the poundage of those carbohydrates).

My last challenge for the 730Li was a trip to Shangri-La Plaza mall car park, as suggested by my editor. Spiralling up the ramp is always fun (for me, at least), and experiencing it this time from the backseat made my head spin a little. I was glad to make it to the seventh level in one piece, but what was I worried about? No scrapes for all its bulk.

Day over and it was time to recline the rear seats and relax all the way home. We were at the village gate when the realization hit: the middle-class interruption with the classy Bimmer life was over. And just like how goodbyes happen in movies, the rain was softly falling as I closed the car door.

20 February 1981

Your date of conception was on or about 30 May 1980 which was a Friday.

You were born on a Friday
under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Life path number is 5.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 3 & 9.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path number 8.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 6, 11 & 22.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2444655.5.
The golden number for 1981 is 6.
The epact number for 1981 is 24.
The year 1981 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/5/1981 and ending 1/24/1982.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Rooster.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Wolf; your plant is Plantain.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Parmuthy, the fourth month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 16 AdarI 5741.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 17 AdarI 5741.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.18.7.12.11 which is
12 baktun 18 katun 7 tun 12 uinal 11 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Friday, 15 Rabi’u'th-Thani 1401 (1401-4-15).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 19 April 1981.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 26 April 1981.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 4 March 1981.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 7 June 1981.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 14 June 1981.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 29 September 1981.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Sunday, 19 April 1981.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 3 March 1981.

As of 7/9/2007 4:00:07 PM EDT
You are 26 years old.
You are 317 months old.
You are 1,377 weeks old.
You are 9,635 days old.
You are 231,256 hours old.
You are 13,875,360 minutes old.
You are 832,521,607 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:

Top songs of 1981

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 3.77103718199609 years old. (Life’s just a big chewy bone for you!)

There are 226 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 27 candles.

Those 27 candles produce 27 BTUs,
or 6,804 calories of heat (that’s only 6.8040 food Calories!) .
You can boil 3.09 US ounces of water with that many candles. 

In 1981 there were approximately 3.6 million births in the US.
In 1981 the US population was approximately 226,545,805 people, 64.0 persons per square mile.
In 1981 in the US there were 2,438,000 marriages (10.6%) and 1,219,000 divorces (5.3%)
In 1981 in the US there were approximately 1,990,000 deaths (8.8 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1981 the population of Australia was approximately 15,054,117.
In 1981 there were approximately 235,842 births in Australia.
In 1981 in Australia there were approximately 113,905 marriages and 41,412 divorces.
In 1981 in Australia there were approximately 109,003 deaths.

Your birthstone is Amethyst

The Mystical properties of Amethyst

Amethyst is used to increase spiritually

Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Bloodstone, Onyx, Moonstone

Your birth tree is

Pine Tree, the Particularity

Loves agreeable company, very robust, knows how to make life comfortable, very active, natural, good companion, but seldom friendly, falls easily in love but its passion burns out quickly, gives up easily, many disappointments till it finds its ideal, trustworthy, practical.

There are 169 days till Christmas 2007!
There are 182 days till Orthodox Christmas!

TRY IT!!

http://www.paulsadowski.org/BirthDay.asp

Not that I’m taking it seriously. It’s just a little interesting. No, wait.. Now it’s bugging me.. What the hell am I gonna do for the next 61 years??

What am I talking about?

I took a death meter test (haha, I know..). That’s self-explanatory, right? Here, try it for yourself..

http://www.findyourfate.com/deathmeter/deathmtr.html

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam — Getting off at the Pham Ngu Lao area, the backpackers’ haven in this city, on your first visit to Vietnam is like waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

Picture this: In Manila, if you get run over by a motorcycle, there’s probably a 99% chance you’ll live. Here? Forget it. Chances are that one motorcycle is followed by 200 other bikes that you’d be dead 199 times before your body becomes visible again on the street.

This is the third country I’ve set foot on over the past five days. Unfortunately, it seems like the past 12 hours has officially ruined the image of Saigon in my mind. It’s chaotic. Seriously.

I just hope the visit to the Cu Chi tunnels (which is outside the city) and other interesting places would have a great impact on my first impression of Ho Chi Minh. There’s got to be a redeeming factor around here somewhere.

I didn’t realize my fingers could stutter, until I started talking with my hands.

My right was trembling and sweaty, as my whole body would be if I were speaking in public, as I tried to clumsily complete and repeat the ABCs in front of my 19-year old "teachers," DLSU-CSB students, who were staring at my fingers with scrutinizing eyes, as if ready to chop ‘em off the minute I make a mistake (but they were nice, really.. I’m just trying to make things sound so dramatic heheh).

I tried to block out all the noise in the room so I could focus on the minute sounds they make which might be familiar to my ears. I’m lucky they were really very, very patient. Had that been me teaching myself, I would have whacked myself on the head several times already - something that I was actually doing in my head when I forget how to do a letter in the alphabet.

They also taught me basic things like how to say Hi and Hello, how to ask the four Ws and one H, how to say where I live, how to say thanks and you’re welcome, among other short sentences. I even learned how to say BusinessWorld hahah!

I’m looking forward to our next meeting.. It will be a four-week long wait

Iloilo City — Ask me if I know how to speak Ilonggo and that’s what I’ll tell you. I can pick up a few words but I doubt if I can reply with a complete and grammatically correct sentence to save my life.

I’ve only been here for a little over two hours and my first stop was McDonalds. I should have stuck to my initial plan of getting Big Breakfast (I like spreading the strawberry preserve on top of the sausage :P) instead of settling with the longganisa meal. It’s just that I haven’t eaten longganisa meal for such a long time now. I was even surprised that the rice is laid flat on the styro anymore.. or maybe that’s just here.

I’m in an internet cafe at The Atrium, which is right next to a row of schools and universities, including UP. This net cafe is pretty cool. Neat, slim and uber-large monitor (okay, so I’m just gushing at it cz my laptop monitor’s too small), and I’m sitting on a bar stool cz.. well, the set-up’s like that.. like a bar or something. I wish I could order margarita here. Hahah!

On my way here, I passed by SM and Marina restaurant, which is where I’ll be meeting the Isuzu people for a road trip later. We’ll hit the road to Dumaguete (again, yes) and stay the night in a hotel by the shore. Yum! I miss Bahura Resort (I highly recommend you stay there if you’re ever in Dumaguete.. uber-romantic place, but stay away from the windows unless you want an audience!)

I’ll say hello to Dakak tomorrow!

I had to undergo catharsis after the emotional roller coaster ride I was forced to take a few weeks back but if there was one thing I couldn’t get rid off, it’s my Bora tan. I’m a natural morena and my melanin goes wild with the slightest sun exposure. Since I don’t do whitening stuff, it takes forever (like, June to March :P) for my skin to ever so slightly lighten again.

Snorkeling and sailing from 9 am to 1 pm in March was not really a good idea, with the tropical sun at its meanest. But it was fun, even if it left my skin a thousand degrees darker than usual.

I was seriously considering taking glutathione (ya know, that skin pill that makes Regine and Michael Jackson look like they were separated at birth) as part of my purging process, but now I’m glad I didn’t.

I spent a totally fun weekend in Dumaguete and Cebu for a coverage. After all the gruelling and embarrassing media "challenges" were over, we had a wonderful treat of enjoying the beach.

While in Negros, we were whisked off to Apo Island for the last media challenge - diving - for those who actually know how to swim. Those who can’t swim but would like to see the underwater world anyway were taken to the other side of the island to snorkel. I will have to google fishie images to share what I saw but there was lots.. well, schools of them and they were really pretty. Unfortunately, we only had 10 minutes to spare floating around before heading back to the other side and prepare for our trip to Cebu.

We kicked off our Maribago stay with the traditional Filipino hilot, complete with banana leaves slapped on our backs which made us smell like rice cakes. After resting a few hours, we went to the other side of the man-made sandbar in the resort, first to snorkel, then to drive/ride a jet ski.

I’ve fallen in love with snorkeling. I would have gone farther from the shore if not for the army of jelly fishes blocking my way.. okay, I just saw two but they scared me anyway. I loved watching the bright blue fishes which seem to light up underwater. I also saw a blue starfish, which looked more like a rubber toy. The guide actually took a couple of sea urchins off a rock with his bare hands so he could get the starfish and hand it to me!

After a while, it was time to say goodbye to the fishies and see the world again from above the surface of the water. I’m a speed junkie but I have to admit I don’t quite enjoy jet skiing so much. I guess it’s cz I’m so light and I always fear being thrown off, even if I have a lifevest. I always want to have a guide or a passenger with me. Or better yet, I’ll just be the passenger so I can scream all I want!

So going back to my skin (like, when did I get to be so vain about it?), I think I’m even darker now than in March. We baked under Cebu’s sun from around 3 p.m. until we decided to hit the bar and drown in margaritas during the happy hour.

I love it. Bora’s covered, and if things go as planned, I’ll be spending more time in the beach again this weekend. Sort of like a bye-bye summer 2007 thing. I can’t wait to see more of the fishies and get more of the sun. Sorry skin. Hahah!

Two things:

1. Whoever said that learning is fun is a retard stuck in kindergarten.

2. Mind games are for wimps who have no balls to say things straight in to someone else’s face.

I was googling something for an article and I stumbled upon the blog of a friend’s ex.. The net has indeed made the world an even smaller place than it already is. I was thinking I’d save it for myself, as a personal reminder, but I figured some people might benefit from reading it as well. The entry makes sense so I’m reposting it (without permission, I’m afraid, although this seems like something lifted from somewhere else anyway).

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Don’t date because you are desperate.
Don’t marry because you are miserable.
Don’t have kids because you think your genes are superior.
Don’t philander because you think you are irresistible.

Don’t associate with people you can’t trust.
Don’t cheat. Don’t lie. Don’t pretend.
Don’t dictate because you are smarter.
Don’t demand because you are stronger.

Don’t sleep around because you think you are old enough & know better.
Don’t hurt your kids because loving them is harder.
Don’t sell yourself, your family, or your ideals.
Don’t stagnate!

Don’t regress.
Don’t live in the past. Time can’t bring anything or anyone back.
Don’t put your life on hold for possibly Mr. Right.
Don’t throw your life away on absolutely Mr. Wrong because your biological clock is ticking.

Learn a new skill.
Find a new friend.
Start a new career.
Sometimes, there is no race to be won, only a price to be paid for some of life’s more hasty decisions.

To terminate your loneliness, reach out to the homeless.
To feed your nurturing instincts, care for the needy.
To fulfill your parenting fantasies, get a puppy.
Don’t bring another life into this world for all the wrong reasons.

To make yourself happy, pursue your passions & be the best of what you can be.
Simplify your life. Take away the clutter.
Get rid of destructive elements: abusive friends, nasty habits, and dangerous liaisons.
Don’t abandon your responsibilities but don’t overdose on duty.

Don’t live life recklessly without thought and feeling for your family.
Be true to yourself.
Don’t commit when you are not ready.
Don’t keep others waiting needlessly.

Go on that trip. Don’t postpone it.
Say those words. Don’t let the moment pass.
Do what you have to, even at society’s scorn.

Write poetry.
Love Deeply.
Walk barefoot.
Dance with wild abandon.
Cry at the movies.

Take care of yourself. Don’t wait for someone to take care of you.
You light up your life.
You drive yourself to your destination.
No one completes you - except YOU.

It isn’t true that life does not get easier with age.
It only gets more challenging.
Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose your capacity to love.
Pursue your passions.

Live your dreams.
Don’t lose faith in God.
Don’t grow old. Just grow YOU!

When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give to someone is your time.
Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is T-I-M-E because the essence of love is not what we think or do or provide for others, but how much we give of ourselves.

Call me judgemental but there are certain faces I just can’t trust. Look at Benjamin Abalos. I’ve always wondered how much of what he says through the media translates to moolah, and I don’t mean the meager salary that he gets as Comelec Chairman. Poor soul.

Anyway, he was on Mornings@ANC earlier to say that the extra 100,000 votes posted for two candidates were "just clerical errors" and that the public "should not make a big deal out of it." Right. Maybe there’s not too much fuss cz the candidates involved are relatively good bets. But what if those "clerical errors" were made under the names Victor Wood (I know, I’m picking on him too much already), or some other lame candidate? And what if they discovered the errors too late? Are we just supposed to take things as mere clerical errors? Beyond (or beneath) politics, isn’t the election a serious clerical job?

(People usually ask me why I’m so thin. One: genes. Women in my family are teeny-tiny until around 40]. Two: I lose appetite over the simplest things. Like, for instance, after I saw Abalos on tv, I had to put the block of mozzarella cheese back in the fridge.)

Just another observation from the counting that I watched..

As I’ve said, the election staff in one of the precincts couldn’t care less how close the watchers are to her turf so my myopia didn’t stop me from reading the ballot in her hand. I’d say the voter simply has a penchant for nicknames, or he’s just really too lazy to write. His ballot reads something like, "Kiko, Joker, Trillanes, Chiz, Escudero, Mar Roxas." The silence in the room was a serious yet funny indication that the ballot got everyone confused. I left the place laughing to myself.