Wheel Power

They both reach their destinations.

One sweats it out.
The other has it easy.

One rides his bike.

The other, ah well, his bike rides on top of him.

Working all day in the banana plantations of Madaum, Davao del Norte, is exhausting for him; he longs for the comfort of home. The P8 motorcycle ride is the fastest and easiest way of getting there. But he has one, big problem: what the hell is he going to do with his bike? ...

With only one leg, he has accepted his fate. He finds it hard to enjoy a stroll on the beach or a walk in the park. With his wheelchair, he is used to the pitiful stares from strangers; it no longer bothers him. In the silence of people's minds, he knows, he will always be labeled as incapacitated.

But not today. Not while he's on his bike.

Today he rides like the wind, and conquers a grueling, 35-kilometer climb towards Calinan, Davao City.


Who's incapacitated now?

(from my other blog. This story still inspires me!)

Dwarf Lanzones

I planted a dwarf lanzones tree at the right side of our front lawn. It's near the dining area so, I hope, it will provide some cool shades when we're dining during hot days. I bought it for P280 at a fair for farm products in Pigcauayan. Manong, the seller, showed me a picture of a grown tree: it's as tall as our fence, with a single trunk, and enough leaves to cover the area on that side of our lawn; and when I saw the lanzones fruits dotting all over its branches, I was convinced this is the tree for me, even though, Manong suggested indian trees offer better shades. (I bought two indian trees, too, for P100 each)

Uncle Roland haven't heard of a dwarf lanzones tree; he says it might have been grafted from a smaller tree. (Grafting? did I hear him right?)

Gem says it will invite ants and other insects, but she just let me be when I got the shovel and started making a small hole at the lawn to plant the tree.

It will be two years before it will bear any sweet, juicy fruit. In the meantime, one kilo for P30 at Bankerohan will help ease the long wait.

blake, dash, alto in the background

1 dwarf lanzones, two indian trees

Bird Kingdom

Birds are everywhere at the house -- at the windows, at the small nipa hut at the front lawn, at the lone coconut tree at the back; I even found one dead in the garage -- Dash must have been really annoyed.

This one, which sat at the top of the fence, left hastily when I took this shot.













Their favorite resting place: the windows!













Here: bathroom window.














Because their chirping always brightens my day, cleaning their occasional droppings, especially at the windows, is forgivable.


Early Bird

Oh, if you're a bird, be an early bird
And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.
If you're a bird, be an early early bird-
But if you're a worm, sleep late.

by Shel Silverstein

Raining in Kabakan

I was on my way back to Davao yesterday. It was raining heavily in Kabakan.

I love it when it rains. I opened the car window just to feel and smell the rain touching the cement roads, the palay fields, the world. It's refreshing and cleansing.

The rain seem to wash away all the dirt inside this soul.