During the time when the river waters rose where we live, hubby told me of a taxi unit that was not just submerged in the water but was washed away in the current. And yeah, there was this big bulky SUV that was submerged in water too.

Friends whose homes were flooded in had cars submerged in water too.

Yep, that bad.

All car repair shops we see including the “casa” or the places where certified mechanics can do repairs are filled, with cars parked out front, caked in mud.

Stores selling used car accessories have jacked up their prices. I hope the proper authorities did something about this.

As in all things to be thankful for because today is National Thank You Day, I thank the Lord for keeping my friends and their families safe in the face of a literal storm and an emotional storm as well.

I had my morning walk today because the weather was cool and nice with no rainclouds in the sky.

After we went through severe weather conditions, it was difficult for me to get back in the groove.

And so i wished fervently for something to use indoors especially during rainy mornings. A treadmill perhaps?

Errr, an exercise mat would be more feasible at this time, methinks, due to budget constraints and priorities in the ladder of financial must-pay

And yes, maybe later today, I will desperately try the moves in the cd that my good friend Jane gave me

I featured a photo similar to this one here but i cropped the sandy part of the beach. I have a lovely sunflower here as another entry.

I was supposed to put a photo using a photography trick I am trying to do  but since the weather has been gray and bleak, the shots I took were not good enough. The result in the Adobe photoshop software that I use was not good too.

Perhaps I got lost in the technical jargon like when I try to read topics like codex, troubleshooting and even MWF filters. Oh well.

Played with my photo entry for a bit and I got this:

There, I had the photo “texturized” but I had the “scaling” and “relief” toned down to look like the photo was printed on textured paper. Resizing, cropping and putting text were the other things I did. The scene itself was untouched by digital enhancers

Have a great weekend folks, as for us we are preparing for this. Yes, another one. Sigh.

photohunt

I found out that there is going to be a Pasig River Marathon for Save the Pasig River scheduled on November 8, 2009.

Not that I can run in the marathon under the 42k (I would probably be crawling if not unconscious after a quarter or a fifth of the distance) but hey, the shortest distance in the marathon would be a good one since I have started doing my early morning walks several weeks ago. There are 3k, 35k and 10k in the marathon.

If you are really bent on running (and finishing) the whole of 42k but can’t possible do it, get 19 other people to join you to help accomplish this goal. Woohoo!

I know of several friends who would probably join this if they hear of it.

Having spearheaded the La Mesa Watershed Preservation Project, the Save Pasig River is one project worthy of supporting. With the recent flooding in the area surrounding the river, we all know that drastic measures should be done in order to prevent or lessen something catastrophic from happening again.

According to Gina Lopez, managing director of ABS-CBN Foundation Inc., one of the lead partners of Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig or KBPIP: “The marathon is a step of faith. Together we can go the distance and clean the river.”

There was that video I watched with images of the the Manggahan Floodway clogged with so many informal settlers AND kangkong “plantations” inside the the flood way walls itself which hinders water from flowing freely, thus the spill which was one of the causes of the flooding in the area. Can’t remember where I saw it though.

Anyway, what makes this marathon special and different aside from its goals of promoting the clean-up and rehabilitation of the Pasig River?

Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig “will allow runners to get close to the river via a nontraditional route that will cross nine of the 13 bridges of the waterway; portions of the race will be run alongside the river itself.”

Let us all help the Pasig River by signing up and running in the marathon!

You can contribute to teaching the Save the Pasig campaign to children over here too

For those with Facebook accounts, you can view the Facebook event page for the Pasig Marathon.

We are not a  sports-minded family. If counting watching racing sports on TV or for real and playing racing games in the computer counts, we are probably sporty then, chuckles.

That is my hubby who loves to ride on two-wheeled vehicles which (rolls eyes) include a motorcycle.

photohunt

So many lessons to be learned and reflected upon after Ondoy (Ketsana) has ravaged the country almost two weeks ago.

I have thought upon these lessons from my point of view based on what we have experienced and based on what I see and hear in the news.

1. Prayers can soothe the spirit and calm nerves. Together with the kids we prayed hard and often not just for our safety but for the safety of others.
2. Family and the safety of loved ones are synonymous. People can always get back the material things that they have saved for through the years but lives, saved lives are priceless and valuable.
3. No matter how people value material possessions, these can be gone in a few hours or even within a moment, without advanced notice. Yes, people can do away without a soft bed or without branded clothes as long as they are not in danger of losing their lives.
4. People feel reassured when loved ones who are far away contact people in distress be it through live chat, sending sms and phone calls to ask how they could help.
5. There will be good people with good intentions who are willing to help others who need help.
6. Just as much as the “bayanihan” spirit is alive in our people, there are also people who have bad intentions like looters and hoarders.
7. People running for office will take advantage of the situation of other people to promote themselves.
8. People do not and can not rely on this government to help everyone out, considering the number of people needing help. Exactly my point when I wrote about our fast increasing population.
9. Other nations will pour support, in kind, in cash and even manpower to help nations like us who lack resources.
10. We did not have running water for several days but I did not get angry not lost my patience. I am just thankful this is just a minor inconvenience on our part, if I compare how we survived unharmed compared to others living near us.

Here is an analysis of what happened by Prof. Winnie Monsod.

I guess messages being sent and conversations between family members  now are in a more positive note just as I tell my uncle who is doing a live chat with me now, “Don’t worry, we are ok”.