Diggings into the night

Work has begun on whatever pipeline improvements Shell has in mind on the depot in Pandacan. An announcement posted in the elevator of our condominium building said the schedule for this should have started about a week ago but nothing happened on the supposed start date. All of a sudden, we saw perimeter lines being set up middle of last week and everything else followed. 

I woke up Saturday morning to the incredible noise of the crane and trucks, which continued till the wee hours of Sunday morning. Our living room, which used to be a nice, quiet haven on Sundays without the sound of too many cars and people passing by, has become a sound warzone. The backhoe is now competing with the PS3 game of my son, the giggling of my two girls, the boiling rice in the kitchen beside it and the washing machine in the laundry area. Good thing, our room which faces the opposite side muffles the noise a bit.

Up until last night, workers were still at it, cracking the street and digging deep – so deep, in fact, that we started wondering what they’re up to. Progress was even fast. By now they’d probably be right in front of our East window at home, about hundreds of meters from the starting point, and the rest may have been covered up.

How could progress not be fast with workers toiling on a shift. I thought they’d be resting on a Sunday but, no. They worked on and on, like call center agents. I’d assume they’re being paid double as it’s a regular non-working day. So my question is, what’s the rush? What is this all about? And is Shell giving these workers double pay and overtime fees from the massive amounts they earn from their overpriced gasoline?

The Pandacan depot is close to being removed. Most city councils have already decided on evicting them from the place for safety reasons. I believe Petron has already prepared a location in the North Harbor where they would transfer their Pandacan facilities, and Shell should do the same. But why is Shell still laying out pipes – I assume these are pipes because of the depth of the diggings – if it’s about to leave?

If these are pipes, then I’m more concerned. They are too close to a residential area. The pipelines in Magallanes which leaked and caused the temporary evacuation of some residents in a nearby condo is proof enough that things can go wrong. These pipes will be running under a frequently used street and the vibration of cars and trucks passing here can loosen pipe hinges. I pray to God nothing of that sort will happen. 

If I were…

Shamcey…

…my answer to her Q&A question would be: “Before I answer that, let me rephrase the question into what I think is the meaning of it. The question should be ‘would I change my faith for love?’ I believe that faith is the foundation of a relationship, one of the important things that bind two people. Having the same faith is more than just having the same religion. It is believing in the same things, living with the same values, moving towards the same goals and having complementary dreams. Although we are allowed to be different as individuals, to love fully is to believe as one. Faith is the key to nurturing love. Beyond the question of whether we have the same religion, we have to first know if we both believe there is a God, and if we both believe our God is a God of love. So will I give up what I believe in so I can keep the person I love? The answer is no. Because in the first place, I cannot end up loving someone who does not believe the things that I do.”

Lea…

….Shamcey should have been my top choice. What the heck was she doing?

The organizers of the Ms Universe pageant…

….I would have added points to finalists who are non-native English speakers but who require no interpreter to deliver their answers. Being able to communicate in a language other than your own tongue within a time-bound situation, and ensuring that your message is universal and understood by every person watching the pageant is a skill that only the most brilliant contestants possess. It gives the message: I’m speaking in your language because I want to reach out to you, to speak to you and understand you.

Those who require interpreters send the message: This is the only language I know. If you do not understand me then there is nothing I can do and I cannot speak to you directly. You have to do something if you want to understand me.’ So centered on self, so detached, so unlike a person vying to be the world’s ambassador of peace and friendship. 

Oprah...

....I made the right choice.

Officially an "author"

I finally got last Saturday my complimentary copy of the book A Treat of 100 Short Stories published by Anvil through De La Salle University’s Academic Publications Office.

The book was launched last June as part of the 17-volume Centennial Series produced by La Salle for their 100^th year anniversary. I attended the launch event at the Metropolitan Museum and got to see the nice green-colored hardbound set with the DLSU campus façade printed on the cover pages. I forgot to bring my camera that time so I didn’t get a photo.

While seated at the Academic Publications office, however, I spotted the set displayed on a table. I still don’t have a camera with me but I have my mobile phone. I stood and retrieved volume 7, the hardbound version of A Treat of 100 Short Stories and took a picture of the cover page with my phone. I turned to page 11, and there was my story. I’m officially an author, hehe. In fact, the guard at the DLSU gate and the staff at the publications office referred to me as "author" and it warmed my heart a bit -- even though it's only for a page and a half. LOL.

This one here is the book cover of the paperback version, which is my copy.

I'm in page 11.

In “Residency,” I related a true incident involving my sister Sherstine in Madrid, who one morning feared that her employer might have died during the night while vacationing in Javea near Costa Blanca. He had promised to help her process her residency application in Spain so she can secure a work permit for office employment and be able to go in and out of the country. She was, after all, an HRA graduate of UP and hopes to eventually land a job in the hotel/restaurant industry somewhere in Europe. To get that resident visa, she needed to stay in Spain for three years, as required by law.

When this incident happened, Shers had already lived there for one year and had worked for her employer’s family for several months. If he died, she would have had to restart from scratch and look for another employer who can help her process her papers. She related this via e-mail so I presented the story in almost the same way she related it to me, including the exact words she used.

I’m excited to let her know that the book is finally out. Perfect timing, because today, Monday, September 5, she will finally sign and affix her fingerprint on her official residency documents, which were approved and released last month. She will also get her resident visa card, which shows that she is allowed by government to stay there and avail of certain benefits open to citizens and immigrants of Spain. Above all, she now has the freedom to return to the Philippines to visit us and go back to Spain whenever she wants. I miss her so much and I can’t wait to see her again.

I’m so happy for Shers and so thankful to God that He made her survive all these years without us, and for giving her a substitute family there. The funny thing is, the employer in my story was not the one instrumental for Shers’ resident visa. On her second year in Madrid, she realized that this person was too burdened with his own problems (he and his wife had a divorce) and doesn’t seem to have any intention of taking care of her application. She eventually left him and his children, looked for another tutoring or nanny position, and found a nice young couple with a toddler son. The couple liked Shers and asked her to take care of the child. They also promised to handle her application, and they kept their promise. While working for this couple, Shers also found a part-time job with Filinvest Madrid. She works there during her free time.

I also know that she’s back to serious dating and seems to be quite cozy with a Castilian guy. Finally, I think my sister is her old self again.

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