LRT rush hour

“Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?”

stressed out

Saw this poster ad inside the LRT selling refreshment drink that will help you out to de-stress. Are we, todays generation really stressed out that's why these type of products come up or are marketing people devising new ways and marketing strategies for us to buy?

black nazarene devotees

Today, the entire nation celebrate the Feast of the Black Nazarene and i took this photo inside the LRT, as you can see most Black Nazarene devotees join the parade or got to Quiapo Church to offer their prayers and fulfill their panata barefooted.

While on my way to work, i saw hundreds of devotees lining the streets where the Black Nazarene procession will pass from the Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church, not counting the thousands of devotees already waiting at the church and the number is continuously growing. I haven't attended mass on this feast yet, i wanted to got today but i have work to do but hopefully i can join and offer a prayer next year.

As i am writing this, the procession has started and is expected to last for five hours will pass through Burgos St., left at Taft Ave, McArthur Bridge, going to Rizal Ave, right at Claro M. Recto, right again at Legarda, right at Arlegui St., left at Quezon Blvd, right at Palanca St., right again at Villalobos towards Plaza Miranda.

just checking

yesterday morning, one of the LRT coaches emit smoke and stop midway at the tracks, and this old man cant help but check what's happening but still making sure that he isn't going overboard by not stepping on the red line :) well of course i peeked too! :)

tulaan sa tren

"... Manila tells me she is not dead; Manila tells me she will raise her voice from the grave. Already she has paid the price of an expensive song- the - "what-have-i-done-wrong" song-the flutter-stutter across water and vegetable paddies. What the emperor sees across the palace lawn the ministers will not disown, though lemons and eggplants ooze blood and children die in their play..." - from Sunlight on Broken Stones by Cirilo F. Bautista

After the successful "Berso sa Metro" campaign, National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is bringing Philippine poetry to LRT commuters through the "Tulaan sa Tren" project, with hopes that this project will reinforce its other readership promotion campaign in its efforts not just to get Filipinos to read more, but to read Filipino writers.

Aside from the colorful posters (like the one in the photo above), they are bringing it to the next level and commissioned local artists and read the verses which will be heard through the LRT station PA system (though i haven't heard it yet)

LRT on fire

The LRT (Light Rail Transit) is on fire these days - the LRT Line 1 has suffered three consecutive fire near its station. FB Harrison Megaplex near the LRT Baclaran Station is still on fire after a day and a half! The fire started sunday evening and when i went to work this morning, LRT trains travel until EDSA station only.

And less than a week ago (aug 4), Good Earth Plaza near Carriedo Station caught fire which lasted almost a whole day as well interrupting the LRT operation at the said station.

The July 17 fire at Pure Gold Plaza near the Libertad LRT Station also disrupted the LRT services wherein the train only travel from Monument until Gil Puyat (Buendia) station. I remember i got in the office at past 11am that day.

Hmmm three in a row, so they say things comes in threes! hopefully no more fire

Photo: a fire truck inside the museo pambata

LRT r. papa station

LRT R. Papa Station

LRT R. Papa Station is located in Tondo, Manila. And is the 3rd station from Monumento, near the Rizal Avenue Extension and the river that separates or serve as the boundary between Manila and Caloocan. LRT R. Papa station is also near the Chinese cemetery.

If you look closer at the photo you can see a train approaching. By the way if you're a frequent LRT/MRT commuter you would notice that the passengers seems to double in number, most probably due to the fare increase... yeah better take the LRT, no traffic and cheaper! The LRTA management said that they dont have any plans of increasing the fare which is currently at 12 pesos for minimum fare or for the first 4 stations and only 15 pesos from monumento to baclaran.

LRT carriedo station

LRT Carriedo Station - Located at Carriedo Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila

Carriedo Station is the tenth station for trains headed to Monumento and the ninth station for trains headed to Baclaran.

The station is near some famous Manila landmarks such as the Quiapo Churh (the home of the famous Black Nazarene), the historic Plaza Miranda, and is also near Escolta Street (what used to be Manila's fashion and business hub).

lrt morning ride

early morning ride at the LRT (around 8:30AM), approaching a curvy station


starting to get crowded in here


my view of the driver got totally blocked off after four stations

N.B. photos taken using my camera phone

berso sa metro

Photo taken inside the LRT using my camera phone. Read about Berso sa Metro a week ago and actually saw the posters last Tuesday inside the new trains. It was actually good to read verses of beautiful poem in Spanish and Tagalog versions... the corresponding images are beautiful as well.

Berso sa Metro (Verse in the metro) is a campaign from the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) management, Instituto Cervantes Manila, and the Filipino-Spanish Friendship Day committee. It aims to encourage reading for the thousands of daily passengers of the LRT.

Here's a sample of a verse from Pablo Neruda (though its not the one in the photo)

Spanish version

cuando mis pasos van
cuando vuelven mis pasos
niegame el pan, el aire,
la luz, la primavera,
pero tu risa nunca
porque me morira

Tagalog version

kapag ako ay umalis
kapag ako ay bumalik
ipagkait mo na sa akin ang tinapay,
ang hangin, ang liwanag at ang tagsibol
huwag lamang ang iyong ngiti
dahil ito'y aking ikasasawi

so cheesy eh? =) if you're one of LRT's regular commuter, try to look up and read these verses... enjoy the ride!

avenida

The busy street of avenida, under the LRT Carriedo station.

During the olden days, this street was once the bustling shopping center along with Escolta, however the construction of the LRT1 leave the stretch of Avenida dark and polluted...as what modernization sometimes brings. In this advent many establishments were forced to close their shops due to lack of patrons.

A few years back, Mayor Atienza had this project of "Buhayin ang Maynila" and the Avenida/Carriedo was rehabilitated into a pedestrian shopping center. This decision was received with mixed feelings, anger from hte transport group and a welcome relief for the pedestrian and vendors. I personally liked this project and i hope that Mayor Lim will not open this section to traffic again.

manila's hibiscus

Yesterday, I showed you the view from the top of LRT, today i am giving you what it looks like down under. As you can see, the LRT pillars are adorned with gumamela (hibiscus) which is the favorite flower of the former Mayor Atienza. He really loves that flower, that in all his public appearances he wears a flowery polo/shirt... and whenever i see a gumamela, i always immediately think of Mayor Atienza.

I have to take this photo and show it to you now, cause i am not sure if the hibiscus drawings will still be around since we already have a new Mayor, and i know that Mayor Lim is not a flower person. I actually missed seeing the Manila City Hall's employees wearing their flowery shirts during their monday mornings flag ceremony… they are just wearing plain white or red shirts now.

my train

Taken from the R.Papa LRT station going southbound.

left behind

photo taken on my way home... wanted to share this with you because it gave me the feeling that the world is moving so fast and that somehow i'm being left behind. have you ever felt that too?

LRT trivia: The Light Rail Transit System Line No. 1 consists of the 15 km elevated railway system servicing the Taft Avenue - Rizal Avenue route between Baclaran, Pasay City and the Bonifacio Monument in the City of Caloocan. It passes 3 cities. and it is considered to be the first LRT system in Southeast Asia.

chicken out

One of the many stores in Manila selling lechon manok (roasted chicken). Filipinos are crazy about it, need proof? in our area alone there is four lechon manok stores within a block. The one in the photo is just below the R. Papa LRT station and right now i'm crazy about Mang Bok's chicken, their gravy is so delicious and the chicken is so tasteful and juicy. Now i'm getting hungry!