I led one of the youths in crossing the Carmen bridge tonight with her eyes closed. This girl was afraid of hiking through that bridge. It is already old, around 40 or 50 years old yet still strong. We often pass there from Carmen to DiviSoria every Friday night. Tonight was an exemption since we came from our meeting. Whenever she walks through that bridge, she would always hold the railing and would walk slowly. And in a way, slowing us as well.
However, tonight, I grabbed her hands and held her close to me. Asked her to close her eyes and slowly walked straight through the bridge’s sidewalk. She did that all the way and I’m proud of her. Though there were humps along the way, she would slump a little to the side, she could feel the bridge more under her feet whenever a vehicle passes, we would stop on our track when a person passed us from the opposite direction and gave us curious looks, etc. Yet it was fulfilling. Knowing that I had led her from one end of the bridge to the other. It was quiet a long bridge by the way, estimating 80 meters.
Why did I bothered do it in the first place? I don’t know. It just came into my mind. I was suppose to scare her by teasing her and pushing her a little to the side but it was meant to be put in good use.
cagayan de oro brideg, Cagayan de Oro River, Carmen, Carmen Bridge, Divisoria, youth
Finally had my swim early this morning. Though only for a short time. I might strain my muscles and hinder my energy for my work later. I did the usual; warm-up, laps, drills, underwater and warm-down of all strokes. I almost didn’t make the 22-meter underwater swim. Before, I used to do an average of 4 underwater laps, this morning I only did 1 lap. Hahayz.. I’m really getting fatter and had lesser air. Which gets me motivated to swim some more till I get back to my 4 or 6 22-meter underwater laps (I assumed the pool’s length is 22 meters, as the staff also assumed).
I haven’t been swimming for the past months. Swimming for me meant, laps and drills of all strokes. As if training for a competition, except for the sprinting. No wonder I get short of breath in the underwater this time.
Who wants to join me next time? =)
backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, cagayan de oro city, Carmen, freestyle, Middleton Apartelle, strokes, swimming, underwater
my worldJanuary 11th, 2009
The rain is still pouring as of this writing. It had been raining hard for about 7 hours already. Some areas of the city were reportedly submerged, some rivers overflowed, streets filled with water, and other areas unpassable to commuters. I’m worried. There have been reports of rivers overflowing but no mention of Bigaan, the river along the Cugman where I frequent and had become my other home. I don’t know if I should be worried because none were mentioned or maybe it was not noticed since the reports mostly were of the barangays along the Cagayan de Oro river which also overflowed last week.
My mother’s ancestral home’s floor in Medina, Misamis Oriental was almost filled with water. The area along the river, despite the dike, is in knee deep water according to my uncle.
Carmen market’s floor is partly submerged in water, the highest being knee deep also, mostly in the streets and jeepneys were being rerouted. Gaisano Carmen’s gate facing the market is in a foot deep of water. The houses along the Binonoan river were washed out by the fllod and residents were gathered with their things at a nearby building. Jollibee Carmen’s vicinity is also in waters, a foot deep. From Jollibee Carmen part of the Vamenta road to Liceo de Cagayan, only a few vehicles passed, only those with high chassis parts.
Reports were made of children being rescued in some rivers along the west part of the city, namely Iponan and Kauswagan.
Divisoria and the east part of the city were not as worse as the west side. Barangay Iponan, Barra, Barangay Bonbon, Barangay Bayabas and back part of Patag are in waters to name a few.
Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST), formerly Mindanao Polytechnic State College is surely in waters once again, sometimes its as high as 3 feet. Text messages were also circulating whether they’ll push through with their exams tomorrow. Hehe..
Electric current in our place just got back. In time to post this entry.
Just got a word from one of the mothers of the Cugman Boiz, they were safe, the river was big but didn’t overflowed. Thankfully.
2008 was indeed a wet year.
Thankfully, its Sunday today. No work and no school. At least, students are safe in each of their residences with their family. As well as also the flashflood that happened last Saturday. And both incidents happened in daylight hours, making it less dangerous.
Bayabas, Bonbon, Capisnon, Carmen, cugman, Gaisano Carmen, Iponan, Jollibee Carmen, Liceo de Cagayan, Medina, mindanao polytechnic state college, Mindanao University of Science and Technology, MUST, Opol, Vamenta Boulevard