Project 365: Jan.13,2011 (day013): Green Halo

On my way home from work, I decided to drop by the Cubao eXpo in Cubao. This used to be the Marikina Shoe Expo, where lots of shops sell Marikina-made shoes. Today, there are still those shops that sells shoes. But aside from the old shoe arcade, new shops selling various products have also opened in the area. There are also a lot of restos and bars that cater to the younger crowd. One of these restos is the Green Halo. A friend once introduced this resto to me. She introduced this resto as an organic cafe. Having said that, I thought, I might not find the menu interesting because of the mostly vegetarian menu (okay, I admit I am more of a carnivore). But after trying out their Pesto Pasta and French Toast, I began to love this place. I am not really a pesto fan, but I certainly love Green Halo's rendition of the said dish. The French Toast with all the chocolate syrup on top, is very sinful, yet very comforting to tired office workers like me. The nice thing was their food items are reasonably priced. The cozy ambience inside the place was also very conducive to bonding with family and friends. If you find yourself in the busy area of Cubao, try dropping by the Green Halo. :-)

The Value of Vigilance

Due to typhoon Basyang, classes were suspended today in the elementary and high school levels. Unfortunately, not all the universities and colleges in the metro were able to announce right away whether or not they will continue with their daily schedule today. My brother's school (I won't mention it in this blog) was one of those schools.

Since my brother will be having a major exam today, he woke up early and got dressed despite the blackout. He was already having trouble because the LRT Line2 was not operational due to the massive blackout. There were not much FX's either, so he had to take the long route via the EDSA buses. On his way to school, a classmate sent him an SMS message informing him that classes had been suspended. He was at the vicinity of my Dad's office when the text message came in, so he decided to drop by and stay for a few hours in my Dad's office. After an hour or two, he decided to leave the office and head back home. My Dad's messenger accompanied him to where the buses usually passed so that he could take the one that was heading to Cubao. From Cubao, he could take a jeep to reach home.

According to my brother the trip to Cubao was a fast and smooth one. There was not much traffic, since the usual 7am-9am rush hour had already passed. It was almost 10AM when he got off the bus at Farmer's Plaza in Cubao. There was not much people in the said area during that time, and my brother had only a few pesos left in his pocket so he decided to withdraw from a nearby ATM (the one alongside the Eurotel Hotel, just across Farmer's Plaza, and Araneta Coliseum). My brother withdrew 800pesos from the nearby Bancnet ATM. As soon as the money came out from the machine, my brother felt a poke near his right rib. He heard a voice telling him to hand-in the money he withdrew if he wishes to save himself from much trouble. It was a good thing that my brother was smart enough this time not to use his taekwondo skills during that time. He just handed the 800 bucks to the guy instead of attempting to fight back. He got home still in a state of shock. It was obvious that he feels duped and irritated after being robbed of 800 pesos, but he was still thankful that the holdup man did not took his cellphone, his wallet, and his mp3 player. He was also thankful that the man did not hurt him.

After this incident, I think he learned his lesson. He would always be aware of people in his surroundings. He would not use his earphones while commuting (yes, he had his earphones plugged causing him to be less focused on his surroundings... *sigh*). He would not withdraw from ATM machines located in not-so-safe areas.

I also wrote this blog entry to warn other commuters like my brother and I. Let us always be vigilant of our surroundings. Unscrupulous people abound in different areas, not only in Cubao. It is up to the lowly-commuter to protect himself from these people. And to these unscrupulous people, shame on you!! Mahiya naman kayo sa mga katulad namin na kumakayod sa marangal na paraan para mabuhay... Mahiya naman kayo sa mga anak at sa pamilya ninyo... Mahiya naman kayo sa sarili nyo...