Blank is #BetterByBicycle

So today I was tasked to pick up the medical test result of my dad, and the diagnostic clinic was 9 km away from my home. I have already decided to use my bike but my mom insisted on taking the car because she finds it too far. And I told her, no it's not, I've done it before, I did longer rides. We argued for about a minute or two and in the end she gave up. I have always stood my ground in transport cycling, I know my body better so I know how far I can ride. I made it just in time before the clinic closed. It was a cloudy afternoon, and it's always my favorite weather to ride the bike. On my way back home, I thought of quantifying the economic benefits of cycling, because, let's face it, money talks. So the total distance of the round trip is 18.92 km, and this is what it would cost me if I took a car or the public transportation. Option A: Car - my car fuel consumption is about 12 km/L, and the current rate of gas where I fill up is Php56.65. That means round trip ...

I am going through a difficult time in my personal life right now, maybe someday I will talk about it here, but the past few days, I feel like even cycling couldn't fix my mood. I still do it anyway because the more I stay still, the more I get restless. I have to move my body and try to shake off the sadness and anxiety. Sometimes, it seems like the world was put up just to nourish loneliness. Then, yesterday, on my way home from my afternoon ride, I saw the Hunter's moon.  It was magical. I continued pedaling but I was also transfixed at the beauty hanging over my hometown. And I thought to myself, thank God I can still see wonderful things despite this gloomy state. I reminded myself, it's a phase and it doesn't last. Things will get better and I have to be in best shape to enjoy it. So just keep pedaling, because one day, I will find my way to a true home. 

Happy World Mental Health Day! This year's theme is about prioritizing mental health in the workplace. A lot of the programs and activities, mostly wellness seminars and sessions at work are being conducted in various organizations. But companies should do more than that. For employees to be mentally healthy at work, companies should create and foster an environment and culture that makes every employee feel valued and nourished. But there's an issue that a lot of us forget because it's not part of our jobs but it affects how our day at work could go because of the stress it brings. I'm talking about the COMMUTE TO WORK. The usual queue of people going to work in MRT 3 For most Filipinos, work stress begins during the commute to the workplace and extends until coming home because of the obdurate transport landscape of our cities, especially in Metro Manila, which is among the worst in the world. I spent a good 'ol 14 years in the Metro, 4 years as a college student ...

First of all, I'd like to add that grocery shopping is better when you do it in a public market than big supermarket chains like Savemore or Pure Gold, because 1) you support small and local business owners, they need more of our support than the billionaires who own those supermarket chains. 2) The goods being sold in the public market has  no or less plastic packaging unlike the ones sold in supermarkets. The plastic pollution crisis is so alarming and we have to do everything we can in our capacity as consumers to stop the demand to produce more plastics. 3) In public markets, you can haggle for prices whereas everything is fixed price in the supermarkets. Now if you are a budget conscious shopper, then a public market suits you perfectly.  The only advantage of supermarkets that I could think of is that they are airconditioned. No, I can't even count that as an advantage,  it only sounds one at first because of the comfort it brings to shoppers, but the confined and ...