STORY: THE BUS

January 01, 2008. Twas a fun-filled and splendid New Year's Day celebration along Ayala Ave for the city of Makati and ABS-CBN Foundation fund raising. After the overwhelming and earsplitting fireworks display to embrace 2008, I had no idea that sumffink might gonna 'appen as I go 'ome.   

I was with my friend by that time and after walkin' around Greenbelt, we decided to go 'ome because I still have a work by 12noon. I already expected that we will be 'avin' 'ard time lookin' for AC buses because twas holiday and only ordinary buses were lurking along EDSA. I don't remember if twas the first bus or the second bus that came and stopped before us. We decided to ride on the bus. But when we found out that we can't find any decent seats anymore, I told him, "there's no enough seats here. We should now get off." 

We decided to get off from the bus. And after a few more minutes of waiting along Ayala EDSA, another ordinary bus stopped before us. We rode on the bus comfortably til we arrived Guadalupe EDSA. My friend should be getting off in Guadalupe so he did and left me alone on the bus. Few minutes after he and other passengers left the bus and still along Guadalupe EDSA, the bus where I was riding, hit another bus. The latter bus was parked on the right side of EDSA but there were passengers inside.

Usually folks riding on ordinary buses are extending some parts of their body like their hands and even their heads as if flauntin' to the public. I dunno where it came from but we heard a voice screaming, "yung bata, yung bata!" I thought a baby or a child on the "parked" bus was hit by the bus where I was riding. Then a commotion followed. Some started to shout and to scream. Lil we know that the "parked" bus was already under "siege" of hold upper and they were already startin' to do unnecessary against the passengers of the bus. I can't exactly see what was goin' inside the bus but I saw a man wearing a jeans jacket standing (he was probably the hold upper).

I was so wired because twas the start of the year and I was by myself and I dunno what will gonna 'appen next. I was already thinkin' what if the man transfer to the bus where I was riding and get all the ffinks and stuffs we have? What if he has a gun or a knife and suddenly hurt me or anyone of the passengers inside? What if he kills somebody or me? I was so terrified. But what made me more nervous and upset were the driver and conductor. The hell was, both of 'em did not even bother to move, they didn't try to escape the bus from that horrific situation. The passengers were already screaming, "manong patakbuhin nyo na ang bus baka lumipat pa na yan dito!" Twas the same scenario I was afraid of.

If the passengers didn't yell the driver, he will not run the bus. I was relieved from that terrible and horrific situation when the bus was already away from the "parked" bus, away from the goon or goons. Then after a few minutes we saw that bus along EDSA, the conductor was throwing sumffink, most probably a cloth from the hold upper(s).

I realized that my friend and I were supposed to ride on the bus sieged by hold upper(s).

NAGKATAON NGA LANG BA O SINADYA?

I read this article published on a tabloid about the 911 terrorist attack in NY. The story goes like this:

NAGKATAON NGA LANG BA O SINADYA? LIHIM NG 9-11, NABUNYAG

ni Jaypee Manosa

Halos pitong taon na ang lumipas ngunit sariwa pa rin ang alaala ng lahat ang pangyayari noong Setyembre 11, 2001 terrorist attack kung saan kumitil ng buhay sa mahigit 3,000 katao sa New York. Sa kabila ng kagimbal-gimbal na pangyayaring ito, may mga ilan pa ring kaganapan sa nasabing trahedya na lalong ikagigimbal ng lahat.

Kung susumain, ang New York ay may 11 letra at ang lugar ding ito ang ikalabing isang estado sa Amerika. Ang bansang Afghanistan ay meron ding 11 letra habang ang presidenteng si George W. Bush ay 11 din ang bilang ng letra ng kanyang pangalan at apelyido.

Ang una namang eroplano na bumangga sa Twin Towers ay may pangalang Flight Number 11. Ang Flight 11 ay may lulan na 92 na pasahero (9+2=11). Ang ikalawa naman na sumalpok din sa nasabing gusali ay Flight 77 na may lulan na 65 pasahero (6+5=11). Ang trahedyang ito ay naganap noong ika-11 ng Setyembre, taon 2001. Ang nasabing araw ay ika-254 na araw sa kalendaryo (2+5+4=11). Katumbas ng hotline sa Amerika na 911, ang petsa ng terrorist attack.

Tatlong taon matapos ang insidente, muling umatake ang mga terrorist sa Madrid at doon naganap naman ang Madrid bombing noong Marso 11, 2004. Ika-911 na araw matapos ang terrorist attack sa NY. 

Samantala, ang knikilala namang simbolo ng Amerika bukod sa stars and stripes ay ang agila. Ganito naman ang mababasa sa isang talata sa aklat ng Quran ng Islam: "For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken fearsome eagle, he wrath of the eagle would be left throughout the lands of Allah abd lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced for the wrath of the eagle cleansed the land of Allah abd there was peace." Ang nasabing berso ay sa hango sa Quran 9.11.

Bilang pangwakas, kapag binuksan ang computer at ipasok sa Microsoft Word, i-type ang Q33NY (ito ang flight number ng unang eroplanong sumalpok sa Twin Tower) at i-highlight ito, palitan ang font size sa 48 at palitan ang font ng WINGDINGS, lalabas ang ganto Q33NY (simbolo ng isang eroplano, dalawang gusali, ang simbolo ng bungo ng kamatayan, at ang Star of David).

Bakit ang lahat ng ito'y nagkakaroon ng kaugnayan? Nagkataon lang ba o sadyang noon pa man, meron nang itinala hinggil sa mga mangyayari?