A Message for Christmas

To all our families and friends, we send our warmest greetings as we approach this wonderful day, the Christmas day. We pray that we all experience the joy, love and peace of Christ, who is the living icon of God’s love for us.

Christmas, as a holiday, is a time for fun and festivities; a time for family gatherings where we share love, fun and laughter over holiday meals; a time for our children to wait for Santa; a time for Christmas trees, ornaments, gifts, cards, lanterns and twinkling lights; and a time for boys and girls singing carols like "ang pasko ay sumapit."

But let us remember that Christmas day, a Holy day, is a celebration of the birth of Christ Jesus. A time for us to give thanks to God for bringing us the greatest gift of all. The ultimate gift of love that we must all share to promote peace. Peace that we all yearn for. When your families and loved ones gather for a meal on Christmas day, with open hearts and minds, pray for love and peace, especially on our land, Pilipinas.

Maligayang pasko sa inyong lahat!

-jaughn, ijo, and zoe

Leaving, not Dying

6:35 PM, Tuesday night. I just got out of Vasco Station. The night sky is finally clear now. Gone are the obscuring haze or fogs that had enveloped the whole bay area for days. Now I can clearly see hundreds of cars ahead of me as we reach the foot of the Altamont hills. Cars, despite the heavy traffic, run faster than the posted limit. I can tell why. It has been a while since we had this high degree of visibility. I can see how excited everyone is.

Then I saw this one car swerving, almost hitting the highway divider. A few more inch and it would have been a deadly one. I was so close to him that time. I felt scared..... That it might happen again. And that this time, might be it.

I have had my own share of unfortunate experiences with road accidents. If I am a cat, I only got 4 lives left.

The Book

College days, 1991. I was crazy about software programming. And at the time, my favorite was Turbo Pascal. I was so into it that I bought (or copy) every book I see about this software. My friends Kotzki and Banal were crazy about it too. We kid ourselves saying we can write programs even with our eyes closed. The school even sent all three of us to a programming competition.

One afternoon, my friend and I went out and bought some books. I got the latest Turbo Pascal book day. It had lot of good programming techniques and undocumented functions. I was so excited that I could not wait to get home to read it. But when we got on the bus, we were not seated right away because it was full. We were standing in the isle. I was holding my book on my right hand, and my left hand on the handle bars mounted on the seats.

It wasn't long when a couple of guys stood up and gave up their seats because their stop was coming. I opened the book and started reading when suddenly, I felt my body being thrown backward so fast that the back of my head smashed on the handle bar so hard. I thought I'd pass out. The conductor who was standing in the isle was thrown to the back of the bus with both feet up in the air. I can't imagine what could have happened to me if I was still standing when it happened.

A bus hit us from behind.

When we got out, my friend asked me if I was ok. I said "I'm fine. Forget about me. Let's get back inside and find my book."

The Bus

One afternoon I was riding a bus on my way to my 6 o'clock class. We were at the south expressway and just passed the Bicutan exit headed south. The road was almost empty and the driver was just cruising at a considerable speed.

The seats on the left side of the bus fits 3 people while those on the opposite side, where I was sitting, could only fit 2. There was a guy sitting next to me. Our seat was close to the door.

Everyone was calm and quiet. Until the bus started swerving and then I could hear men and women screaming. The breaks wasn't working, shouts the bus driver. I looked at the people on the left side of the bus and wished I was seated in the middle of one of those seats, using the persons on the sides as my cushion. The driver swerved right and tried to hit the side wall and use friction to stop the bus. But he missed it. We were then headed towards a ditch and that would have been very deadly had we got into it. The driver made a sharp turn and had the bus turning left, towards the center divide. It was then that I decided to lift my feet, bent them, pressed my chest on to my legs and my head in between them.

The center divide was strong enough to halt the bus. Luckily, no-one was hurt. If the bus went through it, towards the opposite highway, a lot of people could have been harmed or even died. I was more in danger because I was at the right side of the bus.

The Jeepney

Magallanes, Midnight, 1998. Close call.

I can't remember if I worked late or went out with my friends that day. I ride a bus to get home but the buses usually stay only until 10 or 11 o'clock in the evening. And I just missed the last one. So the only choice was to ride a jeepney. Jeepneys are the cheapest form of transportation in the Philippines. They can carry as much as 20 people with ease. Two passengers at front, sitting next to the driver, and a couple of stretched seats at the back where 9 people on each side can sit.

At the jeepney station, there was already an empty one waiting. I chose to sit behind the driver because I thought it was the safest spot in a jeepney. I was the first one on board. It was going to be a long night because the driver would never leave without having his jeepney loaded with passengers. I paid my fare and fell asleep. Minutes have passed until I first felt the jeepney moved. It was almost midnight and the jeepney was on its way out of the parking lot. I returned back to sleep.

We had travelled a couple of miles when, while entering the south expressway, on a curve where the area was so dark because there was not enough light-posts, in Magallanes, a big truck, which seemed to have come from nowhere, was backing-up and on a collission course with our jeepney. Our driver was not quick enough to react and hit the truck. I was asleep and didn't hear any scream. Just a wild crashing sound, and the jeepney ended up under the big truck.

The two ladies sitting next to the driver were both badly injured with their faces covered with their own blood. Everyone at the back seemed to have been alright except for one.....

Newton's Law of Motion : Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

Everyone didn't expect that we're going to hit something, even at the last moment, and some of them didn't even bother holding on to the handle-bars bolted on the ceiling. When the jeepney made a sudden stop, all those bodies have been thrown at me. I couldn't react bacause I was asleep. It felt like I have been squeezed under a pile of a hundred elephants. I was crushed and could not walk or even move for at least half an hour. And no-one even cared. I had to drag myself out of the wreckage.

The Tooth-less Driver

Our friend Cherry was about to leave for Canada that week. We planned to attend her going-away party but we stayed late in the office that day.

Jay-Arr drove us that night with Jenny's honda civic. She and Yuri, her boyfriend then - now her husband, were comfortably sitting at the back. We were all kidding about being worried that we might get an accident since Jay-arr and I are known to possess bad lucks when in a vehicle.

And so it happened.

We were about to cross EDSA highway when a jeepney hit us directly on the driver side. It missed our driver, but the engine was badly damaged. No-one was hurt. We all got out to confront the Jeepney driver but when he got out, he looked really young. He was just a kid, a teen-ager, missing all his front-teeth. I wanna punch him in the face, but how could I? He was just a kid. He didn't even have a license.

Well, we ended up missing Cherry's party and spent the rest of the night in a police station. And nothing happened. For days, we have been going after the driver and the jeepney's owner, but we never got anything from them. I feel sorry for Jenny. She spent a lot of money fixing her car. But the important thing was none of us got hurt in that accident.

The Flying FX

One morning, on my way to work, the traffic on the south expressway was unusually smooth-flowing..... Until we reached the Sucat area.

I was in an FX at the time.

Nowadays, jeepneys' main competitions were the van-type, air-conditioned vehicles (I think they were classified as AUVs but I'm not sure about that.) One of them is called the Tamaraw FX which we normally called FX. I like them because, for at least a couple of hours, I free myself from noise, heat and pollution.

We have already passed the Alabang exit, and were just cruising and enjoying the smooth flow of traffic, when we saw break lights from half a mile away, started to lit up. We were approaching the Sucat exit. The driver was hesitant to continue on and thought of taking the back roads. He asked us, his passengers, to decide where we wanted to go. We were still a quarter of a mile away from the exit but he already slowed down while other cars were still speeding, we could hear them honking as they passed. Before we could answer, we heard the people in the back screaming, "Oh my God! we're gonna get hit! we're gonna get hit." I knew what's going to happen so I grabbed the back of the front-seat and pushed myself in between the two guys on my sides and used them as cushion. Then I heard a thundering sound from behind.

The bus driver tried hard to avoid us. There must be a lot of cars, incoming or already next to it, in the right side of the bus so the bus driver chose to go left. But still hit us from the back-corner. It wasn't a direct impact, but was enough to make our car swerve and lose control. The impact was so bad that the FX was thrown side ways and was really out of control. The FX rolled over, twice, and landing on its top. The FX was turning, like a turtle on its back, for a few seconds before it finally stopped.

The FX driver was gone. He must have ran out or was thrown out through the completely smashed windshield.

The two women at front, next to the driver, were still there, crying; bleeding. They were lucky not to have thrown out.

The guy on my left was fine but I could only see the lower part of his body. He was lying on his stomach, with his head underneath the steering wheel. He crawled outside through the broken windshield.

The big guy on my right wasn't hurt, but the lady next to her was badly injured. Her face was smashed on the side-window which was shattered. Miraculously, all four passengers at the back were ok.

I was lucky to be alive and unharmed that day.

I got home and told the story to my mom. She started crying halfway thru the story. She went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water but she dropped on her knees first and started praying and repeatedly thanking God for I wasn't taken from her that day. It was really disheartening seeing her in agony. It breaks my heart seeing her in tears. That moment was more painful than any of of the unfortunate events that had happened to me.

Worried about Leaving, not Dying

It's been years since I've had an incident. I thank God for all those times I walked out alive. Whenever I tell these stories, a question about fear of death always pops up.

If we believe in God and understands His great promises concerning life after death, then there's no reason for fear. This does not mean to say, on the other hand, that one becomes either nonchalant or reckless concerning death, but only to say that the forbidding, mindless fear experienced by so many should be overcome.1

For me the thought of leaving my loved-ones is far worst than death itself.

Wish I Can Write as Good as this eLf

Thank God It's Friday!

But I came in too early today. I got here in the office just before seven o'clock. I didn't take the train today so I flew in -- I mean I drove.

No-one's around yet and it's awfully quiet here. I've already finished reading my emails and I'm ready to eat my breakfast. But I checked out my friend's blog first coz it's been a while. Alfie is the one who inspired me to have this journal.

So I clicked on my FireFox and typed in http://elf-ideas.blogspot.com.

Wow! As I looked at the new stuff he put in since the last time I visited his blog, I was telling myself, this could take a while. This guy never ceases to amaze me. He has written tons of new stuff. It really honors me to have personally known someone who could write this great. I wish I can write as good as this eLf. He is just amazing.

1.1.2.8.0.4 XXX:III

Sa Aking Kaarawan --

Salamat Panginoon sa biyaya mong
buhay at pagmamahal.


Salamat sa aking ama at ina
Na sa akin ay nagbigay buhay at gumabay
Sana ay nandito ka pa mahal kong ama
Mama, lagi kong hangad ang makapiling ka

Salamat sa iyo aking kapatid
Marunong umunawa at laging mapagparaya
Pasensya na at ako ang anak na mas pinalad
Nawa'y ang pagmamahal ng isang kuya ay maging sapat

Salamat sa inyo aking kaibigan
Kapag kinakailangan, laging nandyan
Bakit ganon, parang ang swerte ko
Maraming nagmamahal saan man tumungo

At higit sa lahat

Salamat sa aking mahal na asawa
Ang mga sakripisyo mo sobra-sobra
Hindi ko alam kung paano ko masusuklian
Basta ako'y sa iyo magpakailan man

Salamat sa bunga ng ating pagmamahalan
Zoe Elianna, ang karugtong ng ating buhay
Sya ang nagbibigay tibay sa ating pagmamahalan
Nawa'y masundan na nang lalong sumaya sa ating bahay

Salamat panginoon sa biyaya mong buhay at pagmamahal.....

- - o O o - -

Mom, thank you for your love and sacrifices. I wouldn't be here if not for you.
My brothers and sisters, thank you for your love and wishes.
To all my brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, thank you for your love and support.
To my mother-in-law, you've always been my second mom. Thank you.
To all my friends, thank you for not forgetting this wonderful day.
To all my neighbors who came to celebrate, I really appreciate it.
Thank you to the x-ppcc group, the pup-coe93 group, ace-riders group, and my officemates.

To my beloved wife, thank you for all your sacrifices and your love all these years.
To my daughter Zoe, thank you for the song this morning.

- - o O o - -

Hindi sana kami maghahanda kaso nagluto rin si Ijo. Pat and his wife Marichu came in the afternoon to watch Troy. They brought their three kids with them so we watched Spy Kids 3D first. Mike and Marivic called and they also wanted to come and see the Troy movie so we waited for them. They all came with food so that was great. Halfway thru the movie, Ruth and her family came over and watched the movie as well.

That pretty much made my day a little bit more fun.

Su - Oh - Dey

It is Monday, but I am here at home. I called my boss and told him I will work from home because my muscles are still sore from playing basketball last saturday. I love tele-commuting because I get to spend more time with my family. Especially seeing what Zoe does during the day.

Next week, she will turn 2 years and 2 months old. She has been talking a lot lately. It's very enjoyable for both me and my wife to hear her speak because most of the words she say just really sound funny. One of our favorites is su-oh-dey. She delivers this word like she is singing. She has been saying this word for weeks and not until recently did we discover what she was really trying to say.

'Twas the night of the holloween trick-or-treating. She has received a lot of candies and chocolates and some cookies and some small toys. So, as we were browsing on her candy-bag, I was reading her some of the labels on the wrappers and she would repeat it. Candy, keydi as she would pronounce it. Cookies, cookies. Whistle, whistle. Then, I grabbed a chocolate and told her what it's called. And she said --- Su-oh-day !!!!

These are some of the words she could say but really sounded funny :

Spider : As-ta-yu
I Love You : A-wa-vu
Good Night : A-night
What Happened? : Wat-ha-pis
Who's That? : Who-da?

Hay Naku : Ay-Na-U

Salo-salo sa Hapunan

Earlier this afternoon, Mike came over to our house and invited us to dinner at their house. I was gonna invite them that time to watch the "Stepfords Wives" DVD but dinner sounded better.

Ijo, my wife, made a delicious molo soup and some steamed shu-mai's. Zoe was still sleeping when we were about to go but disturbing her beauty sleep was not at all a problem for her because she knew we were going out.

Tonight was a very foggy night and our neighborhood looked like one of those in the horror movies where a town has either been abandoned or everyone just disappeared and their village became a ghost town. We were freezing as we walked towards their house which is only three houses down.

Marivic, Mike's wife, opened up the front door for us and Zoe immediately ran inside and played with their two year old daughter Melea. These two were born just a couple of days apart.

Few minutes later, Monsi, Mike's sister who lives next door, came in. We talked for a while until Pat's family arrived. He came with his wife Marichu, and their children Shealene, Kaelan, and Chloe.

All of us live within the same block. My house is in a corner and Pat's house was in the other corner on the same street. There are only two houses in between ours.

Marichu made up this salad which I must admit the most delicious one I have ever had. I forgot what she called it but it was absolutely yummy. I think the wine in it did the trick. Her famous baked salmon was as mouth-watering but she didn't bring one tonight. The other food on the table was pork barbeques and some vegetables.

The children were just busy playing in the living room. At times, they would come and grab a bite of what we were having. Zoe would oftentimes go to her mom and ask for a bite of rice.

Everyone was thankful that we all became neighbors. We were all complementing each other for how nice and friendly each one is. Then we talked about our different stories on how we got our houses.

Houses in Mountain House are not readily available to the buyers. One cannot buy houses just because he/she has money to spend. Buying houses here will require some effort and a lot of patience. You need to attend one of the lottery drawings.....

Mike and his wife, and his Sister came on a Saturday and tried their luck on that week's lottery. But they initially went to a different neighborhood. Their names were not picked so they decided to go and have lunch. On their way out, they found out that our neighborhood, the Liberty, was then having a lottery and was about to begin. There were about a hundred people that day and only five will be lucky enough to purchase a home. Everyone was very impatient that they only give you five minutes to choose which house you want before they pick the next buyer. The first one drawn was Mike and his wife. They couldn't decide which available house they wanted to buy that day. But because of that 5 minute pressure, they chose the biggest house. But they chose what Monsi wanted. But Monsi's name was not picked until the third draw. Her immediate reaction was "What have I got myself into?". Well, they ended up switching a house since they were right next to each other and Monsi really wanted the house that Mike picked. And Marivic loved the house the Monsi picked. Everybody wins.

Pat and Marichu were not planning to buy a house when they walked in to the Liberty office. It was 4:45 in the afternoon on a Saturday. The office should have been opened til 5:00 but the lady in the office immediately closed the door behind them when they got in. She said there is one house available and you've got 15 minutes to decide whether you want to buy it or not. Talk about pressure. The house became available because the original buyer backed-out. While on the tour of the model house, someone called the office and was ready to buy but was put on hold while Pat and Chu decides.

Our story was somewhat similar to that of Pat's. Except that we were really looking for a house to buy and had already been searching for weeks. We've been to the models in Mountain House but when we found out about the lottery, we lost interest. Simply because we were, at the time, staying in Milipitas which is 45 miles away. I didn't wanna drive each Saturday to attend the lottery draws..... We were on our way home, after an exhaustive search of a house in the Pittsburg/Brentwood area, when I asked our realtor to call Mountain House and ask if someone had backed out. Well, someone did, and so we got a home. Our first one.

We finished dinner shortly before 9 o'clock. We all had great time. Even the kids.

Got the Skills, Not the Talent

Today I played basketball with my newfound friends. I played the first five minutes and then asked for a time-out. I even asked for a substitution. I was embarrassed but I could no longer breath. It's been years since I played the game.

A lot of them played very well. These guys have talents. I don't. Mine were just skills. Learned through hardwork. I have been playing this game for years but I never really tried harder to excel on it.

I had fun playing today. This is gonna hurt for a couple of days but that's alright.

I'm looking forward to our next games this saturday.....

What do you do for a living ?

Tonight, I was introduced again to another train rider. And again, I was asked about my work. For some reason, I always find it difficult to answer this question. I usually start by telling them that I work for IBM. That way they would have an idea what kind of industry I am in.

For me to answer this question requires an assessment on the person asking. How much does he or she knows about my line of work. I wish my title is as well-known as an accountant or a nurse or a teacher. But it's not.

I am a UNIX System dministrator. You're a what? asked the lady who obviously had never heard of it. Who can blame her? Not too many people know what UNIX is. Then, I just told her I work on computers, the big ones. The ones that you never really see or care about.

But she seemed interested about it. What is UNIX? And all of a sudden, all eyes were on me. I felt really uncomfortable because I was never really good at explaining things, especially about my work. But I tried my best to lay it out in layman's term.

UNIX is an operating system. What is an operating system? one of the guys quickly asked this question. Clearly, these guys were just giving me a hard time. I'm sure they knew what it was. Windows, which you are all familiar with is an example of an operating system. It makes our lives easier. It acts as the master controller of the computer, the glue that holds together all the components of the system, including us, humans, which we normally call users. When you want the computer to do something for you, like start a program, copy a file, or display the contents of a directory, it is the operating system that must perform those tasks for you.

Why UNIX? One of them asked. You mean why not Windows? That was supposed to be a joke but no-one laughed..... UNIX, despite the fact that it's more complex and unfriendly, has a lot more advantages than other operating systems like Windows. It is well known for its reliability and flexibility. Most of the high-end servers in the world has UNIX as their operating systems. Especially the ones that host the internet, like google. Google is using almost 10,000 Linux-based servers.

What is Linux? It is one of the many different flavors of UNIX. There are a number of companies that make UNIX operating system. You are all familiar with SUN and HP right? Well, they are the biggest ones in the UNIX world. SUN makes SunOS or Solaris. HP has HPUX. And of course, IBM has AIX. Linux, on the other hand, is somewhat different because it was developed under the GNU or General Public Language, the source code is freely available to everyone.

So, which ones do you manage? Depending on what the clients have. At the moment, I am assigned at one of the J&J companies which has SunOS, Solaris, and HP-UX servers. I try to make sure that these servers run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. I am on-call 24x7. I am also in charge of fixing any hardware problems and making sure that all data or information are protected and are being backed up in a regular basis.

My job is to keep the machines healthy, and keep the users happy.

I guess the question should not be about what I do for a living, but "What I do for THE Living and the Non-Living (--- the machines)".

"Out the wireless NIC, into the hub, through the router, down the T1, over the leased line, off the bridge, past the firewall...nothing but Net."

- MY WORLD -

I Belong Now

No longer will I consider myself an outcast in this train.

But there goes my quiet times. The times I spend to enjoy the beautiful landscapes we pass each morning. And the times I spend in reading my books. They're gone now.

It happened last night.

Pilipino ka ba? The guy sitting next to me had to repeat those words twice. I did not hear him the first time because I was busy reading my book. Brod, Pilipino ka ba? I turned and looked at him with a smile. Yes sir, I am. He asked me if I speak tagalog and I warmly said yes. His name was Al. Denie, whom I have been sharing a shuttle with, shook my hands. The guy in front was Steve. He seemed to be a very cheerful guy. He was one of those who can always think of a joke in every conversation. Him and Al. He took out a piece of paper and asked me for my e-mail address so I can get the invitations when they have gatherings. The next major one is the Christmas Party. Looks like he's the one coordinating this party. It will be held on the 18th of December. He put my name in the list.

He then introduced me to everyone else. There were six pinoys and a couple of pinays in the group that night. They all gave me a warm reception. I am now part of their group. I belong now.

.
There were more of them this morning. They all come from different places, Stockton, Tracy, Fremont, and Mountain House. Aling Benny gave me a "buddy application form." Apparently, she can get a 50% off from her next monthly pass if a newbie like me buys one too. There were two more women in the group but I forgot their names. I was never good at remembering names.

This morning's topic of discussion was the NBA games from last night. Filipinos are known to have an obsession in the game of basketball. This is not the national sport in the Philippines but it is so popular among Filipinos that virtually every barangay in the country has at least one basketball court.

Tomorrow, Saturday, I will try to play with these guys .....

The Train People

A small red light, blinking in the console of my Honda Pilot, was indicating that I was running out of gas. I moved my sight towards the middle of the dashboard where a digital clock is mounted just on top of the stereo. It was eight minutes before six o'clock in the morning. The ACE Train station in Tracy was still eight miles away and I had to be there before train number 3 arrives. I could make it to the station on time but I doubt if I could make it to the gas station when I come back in the evening. I had no choice but to stop by in a gasoline station. Chevron was the closest one.

The digital display on the pump seemed to be slow than usual. It felt like a tease. Telling me that I should have filled up the night before..... It was last night, on my way back home from the station, when I first saw that tiny lamp lit up. It kept on blinking like it was begging to quench its thirst. But at the time, my stomach was as hungry and I could hear it roar louder than the engine. I chose to go home instead and worry about the car in the morning.

Five gallons of high octane gas is enough for now. It will be good for this entire week. Had I not decided to ride a train going to the office, five gallons will only last a day. Taking the train saves me at least half the money I spend on gas. My car's mileage came down from 90 miles per day to just 20. I wasn't as tired. And this is my simple way of keeping our air clean. One less car on the road.

Today, I almost missed the six o'clock train. I was driving at W. Linne Road, parallel to the tracks when I saw the four bright lights in front of train's huge engine. I was going the opposite way. The sign on the road says 45. That was the speed limit but the needle in my spedometer was already positioned at 12 o'clock. The parking lot is on the other side of the track, so it had become a race between the Pilot and the train to the crossing. I barely made it. I was the last person to get on board.

This is ACE train number 3 en route to San Jose.
Please place your belongings underneath your seats or on your lap.
All Aboard!!!

I see the same faces every morning. Each one of them greets me with a big smile and with that very common american greeting 'how u doin?'. Ahhh, the Train People. Always kind and friendly. The regular folks usually belong to one of the many groups you see in the train. Today has only been my seventh day, so I still feel an outcast. I usually sit close to the group of Filipinos.

On my left is a group of three gentlemen and a lady who are concentrating on their game of poker. Behind me are a couple who are enjoying their movie, Bad Boys II. Across them were a group of people who are busy surfing the internet with their laptops. One of the many features on this train is the free Wi-Fi internet on board. And on the lower level, you will find food and coffee available for everyone at no cost.

Right in front of me is a lady who sits alone by herself. This is the fourth time I've seen her. All those times, she was not with anyone. She is probably a newbie like me. Across us is another woman who's mind is probably out of this world by now because she's been sleeping since I got on board. There was this guy who sits close to the isle who talks to everyone around him. He tells a lot of stories about himself and his brother when they were young. Sometimes he would stand up and talk to a guy four seats down. He seems to be a very friendly guy.

This will be a long hour and a half ride. What shall I do this time? Last week, I spent most of my time reading the "Da Vinci Code." First book I ever finished reading. And yesterday, I finished reading "Tuesdays with morrie." That book was too depressing.

I've got a new book in my back pack. It's another one of Dan Brown's, the "Angels and Demons." It's a gift from an officemate and a friend. Don Pette. He is one of the nicest people in the office. When I arrived yesterday morning, I saw this book in my cubicle. I knew rightaway it's from him so I immediately thanked him for that. But then he asked me, "you haven't bought one yet, have you?" I was going to lie but for some reason he could sense it, and he immediately pulled out the receipt and asked me to take it back to the bookstore and get another one. I told him I'll keep it.

Approaching Vasco Station! Approaching Vasco Station!
Please do not forget to take your belongings with you.
Please take your garbage to the receptacle at the lower level of this train.

Time flies. Half an hour had already passed. I decided not to read the book and just enjoy the ride and write about what I see. The sun is starting to come out. I looked up and see flocks of hundreds of birds flying south. They all seem to be heading where the train is going. They are coming from everywhere. Where are they going? On the left side of the train, I glanced upon a fox with its head sticking out of the tall grasses. Behind it was a beautiful view of the hills which are now emerald green. I can see dozens of cows everywhere. Someday, before the winter begins, I will go to one of these hills with my camera and capture this beauty.

It is now five minutes after seven. We just left the Fremont Station. On the right side of the train is a wide area of salt evaporator. I can see the Dumbarton Bridge farther up. On the left side is a quarry lake where there are different species of birds resting. I can see thousands of them. This place is probably the destination of those birds I saw earlier. Or just their resting place?

Wait, what is that up ahead? So many birds circling an area on top of a hill. What is on that hill? The girl next to me must have noticed my astonishment and said, that my friend, is a dump site. Now it all make sense. Those birds just wanted to eat breakfast and that hill is their Mc Donalds. Well that really wasn't the main reason those birds were flying south. They fly south to migrate. They do that every year when the weather changes. When there is less light in a day, less food made by plants, less insects flying around. They head south because the weather is warmer.

Next stop, Great America.

This is my stop. I enjoyed this trip. I enjoyed the views. And I enjoyed the company of these friendly people. The Train People.

My Journal

This is great. We'll see how it goes.....