the yellow umbrella.

Megnonette Kleire, 15. Accounting + McDonald's = my life at the moment. When I'm sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead.

[lookingforyellowumbrella-blog]

Lack of buses, abundance of stranded

A new bus scheme was implemented last August 6, 2013 that caused inconvenience to a lot of commuters coming from Batangas, Cavite, and from other places affected by the new scheme. The purpose of this, according to MMDA, is to ease the traffic along EDSA and Manila. Yes, maybe it did. But the extermination of one problem resulted to the rise of another one.

The way I see it, only the ones with private cars, jeepneey drivers and their operators benefit from this. Why? For the ones with private cars, the fact that they have cars, they were not able to experience the hardships experienced by commuters and they were able to travel smoothly because traffic has been diminished. But how about us, the commuters, would we have the chance to travel smoothly? For jeepney drivers and their operator, their profit would increase due to the number of people riding jeepneys everyday because there is a scarce of buses entering Manila and Edsa. But how about us, would we earn anything good from this? There are many questions left unanswered. 

Many people would be late to work or to school no matter how early they rise to get a ride. Buses tend to be trapped inside the terminal because of the poor organization of different means of transportation. And this resulted to the scarce of buses travelling from Batangas or Cavite to the terminal at a certain time. Another disadvantage of this scheme is that commuters would waste a lot of time riding from a transportation to another transportation and again, to another transportation or to some, walking would eat much of their time. Furthermore, the fare greatly increases that it cut much of a commuter's budget on transportation. Imagine, a student's fare from Cavite to Manila is 26 pesos but because of this newly implemented bus scheme, it increased 11 to 16 pesos.

Some would benefit, some would find inconvenience to it. How hard would it be for a commuter especially during a rainy day, to wait for a bus for an hour and thirty minutes? How hard would it be for a commuter to pay double just to get to their destination? How hard would it be to fall in line in a crowded and suffocating terminal to be able to get home? They are promoting convenience for only a certain group of people. Yes, the traffic has been diminished in Edsa and Manila. No more annoying noises from buses. But the traffic remained in Cavite and worse, it increased the traffic experienced there. If they were in our shoes, would they want to stand in our situation?

[lookingforyellowumbrella-blog]

"First friend. First girl. Last words."

Looking for Alaska tackles life issues teenagers would most likely relate to. Before, as Pudge Halter seeks for his "Great Perhaps," he met Alaska Young down the hall of Culver Creek Boarding School and was dragged into her world where life is as easy as it can be and he falls in love with her. After, nothing is ever the same.

There are many things we could learn from this book: First, We all seek for a "Great Perhaps," our direction, our destination. Perhaps, there is something for us awaiting to be found or to be experience and that is what we are seeking for. And the book is trying to connect to us that the Great Perhaps we are looking for is outside our comfort zones. We just need to take a step to see it.

Second, Carpe Diem which means seize the day. We will never know when we will lose someone important to our lives. Maybe we will regret the moments we should have seized, maybe we will regret the moments that should have been captured, but regrets does not bring anything back. It is just a way of reminding what you could have done when you had the chance. So seize every moment with them.

Third, forgiveness is the escape to the labyrinth of suffering. How are we supposed to forgive others when we cannot even forgive ourselves? We are all encased in sufferings caused by mistakes and misunderstandings, but pretending not to feel anything would not be the way out of it. Learn to forgive yourself then forgive others because that is the only way out of the labyrinth of suffering.

Fourth, be someone remarkable. We are all going to perish in this world we are living in but our identity that defined who we are, our words that inspired many, and our actions that changed someone's life forever remains. Being remarkable does not simply mean impressing. Being remarkable means that you have touched or changed someone greatly that you will always be remembered.

Lastly, what interests me the most are the last words. When someone dies, what were they last words? How great would they last words be or how sad it is, I am very curious to know. In the book, I was fascinated by Francois Rabelais' last words, "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." Last words are the last remembrance someone could utter in his last breath, and that is what makes them memorable.

Near the end of the book, Alaska's question was brought:

How will you—you personally—ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?

The question is still left unanswered for me. Someday I will find my personal answer to that question, maybe not today...but eventually I will. And I hope it is not yet too late for me.

[lookingforyellowumbrella-blog]

Trees turned to Buildings

Mahatma Gandhi said, "What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another." Nature is a gift. It provides the resources that keep us alive. The foods we eat, the clothes we wear, and the water we drink are all nature-given. However, we take this gift for granted. Why are we trying to destroy what keeps us alive?

Abusive use of nature has been rampant in the past few years up to this day. Cutting trees to make way for the construction of buildings and other commercial infrastructures became the content of many printed and online media. The world we are living in that used to be clean green is now quickly transforming into a polluted and dangerous world.

Admit it, sophistication led to this transformation. We seek for something new that we tend to forget what we naturally have. But i have nothing against sophistication. Actually, sophistication, this day, is what defines the progress of a country. It is just that, in my opinion, nature was to be sacrificed to attain the progress a country is longing for. But is it worth it?

Nature is our reflection. Do you want what you see in it now? Trees left cut. Flowers left withered. Leaves left scattered. Water left polluted. What is the world without nature? What are we without nature?

[lookingforyellowumbrella-blog]

To the city that never sleeps.

          If I were to travel by myself or with someone close to me, I would choose to go to New York City. This might be a cliché or a mainstream choice, but New York is a mystery to me. I have read so much about New York, I have seen many photographs of it, I have heard the compliments about it, and I have seen it featured in movies...but I have never felt New York.

"New York is made up of millions of different people, and they all come here looking for something." — Lindsey Kelk (2009), I Heart New York

Top 5 places in New York City I would like to go to:

1. Times Square

          The "Crossroads of the World." Times Square is one of the places in New York City I would love to go to. Yes, it is a busy place where cabs are rushing and people kept on walking. Time does not stop in times Square. Also, it is the heart of the world's entertainment industry, this where Broadway lies.

          But the most inviting thought about going to Times Square is the people. Millions of people go here to find something new but others would go here to find or meet someone that might change their lives maybe just for a little while or a month or a year or maybe forever.

2. Empire State Building

          Empire State building is a 102-story and the most famous skyscraper in NYC. Furthermore, it is the 3rd tallest building in NYC and 22nd tallest in the world. This skyscraper is also featured on films such as King Kong and Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief, and in some tv series and in literature. I have always been dreaming of reaching its observation deck at the 86th floor or if possible, I want to reach the 102nd floor. Honestly, I am afraid of heights but I am pushing myself to go higher and reach the top. Why? Because something great and beautiful is awaiting for me below—city lights. At every deck, one could possibly see New York City as a whole. And the best time to go up and reach the top of the skyscraper is at night, when it gets dark and lights come out. 

3. The Central Park

          Central Park is one of the most famous tourist spots in New York City.  All of us, at some point, are yearning to find peace even just for a little while. You could just lie on the lawn and feel the breeze, or find a bench, read a book, and drink coffee, or ride your bicycle around the park, or walk or jog along with someone under the shade of the trees. For me, this is a heavenly place to be at. 

4. Museum of Modern Art

          The idea of different works of art always fascinated me. From what I remember, the last time I had been into a museum was when I was 10 years old. I was not able to appreciate works of art back then. And what makes me eagerer is that Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) features works of famous artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Barnett Newman, and Andy Warhol. To some people, museums are boring and worthless tours, but to some, museums are interesting adventures where the curious mind is eager to decode the underlying meaning for each piece of art.

5. Statue of Liberty

          And of course, who would forget the iconic Statue of Liberty? Statue of Liberty is the icon of freedom of America which serves as a welcoming sight who come to visit the country. It would take one ferry ride to reach the statue, but it would be worth the distance to witness it closely. 

            But a traveler does not stop in just five places. There is more in New York City awaiting to be traveled by different people from different places. Someday I will be able to go to New York City, not just to see what is in it...but to feel the city I have longed for.

[lookingforyellowumbrella-blog]

(c) Owner of the photo

          As I was scrolling through my dashboard, I came across to this photo. This controversy has widely reached many countries in 2006 because it purely covers discrimination among plus-sized and non-American individuals. 

          Abercrombie & Fitch, or some may refer as A & F, is an American retailer that focuses on providing casual wear, targeting consumers mostly on the age bracket of 18 to 22 years old. Internationally known for its well-designed and made clothes, and its beautiful and handsome models, the thing that made this company more known in is its involvement in uplifting discrimination in the world. 

"We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong in our clothes, and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."

          I felt furious when I saw this post, though this was a controversy from 7 years ago. Why? It was a shallow reason not to provide clothes for plus-sized women and non-American people just because they are who they are. Do you need to be a size twelve or fourteen to be noticed? Do you need to be white to wear a piece of clothing? No, we do not live for the expectations of other people. I think that Michael Jeffries' response was emotionally destructive and physically insulting. We are equally created and were given equal rights as human being, and just because we do not have a body or complexion as what society expects us to have that does not mean we are to be treated inhumanely. 

         When A & F can stock XL and XXL sizes for men, why cannot they for women? When they can sell clothes to Americans, why cannot they for Asians? Discrimination it is. Jeffries way of thinking is more of what they earn and the prestige that only the "cool and popular" kids wear their brand. But I'm curious to know what prestige could it be? Because in my view, I cannot see anything.

          We need not to be cool and popular nor skinny and attractive to wear a branded clothing. They should know that we are more than what they think we are. Because being who we are shows that a brand does not label us.  

[lookingforyellowumbrella-blog]

Visit Original Link

(c) Youtube

          Covers and different versions of old but classic songs has been rampant these days and this particular version of When I Dream About You caught me. Honestly, I am fond of listening to old songs ever since, the arrangement, the lyrics, the emotions to it, everything about them. They say nothing beats the original. But that much is not true to all. We can say that the original is better than the version or vice versa but we can never define a song based on the comparison between an original and a version of it.

          When I Dream About You was originally sang by Stevie B (click here), released at the year of 1995, it rocketed its way to Billboard Hot 100 at 29th place in the same year of its release. It's slow, romantic, and classic. I found it relaxing, more effectively when you're finding a cool and steady vibe. On the other hand, Gracenote's version was extremely alive and modern. There is a big difference of its arrangement compared to the original one, obviously, it's more of rock than pop.  I prefer this version because it made me feel the feeling that the song and lyrics utterly crept up to my nerves, it made me feel alive rather than sadly, hopelessly trying to remember the feelings I may associate it with.

          Johnny Depp once said, "Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't." It speaks the words left unsaid and expresses the feelings held. People just changed the arrangement, but not its lyrics. No matter what the version is, at the end of the day, what it means is what matters the most.