#ThrowbackTuesday: Painful Lessons

(Disclaimer: Wala po itong pinaghuhugutan. Promise:)

Medyo naaksidente ako kahapon sa motor ko kasama si Mam Josephine

at Sir Imo. We were returning to the Soc.Sci. Dept galing ng CLSU admin building kung saan kumuha kami ng sweldo (Yey!). Binabagtas namin yung daan sa may tapat ng Science High School when suddenly a low-flying helicopter passed overhead. Ang nangyari, I got curious kaya tumingin ako sa taas para tignan yung helicopter. Oo, tumingin ako pero saglit lang naman. Then the next thing I heard was Sir Imo shouting at me "Ooy!! Ooy!".But it was too late. The next thing I saw was my motorcycle crashing onto the gutter, at kaming tatlo tumilapon sa may mabatong lupa sa may tabi ng kalsada. Wow! Epic ang katahimikang sumunod. Epic ang pag-kasemplang namin. Hindi kami nakapag-react agad. Buti nalang hindi masyadong mabilis. Buti nalang hindi masyadong nasugatan mga sakay ko. Except for some lacerations na nakuha ng right leg ko, wala naman ng masyadong injury. Masakit lang sa katawan kasi nahampas sa lupa.

I went to the infirmary immediately to have my wounds cleaned

and to have a shot of anti-tetanus. There I saw my wounds and I realized that it was real. And because it was real, the pain was stabbing when the adrenalin has subsided.So I woke up today enduring the pain in my body and with fresh realizations (that means my emo mode has just kicked in). And since I wont be able to attend my graduate class today, I'll have this time to teach myself these few lessons:

Lesson No. 1:

Never lose your focus. Especially when driving, your best asset to preserve your life and those around you is to have a single-minded determination to fix your eyes on the road. Stay on your lane. Know the boundary lines. You'll never know the value of this until you crash on the gutter and the next thing you'll see is the ground screaming at your face.

Lesson No. 2:

Presence of mind is a virtue. Remember that when you're on the road driving, the risk of taking just one simple mistake is high, so you might as well be quick to assess your situation and take necessary action (or precaution). You don't like to hurt other people, or yourself... just because you're thinking about other things. Like how was it to ride in a helicopter and glide like a bird.

Lesson No. 3:

Don't blame the mistake on someone or something. Don't ever think that other people is responsible for the quality of your driving, or that it was the fault of a low-flying helicopter you're only curious to look at. You know whose fault it is? It's either You, or Yourself. Go figure. It will take time.

Lesson No. 4:

Curiosity kills the cat. Really, I don't even know what that means, but I incline to agree. Curious things are distraction when you're there on the road driving. Don't get distracted by unnecessary things. So what if it's a helicopter or a UFO flying somewhere overhead? So what if it's a bird, or a plane, or Superman himself?. Remember, you have a destination to go to. And plunging onto the gutter is never a good shortcut.

Lesson No.5:

Don't be stupid. Spare yourself from humiliation. Period.

Pero ang pinaka-epic? Nanghinayang talaga ako sa nabutas kong pantalon! Twice ko palang sinusuot yun. First time ko pa man din bumili ng mamahaling jeans tapos ganun pa. Epic talaga! Tapos yung

tipong kakareceive mo lang ng sahod mo e sa pambili pa ng pain-killer mapupunta? 

That is capital E-P-I-C mah mehn!

PS: Salamat sa CLSU Infirmary for attending to my wounds. Medyo cute nung nurse na nag-administer saken ng vaccine. Haha. Echoz. FOCUS!

(Originally posted as Facebook status dated March 15, 2014)