Wisdom Quotes

These quotations were taken from Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I greatly benefited from it and that is why I'm sharing these quotes. I will post a review of his book soon.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle

"No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside. We cannot open the gate of another, either by argument or by emotional appeal." Marilyn Ferguson

"That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly. It is dearness only which gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price on its goods." Thomas Paine

"We must not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time." T.S. Eliot

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor." Henry David Thoreau

"No one can hurt you without your consent." Eleonor Roosevelt

"They cannot take away our self respect if we do not give it to them." Gandhi

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters

compared to what lies within us." Oliver Wendell Holmes

Bus Rapid Transit

Have you heard of BRT or Bus Rapid Transit system?

'Bus rapid transit (BRT) is a broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that, through improvements to infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling, attempt to use buses to provide a service that is of a higher quality than an ordinary bus line. Bus rapid transit (BRT) is a broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that, through improvements to infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling, attempt to use buses to provide a service that is of a higher quality than an ordinary bus line.'

'An ideal bus rapid transit service would be expected to include most of the following features:

1. Bus only, grade-separated (or at-grade exclusive) right-of-way;

2. Comprehensive coverage;

3. Serves a diverse market with high-frequency all day service;

4. Bus priority / bus lanes;

5. Vehicles with tram-like characteristics.'

Comparison with other forms of mass transit

'BRT attempts to combine the advantages of a metro system (noticeably right-of-way which improves punctuality and frequency) with the advantages of a bus system (low construction and maintenance costs, right-of-way not required for entire length).

Compared to standard bus service BRT systems with dedicated right-of-way lanes, and thus an increased average vehicle speed, can provide more passenger miles with the same number of vehicles and personnel. They also bring about a smoother ride than a normal bus immersed in stop-and-go traffic.'

to read more click here

Examples of BRT systems currently operating in the world:

-- Transmilenio system in Bogotá

--OC Transpo Transitway, Ottawa

--South-East Busway, Brisbane

--Metro Bus Tunnel, Seattle

--Silver Line, Boston

In the Philippines, BRT system is being studied and developed in Cebu. For further details, click here.

Trip to my Hometown

My family headed back to Cagayan after a momentous family reunion and Christmas celebration in Nueva Ecija. I always love the lush green sceneries of ricefields, farms, and mountains on the way home. The trip was relaxing and enjoyable since most parts of the national road have been improved as shown in the picture above.