Saying goodbye to summer

We are three weeks away from the official start of the fall season. The leaves are turning golden indicating we are heading into autumn. Where did summer go? Was it even here? The weatherman says that we had lower than normal temperatures these last few months of summer. I know it’s true because I did not even remove my spring jacket from my car. I found myself reaching for it every time I’d come home from work at sundown – in June, July and August.

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We at Pilipino Express would like to thank everyone who participated in the Bike-B-Q Funride last Saturday, August 29. What a wonderful event to end summer! Congratulations to Point Douglas Councillor Mike Pagtakhan and his Executive Assistant Noel Lapuz for a successful project that encourages cycling as a healthy lifestyle practice.

Well over 100 cyclists – ages ranging from six to 74 – took the street at 10:30 a.m. pedalling from McPhillips’ Northgate Shopping Centre to Kildonan Park. The Winnipeg Police Service, most of them on their bikes, too, and a few in their cruisers, kept the cyclists safe. The bike experts from Natural Cycle did their best to provide the support – repairing flats and other unexpected bike “disasters” – to get the riders back with the pack.

At Kildonan Park, the non- cyclists converged as early as 9:30 a.m., all primed to welcome their cyclists. Around 11:30 a.m. the troop of cyclists arrived amid their cheers and applause. There was more than enough food for everyone – Filipino style barbecue, adobo, chicken, rice, bread, kutsinta, pancit, lumpiang shanghai and many more.

While it was not a race, the cyclists were encouraged to participate in a contest – decorating their bikes according to the Seven Sacred Teachings of the Aboriginals: respect, love, honesty, courage, humility, wisdom and truth. I believe that these teachings became the source of positive energy that ruled the entire event.

I was a member of the three- person panel of judges, together with Linda Eng of Young’s Market and Alison Pagsuyuin. Not everybody decorated their bikes but for those who did, the competition was very friendly and everyone cheered the winners. As we say goodbye to summer, it feels great to have this sense of community united.

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After the Labour Day long weekend, kids will head back to school. It is not uncommon to see young students at risk carrying backpacks that seem to be double their body’s weight. Carrying a heavy backpack puts the child at risk, causing back pain and poor posture. In this issue, Health 101 columnist Adrian Salonga shares some very useful tips (see page 7), particularly in choosing the right backpack for your children.

Our columnist Dale Burgos also tackles the “back-to-school” theme. He writes about the parents’ roller-coaster experience preparing the children for school opening (see page 9). Dale and his wife Lizabeth have to get their brood of five all set up; any parent can see how this can truly become a challenge.

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There were so many events that we at Pilipino Express covered this summer – from the Philippine Heritage activities in June, to Folklorama and the Bike-B-Q Funride in August; plus numerous photos from personal joyous events you sent us like graduation, christenings, birthdays and weddings. I invite you to visit our website at www. pilipino-express.com and check out our site’s Photo Gallery and Special Features’ People and Events to see more photos of these special occasions.