midnight train to georgia

well, not axactly.  the last direct trip home for me is the 10.30 bus to sta. cruz coming from cubao.  so my cinderella time is between 10 and 10.30, depending on where in makati i was coming from.  i’ve had a few close shaves with that schedule, like the last time where i reached mrt magallanes station at 11.46 and the bus arrived at 10.56.  so far i’ve never (unexpectedly) missed that trip, and i plan to keep it that way.

there are some times that i know i can’t catch that trip, and i’d have to look for somewhere to stay.  but it’s not easy, because i can count with one hand the number of people i feel i can ask to stay with.  besides, i’d have to worry about logistics, like how to get to work or home from their place, and especially the overnight stuff i have to bring with me.  just last friday i stayed with an old officemate of mine, and i was lucky that she had a few things to lend me so that i’ll have a comfortable stay.  but i had a massive headache the next day, and i ended up delaying my trek home until late afternoon (after we wasted money and time at rockwell lol).

it’s times like these i wish i still had a place in manila.  but i guess no matter where i am, i’ll always have a last trip to contend with.

 

pour some misery down on me

i love the rain.  i’m one of those people who would enjoy walking under a slight drizzle (or even a medium one) without an umbrella (…ella, ella, eh?).  i just hate the thought of travelling through it.

saw avenue q last saturday and it was so worth it.  and i didn’t really mind that it was raining hard (because the typhoon signals were going up apparently).  what i did mind is the water dripping from the holes on the window of the bus.  i hate hate hate hate drippings!  and i’ve lost the comfy cocoon feeling from riding the bus.  it’s become icky once again.  ewwwww.

on the upside, at least i didn’t get my feet wet.

 

freaky friday

what is it with friday?

when we got out to wait for the buses, i was expecting them to be almost full.  well, the one we got on was.  but surprisingly, it never got to the point of SRO that i’d expect for that trip.  the back row (where i sat, naturally) had only three people on, when it would have seated 6.  and so i enjoyed my mental headbanging to storm large while the bus raced through the slex.

then i go to the lrt station (because yesterday is the last time i’m riding a jeep the traffic is so bad) and the train comes in just as i got to the platform.  and it’s almost empty?  at 8.15 am?  and for the first time in a long long time i got to sit?

where have all the people gone?

 

ignorance is bliss, but what you don’t know may hurt you

my dear aunt always warned me about showing off my gadgets while on public transport. there’s the danger of getting my phone or my mp3 player stolen from right under my nose, or, like what happened to me once, dropping the device and sitting on tenterhooks waiting for the people to get off so i can search on the floor (thankfully that one ended well). and if she had known just how much i depend on my mp3 player while on the bus, she’d have warned me even more about paying attention to my surroundings. well, this time, she didn’t need to. i found out on my own.

 

why i don’t like mondays

taking the bus to work is never easy.  taking the bus to work on a monday morning is hell.

i was woken up at almost 5.30 this morning, after more than 12 hours of sleep (long story), and my wonky brain was telling my uncooperative body to like, wake up, like, now?  because you know it’s monday and you have to take the bus to work?  well, a zonked-out aircon is preferable to the bus.  that’s how bad it is.

monday morning bus rides have always been a problem since even before i started working.  most people who are weekend commuters make it a point to leave the suburbs on sunday evening at the latest to avoid the massive traffic jam on monday morning.  daily commuters like me hardly have any choice.  the only possible thing is to wake up early enough so that if i had to stand in the bus for the next 50 kilometers, at least it won;t be for too long.  but the time i woke up this morning put paid to that.  and it was also too late to take my alternative, which was go to the next town (actually a city) and take the non-aircon bus going to lawton.  damn.

nevertheless, undaunted, my aunt and i headed to the unofficial bus terminal to wait for the buses.  the first one actually had several vacant seats, but we preferred the one headed to another terminal.  four buses later, we were frustrated at the situation.  all buses are full, and with not a few standing passengers.  it’s looking really bad.  which is why my aunt decided to finally take her car to work.  thank merlin.

so, today, i actually avoided another monday morning disaster. except for the tardiness part.  that’s something i’m still working on.

 

the catalyst

does anybody ever notice what kind of seats buses have? i don’t. but today i really really did.

the bus i ride in everyday has several types of seat covers. the new kind has pseudo-leather seats that must be made of some material that repels dust. it is so repellant, in fact, that a person can fall from his seat if the bus is too fast and makes an abrupt turn. like i almost did this morning.

in fact, the rollercoaster ride i was on this morning only highlighted how much the bus seats contribute to a person’s physical and mental well-being.

because i was at the aisle spot of a three-seater and there was no handrail (which may or may not be a lucky strike) i had to plant my right leg firmly in front of me to keep from slipping. i couldn’t nap at all because of the concentration required of me, in addition to tiring my poor fat leg before it was due for a workout. my back probably winced at the awful posture i subjected it to. and my arms ached from the effort of holding onto the front handle.

at which point i finally decided to chronicle my daily battles with public transportation.

the end.