All for the Price of 30 Pesos
QUESTION. What do you do when you get stuck at a train station (I’m tempted to say “subway” to make it sound more posh, but nah, this is Manila, baby), hoping to get in on a train and to your destination, only to end up standing and waiting for an hour because there was just no room in the trains for you to squeeze in? (Typical MRT scenario, I know! :))
ANSWER. You look around, watch people, think, reflect (you know, entertain yourself so that you’ll forget about your growling stomach), you try your best to not start a fight with the girl shoving you to the left, and the other one pushing you to the right, and remain calm. And it probably won’t hurt to write a couple of notes down, yep, even while standing up. Mental notes, after all, don’t stay in the head most of the time. They fly away even before you get the chance to recall them, and then you forget them altogether.
I’m a fan of writing things down. And lists. And bullets. They give me an illusion that my life is in order, that I have specific goals to reach, making me feel a lot better (and less like a mess).
So tonight, that’s kind-of what I did. Me and my moleskine, that’s what we did. So if you happened to be in Boni Avenue station last night, and you saw someone doing a balancing act which involved a black leather-bound notebook and a cheap black pen, well, that was me alright.
It’s kind of weird to be in a reflective mode at a time like that. You see, I spend a minimum of 8 hours each day in my quiet corner in the office, my nose on my macbook, with a mug of hot coffee I sip in between — I’m comfortable, I’m sitting down, and yet my mind is never as restless. Now the one time I spend in a chaotic place like an MRT station, people shoving me left and right, my feet numb from all the standing — and I never felt more at peace.
Reading my scribbles, I find it funny that I mostly wrote about being still. To focus on the more important things when there’s too much to do. To look past the moment when in the verge of an emotional outburst. To not worry when things aren’t going the way they’re planned. To breathe and reboot when tired and weary. To trust when it seems like things aren’t enough. Such thoughts usually don’t come when you’re in a situation like that.
One hour after, I gave up and left the station. I never did get to where I was supposed to go that night. I was charged an additional 15 pesos for overstaying (and I was like, “wuuut??”), but it’s okay. I paid 15 pesos to get in, 15 pesos to get out. I had my moment with myself, and with God. All for the price of 30 pesos.
atomicgirl said,
October 19, 2007 @ 11:12 am
Ey Riz! Do ya know what you should call that extra 15php you had to pay to get out of the station? That’s the exit fee! (Corny, I know.) You’re lucky the exit fee wasn’t priced higher than the entrance. =P
Juned said,
October 19, 2007 @ 11:13 am
Riz, Riding at Boni Station is probably the hardest place to get a ride. No I did not see you but then again the train was full. Rush hour? :)
liz said,
October 19, 2007 @ 1:00 pm
“I had my moment with myself, and with God” – priceless :)
I could no longer remember the last time I had reflective mode – sigh, so much for work.
Tj Cafuir said,
October 19, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
Stations, whether be buses or trains, are a sad place. Everyone’s coming and going and you’re there, standing or sitting, always waiting for your queue…
riz said,
October 19, 2007 @ 3:28 pm
Wag ka nga! Dun ka sa blog mo magpaka-emo!! heh.
Apple said,
October 19, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
true! boni’s shared platform is always filled. that’s why i arm myself with a book and sit on a bench/ ride a southbound train and stay for the turn-back. just the other Sunday, the pastor’s message was about our disposition. we can choose to be pissed and make complaints under our breath or take the situation as an extra opportunity to commune with God. :)
riz said,
October 19, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
I thought Shaw was the worst. I was wrong. Gah. No more rush hour trip to the MRT station from now on.
Tj Cafuir said,
October 19, 2007 @ 4:01 pm
Another girl who shoves me away.. Ahuhuhu…
romela said,
October 20, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
Sometimes, you will really value that time when the world won’t let you speed up, so you can take a little pause and be more connected with yourself. i love jotting notes too… even if they can cause chaos in my room.. hehe.. it’s just therapeutic for me. :)
Joni said,
October 20, 2007 @ 8:35 pm
Between the bus and the train (I’m tempted to say “Tube” nmn, lolz), sometimes mas gusto ko pang mag-bus na lang, just so I won’t have to squeeze my way into a train cart only to get shoved hard by those women who I would think are civilized judging from the corporate clothes they wear. hehe. Yun nga lang, sa bus naman, mata-traffic and there’s the greater risk of being mugged. Haayness. Dapat may sariling kotse na lang, hint hint. ;)
riz said,
October 23, 2007 @ 1:05 pm
I remember one pastor said also that everything that happens in our lives is allowed by God for us to draw closer to him. I guess that includes MRT situations like this too. :)
riz said,
October 23, 2007 @ 1:08 pm
Tara bili tayo car. Ano, say, own car at the age of.. 25? :)
Gudlak naman saken, that means less than a year for me hahaha.
Jozzua said,
October 24, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
Wrote some emo posts for my blog as well but never really published them. Good luck on your new car Riz – it’s not really that far away.