Tuesday's Adventure

Priorities people, priorities.

I rode the LRT to go to my school. I decided that today was the last day of procrastinating the submission of my long overdue paper. I was determined to get it done and over with. So going back to the LRT, I don't really like it very much. I'd rather drive long hours than compromise the boundaries of my personal space. But I have work and I was meeting my friend for lunch, I had to brave the public transport system if I wanted to be prompt for any of my commitments today. It was awful. It was really, really bad. I pretty much survived the trip because I chose to ride the first station of the trip. The rest of Manila had to embrace the awfulness of marginal living.

I use these fancy words because I kept imagining the passengers of the LRT cabs as the chosen ones. Everyone else who did not get to ride the cab were the people who fell outside the margins. And mind you, not everyone of those who didn't get to ride were poor. What I wanted to say to those people, let's call them the marginalized, was "There are alternatives people, other ways of living! There are busses, jeeps, pedicabs, living closer to where you need to be. This does not constitute a respectful way of life, you deserve better! I just got lucky. My mind kept on and on with these snippets of advice and I genuinely felt awful that not everyone could enjoy the luxury I had. Sure, it was uncomfortable and I really really don't like my personal space compromised but I sucked it up and just barreled through. There must be a better way to manage the railway system. They cant keep subjecting their customers to this mental anguish and physical endangerment. I pitied the manong guards and the drivers because they do their best to serve the patrons of the train but they themselves are subjected to so much stress. After alighting my last train ride, I wished that someday they can do better.

So I got through the first step, I got to school, I submitted my paper then I thought, now what? I had to ride that train again and I was hurting. Hurting from the idea that I had to do it all over. My mind was rejecting the idea of wanting to be subjected to that kind of stress once more. But I thought, the rush hour should have passed and I'm going the opposite direction. After riding the wrong train, figuring out my directions, I finally found myself en route to where I needed to go next. There were many routes, but I chose the straight line. The brainless route took the most physical energy - the longest walk, but I'd rather get tired than get lost.