Be Careful

Be careful when you are walking alone, waiting for your ride or even when you are inside a jeepney.

My officemate was mugged three weeks ago when he was walking on his way to the jeepney stop. Three teenagers (as he describe it) came from behind, mugged him and took his bag containing all his IDs, wallet, keys and money.

After two or three days, he (or my other officemate) witnessed someone's bag snatched. 

A month before that, another officemate's bag was snatched by someone who was pretending to be a passenger. The jeepney driver stopped, was thinking that he was a passenger, then when the guy was about to ride the jeepney, he snatched my officemate's bag. Poor officemate, (s)he lost his/her wallet, IDs, 2 mobile phones and most importantly, his-her make up kit. 

Lesson learned: we really don't know when and where we are safe. So we just really have to be extra careful ALWAYS.

Sick (of) and Election

I have been ignoring this blog for almost a month now, for some reasons, well, most of it is I am uber busy with work, I got sick for 2-3 weeks and my means of transpo, mainly, during my absence here, is the colorum van. Yes, I know, it's quite a shame for someone who created a jeepney blog to not ride and patronize what I am supposed to be blogging for. Pardon me, I just want the comforts of riding in an A/Cd vehicle during those times that I was sick. But now, I am feeling better than before. I am slowly getting back to my usual routine. I even gave up hitting the gym for two weeks because of my being sick. (But my boss and officemates says otherwise. They are claiming that I got sick because the sauna at the gym was under preventive maintenance for three weeks and that was the same week that I got sick. In short, I got sick because I wasn't able to have my regular sauna time 3-4 times a week. In a shorter term, I am addicted to sauna). I'm over that now. Back to regular programing. 

Earlier today, we, my aunt, cousins and I, left the house at 5 AM (we did not rode the jeepney, sorry), just to be in Manila by 7 AM, to vote. We were able to cast our votes but only after 3 hours of impatiently waiting. Yes, we are all impatiently waiting, almost 100 of us, excluding those who are waiting outside the 'waiting room', waiting for our turn to vote, but even though we are as impatient as a 5-year old kid, we wanted to be a part of history (if you may call it one). We wanted to make our voices (or votes, for that matter) to be heard and we wanted to prove to some that we are participating and starting the change, even if that means I have to half-drag my other cousin to the precint where we're supposed to vote.

Grow Old With You

I happened to ride with an elderly couple on my way home last Friday. They were seated in front of me. At first I didn't thought of them as hubby and wifey until almost half of the passengers alighted. I was to take pictures of them, but this strange-looking girl beside them stared at me like she won't be staring at someone for 10 days. I know it's weird to take pictures of strangers but these two are special strangers They remind me of the other elderly couple that I got to share jeepney rides with when I was at the 5AM shift. Anyhoo, I love how Lolo and Lola talks. They're like teenagers. Lolo whispered to Lola something that made her laugh. The kind of laughter you'll hear from someone who is in love. I thought of my future. Would I be able to meet someone like Lolo? Will we be together until our hair turn gray? Will we be sharing jeepney rides, silly jokes and will we have our OUR moment alone? Will someone be watching us, like what I do, when we travel? Will someone be inspired with the way we are when we're in public? This song sums up what I saw in them during that ride. I wish that what I have seen is the way they really are when they're together, out of public eyes.

Post Holy Week 2010

It has been a slow week for all of us Catholics since we observe the Holy Week to the dot. We literally grew up practicing almost every practice there is during Holy Week and it made me sad that I won't be able to do some since I am here down south and most of my Holy Week activities are done in Manila and/or in Bulacan. Nevertheless, I get to do Visita Iglesia with my twin cousins. I was sick that day but since it's the only 'daytime' that we're all at home during that week, I have to drag my sorry, sick ass and be with them for the said activity.  

Below is the supposed draft for this post but since it took me time to finish this, it would be non-sense if I post this blog with its Holy Week content if Holy Week was through 2 weeks ago. This is what happens when you get tongue-tied (or type-tied?). I didn't even get to finish the blog. :(

So Much For A Wednesday Night, Bad Guy(s)

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

I was on my way home, not that late in the evening, almost 10 PM since I came from the gym and attended the dance class, I was on my 2nd to the last jeepney ride going home and was a town away when this drunk-looking guy rode with us and sat two seats away from me. Seems like he was drunk, he doesnt smell like it though. He was, I guess, the most strange person on that ride. He was looking at everybody. From those that are seated across him to us who are seated in his row. And there was this lady wearing a little black dress, from what I can see. 

The drunk-looking guy was looking at her as if he was undressing her. He kept on looking at her, staring like he won't stare at anybody else after that. What bothers me most is almost all of us, I guess, are lokking at the drunk-looking guy and looking at where his gaze at. Then someone flagged the jeep to stop. We're like 13 - 15 passengers and 11 alighted the jeep. Whoa. I, with this drunk-looking, half maniac guy, was left with me, another girl and a man who I think is not even concerned with how this guy looked. I was praying very hard that this is not a bad guy, when I say bad, someone who is a hold-up-er, or someone who will do bad to us aside from staring at us in a weird manner. Well, it's not bad to be scared sometimes but this experience is a bit scary. 

The Good Samaritan

I used to work at 4:00 AM before, meaning, I have to leave the house at 3:00 and for someone who lives in the province (though Binan now is a city), walking outside and commuting (sic) at an ungodly hour is a bit scary, moreso that I live in a subdivision where no one really walks out during those times, or if there are some, they are accompanied by someone until they get to ride a jeepney or the shuttle (company) arrives. 

Memory Gap

It has been 12-13 days since my last entry here and guess what, I can't remember anything that I was supposed to write. Arhg!

Everytime I ride a jeepney or commute/ride whatever means of transpo, I always remind myself to be observant and mindful of what's happening so that I can have something to write and share here, but since I am stubborn, I don't keep a notepad/notebook in my bag to jot down things to remember such as ideas on what to write on my next entry.