Monday Rush Hour and the Art of Patience

This was posted from my old blog dated Sept. 27, 2004. Funny how the MRT can be a source of blog thoughts... hehehe

i wake up at 6:00 am my usual time on a monday. i've been accustomed to wake up at this time and leave at around 7:00. with a few 5 mins more before really getting up from bed and taking a bath. i was aware that if i leave at 7, i'll be in the office around 7:30 - i was wrong. i arrived in the offcie at around 8:12. it took me an hour from my house to the office even if i take ride a jeep and the mrt with an estimated travel time of 30 to 45 mins only with traffic. i was really dead wrong.

i arrived in the station under 15 mins of travel time in the jeep. i was thinking i could ride the next train that would arrive. i hadn't reached the entrace of the north bound side of the station when i was surprised with the swarm, literally a swarm of people lining up to purchase their tickets. this is the first time i saw a large crowd snake it's way around the station to buy tickets. it's hard to tell where the line ends. this was much worse than the incubus concert.

by far, this was the worst monday of my life. i could never fathom the crowd that was struggling with me to go to their destinations. the pushing, the shoving, the cursing. i know everbody's rushing to go to work, but we can't do anything about it. there are more people than there are trains here in metro manila. i'm just thankful that i don't ride the lrt. now that's a different story. the "natives" there are much mcuh worse. at least those i ride on the mrt are far more civilized.

this is where i learned patience and strategy. i just have to have the patience to wait for a train that's much more spacious than the first train that passed us by. struggling to get you're whole body inside would be useless since it's already packed. i hoped the next train would be the train that i was looking for. but then, another sardine can on wheels. i prayed to god that the next train would be for me, since almost 3/4 of the people that was with me on the platform had squished themselves in the last 2 trains. i hope this would be my turn.thank god he listens.. i finally rode the train with little effort to squish my tiny frame into the door. there was even more legroom to move. i could even feel the aircon of the train that i'm in.

i was feeling really triumphant for being patient even if it would mean leaving the office much later than ususal. i would rather leave the office much later than force myself to come early looking like i was caught in the middle of a riot with my hair in tangles, my face all sweaty, my clothes all crumpled. in short, looking like i was done for the day and on my way home. got off the train, and continued with the long walk to my office. thank god that ordeal is over.

because tomorrow is another day...