Crazy Commute

Maybe it was because of the sudden rains, but commuting was cray-cray yesterday.

This was the MRT chaos that greeted me in Ayala Station.

Decided not to even attempt riding the MRT and just took the bus carousel. Surprisingly, that commute was much easier and faster.

Lyli echoed this sentiment and told me that their commute home yesterday what crazy, too.

Hope this is just a glitch.

On-the-Job Train-ing

Lookie! They're now running the new MRT trains!

This is most likely a dry run and we'll be riding the super old trains for a few more months. But in the meantime, it was a thrill to ride this new, shiny and fresh train.

What sorcery is this?

I'm an MRT veteran, so I know how bad things are during rush hour. When I used to work in Makati, I'd try to make it to the train before 5:30pm, because after that, it's just mind-bogglingly mind boggling.

There was a time when the line would literally snake from the MRT gate, to the entrance of SM Makati, then back to the MRT gate, then all the way to the stairs that lead to EDSA North bound. Needless to say, it's a long, long, long, long, loooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg line.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw this scene at 6:30pm. On a weekday. At Ayala Station.

Magical!

Can it be like this everyday? Please?

Train your patience

One of the nice things about working in Ortigas is the fact that I don't need to take the MRT to work.

When I was still a denizen of Makati, I lived and re-lived all the horror stories of MRT commuters who had to contend with kilometric lines, uber packed trains and unreliable service.

Tonight, I had the misfortune of taking the MRT home from Makati. It was past 8pm, so I thought the crowd would've dissipated and the ride wouldn't be as difficult.

Well, I thought wrong.

Gosh! I almost lost my patience because it took me more than 30 minutes in line just to get inside the platform. And there was another 10 minute wait since the trains that passed by were also full.

I admire the people who have the patience to go through this cray-crayness everyday.

No free ride

The past few years, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the MRT gave away free rides during Independence Day. It happened last year, in 2008, in 2009, and I remember writing about the  pleasant experience.

Yesterday was Independence day, and I took an MRT ride from Shangri-La Plaza to Cubao. I thought there would be free rides just like the previous years, but no. There were no surprise freebies from our train system this year.

It must be some cost-cutting initiative.

Sleep up

I'd see this happen inside the MRT before.

But I never thought it would happen to me.

I fell asleep.

While standing up!

(Yes, it was that crowded. And I was that sleepy.)

Scratch that!

Way back during my first job, we had to undergo the usual annual physical check-up. While the doctor was giving me my exam, out of the blue, he said:

"Very sensitive ang skin mo."

Years later, I did notice that I would get bruises easily. Sometimes, I'd just hit my leg on the table, and suddenly, I'd have a scratch or a bruise. And to think I was wearing jeans when that happened.

It still happens occasionally these days. Sometimes, I'd see a scratch and think: "Where did that come from."

On my way home, as I was boarding the MRT, a lady rushed in and squeezed herself into the space beside me. She was so forceful about it, and I felt her bag on my left arm.

When I got home and washed my arm, I noticed a sting the lower part of my left arm. When I looked at it, there was this 1-inch scratch on it, and it was quite noticeable. Actually, more than "quite." Mom saw it from across the room and asked me what happened to my arm.

Oh well, I just have to be more careful next time.

Strangest. Saturday. Ever.

On my way home from school, I dropped by The Landmark in Makati to buy white inner shirts. They've got this great brand in their bazaar section . The white, v-neck shirts are comfy, fit well, and they're just P119.75 per piece. I ended up buying 3.

Since it was a Saturday, I didn't think the MRT was uber crowded, so that's what I took going home.

Boy, was I wrong. It was packed to the rafters. But since I was in front of the line, I was able to ride the first train that arrived. With my backpack and plastic bag from The Landmark in my hand, I found myself inside the crowded train.

By the time packed train arrived in Guadalupe, there was a sea of people rushing in and pressing against everyone else. Because of that volume of people, my body was being pushed and contorted too much that it felt like they were turning me into a pretzel. My arm was outstretched and extended to my side, while my body was twisted the other way.

When the train reached Ortigas, the door opened and people started rushing out. This was the only time I was able to get my body in the normal position. That's when the strangest thing happened. When my arm was able to reach the proper position, I checked my hand carrying the plastic bag from The Landmark and this is what I saw:

(Ta-daaahhhh!)

Yes, the force and impact of the people in the trained ripped the plastic bag in my hand and it was nowhere to be found. Actually, when most of the people got off at Cubao station, I even stayed behind to check whether the plastic bag was stepped on or thrown off somewhere. But alas, the bag was gone. Along with my 3 v-neck white shirts.

(This is all that's left of my white shirts.)

Harrumph!

Honestly, (and maybe even naively), I thought that this was a freak accident. As freaky as my Freaky Friday last May. But while I was talking to Mark tonight, he told me that it was possible that someone stole the bag and its contents. And on hindsight, it is possible. I mean, the MRT has been witness to a lot of petty crimes, and this one definitely qualifies as one.

Strange, but true.

So, if ever it was stolen by another person, my only hope at this point is that he's a size medium, that he likes white V-neck shirts, and that he needs those shirts more than I do.