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.

Grandma's Grand style

On the jeepney ride going home, this grandma sat in front of me and her sense of style immediately caught my attention.

She was wearing a floppy hat, a patterned blouse, loose jeans and sneakers. When put together, her overall look was super chic! Also very current since it looks like those boyfriend jean ensembles that seem to be very now.

Another detail that was noticeable was how she cuffed her jeans. The length and disheveledness of the fold made it look so shabby chic!

She actually reminded me of those stylish Japanese grandmas that Mark and I used to see in Japan. And on hindsight, I really didn't see her face throughout the trip. Who knows? She might just be a stylish Japanese grandma who's currently in Manila.

I'll take a bus or a train to get to...

Jakarta City!

Whenever I travel, I try to use the local transportation to get a feel of the local people and culture.

So, my transport of choice around Jakarta was the TransJakarta bus line.

It was pretty efficient and fast, which made me like it a bit more than the usual Grab or Cab.

My local friends were actually surprised that I survived the bus system since it gets too frenetic even for them.

Good thing I'm intrepid enough for experiences like this.

Let's see how this goes...

Finally, the beep card system for the LRT is in limited operation. Stress on the "limited" since you can only use it on LRT and on the Southbound line of LRT 1.

This is supposed to ease congestion and speed up the train riding process. But with the learning curve on how to buy it and how to use it, I'm expecting some major lines when they do implement this on the MRT. People will have to learn how to use the self-service ticket kiosks, and I can imagine the confusion there.

But it's a good first step to improving our train system. I just hope it works as well as they think it will.

(P.S. So now I have 4 train cards from 4 different countries: HKG, SG, JPN and now, PH.)

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.

Jeepers creepers

Of all the possible times to get a case of mental block, it had to be in a jeep.

I took one en route to Ate's dressmaker to pick-up the dresses she had made. When I saw my stop, I knew I was supposed to say "para," but for the life of me, I forgot the words. The stop was nearing, and my mind was still blank.

So, when the jeep reached the corner, all I could do was shout what was in my head at that time:

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop right there!"

Yes, the jeep stopped. And the driver - as well as the rest of the passengers - looked at me strangely as I alighted.