Remiss, revisit, retell and reflections

So I have been remiss in a lot of things, such as blogging and even failing to greet friends on their birthdays. One dear friend said she did not expect that I would miss her birthday after greeting her the day after.

Yes so much has been going on that I have no blog post for the previous month; last month should have been a great source of posts because a lot happened. But, no, I did not write any.

It has very been very busy. But I was thinking of topics to write.

First in my list is this:

I plan to take the train by October. I have no idea where I am going, but I'll definitely be riding on one.

You see, before the year ends, I will be going somewhere, a different continent, for a long time. Taking the train in the Philippines is certainly in Commuter's must-do list. 

I hope to be able to write something on this train ride I will be taking.

Another post worthy of its own post but I am not doing one is my Sagada trip with my good friends. It was a well-deserved break, a total contrast from the life in the city. It has been weeks since that trip but I am still raving about it. Enduring the 13-hour ride to Sagada and back was nothing compared to the experience of the culture, nature, the people and weather of the Mountain Province, a northern Philippine province, that we were able to enjoy for two whole days.

At the Pasay Terminal of Victory Liner. Baguio bound.

Mountains upon mountains welcome you as you make your way to Sagada. Truly breathtaking.

Rice terraces abound.

The Big Falls in Sagada. It was a long trek but worth every step.

Market day in Sagada

American influence, not Spanish, is evident in Sagada. There are very few Catholics in this predominant Anglican society that still honors the indigenous traditions of Sagada's ancestors.

Traditional burial site

Cave formations

A day-long wedding celebration that I was very fortunate to gatecrash. Native dances and instruments provided entertainment to the guests of the bride and groom. For me, this was one genuine cultural experience.

Good things must come to an end; hence, a trip back to Baguio must be made before heading toManila.

The randomness of this post is similar to my "Northern Exposure" adventure I had. I was with adventurous and sometimes 'random' people that made the trip more enjoyable and memorable.

Baguio became part of the itinerary because Manila-bound buses were scarce, and we had to wait until the evening to get our ride. In the process I got to see a bit of Baguio. This was a place I enjoyed going to when I was younger, and up to now. Call it stupid but foggy places such as Baguio bring me joy. Just imagine how happy I was when the city was (nearing) one-digit visibility.

Fog in Baguio

I did pray for a safe travel back to Manila, knowing quite well a typhoon was wreaking havoc in some places in Luzon and Visayas at that very moment. My prayer must have been heard because nothing untoward happened on our descent to Manila. The days after that however became witness to the might of "Maring" that left Manila and large parts of Luzon underwater.

Sunday night, August 18, I was out from church when the rain started to show signs that it was not stopping. I spent the next two days at home as work was called off, and there was just absolutely nowhere to go with the unceasing rain.

Dark clouds in the horizon. Taken from my window.

Sister approaching the building. She had our food with her so it was important that I meet her at the ground floor. hehe.

The reports of the typhoon showed the catastrophe brought by typhoons, clogged drainage and human irresponsibility. On Wednesday, a holiday, I simply had to go out for I missed the outdoors terribly. On the main road, I saw for myself the post-typhoon scenario: shops were still closed; garbage, silt, mud were everywhere; children were playing in the puddles. I hopped on a jeep and, to my surprise, initiated a talk with the driver. He was not able to work for two days, the driver said. I sat patiently and quietly as he waited for more passengers to ride his jeep.

Danger

View from the front seat

After some time, I finally had a good 'me' time. I watched the Adam Sandler - Jennifer Aniston rom-com flick alone. People find it weird that I enjoy watching movies alone. Actually, those two precious hours in a DECENT dark airconditioned theater keeps me balanced. Call it by any name but truth remains that I thrive with my brand of sporadic solitude.

It was a romantic comedy, and I was watching it alone during the movie's  first day of release. As expected, couples cames; I even saw dancer-actor Rayver Cruz and his babe Christine Reyes. I entered the theater alone and left alone after its last screening. At 12:30 am, I was out commuting. My travel to Sucat Interchange from Alabang was shorter than the time I spent at the bus terminal. Since there were fewer people out, filling up the bus with passengers took a much longer time than usual. The longer I stayed on that ordinary bus at the terminal, the more I was making myself prone to danger. On a day after  payday, one must be extra careful. Although I was cashless like every day of my life, I had with me my netbook and cellphone.

I lived through that episode unscathed. However, I had to take one more jeepney ride to get home, hopefully, before dusk. An empty jeep passed and I took the front seat which I thought was the safest place in a jeep at night. Halfway to my destination, a seemingly nice girl took her seat beside me and started putting on her earphones as she played music from her mobile phone. Next she did was take out a cigarette and light it. Great! It was just what I needed after an exhausting long day at work. I tried not minding her since I was just a few minutes from my place. So, I instead faced the driver to see him turning right at the Petron station two blocks away from my place.

"One fifty," the driver told the gasoline attendant. I looked at the girl with her cigarette at hand.

"Hoy, alam mo ba bawal yan dito?!

"Kung gusto mong mamatay huwag mong idamay ang iba!

"Gago ka ba? Tanga ka ba?"

These would have been the words I wanted to say to that girl. I stared at her instead, fuming. She was an unfeeling b@4#h! I wanted to give her some beating. My passivity was winning over necessity. She ought to learn something. I was thinking of things to tell her when I finally arrived at my stop. Forget it. She would die of lung cancer, anyway.

"Para, ma." The vehicle stopped, and she stayed in her place. She was expecting that the whole 153 pounds of me to easily go out of that door with her cancerous body blocking my way. Ok. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Too bad she did not completely hear what I told her. I did not get the chance to pull her earphones from her. Let's just say that I was happy with what I did. I had a good and peaceful sleep after. I hope she did, too.