Destination

In my pursuit of Academic excellence, and mind you it's a pursuit that will forever be one, I had to go to a library in Quezon City on a weekday, which meant passing through two other cities to get there. It has been an attitude of mine to take routes I'm familiar with rather than take a shorter yet unfamiliar way. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Most of the time, I'm "GC" - geographically challenged, a term I picked up from someone. Like all challenged people, I had to bear the consequences; getting lost in Manila is a difficult situation. I managed to reach my destination after three PUV transfers. On my way back, the jeep I took could only take me as far as Recto. Recto, one of the original places of commerce in Manila, is not one of my favorite places in the world, together with Quiapo. Those who have lived in Manila long enough should know what this place is known for. I kept my eyes open to Lawton-bound jeeps. When I get to Lawton, I'm on safer grounds, I tell myself. To get to the jeep, I had to walk to the area loading passengers up, and it's 25 meters from where I had gotten off. Isetann Mall was in the corner; I had not gone inside this mall, and I had no plans of doing so. I observed my surroundings to note the incredible foot traffic in the area. This was one busy place. I took refuge inside Chowking to observe the place some more.

I turned to observe myself more.

I finished my lunch, hailed a jeep, and went home safely.

What I saw during my observation was a glimpse of me among the crowd.