Another commuter talk



Ayala MRT Station



Ortigas sidewalk

Days ago, I was invited to give an inspirational talk at St. Scholastica's College-Manila. I was thrilled at this new 'development' in my life. Usually, only those people who have made it big are the ones who give talks like this. I am far from anything like that! Anyway,  I was honored! And I was also glad to have known the organizer of the program who happened to be my college classmate! My goal now was not to embarrass my classmate who had put her trust in my  so-called 'inspiring' words.

The night before the talk, I finished my six-minute speech after writing it for three hours. I wanted it to be as down-to-earth as possible, without appearing proud or pretentious. However, the nature of the speech was to inspire. How do I inspire my listeners without telling them of my little 'accomplishments?' How do I inspire them to do good? Anyway, I had to do what I had to do. I slept nearly midnight and set my phone to alarm at 5:00 am so I could be ready for my 7:30 am talk in Manila.

The alarm did work, but I woke up an hour and a half later! When I realized the time, I rushed to my bathroom and had the quickest bath. As long as I smelled good enough for the St Scholastican students, I was good to go. I wore a creased shirt and did not bother putting product on my hair. With only 40 minutes before the time, I started panicking. There was no way for me to get there on time. I was not going to miss my first-ever speaking engagement by being tardy. I was a bit frantic. I hailed all the FX that passed, but at 6:55 on a weekday morning, it was nearly impossible to  get one. I did one brave thing instead. I got into a cab!

Sweet Jesus, I was in a slightly new cab. The airconditioning comforted me, and I tried to calm myself. The idea that I was in a speeding taxi gave me some relief. Since I was seated beside the driver, we had a full view of our surrounding. Mr. cab driver was giving his take on the how irresponsible motor bike drivers were. Much as I wanted to engage him in a discussion of all known motor offenses that a Filipino driver had been committing, I simply couldn't as my thoughts were on the distance we had to travel to get to Manila on time. He went on with his mumbling, and I gave my small comments letting him know that I was on the other end of the dialog. When Vic Sotto's face came to sight, he recalled all the people the actor had helped. He briefly talked about Wally and Jose, Rene Requiestas and finally, Richie d'Horsie. His lecture on Richie led us to the driver's detailed account of his own drug use history. At that time, I just wanted to be in Manila already but not anywhere near him. I had to be polite as he told me about marijuana, and two other drugs which I had never heard before. 

Some divine intervention must have taken place as much of Pasay and Manila had clear streets. The next thing we knew, we were turning right towards Vito Cruz. I got off the cab and left him with a 20-peso tip because I did not bother waiting for my change.

The talk was a success, and I felt great. In addition to a certain amount of money and a Jollibee meal I got, I received praises from the deans and teachers of the school. Most importantly, my classmate who invited me to give the talk was happy. I was happy as well.

I left St Scho feeling good that I did something. I was not sure if I was able to inspire or teach something; I was just happy that I did not put a good friend down. I boarded an airconditioned bus on my way to Alabang only to be greeted by the 'breaking news' of former Secretary Angelo Reyes' apparent suicide. GMA 7 was airing live the events from the hospital where the former general was brought. I was glued to the bus' TV while lamenting on the sad state of our country.