Inspiration

Every jeepney or bus ride I take is supposed to give me inspiration as to what to write next. The ride is always a rich source of observations and stories. However, I have not been seeing those lately. I had been preoccupied with so much thought.

Sometimes it is with the hailing of a jeep that a story develops, or sometimes, it is in the destination. These stories and observations are made clear because I relish every ride I take. My eyes would wander at every passenger inside and on the moving picture outside.  Now, it is just a blank stare. My worries about my high school reunion, which I am planning,  have taken much of my mind. Homecomings are supposed to be anticipated. My remaining optimism is what seems to be keeping me look forward to it.

As I was doing a mental accounting of the expenses and the attendance of the reunion, the jeep was brought to a stop. I was suddenly Commuter again. A passenger was shouting at a lady who just got off. Since I was seated at the farthest end of the jeep, by the entrance, I saw the woman they were calling and she was some ten meters away. "Ale, (Lady) " a male passenger called. Everyone else looked at the woman heading back to the jeep's direction. I was still oblivious about the minor commotion.

"Nakalimutan n'yo sukli n'yo," the man whose clenched hand bearing her change said.

"Ay, 50 nga pala pera ko," the woman speaking by the entrance. "Thank you," said the woman, and the jeep sped off.

Amen.

Illiteracy

It's definitely not illiteracy; we have one of the highest literacy rates in Asia. Then, how come many couldn't comprehend a "NO LOADING" sign? I sigh at the sight of them, the signs and the people; the proliferation of these signages all over the metro must have cost the government tons of money. The country's reading teachers and experts might have failed big time due to the increase of  street sign illiterates  who could not understand what those simple words and illustrations mean.

Disregard for signs and laws in general seems to be a reality in Philippine streets. I hope I am wrong.

I was dead tired from work one evening, and I just wanted to go straight home. This was what I did. I went to the transport terminal where, I knew, I would be assured of a seat. It was past nine already, and I decided on taking the bus since it's faster compared to a jeep, and I comfortably took my place by the window. At the Star Mall Alabang Terminal, I patiently waited for other passengers to get in for I know all buses were given a definite time to gather passengers; buses going beyond their alloted loading time literally take a beating from the terminal personnel who strike their sticks onto the buses' body to warn them of their 'overstaying.' So, just after a few minutes, the engine roared.

Just five meters away from the terminal, I saw more people on the street awaiting jeeps and buses. Jeepneys and buses took this chance to get more passengers along a street known to have a "CLOSE DOOR POLICY."

What's wrong here?

The bus terminal was a stone's throw away. Most, if not all, of the people waiting on the road were able-bodied and schooled citizens, yet they appeared to have no notion of a transport terminal. Public utility vehicles , on the other hand, risked the possiblitity of being issued a ticket for a common and known violation. As with the case of the bus I was on, the good traffic officer halted the bus so an exchange of tickets and IDs was to take place. This, among others, delayed my trip home for a few precious minutes.

You and I perfectly know that this is not an isolated situation. For as long as I could remember, people have not been responding very well to the words 'terminal' 'loading' and 'laws.' I wonder what will make them.

Street memories

Do I stick to calling "BF Mcdo" the area pertaining to the corner of (BF) President's Avenue and Sucat Road when Mcdonald's has been demolished to give in to a new establishment?

Since I claim Paranaque to be my adoptive city, I know that place as BF Mcdo - a place for meetings, meet ups, tricycle terminals and bathroom breaks. Commuting BF Paranaque residents call it so, too. I wonder what it's going to be called now. According to some information, an SM-owned establishment is going to take the place of ol' McDonald's. Will it be BF SM or BF Savemore or Savemore? We shall soon find out.

Similarly, if you are to enter BF from Alabang Zapote Road, you would have to inform the driver you're getting off at 'Toyota.' However, people did not refer to it as Toyota then. It was 'Standard' from 'America Standard', the toilet seat company once operating in the area. Although the company has ceased to exist, a few still refer to it as Standard but for many, it's Toyota or Concha Cruz, its actual street name.

In Manila, people still identify the street near the La Salle area as 'Vito Cruz' although its present name enacted by law is 'Pablo Roman.' The LRT station is still named Vito Cruz, though. Back in Mindanao, I have heard of Mantrade, the car store, but announcing my destination 'Mantrade' in a bus in Makati takes me to Magallanes MRT Station; no sight of Mantrade Cars nearby. It doesn't matter really as long as I get to my destination.

Changes in street names brought by legal means do not interest me. I have long accepted that things do change, including places and names. But when a landmark of historical significance or of purely sentimental value ends its place in the world, I start lamenting on the possible loss of memories I have of that place, but I also begin to make new ones with whatever new thing comes.