Commuting Sentences (and Paragraphs)

Whenever it rains hard during my daily commute, I get philosophical.

Who am I? What am I doing? Why is it important that I live and work particularly in this unkind metropolis?

This is what abundant potholes, flooded streets, scarce jeepneys, and jostling passengers do to me. I lose my good humor. Ok, maybe my humor is not very good to start with - especially during commute. I am a dour version of myself when I'm commuting. But when it rains and I have to be out of the house -- man, I become far, far worse.

There's nothing glamorous about urban dwelling unless you're part of the small fraction who can afford the lifestyle of chauffeur-driven cars and a prime address. After all, having a car does not exempt you from the horrors of driving through rainy traffic. And what good is it to live in a nice, spacious place if it is three hours away from your work?

Chances are, you're like me. An ordinary employee who lives a good distance away from work and commutes everyday. However, there is nothing ordinary about commuting. Commuting in the metro is war. It is an all-out, stand-your-ground, put-your-gameface-on war. It is a war against all elements; Man against man, man against nature, man against himself.

Commuting is not for wimps or the faint of heart. By your fellow passengers, you will be elbowed, pushed, yelled at. You also have to be wary of snatchers, perverts, and everyday-variety jerks. I'm afraid there's no shortage of those anywhere.

When it rains, be prepared to sacrifice composure and proceed to fold the cuff of your jeans, cramp under an umbrella, and, if you're unlucky enough, trudge through leptospirosis-laden floodwater. There are few things more disgusting than dirty wet socks under sodden shoes.

And remember when I said that I am a dour version of myself when I commute? Well, that was an understatement.  I always, always have to check my temper. In the very early days of my commuting, I once noted that the MRT makes me a horrible person.  It's hard not to take the shoving during rush hour personally. I know we're all in a hurry, but must you push me? Ah, the many times I had to remind myself that life's too short to be upset over inconsiderate people.

On my very first day at work at my current office, it rained so hard that the road outside got flooded. It was around this same time of the year. Come to think of it, it was also a June and I now just realized that I've been with the company two years. Whoa.

Anyway, I digress.

It rained so hard that the the road outside got flooded. An up-to-your-calves flood and by the time I headed home, it was still pouring hard. I could not catch a jeep, much less a cab, or any break. I was drenched, I had to buy rubber slippers, and I had to wade through the murky water. I swear, I wanted to cry. I seriously regretted taking the job at that moment.

Also some years ago, when my brother and I still used to commute to work from our old house in Antipolo, the worst we experienced was three and a half hours on the road going to Ortigas. And by distance, that's just 10-12 kilometers. For some inexplicable reason, the traffic that day was more unbearable than usual. So we came up with a different route. It ended up that we took five different modes of public transport to get us to our offices. We took the trike to the town proper, a jeep to Junction, an FX to Marcos Highway, a train to Cubao, and a cab to Ortigas.

I have piles of other horror stories, but there were also a few comical ones. There was the time when I was riding the southbound train with a stern, schoolmarmy, middle-aged woman who was trying to get off at the Shaw station. She was coming from somewhere in the middle of the car and since it was fairly crowded, was laboriously burrowing her way through the passengers. When she got near where I was standing with others at the doors, she yelled, "EXCUSE ME! EXCUSE ME! PADAAN! ANO BA?!" How dare we block the doors and not make way for her, an exiting passenger? What incosideration on our part! Didn't we know that it is common train courtesy? Yeah, if only that were the case.

As she was clearly blinded and disoriented by her frustration at us, I quietly told her, "Ma'am, sa kabila po ang bukas na pinto." She looked up and finally noticed the closed door and the concrete wall she was headed for. She turned around without word and exited at the freely accessible open doors on the opposite side.

At the moment, I think I hear that it has started to rain outside again. This is most unwelcome as I am currently nursing a slight fever and also a sprain from slipping yesterday. I'm foreseeing that when I log off in a few hours, I will be stepping again into the battlefield, as it were.

Friday rush hour. Old foe, we meet again.