First experience that I will share happened during the first Friday of the first semester, S.Y. 2010-2011. I newly bought my Math 17 module that time so I was really OC to not let any folds or stains mark on it (I still carry a small bag that time so I have to handcarry it on my way home). I positioned myself to ride on the second door of the first car which is part of the 'Female Area'. It was the first Friday so it's my first time to experience riding the LRT with big number of people waiting in the station. Also, I didn't know that there was a rope separating the Special Area (area for pregnant women and senior citizens) and the rest of the 'Female Area'. When the train passed by, I was really frustrated by that time because I can see through the windows that the area on the other side of the rope, which is the Special Area, is not crowded while the other side is really jam-packed. I remembered myself saying, "Ate, konting usad naman po oh! Ang luwag-luwag doon sa gilid e." Then I thought, "Diyos ko. Probinsyana nga talaga ako." :D After four trains that I missed, luckily, I was able to ride of the fifth one.
Another thing that I will not forget happened second sem of the same academic year. I rode a train around 6:30 AM in the morning. I got seated next to a guy. At first, I really don't mind him sticking close to me because many people were riding the train at that time, but when the area went spacious enough, I didn't seem to notice why he still stick close to me. Here's more. He's looking straight at me now, and I felt really uncomfortable. After I dropped by at United Nations station, he kept on following me so what I thought that I should do is run and escape that guy. I don't know if he just want to bully me or he's interested in me (which is impossible to happen).
LRT is full of warnings regarding safe travelling, like do not the push the emergency button unless there is an emergency, do not board the train when the warning buzzer sounds, and keep yourself distanced from the red line in the stations. One of my curiosities in the LRT system is about its rails. There's a sign that warns "Do not cross the rails." I don't know why but what encrypted in my mind about the rails is that electricity run through them. I really don't know. So one time, on Pedro Gil station, I INVOLUNTARILY dropped my stored value ticket and it went down to the rails. Funny that on the other side of station, a girl dropped her phone and it went to the rails. So I got a better situation than her *mean laugh*. Alright, enough. Then I talked to the guard about what happened. He came back with a wooden stick which has a bubble gum on the other end of it. He used that to get my card but it didn't worked. No choice, he went down the rails and picked the card by himself. So I have proven that electricity doesn't run through it! About what happened on the girl who dropped her phone on the other side, I don't know. Maybe the guard ended up picking it up in the rails.
I only got irritated because of certain passengers in the train, and those were the people who lean their backs on the safety handrails. It is really hard to balance while standing in the moving train so at least make sure you don't occupy the rail by yourself and share the rail to other standing passengers. I just wanted to say, "Ate. Safely HANDrail po. Hindi BACKrail."
I really want to share these things because I think this one that I will share for last appeared to be the worst of all. I came early for our movie shooting in our school. Call time is 8 AM so it's rush time and squeeze time in LRT. Good thing I rode on Balintawak Station so the train is not that crowded. Anyways, back to the story. A Muslim woman rode on Doroteo Jose Station. The train is so crowded so she's stuck in front of the door. Then when the train stopped on the next station which is Carriedo, more people rode the train. Since some passengers dropped by Carriedo, the Muslim woman had the opportunity to get inside the train. One woman from Carriedo suddenly told her, "Tumabi ka nga! Itutulak kita dyan e. *Translation: Make way or I'll push you over!*" Then there goes the Muslim woman bursting in anger. I don't exactly recall what she said but this what I most remembered because for me, this line is really absurd. Here it goes. "Ano ba ako? Ipis ba ako? Aso ba ako para itutulak-tulak mo? Tao ako. Tao din ako. Ganito sa LRT. We should be wise. *Translation: What am I? Am I a cockcroach? Am I a dog that you can push away just that? I'm a man. I'm also a man. This is LRT. We should be wise.*" Absurd isn't it? The woman from Carriedo dropped by the next station because of her frustration and embarrassment. On the other hand, the Muslim woman kept bragging and bragging about her anger until it dropped on UN Station. I remembered the other passengers saying "ssshhhhh", "tama na yan.. *that's enough*", "Mag-taxi nalang kayo. *Just take the taxi instead*" and a lot more to relieve the tension between those two. It's really absurd that my blockmates felt the same way when they heard my story.
About love story, well, I never experienced it, unlike in mangas where the two lead characters met each other or got closer because they were riding in the same train. Sad :((
Oh well, I hope you can relate to these insights of mine. Fortunately, I am riding & dropping by at stations which are not that crowded at all so I have a little bit of ease in me. :) Well, 'til my next post. Thank you for reading! :)
