Personal Space

Today's both a happy and exhausting day. Mindy and I decided to go to Manila to check out condo units. We were hoping to see favorable terms and conditions for our stay next school year, and well, we did. Now it's just up to both our parents to decide. I wanted to blog about this particular experience, but I think it's an experience waiting to be continued since we have not finalized our decisions yet. And so the next few lines will be about what happened after our condo-hopping.

Mindy and I parted ways at Boni Ave. MRT station. I was heading to Trinoma to meet my mom and my brother who has car. It was most convenient for me since I did not have to bother for an extra ride from the MRT station going home. And well, the only thought I had in my head was, "I wanna go home". It did not even occur to me that it was rush hour at that time. By now you might have an idea already with what's this about. Yes, you guessed right. Rush hour = crowded mrt.

I had two baggages with me, a heavy bag and my laptop. It's been against my principle to commute with my laptop. I've always resorted to take the cab whenever I have my laptop with me, but this day was particularly different from those days, because I felt the strong need to save on money. Not such a bad idea, i thought. I realized I'd be avoiding heavy traffic, as well.

As I got on the platform, the only thought I still had in my head was, I wanna go home.

1, 2, 3... 4, 5, 6... 7. Oh Lord, please let the next train be my train. Yes, there were 7 trains that arrived the station, but it was too difficult to get in. It was already impossible to tell the faces of the people because it was really really crowded inside. I got pushed, and pushed, sadly, pushed away that I could not get my way through the crowd. I was texting my mom, and here's how it went:

m: san ka na?
k: dito pa rin po. 7 trains na, and i still couldn't get in. Nakakaiyak na po, kasi nanunulak sila, eh. :(
m: manulak ka rin.

Finally, when all the people who pushed me away got their way to the train, I got a spot right in front of where the doors would stop. I was at the middle. 8th train came, with the number 14 in front. And I got in without effort because the people behind me just pushed me inside. The outgoing passengers kept saying that they be let out first, and I wanted to give way but I couldn't. It was just too impossible to make a move out of my own will. I was literally going with the flow. I realized Bernoulli's principle (A1V1 = A2V2) is not necessarily true for this phenomenon.

Inside the train, well, it was hard to imagine that there was a concept such as personal space. It was partly deindividualizing because people did not care that they were purposely pushing each other. The only goal was to get out or to get in. Horrible system, I tell you. And well, I admit that I'm not really an MRT-commuter. I ride jeepneys more than trains. Jeepneys are also crowded, however people move to allow other commuters to take a seat as much as possible, whereas on trains, they move to push other people away. I just thought even if jeepney's crowded, there's still respect on personal space, but in MRTs, the system hardly allows us to do so.

when I arrived in Trinoma, i saw people neatly lined up as they enter the mall. and it was a good sight to see such order.

ack. ang haba na.

anyway, i'm home, enjoying my personal space with my family. thank God for my family. they really brighten my day.