Ride with ME

Christmas-inspired nail polish! 

January 29-30, 2013

I had a long day today.  I ran errands for my Dubai friends and bought their requests--make-up, polvoron, brownies, mittens, medicines and vitamins in Megamall.  After almost an hour of shopping and walking, I went straight to Makati and had my long overdue foot spa, pedicure and manicure.  Holidays weren’t over for me; since the weather still feels like Christmas season, I risked choosing the ‘silver’ color for my nails!  I appreciated the color so much that I let my friend took a photo of my groomed nails.  Thanks, Jeam! (and I just decided on my way home to groom my dogs tomorrow, clean the house and have a make-over here in ‘my’ condo-solo!)  Geesh! Three hundred fifty peso-worth of ‘spa’ indulged in one day! Not bad.

Tea before the movie.  It's Mayleen & Annie
(Bihon & Chum)

After the ‘salon’ moment, it was time to relax a little more with my friends.  The meet up in the ‘kalye’ with Mayleen (along Makati Medical Center after her derma-appointment, I just texted her to walk along the back streets of the hospital and I’ll see her there-somewhere) meet Annie (from her overtime in the office) and then watched Hansel and Gretel in Glorietta 4.  Well, that movie house is not really my favorite.  Aside from being crowded, (for me) it’s like a food-court because you could really smell all types of food while watching the movie.  Pizza, French fries, onions, chicken, hotdogs, gosh, more of really a food court movie house for me! Hahaha!  I could really die laughing with what transpired before and after our movie date.  

Annie and her photo-opportunity.
3.5 out of 5 pop-corns for this film!

Yes, laugh trip with Annie and Mayleen (and of course with Kate and the rest of my core group) is always to the fullest!  Before the movie started, we took photos outside the cinema and we had that courage and thick faces to have pictures with the movie ads/banners.  It was hilarious!  I could really collapse laughing out loud.

While we were watching the film, of course having me as a buddy is really a humiliation (yes, I admit that!) because I really hate it when I get scared or surprised in a scene due to my screech and out of nowhere squeals!  I know that my companions get embarrass when I do that, so am I?  Try to visualize it when the movie ended and the people who want to see that ‘girl’ who wailed at an out of nowhere scene in the movie, voila-it was me!!! Hahaha!  And I felt that because some guys were looking at me! Gosh!  Anyway, after the movie, Mayleen (whom I fondly calls ‘Bihon’ – long story, why I named her that) read in twitter that there was a commotion in Megamall that afternoon or early evening.  Then, I saw this girl holding the ‘SM’ plastic bag who looked so disturbed and kept on talking with another girl that I assumed was talking about that incident, so I told Annie to eavesdrop, but you know that blocking wherein she was so obvious that she was inches away and in an instant she was there, gosh, we laughed so hard!  In short, we were having fun and for me, that was one of my unforgettable movie dates with them.  How can you not be so thankful with these souls who just laugh and share good moments with you?  Amazing, isn’t it?

Mayleen and her moment! LOL!

She seemed happy in this picture with Gosling!

One of my shameful moments in public!

When we were parting ways, I received a text message from Jeam and wanted to have coffee with me in Cubao.  I assumed he wanted a serious talk, so I went to see him.  I decided to take the MRT going to Cubao from Ayala Station.  It was a good experience, though.  It was my first time to ride our very own MRT this 2013.  That feeling of riding it like the first time was a totally ‘awesome’ experience, knowing that I am a fan of taxi cabs (here and wherever I go!).      I have to read the signs where to pay, the exact fare window, how I transfer to the other side that shows the direction: ‘North bound’ and how to squeeze in the swarms of commuters despite the spaces in the middle of each cabin train.  I held one of the bars inside with two hands and balanced myself before it launched going to my destination.  In short, I enjoyed that ride.  For me, it’s better to feel stupid in other country’s trains but being naïve here in your country is definitely unacceptable.  Because I know, every single commuter in Manila have already tried and still, patronizing this super traffic-free means of transportation.  It was just a 15-minute ride or less if I’m not mistaken.  As I unload in Cubao station, I was smiling when I turned around realizing I was walking in the wrong direction.  I was so confident that I was picturing the place or direction I have to go to, like I have to exit the station and enter the Gateway Mall connecting to Araneta Coliseum, etc.  oh, well, I made it to the right destination, anyway.  I know, some would really find this amusing or funny, but, well, experiencing these simple adventures and trying out things alone (yes, by myself) it feels like jumping and crossing big humps in your life.  Maybe, some would feel that ride was just an ordinary ride; for others, it might just be like conquering a simple thing (having that MRT ride), but for me, it was more of a leap of faith. 

See, I wanted to believe I was that adventurous.  I could say I've tried new things like travelling to different places and trying out odd quests.  (I will just enumerate them in my future posts, okay?!)  Yes, I was that thirsty for expedition and I wanted those badly because I am not getting any younger.  But, as I dig deeper on what are the reasons behind all these, it just hit me now, that I do want to experience adventures because of my friends, with their company, their presence--they are the main reason why I unlocked the ‘adventurer’ in me and conquer the fears.  And during those how-many-years-ago-and-still-counting travelling with them (My FAB friends-and I have a pending post dedicated to them), I get to know myself little by little.  Each travel we took, every path we crossed, the beaches we swam, the food we shared and divided for everyone, the consequences we met because of our foolishness and childishness all at the same time, well, name it, or simply say or quote that, in each place we traveled, the laughter from our hearts echoes in every road we passed. We all get by because of the common thing we have and that is the tie that bonds us, that through thick and thin, we’ll always be together travelling, conquering, wherever our feet will take us.

With my Friend-JEAM! My coffee-addict-buddy!

Going back to my MRT ride, I realized some things about myself; on how I look upon those adventures I shared with them.  I was surprised, that despite the many adventures with friends and me being 'independent', I haven’t tasted what a real adventure is.  I recognized that little void and shame in me.  What the hell am I doing here in MRT? Alone? See, while I was holding that steel bar or pole inside the train, I was nervous because I might fall anytime.  I was scared that there might be a commotion due to hold-up or engine failure of the train, so when I arrived in my destination, I was relieved.  And now that I am writing about this experience of mine, it means, there was something I want to point out with that ride.

Yes, I wasn’t that adventurous at all.  That the happiness and fulfillment I wanted to achieve were dependent to my friends.  I am facing each journey and adventure because I know I will be with them and that we will all be together in each trek.  I realized, I really have to be alone before I completely 'accomplish' that sense of ‘adventure’ in life.  With my experience being 'alone' - I was able to smell the flowers (or the people all around me), see the colors of stores and billboards, hear the breathing of each commuter, the song from the guy’s headphones behind me, eavesdrop from that group of teenagers across me because they were really giggling like, whatever. I was able to have that chance-to experience the fondness in simple things in life, AGAIN! 

Even if that ride was just for fifteen minutes, each minute for me was priceless.  I get to feel what it is like to be with strangers, with people you don’t even know.  I was so conscious that I might look like a first-timer in that train, but I didn't care because I know they don’t know me  and even if they will just judge me based on how I looked so odd that night, they'll never know what was inside my heart during that emblazoning ride.  What matters to me most, was that feeling of picking up the pieces of myself and that I am starting anew when I really wanted was to give up and stop.  That alone-ride moment made me realized that I should trust myself more, I should appreciate what has life made me through these years, that there are decisions or circumstances that I may not be in favor of, but that shouldn't stop me for being who I am.  That, I should still go back to my core; what’s inside my heart, what my soul longs for, what my mind wants to conceive, these are the elements in my life that I want to take a second look again, to refurbish my being, save myself from the corrosion that infects each of these elements.  I want to be whole again.  And if being alone and by myself would help, no second thoughts to ride MRT again in the next coming weekends of 2013 and maybe in the next years to come.

Another chapter in my life is unfolding.  I am still (and will forever be) a work in progress.  I am beginning to embrace a serious kind of ride (or I have started it, I know).  Right now, I am into a more challenging adventure…and this time, I am willing to discover it with ME.

Cheers!

P.S.

Yes, I had a great coffee-talk with Jeam, we lasted for four hours and I walked him home.  It was indeed a loooong day!  Worth it!