Commuting under the “new normal”

Nowadays, even though it’s not as strict as during the heights of the pandemic, commuting in Metro Manila remains a nightmare specially for the working public.

Some public utility vehicles (PUVs) have been allowed to travel but with limited capacity. For jeepneys, which is the most common public transport, drivers are required to have those makeshift plastic barriers inside to maintain social distancing. And from the usual 16-18 passengers, they had to reduce it to 10-12 or less depending on the size of the jeep to maintain the distance.

To be honest, it took me awhile to ride the jeepney again. If there’s one bad side that this pandemic has brought anyone, it’s being anxious and paranoid.

Since March 2020, I’ve only ridden the jeepney for 3-5 times or maybe less. I will only ride the jeep if one, there’s just really few people inside; and two, if it’s raining. I would give up the second condition if the jeepney is crowded.

And between riding a taxi or a jeepney, the latter is safer because it’s not airconditioned. Air can rotate continuously.

Still the best option for me is either to ride a bike or just walk. I walk going to the mall, to the park, to the market, which usually takes me 30 minutes to an hour.

Lucky for me, my office is just a 10-minute walk from where I live. And I love walking.

But for others, the usual one-hour travel pre-pandemic time, takes longer due to limited supply. It is also more expensive to travel due to limited choices. 

Clutter

There are times when you stop and take a long hard look at something that would otherwise be everyday and realise that it is not.  I have never kept a clean tidy desk it isn’t in my nature I don’t think but the plethora of screens and general bedlam going on here might perhaps explain a lot!  I might try to argue that it isn’t always like this, it would be reasonable to claim that in the sense of exactitude but not if seeking to convey that it has of late been more orderly.  Each thing has its function, though it is arguable as to whether this function specifically has to be here.  I spend currently a great deal more time at this desk than I might otherwise have expected and yet when I spent less time it was probably more geared up for its functionality rather than being such an apocalyptic mess.  I think I definitely need to get a handle on these things!

Ephemeral

“even
in the loneliest moments

i have been there
for myself.”

― Sanober Khan

A few hours before we headed back to the city, I found myself standing in front of an empty paddy field looking at the horizon. I was blinded by the striking image.

Our crew was wrapping up and we were instructed to go back to the vehicle so as not to get caught in the traffic. The sun has just set, and the sky was bursting with an assortment of striking colors. There were blue and red, a tinge of magenta, yellow, orange but mostly a splash of fiery colors. For some seconds, everything looked like the surrounding was buttered in golden yellow. I did not budge from where I stood. I took my camera and did a time lapse.

One of the crew members was shouting my name asking me to hurry up! But I stood on my ground. I couldn’t let go.

I stayed until the colors were gone. It was a few minutes, and they were gone. The horizon darkened without a trace of what were there a few minutes ago.

One of the crew was in a bad mood. But I was smiling the whole time we were traveling. It was too beautiful to let it pass. Life is too beautiful to just let it pass.