I'm A Woman Of The World!

I never thought I'd be this happy for a punishment. I mean after last night, I felt like the sun would never rise again. I swear. When I was sleeping, I was tossing and turning, waking up in the middle of the night thinking "Shit...I'm gonna commute tomorrow, I dunno how the hell I'm gonna do that and I have to work... WORK!" I wasn't even able to study for my Algebra test! I was just so scared and worried about what's gonna happen today. About my test..I answered a couple of questions..but I dunno if I'd pass that test. Hafta study extra hard now for the following lessons. Damn!!

So I went to school really paranoid. I thought of nothing but the day ahead. My eyes were puffy so I had to wear my glasses. Waking up so early in the morning feeling stressed really sucks. It's like a bad hairday that's never gonna end. Everything seems wrong. I only had two classes so I'm done by 9am. I was with Sugar the whole time and I told her what's up with me. Her class was at 1030 so sometimes I'd stay to just hang out. Sugar's a lot like me. We're both very sheltered but we know what's going on with the world. (Just recently, we've become "gym buddies". Haha..we attended this Body Jam in fitness first..turns out it was a dance class..and we NEVER dance..we looked like idiots..really embarrassing). We know how lucky we are to have hardworking parents..blah..and we're both desperate for money. We wanna go shopping but we don't have the means. We'd spend so many hours talking about shoes and clothes..and once in a while we talk about politics, religion and life. I guess that keeps us grounded. We have all these realizations about everything. So when I told her I was gonna commute alone, she knew it was a big deal to me. My mom's been telling me to commute going to Ubay when something happens in the carpool, but I never did. I'd rather die. I'd wait for the next shift for about an hour than commute. I know this sounds really stupid of me..as in like dumb-blondish (is that a word?) but I don't like it because it's so polluted my face will get absorb all the dirt, my hair gets sticky or whatever. So I just sat there with Sugar thinking if I'm gonna do it or just text Miko and tell her I'm riding with her going home, wait until 1130. Surprisingly, when Sugar went to class, I went straight to the LRT station. Sugar told me it was P12 but it was P15! And I also didn't know how much the jeep fare is. All I knew is that I was gonna get down at Blumentritt and ride a jeep that says La Loma or Retiro.

It wasn't bad. There are just a lot of people in the train!!! I can't believe it. I was in the famale section, of course (I knew that..I'm not totally clueless). I stood there with a bunch of people. Riding the LRT really is an eye-opener. I know that the Philippines is getting worse by the second and that a lot of my fellow Filipinos are suffering. It's just that the moment I enter Alabang, you don't feel that. It's like I'm in a totally different world. I enter the village and I see people jogging, walking their dogs, riding their cars with their windows down. You don't see people doing these in the streets of Sampaloc, or even Ubay! Goodness, there aren't even sari sari stores here! I miss those, by the way. And when I was there standing with the "normal" people..I felt like that I should do that more often. I'm just so exposed to this ubelievably comfortable life and I don't feel how it really is. Then I saw Pasig River. Man..it stinks. The smell just penetrated through the doors and it's really bad. People came in and out of the train and it's really fun seeing all those people. I wonder where they're going, what's a typical day for them and if they realize it's my first time to do that alone. I think I did a pretty good job. I looked like I knew what I was doing. My acting skills come in handy outside the theater. Hehe..
Then I rode the jeep. I just hopped in the first jeep I saw with the La Loma/ Retiro sign. They were just filling it up and I'm the second one in it. There was a guy who obviously came from La Salle, a frosh, holding a Filipino book about retorika or something. Hehe.. It took a while before it was filled up, but I enjoyed watching everyone. People from all walks of life. It's just nice to make a short film about that. I dunno what you call the person who calls out "A La Loma/ Retiro! Siyam pa siyam pa!" (but I'm gonna find out really soon..that's Baste's job! I can't believe I dunno what you call them). She's really amusing. And then a bunch of kids enter the jeep and they're all excited to go to school with new bags and uniforms. (I miss wearing my STC uniforms!). Ahhh..I just can't wait to do it again on Friday.

Ever since, I've dreamed of living in New York and live there independently but I have always thought that I can never make it there on my own in a single day. New York is just so appealing to me. People there are very liberal, independent. The life is fast-paced. I've always thought of myself as a city-girl, which is obviously, I am not...until today. Haha. I know, I know it sounds really shallow of me to say that just because I learned how to commute alone. But this is a start. AND! I'm working! I will actually earn money. That's so exciting. I'm desperate for money. Sure, it's not like I'm gonna earn like thousands of Pesos a month, but hey, it's a start.
Today, I feel like I'm a completely different person. I feel like I have purpose...I'm not a royal tenen-bum anymore. I'm a woman of the world! It feels soo good! In no time, I'll be just like Carrie Bradshaw. Walking the streets of New York in my Manolos. Well..give it a year...I can't do it overnight!