25 June 2007
sic transit gloria
some people might be wondering if there are stuff i take interest in other than myself. actually, there are quite a few things. alternative solutions to end poverty, the effect of fastfood on global warming, the philippine political scene and applied aerodynamics on philippine culinary arts are only a few things. but today, i want to share my two cents (fine, make it 2 grand) on traffic.
as a person who has to allot two hours of driving just to get to work everyday, i believe that i have earned the right to an opinion.
first of all, public transport system is nonexistent. what we have are torture chambers on wheels, picking people up right in the middle of the main avenue. these buses give way for nothing and as if they are ambulances, they will hit anything that dares to be in their way, especially when they decide to swerve. they will hold conventions right during rush hours, all parking side by side effectively clogging more than half of EDSA. here 'bottle neck' is not a phenomenon dictated by infrastracture.
and don't think that i only speak in behalf of the motorists who swim like guppies amongst these whales. i rode a public bus once from ayala avnenue to crossing ibabaw. it was like training for NASA. the whole time, i could only hope thet reciting the rosary over and over would make up for the fact that i didn't have a barf bag in tow and that i havent gotten insurance yet. i almost flew towards the windshield when the driver stepped on the breaks. and oh, to be expected to go down some lanes away from the sidewalk? i can't even begin to describe the fear. no wonder they are a menace to those who have to "share" the roads with them.
what about the train. what can i say. (yes, periods.) these operators know how much people depend on it yet they make too little trips. so we just have to live with the fact that unless you can fit yourself into an inch of space, the train is not for you. the platforms are the new warzones. and if you're a virgin (and if you are saving yourself up for someone you actually know), DON'T.
meanwhile, cabs will only take you in as long as your destination is on the way to theirs.
and THE COLOR CODING.
my friend marge once told me that there is a website out there devoted to stupid laws. if you look under philippines, this is what you'll find. it didn't surprise me because in the first place, the scheme doesn't have anything to do with colors.
the color coding scheme, my friends, is the government's solution to traffic. it forbids car owners from using their cars once a week. while these people enjoy their red plates and number "8" plates, we commoners have to live with this stupid ordinance. either one beats the 7'oclock implementation (or you provide the traffic enforcer's lunch) or one takes public transport, which as i've said, doesn't exist. hence, the filipino people were forced to adjust their life achievement plans. here, the dream is not just to own a car, but to own two cars. the other one is "pang-coding." what i'm trying to say is that this is not a solution. if anything, it merely gives the illusion that something is being done about it. simply because there are people being inconvenienced. a solution must make everyone happy.
so far, no one's happy.
* * *
this past month or so, i've been thinking about my career a lot. 'been thinking if working as a "creative" really is for me. thing is, besides acquired skills, one must have talent in order to make it in this kind of job. i have been thinking if i will somehow accomplish enough to be called successful. because really, we all want to succeed; otherwise, what would be the point in trying?
my point is, i'm trying to say that i'm at a crossroads. but then, as i drive around, i realize that what we have here in manila are designated u-turn slots.
Labels: living in hell, metro manila, traffic
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