Choo Choo Train

One of the faster ways to ferry through one point to another in Manila is taking the train. Yesterday, I came to realize that it has been ages since I took a train – 2 years ago, maybe. I deem public transportations such as the train and the jeepney uncomfortable modes to travel. I do not like the crowd, the hustle, and bustle, and all. The cab is the easier way to go places (well, for those who do not drive cars), I think.

Yesterday, my friend Jayson and I went to the movie house in Gateway to see High School Musical. We were trying to figure out our next agenda after the movie when he received an invite to meet some friends at Trinoma. We decided that he would just tag me along and we’ll just meet his friends. I thought we were making our way out of the mall toward where the taxi queue is when he handed me a pre-paid MRT ticket - "one ride!", he said. WE-ARE-TAKING-THE-TRAIN. He has already decided, all to himself that we were taking the train. He is nowadays, into some sort of a thrift-program and thinks that taxi rides (when not in dire need of them) are unnecessary expenses. Well, I would like to say amen to that, but sorry, taking the train is kind of big deal with me. Sounds crazy, but I thought I‘d prefer taxi. Anyhow, after a while of debate, he won, leaving me with no choice. I even remember saying – “I won’t go anymore if we are taking the train.” He was asking me for better reasons to take the cab. And so there it goes - I was convinced that MRT would be the most appropriate transportation for us to be conveyed, at least for this one short trip. We walked through the crowd, stood in line, checked by security, waited for the train. Suddenly then, I felt the familiarity. It has been ages since I last took the train. I realized it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I was even standing halfway to Trinoma, and I found it funny because it was just okay. It did not hurt. I found it okay. The trip was easy. It was not as comfortable as it would have been on a cab, but it was easy. It was not like roller coaster.

The journey through life, as it has been put by many people is like a roller coaster ride (I love roller coasters at carnivals, by the way).

Yes, there are points in our lives when the riding gets tough like a roller coaster. These are the rides which get us to appreciate the easy going ones – when what tides us through is just like a train ride. Glad I had a one way ticket earlier today.