Pimp My Ride and Public Commute

New York has the Subway. Hong Kong has the MTR. The Philippines has the MRT or Metro Rail Transit. I've ridden the MRT countless times but I can never, for the life of me, understand why I can't seem to get used to it.

I drive a 1992 Toyota Corolla XE. It has been in the family for 15 years. And in a culture that's a staunch believer of hand-me-downs, my car is a hand-me-down, from father, to brother, to me. I'm not complaining though. Except for minor scratches, which are barely visible unless you're nose to nose with the car, my car can still fetch a good amount when sold. Not that I have any plans to sell it. My mother won't let me. Being the first family car, it is protected by what we call 'sentimental value'.

I didn't get the car straight away. I had it only when I was in second year college. My parents decided that I should experience the wonders of public commute during my freshman year. This declaration was received in panic. Yeah, I rode public transport when I was in the province but this was the city! The city, for crying out loud! Do they really think I'd survive those jeepneys running like mad in the streets, those cabs that charge triple the regular fare? Turned out I was being overly dramatic. The jeepney rides weren't that bad. Except for my hair being in a constant mess when the jeepney roamed the Metro like there's no tomorrow, I was grateful that I had to put up with it for only 15 minutes, my house being so close to my University. The cab rides weren't all worked up as I pictured them to be. In fact, the drivers were quite friendly and rarely did I come across one who charged me an excess fare.

When I was finally given the keys to my car, surprisingly, I wasn't that excited. Sure, it would mean the end of my public commutes, but other than that, there was nothing else to it. I'm a homebody, and so is my car. When my destination does not have decent parking spaces or is somewhat new to me, I take the public transport. Other than these though, I drive whenever and wherever, which are far and between anyway.

Then came the MRT, a transport I highly recommend if you're not a fan of bumper to bumper traffic. The only problem, too many people. This is one huge matter in my case because I'm afraid of crowds, and I'm a self-proclaimed claustrophobic. Back when I was riding the MRT to work, I would go to the station an hour earlier so I could have the luxury of waiting for a vacant carriage.

It has been months since my MRT rides but I was forced a trip down my public commute memory lane because I rode the MRT yesterday. What's more, the station where we, my cousin and I, got on and off were full of people. Where did they all come from? The wonderful thing about the MRT, however, is its link to the malls. I was thus spared the horrors of being shoved by the crowd to the noisy streets of downtown Cubao.

I still prefer to drive to my destination, traffic notwithstanding. I'm patient anyway.