> Mama, Sukli Ko?

I always find it awkward to ask for the small amount of change [read: 50 centavos-5 pesos] in jeepneys or buses. If it’s been 20 minutes since I handed the

driver the fare. There something in me that says that I should let the driver “keep the change”. However, is the driver worth it?

Dishonest drivers are all around the metro. One of the most common would be the kunwari-di-alam-ang-lugar-iikot-ng-iikot-para-dagdag-metro taxi drivers. If they sense that you don’t know much about the place you’re heading to, then they’ll take shorcuts and alternate routes which, aside from additional pay, takes time. I’ve been there when I was too scared a cat to reprimand a driver to take a certain route which I’m more familiar with. Under normal traffic condition, the normal P150 ride from this place to that would now amount to P180 or more.

Overpricing FX/jeepney drivers would be another common headache. Just like yesterday, I rode the FX at St. Francis Square to Pureza Sta. Mesa and that should cost P25, flat. I gave the driver a 50 peso bill and he gave me 20 saying he’ll give the 5 later. Since I am on a total cost cutting, I needed the change. I was expecting that he would give me the P5 before we I had to unload his vehicle but, sadly, he didn’t. I just had to let it go since I was really tired to argue any longer. It wasn’t the first time I experienced that, though.

In jeepneys, they would often not give the change until you asked it. They would not give you the student discount until you tell them you’re a student. Our change should be given right away; we don’t have to ask for it. Sometimes, it happens that they would not give your change still after so many times you’ve asked for it and until by the time you unload, you’ve already forgotten about it.

Did you know that it’s your right not to pay drivers if you weren’t able to sit comfortably in public transportation? Yet, drivers would try and squeeze your fat ass to a space as big as your pointing finger to earn more. One fourth of your ass enjoys the ride but you pay the normal fare.

Although, we can’t blame our drivers for wanting more. With the surmounting amount of diesel in the market, it can’t be possible that what they earn in a day is enough for their family. However, it doesn’t follow that the commuters have to suffer for the consequences of poor oil regulation in our country. We too want the best for them because in not matter what way we look at it, drivers and commuters are interdependent. I think at the end of the day, it’s a question of where your loyalty lies—to your family or to your passengers. You can have it both ways by the way.

> On Phones

My phone got busted before we went to Palawan last month. I’m the type who usually fiddles on my cellphone although I’ve seen and memorized everything that’s in there. I don’t know why, I just feel the need to do it every once in a while. Now that I’m just using my sister’s spare phone and my contacts were all gone, it’s just surprising how I feel so free and easy.

When I was growing up, few of my friends had walkie talkie and mobiles were yet to be developed. Nowadays, everybody seems to have at least one phone in some form or another and we all seem to be expected to be available at any given time.

I’ve no idea how many times my mobile’s gone off while I’m visiting friends, having dinner in a pub, or standing in a supermarket checkout queue. My house phone has rung while I’m up to my elbows in washing, have my hands full of dough, or am in the middle of eating dinner. Yet time after time the caller has refused to respect that I didn’t want to or couldn’t talk right then. “Just let me tell you about…” seems to be the standard response to my “I can’t talk right now”.

I find it rude when my guests spend 10-15 minutes or more on the phone while I’m sat there like a dumb banana twiddling my thumbs and hearing half of their conversation. In fact I once had I guest spent more than an hour on his mobile, talking to his other half who he’d be seeing the next day anyway!

When I’m socializing, I concentrate on those I’m socializing with, not those who are making unnecessary demands on my time and I expect other reasonably sensible people to do the same.

Do we really believe we’re so important that we have to take every call? Do others really have a right to demand our time in any situation?

Phones obviously have a place in our modern society. I have no question about that.

It’s years now since I’ve been dependant on answering the phone. If it isn’t suitable to talk – and that could be just because I don’t feel like talking – I don’t answer it. I figured that if it’s important they’ll either leave a message or text me; if they don’t then they couldn’t have wanted to get hold of me that badly. Nowadays, being less dependant on my phone helps keep my life simple. I’m not stressed by a ringing phone that I’m unable to answer in the way some people are.

Some say I’m being ignorant and selfish by ignoring a ringing telephone. I know some felt bad because I have not been responding but I’ll do that if I feel the need to do so or if I think it’s really important. For now, I’ll just be like these. I’m still waiting for my new phone. I don’t know if I’ll go back to what I used to after that. We’ll see.

> My Friends Don’t Like You

Some things have been bothering me for the past few days. H has been bothering me to be exact. He wants to go with me to Galera for the Holy Week.

After everything that happened, I don’t think my friends will feel good seeing him. I even told him that-“they don’t like you anymore”. He felt bad and asked me – “did you even tell them that I’m sorry?”

Your friends say that you’re too good for your boyfriend/girlfriend. Your boyfriend/girlfriend says to think on your own and stop listening to your friends. You’re stuck in the middle. What do you do?

Well, you could always rely on the “chicks before dicks” or “bros before hoes” philosophy [sorry if that offended anyone], but when the game is in the fourth quarter and there’s only one minute left, it seems like the majority of people will favor their significant other over their friends. Why? Because they love their special someone so much, and they know that their true friends will be there for them and love them no matter how many stupid mistakes they make.

…Or will they?

It’s natural for someone to be skeptical about their friend’s significant other, especially when they have been there for their friend, even they only have witnessed a bit of the fights, the days when they see their friend being affected by misunderstandings, and the pro and con lists that do not shed light on the relationship. It’s also natural to be overly protective of your friends. I mean, after all, if you’re friends, you have obviously realized that your friend is an amazing person who deserves nothing more than the best.

But sometimes you have to let your friend/s decide [on his/her/their own] what “the best” is.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes your judgement will be right, but sometimes your friend will prove you wrong and that of course is better. If you’re constantly “mothering” your friend and basically stating that what you believe is always right without thinking long, you’re not going to have a friendship for long. Sometimes, even if we think our friends are making a mistake and we want nothing more than to shield them from potential hurt or pain, we have to let them make their own decisions. Everything happens for a reason. People make decisions based on different purposes that don’t always make sense but sometimes yield a good outcome. Say your piece and let your friend decide.

On the other side, if you are the friend being cared for, please accept the fact that whatever they will be saying is what they think is right. Your foundation is “friendship” and of course your welfare will be their priority. If they think something is wrong there is no perfect timing to say that. They might not be able to point out things immediately because they don’t want you to be hurt, but time will come they will have to say it. When they say their specific concern, please don’t think of other things and blow it out of proportion. Think of the good times and those “love” times, trust me you’ll understand.

 Sometimes it’s hard to see the good in people when all you have been thinking about is the bad. But remember, such situations will really be encountered on the course of friendship or else you’ll be lying to yourselves. Trust in your friend’s judgment or at least consider them, and don’t leave them in the dust because you don’t agree with their choices. If things do go wrong, you will always be needing your friend/s, and when you’re talking to your friend after something goes wrong [even if you’re secretly biting your tongue in attempt to not say “I told you so”], that’s when you’ve proven that you are, indeed, a true friend.