Sucat

You know, sometimes I feel like though only simple events happen in my life, I somehow still have the time of my life! Maybe it's because I am easy to please, as Lala says of me:"easy to please but hard to impress."

Ghia asked me when I arrived at her sister's place where she currently stays, "Did you have a restful trip, Cor? I thought you would find the route easier."

By golly, I enjoyed my conveyance! I found my almost three-hour travel a generally positive experience and I rather liked it. The first good thing that happened was that when I got to Commonwealth Highway to take the bus to Taft, I was pleasantly greeted by newly painted green - a cool green - overpass, the one that allows people to cross from Tandang Sora to the Balara area. (Warning: This might not be a very technically correct factual blogpost.) I found it pleasing. I was smiling inside, thankful that they finally got rid of that awful (!) pink and blue combo. I had always found that paint job awfully tacky.

So I got into an air-conditioned bus that took me to Taft. I got off at the Post Office and then boarded an FX to Sucat. And there came a string of pleasant surprises. I've never been to Sucat before so I didn't know that travel was going to take quite a while. But then the FX turned into Finance Road in Taft and we passed by the National Library and as we progressed, I was treated to views of what must be parts of the Roxas Boulevard area. I was delighted by the pale pink bougainvillea plants that lined the middle of the road and oh, the palm trees! There were many! They were to be found along the middle of the road and along both sides - left and right! It was so nice to see. Were I one to drive, I'd have had an uplifting time doing so if I see these flowers and trees! I felt to thankful to some public official or officials responsible for that picturesquely green view. It was a relief from the usual urban metropolitan look of Manila...I mean, you know: treeless and plantless, brown-from-pollution box buildings with sad faded paint jobs, rickety and ugly small to medium to large cement edifices, terrible plain gray sidewalks...

One time, I was in my fourth year of college, I walked with groupmates before such a picture and I muttered to a friend, "Naaasar ako sa ganitong mga buildings ng Manila. Look at it! There's no rhyme or reason to them." I found them dingy, uninspired, bare, uncreative, uneven, unloving, un-female and for that matter un-male also! (If you're wondering what I mean by that, I am muddled on that as well. Haha!)

Anyway, I guess it also helped that the FX I rode had good audio speakers, though nothing high definition or surround sound, but good enough to make for sound-tripping and moreover, young bossing played an upbeat and familiar playlist.

But wait, the surprises don't end just yet. Aside from two or three more green overpasses and trees here and there, I finally got to (gasp) Shopwise in Sucat! And across the street from where I stood I immediately spied yet another good thing: a branch of National Bookstore! Ta-da! It was like the mother ship calling me home! And to the left of it was Shakey's and then, my heart quickened as I saw it: Starbucks Coffee! Gosh, I knew it: I so belong! (This place is known as Santana Grove by the way. For some reason, it reminded me of Promenade Greenhills.)

And then I met up with Ghia and we talked over coffee or rather, pastries and cold drinks, about things that transpired in life recently and how she is getting along.

And then, the final surprise: her sister's place. It's a small rented apartment. What's nice about it is that I found it likable. It was quaint and pleasant, a place that you somehow will like going home to.

We spent time together, talking until late, waking up, and then talking the whole day away until I had to be off. It was so nice. At the end of it, Ate Jewel told me I'm always welcome to come by and Ghia saw me off.

And that was the trip that was Sucat. Thank you.

Footnotes:

1. This took place Tuesday to Wednesday, May 25 - 26, 2010.

2. I hate to admit these particular incidents that more probably explains the connotations I have behind that un-female and un-male thing.

2.1 My uncle barked at me and Anna one day. He said marumi raw ang CR namin, maglinis daw kami, ka-babae naming tao raw.

2.2 The other incident I attach to this is an unspoken feeling/sentiment. It's in relation to him. I admire him as a person, I admire him as a guy. And sometimes it makes my face burn in embarrassment because I appreciate him as a male, I appreciate him as a man. And it's like, "Mahiya ka nga sa sarili mo, Cor, ka-lalake nyang tao, ganyan siya. Magpaka-babae ka nga!" But incident 2.2 happened way before 2.1. There was something about him and the way he looked at me (even interiorly) that impel and inspire me to grow up.

3. I overnighted (forgive the liberties in grammar I'm taking) at Bellecroft Monday night yet again. (Hey, I had my reasons.) And I still had a great time. Happy talaga ang life. And then Wednesday night, I also arrived at TS late because of something important in Rob Ermita. Wala lang, just saying so because I'm guilty of too many nights out but I had a great time. :)

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