Sunday, April 24, 2005
Driving my car
Driving. Stressful? Yes. Tiring? Yes. But it's definitely a whole lot better than riding tricycles and jeepneys, standing in line for more than an hour for the next van to come and bring you to Makati, or riding a bus and standing for an hour or so because it's rush hour.
So let me tell you about my first day of driving my car. It was so exciting!!! Sa sobrang excitement ko, 3AM na ako natulog at 9AM gising na ako. I was already texting Red, "San ka na? Pumunta ka na rito." Just so you know, I know how to drive. Hindi nga lang magaling. My officemate told me that I should enroll again in driving school. Mag-aaway lang daw kami ni Red pag sya nagturo sa akin. Pero nakakatamad na eh so I decided that for this weekend, I'll practice my driving skills with Red on the passenger seat to guide me.
Here's how it went:
At Lola's house where the car is parked...
Maan: Hon, ikaw na maglabas sa garahe.
M: Ok na yan. Dun ka na sa passenger. Ako na mag-da-drive.
Red: OK. So anung next mong gagawin.
M: Eh di drive.
R: Hinde! Yung hand break.
M: Oo nga naman.
Along Daang Hari...
Red: O! Kinakain mo yung daan!
Maan: Hindi kaya. Tatama na nga ako dito sa kanan eh.
R: Kinakain mo
M: Hindi ko kinakain! Ang laki-laki ng space noh. At nakikita ko yung lines ng daan sa side mirror ko. Hindi ako lumalampas!
After a few minutes...
Red: Kinakain mo na naman.
Maan napipikon na: Oo na! Oo na! Kinakain ko na! Nagugutom kasi ako!
R: Pilosopo ka pa. Makinig ka kaya sakin.
M: Kotse ko to. Baba! Joke joke joke!
By the way, I suffer from Biyahilo. Severe biyahilo. As far back as I can remember, Mama would bring a plastic bag for me whenever we go somewhere because 99 out of a 100, I'll be puking my guts out at the middle of the trip. The solution for my biyahilo was not Bonamine because it never existed during the 80s (tanda ko na!) but sleep or daydream. I would sleep all through out the trip. Or I would look out the window and daydream.
Thus sleeping and daydreaming while travelling became a habit. I rode the school bus from Paranque to Manila since I was in 3rd grade until I graduated high school. But if you were to ask me how to get to Manila from Paranaque and what roads to take, I wouldn't know because I was always sound asleep.
But for the past 2 years, rather than sleeping, I would turn on the built-in radio on my cellphone and listen to it for the whole trip. I sometimes forget that I am not alone and I laugh out loud over what Chico or Delamar just said or sometimes I sing out loud. Yung mga kasama ko, they'll look at me funny.
So what is the connection between these stories and my driving?
I drove all the way to SM Southmall from our house. Then I decided I wanted to go to BF Homes. So I drove from SM to BF. I sat on the driver seat and opened the radio and sang along to the songs being played. I totally forgot that I was driving and then I started daydreaming. Yosi nalang kulang ko. Then I heard Red shouting, "Break! Break! Break!" Naputol ang daydreaming ko. Red said, "Ano yan! Sabi ko break diba. Muntik na tayo mabangga!" And I saw the people inside the jeepney looking at me and shaking their heads and going, "Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Then Red said, "San ka ba nakatingin?" And I said, "Nowhere. I wasn't looking." I wasn't looking, I was daydreaming!
On our way home I decided that I had enough of driving and let Red take the wheel. He said, "Bagsak ka! Ang dami mong mali. Kinakain mo yung daan, di ka marunong bumawi, tumancha. Bottomline: You are not one with your car."
True.
But then again, it's still my car and tomorrow I'm going to drive it all the way to Makati.
Pero may kasamang driver.
Buti nalang insured ang kotse ko, may dual airbags, at may seatbelts. ;)
Maan @ 6:27 PM
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