this seat is taken

I’ve been commuting half of my life. I can’t remember how many times I have sat on the window seat or stood throughout the bus ride during the rush hours. I’ve ridden every mode of transportation in the city – tricycle, jeepney, the MRT, and bus. The MRT was my favorite in college. I used to sleep from the second to the last station in North to the most condensed station in the metropolis. I have spent two hours of travel on all kinds of buses, too – ordinary, air-conditioned, and the roller coaster kind. I have sat beside almost a thousand strangers and talked to only a few of them. I am not a very good conversationalist so most of the time I just seat unnoticed in the corner doing my ritual.

I love working at night, ergo I end up sleeping late. But there’s something about the morning after that has charmed me. So one ordinary morning on the bus, I made a mental list about the five things that make my morning trip a ritual of sort.

Window seat.

I love seating by the window. I like to see the roadside and the sunrise. Sunrise because it’s the only natural thing that doesn’t exhaust me on the road before I finally imprison myself in the office cubicle for the rest of the day.

 Book. It’s like my Bible I bring wherever I go. My bag is always stuffed with my work laptop, two purses, Muji journal, a pen case, and a book I’m currently reading. Sometimes I still bring it even though I know that I will just sleep on the bus.

 Music. And lately, Phoenix.

I play mixtapes that I secretly created for certain people or moments and experiences that are too precious to forget. Mixtapes for people I miss or seldom see in person. They may be friends or interesting people I befriended on the Internet. I have this habit of listening to the songs they share and if I like them, I download the songs and compile them in a mixtape. The best part is I am introduced to a number of beautiful songs I wouldn’t discover on my own.

My iPod’s name is Pippo, by the way.

Traffic.

Where is the traffic in this photo? The sign suggests it. This was taken along EDSA, every commuter’s personal hell on the road. I am so used to the traffic here in Manila that I’ve become numb to it like a taken-for-granted lover. Eventually, I found comfort in traffic. I now have the time to take a nap or continue reading my book. It’s a blessing in disguise after all.

Sleep. This is probably my favorite part of the morning ride. Sleep Part 2 on the bus. My mother used to tell me that I could sleep through a magnitude 7 earthquake or any disaster and wouldn’t feel a thing. I have demonstrated superb sleeping powers when I was a kid, she told me. Sleeping is my sport.

I guess there are a lot of commuters like myself that share the same list as mine. We all have our own rituals when we travel.

So there you go. The things that make up my morning. What’s on your list?