The Wandering Wonderer

Today I woke up real early, I already had a mind set that this will be a grueling day for me because:

1) I have to renew my NBI clearance but I know I won't be the first in line, think Starstruck and PBB auditioning.

2) I have to drop by DSWD in Legarda to pass my last requirement which is a photocopy of the said document.

3) Drop by PRC to file an affidavit of loss and pay for a duplicate of my lost/ stolen/ pick-pocketed PRC license (I thought the person has a crush on me, apparently the person has a crush on my wallet).

4) Head to the gym after a good nap because I haven't been there for nearly 3 days.

There, quite busy and quite problematic because I Hate Hate Hate falling in line. One of my pet peeves when it comes to obtaining documents, paperworks and the like are the long, long, long lines here in the country. It's so grueling and the lines are most of the time intertwined PLUS there are those who like to sneak in every now and then and making the line longer which makes me more frustrated which takes me more time to file for something!!! ROAR!

Anyway, back to the start of my journey...

I woke up about 5:30am just to make sure I can ride an FX  I got up at about that time and was able to leave the house before 6:30. Great! I know I'm right on schedule.

I wasn't so lucky in riding because I had to walk farther from the subdivision I am residing, there are a lot of people also waiting for the same route I had to go to.

As soon as I rode the FX, I turned on my Ipod and I was transported to my own world of music, musings and memories. I miss Bed Bar...

I got off the FX about nearly 8:00am at the Manila City Hall then hailed a jeepney towards Quiapo where the NBI office is located...or so I thought...

Being the observant that I am (hint, hint, I forgot where it is located), I went around Carriedo area to look for that darn building, I know it's near somewhere but I forgot what was the landmark though.

I ended up going near Sta.Cruz area already. How'd I know? A lot of dimsum and dumplings people are walking. Hehe! And no cute Chinese guy at all. Sigh...

I walked back and had a major reminiscing, the NBI building is near SM Carriedo! Damn! I already went through that area but I wasn't really paying attention.

I was more interested in the people who were walking. Seriously, I was amazed by the people in Carriedo/Quiapo. I was thinking what they are: what they do for a living, what house they go home to, what lifestyle they're taking, what do they think of their current situation, what poverty means to them. Amidst the different crowd I'm seeing most of the time in Greenbelt, Alabang Town Center, and Rockwell where high end, opulence and eccentric are everyday normal vocabularies, it's a breath of fresh air to see the other side of the world, it makes you better in terms of how you are as a person and how you want to be treated by society.

Not that I'm judging them from the way they dress and how they look and what business they do. Hey I'm in there, my family is just a little above poverty line.

So after asking a fruit vendor and a security guard, they told me that it moved to Caloocan, particularly Monumento. What?! Monumento! Which is at the other end of this area. Apparently, the office already moved, not that I have any choice, I have to get this done and I have to do it today.

Off I marched to Carriedo station, bought my LRT ticket and waited to alight a northbound train. To cut the story short, I was able to renew the clearance in no time and head to Legarda which a DSWD branch is located. As I alighted the train in Doroteo Jose I thought about how I could go towards DSWD but since I'm a thrift freak and a frugal weirdo I decided to walk from Recto to Legarda, which is a long strip but with the Ipod in full blast, I don't mind if I walk from Luneta to Baclaran.

As I was walking, I observed a lot of students coming from different Universities and Colleges, what amuses me is how I wish I could go back to my College life and just have fun. Back then I was so uptight and stressed that I forgot the meaning of fun and leisure. I was a worry wart, so much that I couldn't concentrate long enough to have a good study habit or at the very least, study well. Funny how philosophical I am back then that everything for me seems too much of an idealism stemming from my innermost imagination, that reality and fantasy are so interconnecting, I was daydreaming of the future too much I was almost sure that my sanity got the worst of me. 

Finally! I was able to reach my destination: DSWD. I handed the last requirement and merrily headed to PRC for my last itinerary in Manila for the day.

Taking my last long walk towards PRC was making me quite worried because I know how lines go in PRC, they are long and the employees there aren't exactly angels in office attires. But lo and behold, the process of requesting a duplicate copy of my PRC license is fairly easy plus, I already obtained my board certificate which I have been following up for the last five times, FIVE FREAKING TIMES I have gone back and forth just to obtain a document which was supposedly delivered at our home already by last year's time. Haha! I'm not mad, just saying.

The moment I received my receipt from the cashier I let out a deep sigh and rushed out the building, out the office, out the PRC area and into the street of Manila. That was a great relief, my mom won't bother me anymore about the Board Certificate and my lost PRC license, I just need to claim the duplicate by February, I think. Crossed to the other side and hailed a jeepney towards SM Manila/ Lawton, alighted the jeepney only to ride an FX this time going home, turned my Ipod to full blast with club songs as my theme for the moment and off I drifted...

It was a great day after all, I got a lot of thoughts going in my mind, I was able to finish my tasks for the day and I was able to have a great workout at the gym. But...

I'm so badly missing Bed still. Anyone?