CH14: Road Kill

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Yesterday morning, after my shift, I decided to try a new route to get to EDSA - instead of riding a jeep to get to Guadalupe (near MRT). This is partially in preparation for finding the quickest route to get to Morayta (where my review classes are held)...I tried going the relax route. jeep to Guadalupe - then bus to gil puyat lrt station...then lrt to d. jose...then walkathon to LRT2 - recto? then jeep (route: gastambide) then walkathon and climbathon to excel (4th floor!) - took about an hour 30 minutes...what a waste of time. Later I'll try taxi to ayala station mrt, mrt to taft then lrt to d. jose...then jeep to morayta...

So getting back, when I found a taxi by the corner of Mckinley Hill and Lawton, I rode it (HOORAY!)...plugged my earphones and was doing the senti in the taxi (hahaha).
Then about 1/4th of the way to EDSA, I noticed that we were slowing down...then...hmm...the shaking of a car when the gears need to be changed...then recovering from the gear but at a slow start:

Imagine: You're in gear 3 - then you slow down and you have to set the gear to 2 (the shaking of the car / enginer or whatever happens when you don't change gears)...then we're you're almost in gear 1 - you shift the stick to gear 3 (the slow start i was referring to - usually ends up to a halting engine when you don't put enough gas).

That instance happened three more times.
So I unplugged my Ipod and observed the driver....

What I saw through the rear view mirror startled me ("sabay taas kilay")

"NAKAPIKIT YUNG DRIVER!!!!!! NAKATULOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So, I unplugged my Ipod and observed the driver from then on...I was thinking, oh shit.

Then we were in Mckinley, the road curves (going left)...then...we were crossing to the other lane and counter flowing!!!!
Hahaha. Shit.
But I was still calm. I just startled the driver by saying "KU!! - ya!" (na hindi pasigaw)..."biglang dilat si kuya at swerve pabalik sa tamang lane!" hahaha. 10AM palang ng umaga to nangyari ah!"

Then okay...observe observe. "Si kuya was shaking his head awake. Hahaha. Mataba pa naman siya so yung mga flabs sa face niya nakakatawa hahaha - ang sama ko."

Then I was thinking...okay...he should be awake now...

BUT NO!
Another curve (going right) and we almost hit an adjacent car! "Pati ako nagulat kasi biglang bosina yung kotse. Hahaha pati si kuya nagulat. Aba! Tumingin lang ako sa labas saglit. Nakatulog na!"

So..."tinutukan ko na siya sa rear view mirror...aba....si kuya...sobrang pagod! hirap na idilat mga mata...sasara...bubukas...sasara...bubukas...sasasara...nakasara parin...nakasara parin...biglang dilat...shake shake ng katawan to get rid of the drowziness..."

So..."ayun nga. nakatutok na ako sa kanya sa rear view mirror...naka dilat...biglang pasara...okay...nakahinto yung mga sasakyan...hindi pa kami bumabagal...okay...okay...'KUYA!' hahaha. shet. muntik na kami mabunggo."

Unscathed, I alighted the taxi at shell gas station. Gave 20 pesos tip. "Kuya, please, pambili niyo ng kape."

Moral of the story. "Sa hirap ng buhay ngayon...kelangan magkape!"
I didn't want to enter a conversation with the driver because I assumed that he would just slur his words out of exhaustion...and I was tired as well and was not in the mood for conversation =).