my life as a pedestrian

I think it’s been more than a year since I last posted here… my life has taken a radical turn in 2009, in a sense that I gave up my car and moved to Makati City from Imus, Cavite to become a full-fledged pedestrian and commuter. Gone are the days of waking up in the morning, dreading the hours of crawling through traffic just to get to the office . My friends can swear to you that I have shed years off my face and now look younger and healthier than ever before. I have made friends and enemies with taxi drivers, got sick because of the pollution while my body adjusted to higher levels of carbon dioxide and exhaust.

i really don’t miss driving through traffic, except when i’m lugging around a lot of stuff, or when it’s raining and my socks are wet and taxi drivers are choosy with their passengers. my building is right along the main thoroughfares in Makati, and all I have to do to get to work is walk to the corner, get on a jeep to the MRT and take the 20-minute train ride to Quezon City. I’ve finished several books on these train rides. No more screaming at jeepney drivers, bus drivers, car drivers, and the MMDA. No more crying in the mornings because I’m already tired at the thought of driving two and a half hours to work. No more worrying if I’d have enough money for gas. I don’t even have to worry if there’s parking at where I’m going.

I love walking. Walking around Makati is a great supplement to my gym workouts, or when I just need to clear my head. My gym is just a few blocks away from my condo building, I can choose to walk to church if I want to, the park is just five minutes away. The mall is a big 20-minute walk away, but it’s a good after-date stroll on the way home. hihi

Being a pedestrian also opened up a different kind of road rage in me… I notice that I’m very territorial when it comes to pedestrian lanes. I always assert my right of way, yes, even standing in front of a big threatening bus and yelling at the driver (who can’t hear me). I once hit a cab with an umbrella for nearly running me over while I was crossing on the pedestrian lane at the corner of Tordesillas and Dela Costa. Sometimes I wonder if I have a death wish because I don’t even flinch whenever I stop in the middle of the pedestrian lane just to prove to speeding cabs (that shriek to a stop two feet away) that yes, pedestrians have a right of way too.

Of course this new awareness has made me a kinder driver (whenever I do drive) to pedestrians, although I’m still ruthless to jaywalkers.

But just in case you’re wondering, yes, Stef still drives fast.