... Or Not to Submit

What's wrong with these people?

On Tuesdays, I don't have a car to go to work because of the metro's color-coding, which disallows cars with a certain last digit in their license plate on the road from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Because of this, I take the MRT and LRT train to Manila.

Now, I have no problem commuting to work. Hell, you avoid the rush hour traffic and-- barring trains having technical difficulties-- the trains are more or less on time. On the other hand, there are other things I'd like to do than ride in a compartment full of sweaty, stinky people-- even if I myself am currently sweaty and stinky. (Sorry, I'm not a people-person.)

But twice already (once last month and today), I've noticed that some people deserve to be drop-kicked down the railway stairs and onto the highway. Preferrably when the traffic is light and the cars and buses are speeding.

I'm talking about fucking line jumpers.

The first time, there were several lines stretching from the ticket counters. I got on one and saw the guy before me switch to what he thought was a shorter line. Obviously, I stepped forward to take his place. However, when that guy saw that he was on the wrong line, he goes and inserts himself in front of me. This quite rightly did not go well with me and I tapped him on the shoulder and told him that he jumped lines. He told me that, No this was his position, despite just having come from the other line. I told him he was bastos (uncouth). He said, No, he wasn't. I told him to go karma himself off and thought about exploding heads.

Unfortunately, the guy walked fast and by the time I got onto the platform, he had already boarded a train out. Grrr.

The second time, I rushed to get on line and this woman-- out of nowhere-- inserts herself in front me. I told her the same thing and she just looked at me as if Sino ka? (Who are you?) That does it, I thought, and put on my shades and started trailing her. It was petty, I know, but she was heading toward the same platform I was going to. And board the same carriage. And, of course, I wasn't really glaring at her through my shades, it just so happened my head was affixed in her direction. 'Struth, I was really looking at something else at that time.

As Jules (a mutton-chopped Samuel Jackson) says in Pulp Fiction:

And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee!

Yeah, I'd like to recite that line in a train station somewhere...