I was on the subway last night when I saw this old couple who looked to be in their late 60s. The guy looked drunk and sleeping. What I noticed about them was that they looked very sweet because the man’s hand was on his wife’s thigh while her hand was on his thigh. A little while later, the guy shifted a bit and their hands changed into holding hands position but then the guy put his other hand on the thigh of the woman on his other side. His wife was laughing softly as she got hold of both his hands. I guess the old guy was really out of it. Maybe he had one too many sojus. Then another old man who also had more soju that he can take almost fell over on his way to the door because he stumbled on the crossed leg of the sleeping old man. There are really a lot of drunk people on the subway especially Friday and Saturday nights.
We were riding the subway on our way home from dinner last Friday when I pointed to this girl in the seat in front of me. I told my friends that if I were a guy, I’d go for her. It was a continuation of an earlier conversation. They looked at her and did not agree. As we were nearing Itaewon, the girl suddenly produced what looked like a deodorant spray and sprayed the vicinity of her friend’s armpits before spraying her armpits also. I was shocked because I always thought that putting on deodorant should be done in private (like the restroom inside the subway station and not inside the train itself). My friends turned to me and asked, “Is she still your type? Major turn-off!’ Hehehe.
Earlier we went to New Core department store near Madu station. It was like a one hour train ride from Hoegi (we changed lines at Jongna 3 (sam)-ga). I didn’t think it was going to be that far. I’m still thinking in Manila terms where every rail train just takes about 30 minutes from end to end. On the way to Madu there was a portion where we passed by a lot with steel buildings. They looked like abandoned greenhouses. Seeing the passing scenery made me think that we were leaving Seoul behind. However, when we got off at Madu, it felt like the bustling, familiar Seoul that we’re just getting acquainted with. Seoul really has a lot of facets that we should explore. I just hope that during my almost one year stay here, I will get to explore as many as I can.
1. maniac men who get their kicks out of touching females (or other males) in jam-packed buses and trains
2. drivers who cheat on change – earlier this morning on my way to work, i paid the driver P20. i was supposed to have at least P2 change but he did not give it to me even though i reminded him 3x already. since his music was blasting so loudly and i was seated far from him, it was easy to ignore me. i did not relish losing my dignity by shouting at him for the sake of P2. he’ll get his comeuppance one way or another.
3. drivers and passengers who smoke
4. sleepy drivers – very scary
5. sleeping passengers whose continuous head banging and swaying invade your space
6. dust face powder coating and the “amoy araw” (sun smell?) you get when riding a jeepney or non-aircon bus
7. passengers who stop the vehicle to get off when the last passenger just got off a meter or two away. – filipinos hate walking. our motto is “why walk when you can ride” hehehe
8. passengers who occupy more space than they should, e.g. women passengers who sit sideways, and men who open their thighs wide when sitting
9. sweaty and/or smelly co-passengers – especially if your seating beside somebody whose sweating like a pig and your wearing sleeveless dress or blouse. yuuucckkk!
10. litterbug passengers – why can’t they just keep their junk until they can find a trash can?
