Passenger Talesstories about my experiences as a traveler and passenger

My friends and I are very active participants to any school activity that requires going to another place. We don’t care if it is only a visit to the stock exchange office or a city tour. Usually, the school sends the students email to inform them about the activity aside from posting it on the website. The students can then register on the website if they want to join or not. However, for the activity last Friday, the school just posted the activity on the website and did not use the usual mass notification system of sending email to all the students. Since we have gotten used to receiving notifications by email, we did not think to check the website for updates on any possible activities. In short, we were not able to join the training. Our classmates who participated happily told us what a great time they had during the program. It was just too bad that we missed it. They also mentioned that there were other Filipino students there from other universities. It would have been the first time for us to meet students from our country in interschool activities like that.

I can still remember when I was younger, water from the faucet was safe to drink and there was no need for water filters or treatments of any kind. Nowadays, it is wiser to assume that water from the faucet is not potable and this has given rise to the water refilling station businesses. In the last decade, it has become one of the fastest growing small businesses in the Philippines. It is good that this is providing livelihood for some of the Filipinos but the reason for the rise of this industry is because of environmental degradation. How sad it is that our water resources have become polluted that instead of just having one water bill because we can get drinking water from the faucet, we have to spend more by buying water from the refilling stations.

Heena and I were coming back from lunch and we stopped by a convenience store that sells make up and other beauty products. She was looking at BB creams but she did not buy because said she can get it cheaper through the internet. I asked her if she uses BB cream because I did not notice that she did and she replied that she has not used BB cream before but now that she is growing older, she needs to start using skin products. Actually, I also came to that realization a couple of months ago when I looked at the mirror and saw some laugh lines fanning out of my eyes. I think it is time for me to start looking for the best eye cream for wrinkles. As a person grows older, the more beauty products she needs. Before, soap was the only essential skin product but now you have to have moisturizer, sun block, toner, and even pore minimizer. Then it seems in the future I need to invest in eye creams. Aging is not just growing old but growing more expensive as well.

When you think about open expanse of beachfront, the beguiling hum and view of the ocean and the sound, then think about Outer Banks vacation rental. Outer Banks not only offers these natural amenities and temperate climate, it also offers some historical sites and parks. One of the islands, Ockracoke, was the home base of the notorious pirate, Edward Teach, popularly known as Blackbeard. Now that I am swamped with a lot of schoolwork, I wish that I could be out somewhere lazing around on the beach and reading pocket books. Outer Banks seems to be the perfect place to imagine myself in now.

Dormitory life is really one challenge after another. However, the most difficult challenge is getting along with your roommate. I am lucky in that my roommate and I are from the same country and we both get along well with each other. We manage to accommodate each other’s habits and styles. A lot of those who have problems with their roommates are the pairs who come from different countries or continents. Aside from the language barrier, cultural differences also come into play. It can be as varied as temperature preference (turn on the AC or not, most Europeans are not fond of ACs unlike some Southeast Asians), having members of the opposite sex visit the room, and individualistic behaviour vs. those who are sensitive to another person’s needs, among others.

However, my friend’s major problem with her roommate is that her roommate suffers from bruxism or “gnashing of teeth” while asleep. My friend is a light sleeper so she is suffering mightily. She has dark eye circles from lack of sleep. She tried using earplugs to drown out the noise but sometimes her earplugs fall out during the night so she wakens when she hears the noise her roommate makes. Even though we are leaving in a month, it seems so long to endure such an experience. I hope that a solution can be found so that my friend can enjoy some good night sleep.

I remembered when I was young that whenever I go to another place the water there tastes different. Of course now with the advent of different water treatments like distillation, water softeners, reverse osmosis, etc., taste is almost similar. I remember that the most awful water I ever tasted was in Gigaquit, a small town in Surigao. Not only did the water taste awful, like bad egg, it smelled bad also. I think it was because it came from the well. The only way I could drink it was when it was ice cold. I have not been to Gigaquit for almost 20 years now. I can say that I spent one of my happiest summer vacations there. I should think about visiting again and see how the town has changed.

It is hard to buy furniture if you do not have a design plan. When we first moved in to our house, we bought a tv stand for our small television. A few months later, my brother convinced me and my mother to contribute to buying a bigger TV so that he can take the old TV to his new apartment. So now, our new TV barely fits the tv stand and it is so bulky. Maybe if I have extra money I can buy a new stand that would suit the new TV better.

I think orlando vacations will not be complete without a trip to Disneyworld. Visiting Disneyworld or Disneyland has always been a childhood fantasy of mine. Of course Orlando offers other equally exciting places like Universal Studios and SeaWorld. I guess this must be a wonderful city to visit if you are a kid. Imagine visiting all those theme parks and wet and wonderful water parks. I wish I had the opportunity when I was a child because even though I know that as an adult I would still enjoy these places but it is still different from the wonder and innocence kids feel for these places.

During the summer we attended a seminar sponsored by KDB. The souvenir they gave us was a gift pack of including emulsion, eye wrinkle cream, toner, face cream and one more thing I cannot remember. Since I was still using something else, I decided to send the pack to my mom. When we chatted she told me she liked what I sent and that I should buy more. I told her that it was just a souvenir and that it was too expensive for me to buy. Heena, a Korean friend told me, when I showed her the products, that the brand was famous and expensive. It is well known for the cream. Maybe I will check out just the cream and take one home to Mom.

I’m back in the library again. I’ve been here for the past two days working on my thesis. I’m already so behind my self-made schedule that I haven’t even done the revisions to incorporate the comments by the Thesis Writing Workshop lecturer. I like our library. I discovered that I am more productive here than in my room. I had this major discovery during the second part of the summer semester when I began haunting this place in order to do my take home exams for my two courses. So whenever I want to do something scholarly, I bring my laptop and start working here in the library. The atmosphere is very conducive because it’s very quiet and I’m surrounded by books and people who are also studying. Maybe there is a synergy effect. Before, I used to come to the library to watch Boys Over Flowers in the internet because connection is faster here than in the dorm. There are available computers for use in case you don’t have a laptop and there are also screens and DVD players. I know of some people who just come to the library to watch movies from the school’s DVD collection. Personally, I avoid watching movies here because I can’t control myself from laughing out loud when it’s funny or crying when it’s sad. Another reason I like the library is you get to see familiar and strange faces that you don’t see in class because they’re from different classes or programs. I was surprised when I first arrived here that library hours are until 10pm everyday, Mondays to Sundays, except on national holidays and until 12am for two weeks before final exams. I guess this is to cater to the students who work during the day and only attend evening classes. I guess when I go home, this will be one of the places I will miss.