EDMARATION #TownExplorer

🇵🇭 MANILA • Doroteo Jose LRT Station: "Grabbing an Opportunity"

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Edmar del Castillo Guquib at Wednesday, February 13, 2019 0

Stories of town explorations.

This story is episode 06 of a blog series.
*Disclaimer: A sponsored link may appear somewhere in this post.

...listening to the words of the experts is fascinating but hearing the stories of normal individuals is more heartfelt and genuine because they share stories based on what they feel and what they have experienced.

► In our careers, opportunities are but a few. Individuals wanting to clinch that opportunity are overcrowding the space.

► In life, we need to make the right choices, or else, you'll end up at the wrong place.

[Manila, National Capital Region, Luzon Island, Philippines]

| 1 | [MANILA] ► OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS ONLY ONCE.

This series is getting so long. Forgive me if you hate long stories divided into series. I just don't want to miss any detail. Now that these details are still fresh in my memory, I wouldn't let them escape out of my brain. So here I am again, writing narratives of real experiences, real lives, real happenings, real emotions, and uncensored point of view. Anyway, here's the continuation...

From Recto LRT Station, we crossed an elevated pathway that would connect us to the LRT Line 1's Doroteo Jose Station. I knew Lourdes and Alex were observing me and I could feel that they wanted to tell something. When they had the best opportunity to do so, they warned me to keep my gadgets out of public view. It appears like the route we were taking was not safe for a person like me who is carefree, careless, and taking lots of photos.

| 2 | [MANILA] ► THIS WAS THE PATHWAY CONNECTING LRT LINE 2 (RECTO) AND LINE 1 (DOROTEO JOSE).

| 3 | [MANILA] ► LOURDES AND ALEX LOOKED SO HAPPY AS WE TRANSFERRED TO THE LRT LINE 1.

| 4 | [MANILA] ► IN LIFE, WE NEED TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES, OR ELSE, YOU'LL END UP AT THE WRONG PLACE.

| 5 | [MANILA] ► LET HISTORIANS AND EXPERTS SHARE THE TECHNICAL DATA BUT THE SPIRIT OF A PLACE WILL ALWAYS COME FROM THE PERSONAL, UNSCRIPTED STORIES OF NORMAL PEOPLE.

Our way to the Line 1 was not at all crowded (in our case). As we took our way to the other side, mommy Lourdes was so passionate about sharing her knowledge of Manila. She did not possess the knowledge of a history-dedicated travel blogger or a geographer to know all the history and technical details but she was sharing to me her insights and wisdom based on her capacity as a normal resident of the greater Manila area. She's seasoned—about to retire soon but still full of dreams. As a young adult, whenever I read retirement blogs, I'm reminded of mommy Lourdes.

You know, listening to the words of the experts is fascinating but hearing the stories of normal individuals is more heartfelt and genuine because they share stories based on what they feel and what they have experienced. The perspective of normal residents about a place is always personal, real, and true.

Lourdes pointed her fingers to show me the location of an abandoned hotel. She doesn't know the technical details like what a historian does but she sure represented the genuine perspective of locals who are not keen of the technicality but of the spirit of the place.

► Thoughts from Doroteo Jose LRT Station

We reached the Doroteo Jose Station and a multitude of commuters welcomed us. We purchased a one-way journey ticket from the counter this time (not from a machine). Alex also advised me to purchase a ticket to Cubao because there'd be a longer queue later in the afternoon.

| 6 | [MANILA] ► THIS WAS THE TICKET COUNTER AT DOROTEO JOSE LRT STATION.

| 7 | [MANILA] ► MOMMY LOURDES JUST ENTERED THE DOROTEO JOSE STATION PLATFORM BECAUSE SHE HAD A BEEP CARD.

| 8 | [MANILA] ► MOMMY LOURDES AND ME SELFIE-D INSIDE THE DOROTEO JOSE LRT STATION.

| 9 | [MANILA] ► COMMUTERS PATIENTLY WAITED FOR THE TRAIN.

| 10 | [MANILA] ► THIS WAS MY ONE-WAY TICKET TO MY NEXT LRT STATION.

| 11 | [MANILA] ► THE TRAIN ARRIVED JUST WHEN WE NEEDED IT THE MOST.

This time, the LRT station appeared more crowded than in Cubao. There were long queues and the action of securing a 'space' inside the train was so intense. While joining the action, I could no longer see my friends because I swear securing a space inside this train was a matter of self-focus and survival. If you want to be with your friends all the time, you may lose the opportunity to secure that space inside the train. When I say space, I am not referring to the seats inside. I'm literally referring to that space where you could insert your body in the sea of human sardines—like packed inside a can.

God knows how I struggled to maintain a grip on that pole with other individuals' hands. I secured a space on that pole, sadly, I got the higher part so I had to raise my hands for a part of this symbolic journey just to reach that space where a could grip to maintain my balance.

This sardines-can-like journey is again symbolic. In our careers, opportunities are but a few. Individuals wanting to clinch that opportunity are overcrowding the space. To get that space of opportunity, you need to be self-focused and smart as you grab that opportunity quickly the moment you see it. If you have second thoughts, that space could be taken away by another person from the crowd real quick.

► Ending Notes

I romanticized my first LRT station experience in Cubao but reaching this station in Manila, I experienced the not-so-good side. Again, I'm still grateful that we have an LRT Line so I was able to reach my destination more efficiently as to time.

However, the not-so-comfortable experiences I had don't necessarily define my first LRT experience. I would say this LRT ride was more beautiful than awful. Rush hour was starting to peak so this would be an acceptable reason because obviously, Metro Manila lacks an extensive metro train system to decongest the already busy lines and stations.

Moving on, this journey is actually about me realizing the concept of 'grabbing the opportunity when it knocks'. I was on my way of seizing it. I'm off to the final station. Which station? Where am I going? What is this opportunity I am referring to? My true destination will be revealed in the next part of this series. | to be continued... |

▼ BLOGSERYE 006

► BLOGSERYE 006: MY FIRST LRT RIDE | You're on the Episode 06 of this series.

▼ Episode 01

[METRO MANILA] ► My First LRT Ride: Thoughts And Reflections | Imagine that good feeling when I experienced the Metro Manila LRT for the first time and it exceeded my expectations!

▼ Episode 02

[QUEZON CITY] ► Cubao LRT Station: My First LRT Station in PH | I was with fellow nurses. We were going somewhere, a place where we could do the first step of maximizing the potential of our nursing career and this LRT station was part of that journey.

▼ Episode 03

[METRO MANILA] ► Cubao To Recto Via LRT: Symbolic Ride For The Nurse In Me | You cannot be your old self all the time. You need to transform for the better and powerful new you.

▼ Episode 04

[MANILA] ► Recto LRT Station: Why I Felt So Rich? | The pathway we took revealed to me a reality that's facing Manila's urbanity now. Manila is the capital city of my beloved country but she is facing challenges right now.

▼ Episode 05

[MANILA] ► Doroteo Jose LRT Station: "Grabbing an Opportunity" | You are currently on this page.

▼ Episode 06

[MANILA] ► Why My Principles Changed from Y.O.L.O to REALITY? | While it isn't bad to travel non-stop, the question is could you sustain it without compromising your future?

Maps Showing the Location of #MANILA

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

✈ This post was filed under the category "Train Stations and Railways" See more posts related to this below.

✈ The maps I used on this post are from maps.google.com.ph.

✈ All photos are mine.

✈ The insights, condition and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you try the activities or see the properties/places mentioned here. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

UPDATE HISTORY FOR THIS BLOG POST
► 12-March-2019: Series tracker lay-out was modified and thumbnails were changed. Link to Episode 06 added.
► 07-March-2019: Cover photo was updated.
► 14-February-2019: Some grammar errors corrected.
► 13-February-2019: This post was published.

LATEST STORIES COVERING MANILA | SEE ALL IN A SEPARATE WINDOW

MORE STORIES COVERING METRO MANILA | SEE OLDER STORIES

LATEST STORIES COVERING THESE CATEGORIES | SEE OLDER STORIES

MORE TOWNS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE:

QCVSDBPBP P KLSV

NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.

[Manila] Adventure All Asia Luzon Luzon Island Metro Manila Philippines South East Asia Train Stations and Railways

🇵🇭 MANILA • Recto LRT Station: Why I Felt So Rich?

Some netizens liked, commented, and shared this. Share your comment. Mag-reply ako once mabasa ko.

Edmar del Castillo Guquib at Monday, February 04, 2019 2

Stories of town explorations.

This story is episode 04 of a blog series.

The pathway we took revealed to me a reality that's facing Manila's urbanity now. Manila is the capital city of my beloved country but she is facing challenges right now.

► The Recto LRT Station has shown me realities in life. I felt privileged. I felt lucky. I felt grateful. I felt the luxury...

► I've never seen in person a sad reality in this scale. There's so much people sharing a space that's less than enough for them

[Manila, National Capital Region, Luzon Island, Philippines]

| 1 | [MANILA] ► SOME PEOPLE (NOT ALL) WHO HAVE MORE IN LIFE ARE NOT GRATEFUL BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE LESS IN LIFE.

We reached the Recto LRT Station in Manila and I was so happy. I thought this train ride was done, but Alex and Lou told me we need to transfer to the other station called Doroteo Jose LRT Station that's already part of the Line 1. I found out later that Recto LRT Station is the last station for Line 2 for this side of Metro Manila.

We walked through an elevated pathway connecting the two stations and there I saw the glaring overt poverty displayed in Manila's key areas. I saw slums located very near the Recto LRT Station and this scenario put me into random introspections.

| 2 | [MANILA] ► IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL HOUSE. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL HOME.

| 3 | [MANILA] ► TRUTH HURTS, BUT TRUTH SETS US FREE.

I subscribe to the belief though that the slums of Manila do not necessarily define the economic standing of our country (Canada and the USA also have homeless people) because homelessness and poverty issues are complex issues that could not be solved overtime. Take note that the poverty rate in the USA is 13.4% (2017) while 34.8 percent of Greeks (in Greece) live in poverty or in danger of poverty (2018). The Philippines has 21.6% poverty rate in 2015.

Although the Philippines has a bigger figure per capita, USA would still overtake us in numbers if we talk about the quantity. The 13.4% in the US translates to ~43 million poor Americans vs ~22 million poor Filipinos.

► Thoughts from Recto LRT Station

Moving on, these slums do not necessarily reflect our economic standing because some people living in the slums also have smartphones and television sets. Probably, some reasons like scarcity of living space could be considered. Some people would just want to stay in these areas because it's near their place of livelihood or for reasons of sentimentality. I am not an expert but I'm just entertaining the substance of other points of view.

I'm telling the above observations because I witnessed it myself. We also have a squatter area in but the residents have motorbikes, appliances, concrete homes, smartphones, and some are studying at the private schools. They are not really poor, they are just living in a squatter area. So when the government offered them a new place to live, they obeyed because they could afford to buy the lots offered to them. Yes, Vigan is not Manila, I'm just justifying my above statement that the slums of Manila do not define the standing of our whole country because it's a different thing here in . Anyway, poverty figures should not be a subject for debate here. Let's just hope for zero poverty, whether here in the , United States or elsewhere in the world.

| 4 | [MANILA] ► OUR FACE IS MAGICAL. IT REFLECTS WHAT WE FEEL. IT MAKES US UNDERSTAND EMOTIONS.

Reaching the Recto LRT Station, I couldn't help myself but to document this journey. Lourdes and Alex were observing. I didn't know what's running inside their heads that time but I was pretty sure they wanted to tell something.

We exited Recto Station and there was a pathway leading to the other LRT Line. I thought it's already the end of my first LRT ride but my companions told me we have to transfer to the other line. Ok, I got it. Recto is the last station in this other side of Line 2 and we needed to transfer to the other line to reach our destination.

| 5 | [MANILA] ► THE HIGH BUILDINGS ARE SYMBOLIC OF THE HIGH HOPES OF THE POOR TO ESCAPE POVERTY.

| 6 | [MANILA] ► IN LIFE, THERE IS A ROAD TO POVERTY BUT THERE IS ALSO A ROAD TO SUCCESS. THE ROAD YOU SHOULD FOLLOW IS NOT A MATTER OF CHANCE, BUT A MATTER OF CHOICE.

| 7 | [MANILA] ► THE CLEAR BLUE SKY CONSTANTLY REMINDS US THAT BEHIND THE CLOUDS, THE SUN IS STILL SHINING. WE CAN WIN THE POVERTY WAR BECAUSE WE CAN.

The pathway we took revealed to me a reality that's facing Manila's urbanity now. Manila is the capital city of my beloved country but she is facing challenges right now. I saw a polarizing scenario as I walked on the elevated pathway. From afar are business districts with imposing high rises showing the wealth of Manila. Just below the elevated pathway is a slum showing the poverty of my dear country.

I felt bad about what I saw (and I think no sane individual would be happy with this). I've never seen in person a sad reality in this scale. There's so much people sharing a space that's less than enough for them; a space they could call their home, but not their own.

► Ending Notes

The Recto LRT Station has shown me realities in life. I felt privileged. I felt lucky. I felt grateful. I felt the luxury of having our own house (although our house is not that beautiful or big).

Poverty may be a pressing issue facing our country today but I believe in the saying that "If you are born poor, it’s not your fault, but if you die poor it’s your mistake". The display of poverty near the Recto LRT Station made me realize how blessed I am. I felt rich compared to the set-up I saw, hence allowing me to feel that sympathy and compassion to people who have less in life in terms of financial status. I specified that these are the people who have less in financial status because the scarcity of their resources doesn't necessarily make me "more" or "better" than them. I'm pretty sure that people living in dire situation like this have also more in life. They are resilient. They are strong. They are capable of living happily without the convenience we experience. The foregoing qualities I mentioned are already enough to consider them as people who also have more in life because they possess the qualities that people with better financial status may not have. That means that if they will escape this kind of situation, they will be wiser because they already experienced how it feels like to live in a dire situation. Surely, their standard of happiness will be very low and I believe they will find happiness in every simple thing they never had before once they escape poverty.

After the Recto LRT Station, we transferred to the other line. Where are we going? This LRT ride is taking so long. Again, what is the significance of this LRT ride in my nursing career? | to be continued... |

▼ BLOGSERYE 006

► BLOGSERYE 006: MY FIRST LRT RIDE | You're on the Episode 04 of this series.

▼ Episode 01

[METRO MANILA] ► My First LRT Ride: Thoughts And Reflections | Imagine that good feeling when I experienced the Metro Manila LRT for the first time and it exceeded my expectations!

▼ Episode 02

▼ Episode 03

[METRO MANILA] ► Cubao To Recto Via LRT: Symbolic Ride For The Nurse In Me | You cannot be your old self all the time. You need to transform for the better and powerful new you.

▼ Episode 04

[MANILA] ► Recto LRT Station: Why I Felt So Rich? | You're currently on this page.

▼ Episode 05

[MANILA] ► Doroteo Jose LRT Station: Grabbing an Opportunity | ...listening to the words of the experts are fascinating but hearing the stories of normal individuals are more heartfelt and genuine because they share stories based on what they feel and what they have experienced.

▼ Episode 06

★ [MANILA] ► Why My Principles Changed from Y.O.L.O to REALITY? | While it isn't bad to travel non-stop, the question is could you sustain it without compromising your future?

Maps Showing the Location of #MANILA

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

✈ This post was filed under the category "Train Stations and Railways" See more posts related to this below.

✈ The maps I used on this post are from maps.google.com.ph.

✈ All photos are mine.

✈ The insights, condition and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you try the activities or see the properties/places mentioned here. Names of places and properties may also change by time.

UPDATE HISTORY FOR THIS BLOG POST
► 12-March-2019: Series tracker lay-out updated. Link to Episode 06 added.
► 14-February-2019: Link to Episode 05 added in the series tracker at the end of the post.
► 10-February-2019: Some grammar issues corrected.
► 04-February-2019: This post was published.

LATEST STORIES COVERING MANILA | SEE ALL IN A SEPARATE WINDOW

MORE STORIES COVERING METRO MANILA | SEE OLDER STORIES

LATEST STORIES COVERING THESE CATEGORIES | SEE OLDER STORIES

MORE TOWNS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE:

QCVSDBPBP P KLSV

NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.