A pickpocket outsmarted me!

This happened when I was still in college. It happened one late hot afternoon when I rode a jeep going home from school to my apartment. The jeep route that I was usually taking is from Estrada st. (near Taft ave.) going to Paco palengke, which will pass by Quirino ave. (my drop off point). I thought my friend, who happens to share the same apartment with me, will go home with me but apparently she had to run some errands in school.

On the jeep, I pulled my cellphone from my bag and began texting her. I was very carefree at that time not minding how dangerous it was, showing off my cellphone to everybody in the jeep. Some of these people were wearing filthy sandos and shorts, their skins were chocolate brown, and some of them really smelled so awful! In short, they were the typical jeepney riders.

When the jeep turned left, I noticed a big dark guy - wearing white polo shirt and jeans - got inside the jeep. Minutes later, I saw him staring at me and then at my cellphone. At first, I just ignored him because I thought he was just fascinated with me.

And then when the passenger on my left got off from the jeep, this big dark guy just sat beside me where the passenger who just got off was sitting seconds ago. I began to be bothered with what was going on because there was still a big space on the other side of the jeep where he was originally sitting, while on our side, there was not enough space for sitting.

I tried not to worry. Instead, I pulled again my cellphone to reply to my friend's text message and then I put it back in my bag. Moments later, the big dark guy dropped off so quickly and I saw him running as he stepped onto the ground. And then I thought of my cellphone. I saw the zipper of my bag half open and my heart stopped. I searched for my cellphone, even in the bag's side pockets but my cellphone was nowhere to be found! I suddenly felt my blood rushing to my brain! Quite obviously, that stupid bastard stole my cellphone! I never thought that the reason he was staring at me is because he was observing me. And I never thought that the reason he moved beside me is that it was his strategy. Suddenly, I remembered that that cellphone was my parent’s gift. I really felt so stupid about what happened even until now.

After few days, I chatted with our neighbor and she said that her phone was just stolen a week ago. When she was describing to me the pickpocket, it happened to be the same person who stole my phone. Our neighbor said that around our vicinity, there are many pock pockets, burglars and muggers. There had been many police reports regarding this matter but it seemed that they can not take some action and they can not reinforce safety. Well I guess the only safety measure that I could do is to not show-off my cellphone in any public vehicle OR not stay around that vicinity again.

-Jen Espinosa

After Poldy Class

It was Friday night, and I'm on my way home after our poldy class. The whole trip home was running smoothly, Quiapo is unbelievably traffic congestion-free! (Well go figure, its like 15 minutes past 9 o'clock in the evening so the traffic's supposed to be light) I was kind of happy and thankful because the week's about to end and I'm looking forward for the rest sunday's going to give me when, I realized we were slowing down, and yes you got it... traffic

I didn't mind much though, I wasn't in that much of a hurry to go home. Bible Study's almost done so I can't catch up and I wasn't going to meet anyone. I just kept to my seat, and observing people's idiosyncrasies.

I was at the intersection of Taft and Pedro Gil that time, the road near Robinson's Place Ermita.

My trip was delayed for about 10 minutes or so when we were on our way again. I didn't mind the delay that much but after we passed the intersection and saw the reason for the congestion, that I laughed at myself.

But before that, a little segue if you won't mind :D

People who have cars or who drive know that it's stupid to stay behind a jeepney especially if they're near a loading area, especially if it's near a mall or waiting shed. Why? Because the drivers would wait for passengers at that area not minding the cars behind them.

Well, the reason for this one WAS some kind of like that... As we passed the gas station near at the Pedro Gil-Taft intersection I saw the jeep that was the primary cause of the build-up. The jeep's a 12-seater, it was not fully painted yet it had the shiny silver finish that mostly belong to the newly bought or made jeeps and it only had 3 passengers . It was almost crawling because I saw the driver staring at his rear-view mirror as if he was waiting for passengers to board...

He wasn't....

I saw what he really was 'intently' viewing at the back. There was a couple behind but I didn't see them clearly, the woman was wearing a white uniform, I think she was a nursing somewhere near the place, while the guy wore civies, I think he is also a student because he didn't look that much old, I think he was at his early twenties.

This supposed couple, who has the drivers FULL attention, was busily smooching...

I shook my head, couldn't believe that THIS was the reason why we were delayed. A couple who couldn't keep their hands of each other long enough to get a room and a driver who can't keep his eyes off the rear-view mirror to notice the people who were waiting BEHIND him.

Now that's the power of hormones people!!!!!!!

Anyway, I reached home with no further incidents(thankfully)...


-Vincent Haoson

My lesbian jeepney trip

There was this lesbian couple in the jeep in was riding on, I just minded my own business because I was kind of dozing on and off during the ride. Whenever I would wake up from my nap I would see the two just talking and teasing each other... It was when the jeep was nearing my stop when things went from tease to shall I say a little action.

It happened at Buendia, just after the turn from the corner of Taft. I just woke from my daze with my left arm clinging on to the railings and was partly covering my sight of the two (btw they were seated directly in front of me), the vision was blocked at the point where I was only seeing their bodies and the neck of the one of the women who was wearing a red t-shirt or blouse.

The two were teasing each other as usual, the butch was wearing a white polo of some school, he was teasing the femme verbally (I wasn't able to hear the butch because I was that sleepy, as if I would willingly listen to the exchange). My head was kind of heavy that time, because I was on my way home from school.

For a while my head slipped from my arms and the couple was hidden from my sight for a while, when I shifted my head back into my clinging arm, I saw that the two changed their sitting position, they were now close enough to actually kiss.

Then there was silence... the couple suddenly stopped talking out loud...
My head slipped again blocking my sight of the two.

I felt that I was nearing my stop so I opened my eyes to see where I was, it was then that I saw the two were french kissing in front of me. I didn't really care with what was happening, so I was going to shift my eyes elsewhere when I saw the femme, staring at me while they were busy.

She gave me a mocking look, like "wala kang ganito no? mamatay ka sa inggit!" look. I just replied with a stare.

They were still kissing when I went down from the jeep.

The funny thing was when I was nearing our gate I saw another lesbian couple again walking past me.


-Vincent Haoson