Young Underpaid Professionals

The road trip was last September 7.

What went down as reported by Rio:

Earlier today, we took a mini-road trip to Cuenca, Batangas to check out the Volkswagen Beetle advertised at the VWCP website. After a couple of mishaps (I woke up late, and there was that walkathon at Sucat highway which was purely my fault), we managed to get to Cuenca via the scenic route – Sta. Rosa exit from SLEX, Tagaytay, Lemery, Lipa then Cuenca.

We met the owner, a guy who’s quite literally smitten with the Volkswagen but doesn’t have enough space in his garage for a VTEC, a Kombi Bus and a Beetle.

We decided to test drive the car, and since I don’t want to wreak the car before it’s even paid for and Rem doesn’t like driving manuals, that left us at the mercy of Mabie’s driving skills.

After the initial “Oooh, let’s try the second gear,” we were cruising down the winding provincial road of Cuenca to Lipa City. A few kilometers later, it occurs to us that we didn’t know where the a. windshield wipers switch (it was raining), and b. the reverse gear (which we needed to go back where we came) were. We decided to just wing it.

Bad idea. First, we didn’t see that the incline we were on didn’t extend to the sidewalk, and the front wheel fell a good foot. We barely felt it and only realized how deep the drop was until we were off it. The planned 180 turn stopped abruptly at 90, about 2 inches from a pole, no reverse and traffic starting to pile up on both sides. The car smelled of burnt clutch, and passersby thought we had stalled in the middle of the road. Rem and I got off the car and pushed. Yes, pushed. Literally reversing the car with the help of a four helpful Batanguenos. Needless to say, we hightailed out of there as fast as we could.

Nope, the adventure didn’t stop there. The cosmos is merciless, as she usually is on first dates. While driving back, still dying from embarrassment, a bus decided to overtake on a curve, following a trajectory that can best be described as “right at us.” Rem stiffened in her seat, I stared in horror, while Mabie stomped on the brakes, leaned on the car horn and let out the most profane line of expletives I have ever heard her say.

Reactions afterwards:

Rio: AH, POTANGINA NUN AH.
Rem: Oh my God.
Mabie: My mom doesn’t know where the heck I am.

Test drive ends with us overshooting the owner’s house and parking at the nearest available space. We were too, oh, I don’t know, shocked to try and figure out where the damned reverse was.

Anyway, the car itself has a few dinks and kinks here and there, though it’s a steal for 50kiao (I haggled down to 45. I’m sure I’ll whine about one thing or another in the coming months). So there. That was how we spent our first date with Moe the Beetle.

What went down as reported by Rem:

August 31, 2009

(I wrote this while people watching at the smoking lounge of the Bacolod-Silay Airport. I forgot I wrote it and found the tissue paper as I was cleaning my bag.)

May aaminin ako sa’yo.

Naniniwala akong masaya ako. Yung tipong masaya na feeling mo Pasko na bukas at na-eexcite kang buksan ang mga regalo mo.

Masaya ako, as if pakiramdam mo lahat ng araw ng buhay ko Sabado.

Masaya ako, hindi dahil may nagpapasaya sakin. Naisip ko, never ko namang binase ang kasiyahan ko dahil may lovelife ako.

Masaya ako kasi halos lahat ng naging problema ko ay parang light years away na. Masaya ako kasi kahit hindi ko madalas sabihin ang mahal kita at I love you, naramdaman at nararamdaman ko siya enough – para sa pamilya, kaibigan at mga naging karelasyon ko. Masaya ako kasi nararamdaman ko na pagkatapos ng lungkot, kawalan ng pag-asa at mild-craziness na pinagdaanan ko recently, meron pa ding natitirang pagmamahal sakin na kaya kong ibigay sa mga tao sa paligid ko at sa mga taong magiging parte ng buhay ko.

(At this point, ang mamang katabi ko ay naiintriga kung ano ang sinusulat ko. Nagtataka din malamang siya kung bakit ako nakangiti. Under more familiar circumstances wherein broody ako, titignan ko siya ng masama, manlulumo siya ng konti at lilipat ng upuan o ibabaling ang atensyon sa iba. Pero dahil masaya ako, nagchikahan kame tungkol sa Zest Air at bakit hindi na siya sasakay sa Cebu Pacific. Sinabi ko din na ayaw ko ng mag-yosi pero pareho nameng in-enjoy ang aming sigarilyo – Fortune para sakin, Hope para sa kanya. “Weirdo ba na ang positive ng pangalan ng mga yosi?” tanong niya sa’kin. Sabi ko, “Oo nga no, hindi ko napansin yun, siguro dahil kahit papano pinapasaya nila tayo.” And for that, I will always remember this airport.)

Ilang oras nalang babalik nako sa Maynila. Balik responsibilidad, balik trabaho. Hindi ko alam kung sa susunod na linggo masasabi ko bang masaya pa din ako, baka fluke lang ‘tong nararamdamn ko ngayon. Sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam kung paglabas ko ng smokers’ lounge mararamdaman kong masaya pa din ako. Pero ok lang, at least ngayong 2:35 p.m. sa Bacolod airport, I got in touch with the fact na hey, masaya ako.

Masaya ako, kahit sandali lang, naging masaya ako. Kahit malungkot ako ulet, tatatak na’tong araw na’to sakin.

September 7, 2009

(Sidenote: I am a bit buzzed, thanks to the biglaang Tri-Toma drinking party assembled by the parental units. It is priceless to see old people getting giddy over hard alcohol for it provides lots of blackmail moments. hehe3)

The day started with a mini road trip. Wait, it wasn’t a mini road trip, I got to go to places I’ve only heard of but never drove on. After picking Mabie (my Magellan) in Mcdo Valero we had to pick up Rio (who, in a few days, will become a proud owner of a Volks Beetle) in Sucat (or Bicutan?). Coming out from the Sucat exit, I was face to face with what is arguably the most challenging intersection I had to cross in my 6+ years of driving. How challenging? Well, according to Princess Mabie, a Japanese engineer was commissioned to come up with a solution for the intersection problem. Complicated mathematical equations were done and the result – a solution is a mathematical & physical impossibility. Some intersection.

Finally met with Rio after two failed attempts, service road mishaps & driving boo-boos. Destination? Cuenca, Batangas for a red-orange Volks Beetle. Opted to go there via the longer way (and the only way I know). Passed by Coke Sta. Rosa (Hi Ajie!), Silang, Tagaytay, Lemery, Alitagtag then Cuenca. Met with the guy who is about to part ways with his poging Beetle (scratches & upholstery problems couldn’t dampen the car’s potentials). Small talk with the guy about a Karmann Ghia led to his Volkswagen club president who has a bug named Bacchus. “Si Kuya Clark Apuntar po bo yung presidente niyo?”, tanong ko. “Oo” sagot niya, “kilala mo siya?”. Yup, I knew him from way back, sa kanya kame nag-practicum. Hehehe3, liit ng mundo.

Then came the most interesting part of the trip: test drive. Since Rio is still uncomfortable with driving and I can’t drive stick (I could, but I suck), Magellan Mabie took the wheel. It started out as a fun ride as Mabie shifted from first gear to second gear to third gear and even to fourth gear. “Wala na, kuha na ni Mabie yung timpla ng clutch”, I said. I spoke too soon, nausog tuloy.

Sensing that we had to go back, Mabie attempted to make a 180-degree turn. It started off well until the reverse part. Punyeta, paano ba mag-reverse dito? The cluelessness led us a few inches away from a post and a ditch. Rio and I volunteered to push it out and with the help of the concerned Manongs (ala eh, amoy clutch na!), we managed to put the car in the right direction and Mabie took pictures as we pushed the car (he3, panalo). Driving back, we decided not to tell the nice Beetle owner that we had to push the car.

Then the most interesting part of the test drive happened. As we pass by a curve, a giant bus is overtaking a slow truck. The giant bus is heading right towards us – three people in a small Beetle. Mabie cursed and stepped on the brakes, Rio cursed too and I sunk at my seat.

At that moment, I felt like Ally McBeal hearing songs in her head, but instead of hearing Gladys Knight & the Pips or Marvin Gaye, I heard Carrie-belles Underwood’s Jesus Take The Wheel. Needless to say, that put the test in test drive. My entire life didn’t really flash before my eyes for there is only one distinct memory that played in my head as this happened
- Bacolod-Sipalay airport. Smoking with an odd-looking man. Talking about positive yosi names. Vacation with the dharma bummers. Feeling happy.

We got back to Cuenca in one piece. Shocked and all that, we missed the turn and opted to park in a sidewalk instead of gambling with the cursed reverse. “Yosi muna tayo?”, yes please! Rio ended up buying the Beetle and we headed back to Subbie the Vios: back to power steering, easy reverse and an easy to find wiper swtich.

Indeed, tumatak nga sakin ang August 31 incident.

What went down as reported by Mabie:

here’s how it went down:

1. rio didn’t wake up for our 7am meeting at my office cos her brother told her dad (whom she told to wake her up) not to wake her up. confusing? no, just a sign of more crazy things to come.

2. rem, who almo…st existentially purely hails from the north, has no idea where SLEX is, even when we’re right on it and has been cruising along it for a good half hour already

3. we didn’t know where in SLEX “entrance” were we supposed to pick up rio. i did not even know there was supposed to be a pickup point there.

4. mabie: are we taking star tollway? rem: no, we’re not. i know the way. (everyone now, in hindsight: ORLY?)

5. the volks looks really cool! clean, well-kept, a few missing (misplaced?) buttons – ie. windshield wiper, but it’s all good nonetheless. engine’s at the back, trunk in front. repeat: engine at the back, trunk in front.

6. just because you’re in the province, it doesn’t make it okay to drive without a license. repeat: just because you’re in the province, it doesn’t make it okay to drive without a license.

7. if you are driving in the province, despite not having a license, make sure you ask where the freaking reverse is in the shiftstick. ESPECIALLY if it’s a volkswagon beetle. the fucking function is literally more than meets the eye.

8. if you are driving in the province, without a license, and without knowledge of where REVERSE is, practice caution in curves. some stupid rural bus driver is bound to overtake from the other lane and head into what rio best describes as a “trajectory that can only be described as ‘right at us’.”

9. if you are driving in the province, without a license, without knowledge of REVERSE, and with a stupid rural bus driver overtaking from the other lane and heading right at you and the poor little beetle you are driving, make sure you step on the brake fast and hard to avoid injury/ accident. ESPECIALLY IF YOUR MOTHER HAS NO IDEA THAT YOU’RE IN BATANGAS, not in safe, urban makati, for crying out loud.

10. when REVERSE is nowhere to be found and beetle clutch is starting to smell of smoke, and your friends have to push you REVERSE cos you can’t find REVERSE (facepalm), take PICTURES. lots of them. it’s fun when you’re behind the wheel taking pictures of them busting their asses off with the help of four ala-eh manongs.

I am magellan.

P.S. my love and affection for all that is manual apparently does not extend to pawis-steering.

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