"Next Please!" - Inah, A Prelude

It was just the other day when we were talking about how life in the Philippines is so full of hassles, or rather, suffice to say, everything is a hassle (almost)!

I'm writing this one today while waiting for Maybank's employee who would release my salary loan check (utang nanaman!)  but before I got my butt sitting on this comfy leather chair, I had to battle with almost every hassle an ordinary Filipino people get to experience every single day.

I left home at around 8 in the morning, thought it was more than enough time since the bank would open at 9, and it was just a few minute rides from home.Rain had started to fall, just in time I boarded the jeepney, it fell hard. I needed two rides to get me to the nearest Maybank and thankfully when I stepped out the first ride, the rain subsided. First stop was Masinag. I have always been thankful to work near home when I see throngs of people waiting for public transportation that would take them to their jobs. I can only imagine how much time is being wasted every single day just for the traffic and the waiting time alone.

On my second ride from Masinag going to Sta Lucia mall, it rained hard. I was on the front seat on the driver's side along with a male passenger. The rain was bad the right side of my pants got wet. This was such a not so good day. Why on this day that I wore my freshly bought flats that should not get wet, got wet!

Anyway, I was still thankful that the rain stopped when I reached my destination but the hassle did not end there. The bank was still closed when I got there. It was already nine, so the guard opened the door for me and turned the "closed" sign to "open". Turned out there was only one employee (besides the two security and one utility staff) who was there because the rest are all late due to the very bad traffic and weather.

The teller was kind and she asked me to wait for that one who was holding the "key" to the vault. I waited for about an hour or less before I got what I needed and went to another bank (in which I will write in a separate post).

{While waiting for my check, I realized one thing about myself - that it would take Mt Everest to transform me into a sociable person. The bank teller was nice and all (and pretty like me, lol) She was the kind that all bankers should be, friendly, approachable, and seemed always ready for a friendly chat, but instead I whipped my phone out of my bag and wrote this blog. But don't worry, I was sure I was as polite}.