Full Title: The Three-Hour* Manila Odyssey of Pax Florius (on foot around the EDSA-Ortigas-Shaw-Mandaluyong area during one Tuesday on the last day of April)
DISCLAIMER: This tale, despite being spiced up with terms suited for epic sagas, is not really so epic. (And the epic terms used to spice up said tale does not at all lessen the mundaneness of this anecdote.) So dear reader, please, instead of wasting your precious time on this anecdote, go open a link, or get a book/magazine/newspaper/other reading material that incites greater interest and relevance. Thank you. (To those persistent on reading this tale, you've been warned...)
And there he was, mustering all of his courage and sanity to do it... (because what in bloody blazes was he thinking?! He's a PWD guy for crying out loud! He won't make it! Something bad might happen to him! He'll get lost!)
It was just him and himself. Who knows what the concrete jungle holds... He steps out of the gate of the apartment complex where he resided with his sister and aunt. There will be perils to be confronted... and there will be spoils for the taking (for the purchasing, actually.).
He walked along sidewalks, traversed pedestrian lanes, sidetracked towards a toy store to purchase a Php200 item, climbed stairs, crossed overpasses, entered doors, until he reached the glistening halls of that [not-so] exotic realm of Shangri-La (the shopping mall, mind you, not the mythical Himalayan utopia). He walked around... and walked around again... and again... until a National Bookstore branch caught his eye. He swiftly went for the sci-fi section and looks for any book cover with the words "Herbert" and "Dune". There were, but to his dismay, each cost Php300+ and he'd descend into a state of destitution if he dared to spend his measly budget without care. He went for the discount stall. Nothing. Tough luck for him.
And so he departed from Shangri-La, off to another realm (a 7-Eleven branch, actually). Journeying with hunger and thirst (he woke up kind of late and never had a full meal, save for a pandesal and Cheez Whiz), he was in luck for not blowing his cash on those "Dune" novels (since he already blew 200 pesos on an "item"). Php22 for two hotdog sandwiches is a bargain, after all. So, he also bought a bottle of Smart-C for he was thirsty and his throat was parched. (So dramatic...)
Again, after some walking, he encounters another National Bookstore branch, this time, with a sizable discount stall. Fearing the crushing dismay he would feel if he dared look at the regular book prices, he passed on entering the store premises and instead, went for the discount stalls. As usual, to his dismay, neither "Herbert" nor "Dune" there. He moved along.
He meanders the sidewalk and pavements, walking on and on until his eyes spied the SM Megamall in the distance. He draws near, entering that humongous complex of consumerism (as if he isn't a consumer himself. -_-). After further exploration (read: wandering) and whatnot inside the shopping mall, he felt his legs tire and evening darkness has descended upon the urban jungle. He sends a call of distress (actually a request for directions) from his sister and aunt. Then, he departs from that colossal complex of buying and selling.
It was a Herculean task for him to relate his comprehension of roadsigns and place names to his experience of actual navigation on foot. How Fortune must've come upon him when upon the dwindling strength of his feet, he stumbled upon a tricycle stop. He sat onboard, informs the driver of their destination, and moved on back to the apartment complex. A ride back home filled him with relief for his mind (and for his legs).
Thus, the Tale of the Manila Odyssey of Pax Florius on foot, around the EDSA-Ortigas-Shaw-Mandaluyong area, during one Tuesday, on the last day of April ends (thankfully).
[Actually, he just decided to go on foot because, aside from being a bit kuripot/spendthrift, he was saving his money just in case he needed to catch a taxi during the possibility of totally realizing that he was lost somewhere and totally giving up. The "spoils" of his journey? Two hotdog sandwiches and a bottle of Smart-C from 7-Eleven, a strawberry-glazed donut from Go Nuts Donuts, a serving of passionfruit tea nata from one of those hip bubble tea places, and... the mystery item worth Php200: a Guy Fawkes mask. You know, the one worn by V in "V for Vendetta"? Regardless of the leg fatigue, hunger, thirst and expenditures, he was thankful that no peril occurred to him, and that he arrived in one piece. Over all, this is an Odyssey without sirens ('di ba, bawal na ang wangwang?), mythical monsters, heroic acts, glorious triumphs, and other amazing circumstances. I told you it wasn't that relevant nor exciting. -_- ]
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Good luck, godspeed, God bless!
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