Sometimes I feel like I live in Betty Go-Belmonte Station

HongKong 2010

Last week, my friend Andrew tweeted that he missed his Cubao station exit because of his tendency to space out. Thus, he was late for work that day. The consolation, he got to visit our favorite LRT2 station, Betty Go-Belmonte station! Hope you’re feeling the commuter vibe some more, Andrew!

As I shared with Ate Solvie, our director, during our introduction for the office’s stratplan, one of my ultimate dreams is to live in a city with an extensive subway/metro system. Being more a commuter than a driver, this desire is the lovechild of associating rail systems with hassle-free transportation and my reverence for efficiency.

I love riding the metro because I’m sure that I’ll arrive at my destination approximately around the minute indicated in the timetable. Despite rare unforeseen delays and troubles, in my opinion, the metro seems a more reliable choice than taking a car or a cab if you take traffic into account. On a lighter note, the metro also allows you to brighten up your day if you know what I mean.

As my affinity for the metro indicates, certainty brings me the comfort I need. It’s probably because for me, the more certain things are, the easier they are to deal with. Being certain about something lets you prepare and prioritize. Thus, chances of handling the situation better are higher because you come prepared.

Milan 2007

Being certain though necessitates dealing with the truth. And sometimes, it comes with asking the difficult questions we don’t want to ask and gaining answers we equally loathe to hear. But trust me on this, my dear reader, the discomfort of asking difficult questions is far less than that of dealing with uncertainty. Just like how the brief moment of torture we experience while hustling to reach the metro on time is quicker and easier to deal with than the prolonged agony of waiting and being stuck in traffic.

Thus, it’s time you get out of traffic, run to the nearest metro station and become more certain of the journeys that lie ahead. Of course, don’t forget to make a detour at our favorite, Betty Go-Belmonte station!