Skills you Learn When Riding the Manila Transit System

Aside from being one (if not regarded the most) of the most densely populated city on Earth, Manila experiences frustratingly horrible traffic (and also listed as being one of the worst in the world). So it would only be natural for the Philippine government to... work a way around it with short term haphazard solutions AFTER it got really out of hand. To spare some of the commuters from the arduous road travel, the Manila Transit system was developed. These are train lines that span across NCR and interconnect in some stations. While this may seem convenient, it is a great hassle to make use of thanks to the dense population. Everyday, thousands of commuters use the transit system to get around the city faster but the number of trains operating isn't enough to compensate for every person that takes a ride... leading to really long queues and heavily congested stations. The inconvenience results to impatient, irritated commuters which even makes the whole ride worse than it already is.




In my three years of staying in Manila, the transit system has been my main mode of transportation. It's honestly a better work around over the jeepneys that tend to have longer routes. Taking the taxi is expensive in the long run and I tend to distrust taxi drivers in Manila (especially since I'm from the province). Taking the trains has always been an absolute hell for me and there's no better way to describe it. If Satan wanted a new torture device, the Manila Transit System would be a good addition to his collection.

Dare to ride the train lines? Continuous usage will turn you into a Warrior. Here are some "skills" you acquire (or need to learn) when you ride the MRT / LRT of Manila:

1.) CAT BODY

Cats are liquid. They can take the shape of any container they can fit in. Be a cat. In order to catch your appointment, there are times that you have to forcefully squeeze your body inside the already packed train or suffer waiting another 20 minutes for the next train to arrive.

2.) POWER OF ASSERTION

If you grew up to be timid, the moment you ride the MRT / LRT is a coming of age ceremony for you. If you don't want to have to get off on the wrong station because a stream of people are blocking the train door, you have to stand your ground and assert your want to get out. Otherwise, just contemplate why you even decided to get out of your home and have contact with humans.

Pushing is downright rude, but inside that sardine can of a train, it is horribly necessary for you to sometimes channel your inner darkness and shove people.

3.) ITEM GET: POCKETWATCH OF PATIENCE

Pocket watch of Patience

Item Level 1

Requirement: Rode the MRT / LRT atleast once

Item binds when using MRT / LRT is habitual

Equip Slot: Your Soul

+45 Tolerance 

+50 Patience (with reservations)

+12 Stamina 

Despite granting you "patience," the user will be inclined to habitually glance at his/her clock just to see how long did he/she resist the urge to kill the annoying commuters around 'em.

Aside from the late trains and long queues, you have to deal with rough commuters. The concept of falling in line is basically non-existent to Filipinos and you will find yourself stuck in between pushy people that abruptly cut the line. Some commuters also forget that they must let passengers alight before boarding the train, and this can lead to some tense situations.

4.) ENHANCED CONSTITUTION

Along with the congestion, some people would excrete bad odor. Others are sweaty or sticky. Others would be very noisy. You need to develop some tolerance for these kinds of hazards. You can also use items to combat these, like a mask for the odors, earphones for the noisy and for the sticky, just scoot away from 'em (if you can).

5.) NO HANDS HANDLE

It's always crowded inside the train, so it would be rather useful to learn how to stand and endure the bumpy ride without using the safety bars/ handles. Knowing how to balance yourself while the train spontaneously accelerates or decelerates has additional perks, atleast you can text or catch pokemon with your phone or something and you look cool, I guess. Still, you can always hold on to a person before Newton's Laws of Motion sends you flying across the train.

6.) THE FORCE

Tap into the power of The Force and do this neat trick:

But uh... just don't do that during rush hours or you'll get trampled by people.

Best of luck, Adventurer!