Back to Back Mishaps (Part 2)

Last Monday, I was extremely excited to go back to school—not because of the sheer joy of studying, but because I was about to get my Transcript of Official Records, or simply TOR, from UP Manila's OUR (Office of the University Registrar). Why? Because I was going to be interviewed for a job position the next day in a film production in Quezon City.

I woke up early in the morning, around 6 a.m., so that I could be there between 9 and 10 a.m. and be back home before noon. I got up, ate breakfast, took a bath, prepared myself, and began the long 1 hour and 45 minute ride from our house to UP Manila. It was a really hot and humid morning—a typical, exhausting day for me. But because of my goal (to get my TOR), I didn’t mind. I chose to ride the MRT and LRT to beat the heat, yet the wrath of the morning sun and the heat of summer still reverberated even inside the train. And so, the discomfort continued. I guess no one could evade the wrath of the summer season here in the Philippines. I kept my goal firmly in mind; it was my only weapon against self-destruction. What a pity.

I finally got off the train, but the discomfort persisted, as I had to walk almost 75 meters from the station to the point where I could catch a jeepney to the OUR. I had to endure the heat, humidity, and the usual hustle and bustle of the busy streets of Taft Avenue. Finally, I entered the gates, only to find out that the office was CLOSED. What a letdown!

Lesson learned: "Check before you go."