A Time For "ME"

“If you want to escape but can’t go too far, you can always go up!” It’s a script line I’ve got from my favorite Korean series, “My Girl”. To add up, I’ve read a book that says “The most neglected person on earth is you” I never actually felt that this two lines makes sense until I felt that need to escape just to unwind and let the emotional- mental-torture be closed off even for awhile. And so I decided to flee.

At 7pm Saturday evening, I went to the closest National Book store to buy a map. Since for now, I can’t and won’t pay out of my personal money to go too far, I decided to just go up, up my way to Baguio. A place I’ve always wanted to visit coz of its climate and scenery. For a person who thinks not only twice but several times before jumping into something, such move was a surprise not only to my dearest, but I myself. Without plan and reservation, at 9pm I was at the bus terminal buying one way ticket to my destination. And at exactly 11pm, my escape began.

The bus ride was for 6 hours with 3 stop over. The first two hours was the hardest coz I had all mixed emotions of what I left in the city and my fear of being alone in a foreign land. Although it’s still in PI, but the thought I haven’t been in the place for a very long time now does scare me. But still I continued. At 5am of Sunday, I’ve arrived in Baguio. Rode a taxi and blurt out the only hotel I know, Pines View Hotel. The taxi had this weird look when I said the hotel name and made me wants to say “thank you for scaring me more” hahaha. But then again he drove me to the hotel and got there at 5:30 am. The hotel looked deserted tho it was well lighted. Plus no other cars pass by tho there are a lot of cars parked. And so I climbed the stairs to the hotel lobby. Everyone was asleep including the guard and the receptionist. If I’m a bad guy, I can just shoot them to death upon arrival.hahaha. But since I’m just a girl experiencing her early 20’s life crisis, I just asked for a room and didn’t shoot them. J To my luck, there was no available single standard room, so I was forced to get the twin bed room which is a bit more expensive. I had no choice but to accept it since I’m too tired to look for another place especially at that time. I used my bargaining powers, so I was able to save for my breakfast that day and for the next day. At 7am, I went down to eat then afterwards took a long hot shower. At 8:30 I rode the taxi to the Cathedral. It was Sunday, so I did the first thing I always do, I went to attend the mass. I arrived after 10mins and so I still had free time to take pictures. At 9am, I was inside the church attending mass I can’t understand.haha. the language used was their native language so bleh.haha. I was able to survive the mass without bleeding too much. Hahaha. For the rest of the day I just went around Baguio. Sight-seeing, picture-picture, relaxing and enjoying that peaceful-relaxing moment. Not only did the cold weather made me feel better, but the scenery itself made a lot of difference and help. And I can honestly say that this is one of my most peaceful, fun and relaxing tour. And up to now, I still love Baguio the same way.

I never ever thought that day will ever happen, but it’s one of the unforgettable I should say. Now I realized that being alone to just enjoy yourself is a great feeling. Everybody fears being alone, it looks and sounds boring. For some, it looks being unsociable. But I now realized that being alone is great too. It’s a time where you enjoy and have fun with yourself, the most neglected person. In this world, there will come a time that you’d only be able to hang on with yourself, so never lose grip of yourself coz no one else will survive it other than you. Friends would be there, physically or maybe thru text or email, but the emptiness you have inside you no matter how much you divert it, you can only surpass it by facing it and enjoying yourself, sometimes you need to be alone to make it happen.

And now, I’m back in Manila. One thing I’ve learned from my escape that I’d like to remember is this. “Pains, fears and anxieties will be always there to haunt and bothers you, don’t get frustrated, you just need to just stand up every time.”