October 1, 2014. 8:30 pm. It’s still raining when I got off from work. At the jeep terminal, the line of on boarding passengers is unusually long. I suppose a lot of them are stranded earlier because of the heavy rain. As I stood at the end of the line, I looked around and do what I usually do to let the time pass; stare blankly and let my mind fly.
Diversity
The length of the terminal is not enough for a straight line to fit; we have to follow a certain form or shape that resembles a wave. Think of a series of squished ‘S’ connected from end to end. Anyway, the point is; I have a chance to stare at the face of those ahead of me.
In the line, I saw a particular woman and a girl. I’m not sure about their relationship; might be mother-daughter. They’re foreigners or they appear to be foreigners; they seem to originate from the west. I can’t help noticing their pointy nose. Looking at the others; all I see are round noses. Some of them are like three marbles molded at the center of their face. Some are so small that you might consider redefining what a smooth face is.
This is not to discriminate their noses. I’m just trying to picture out what I saw that night. Not only the noses but the overall shape of our faces really vary. I suddenly remembered the story about Adam; we having a common ancestor.
It amaze me how much difference we had given that we originated from a single person. Well, that’s if the theory is true.
Perspective
I pondered about it for a while then I notice someone with dreadlocks. Dreadlocks always fascinate me and I’m still hoping that someday I can have my own dreads. When I see someone with dreads, I always assume that they take life easy. I think they’re cool with everything or at least most of it. I imagine they always have lively nights and lovely days.
Looking at my left side, I saw another guy with long hair. He looks like a programmer or at least the geek type. He’s in a black shirt and black slacks pants. He’s starting to go bald but he still have his pony tail. I also like that. If ever I start to go bald, I want to keep my pony tail.
I looked around and saw a lot of blank faces. I started to imagine what they did the whole day; how they go through their routines; what might they be thinking or worrying about. Then I suddenly thought; what if someone in that crowd is also staring at me having those kind of thoughts in mind?
Being Social
The line moved and I saw the same blank faces waiting for their chance to be on board. Earlier that day, I saw the same expressions. Almost the same thing the days before. It’s as if everyone forgot how to smile or it’s been a while when they had a good time. Or maybe, like me, they just don’t have the reason to wipe off those gloomy faces. I’ll feel stupid walking alone and smiling.
These encounters reminded me of that video about technology destroying us. It claims that social media is not good for human relations at all. A lot of possible connections are lost because along our way, we failed to greet a total stranger.
If I am to follow that suggestion, smiling at those in line or handling food to anyone; the chances of me being labeled as a maniac is greater than making actual friends. Maybe It’s just me but in any case, I don’t believe technology ruins us. It all goes down to our decision. I’m not even holding a mobile device. I just stood there and didn’t bother anyone.
The Novel About Diarrhea
In front of me was a lady reading a book. I don’t know why but I suddenly wondered if there’s a novel written of which the main topic is about diarrhea. There are technical books of course but, how about a novel? The usual topics for a novel, that I know of are: love, fiction, thriller or mystery.
I imagine this novel will tell the story of a person having diarrhea more often than anyone. Another plot could focus only on a single day detailing the experience of the person having diarrhea. Maybe we can go further with the details by narrowing down to the toilet experience alone. Comparing this experience with life could be interesting.
Would anyone even bother reading the summary or preview of this book? Maybe none; that could be a reason why no one wrote this kind of novel. Or maybe, no one has written it yet so it seems no one is interested.
So the question, “Which came first, the reader or the writer?” pops into my mind. Just like the chicken-and-egg problem. Then some other questions with the same format came into mind: teacher versus student; buyer versus seller; and so on.
And then it’s my turn to be on board.
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