Monday, January 28, 2008

(un)comfort room

the most unfortunate thing happened to me yesterday. after work, i headed to cubao to meet some friends which i haven't seen for a while. i was really excited that time that i even didn't finished some reports that my supervisor assigned me to do. i rode mrt from quezon avenue to cubao, which as usual was like hell. but i didn't allow my enthusiasm to be left inside the cart together with my arm and entire dignity, as i struggled to go outside the train.
i was texting them every minute, asking where they were and kept on reminding them that we were going to meet in starbucks outside araneta coliseum and not the one inside gateway. i know, i was quite persisent and exaggerately excited. but i was just concerned because they were coming from makati and they were not that familiar about the area. then suddenly, while i was walking along the overpass that bridged farmers and gateway, i felt an alarming chill and cold sweats pouring out my entire body. it was mother nature calling.
i've tried controlling it and thought of other things, thinking and telling myself: mind over matter, mind over matter and more mind over matter tantras. believing that it would just passed away without me noticing it. i thought, what my friends would look like now, if they have new updates about their lives and even imagined them with somebody by that time i reach the coffee shop. but it seemed like mother nature was something uncontrollable this time. something you could not hold with all all of your efforts. it was like big waves of tsunami that not even the great wall of china could block. the entire picture forced me to think fast.
i immediately walked inside gateway and thought of the pay comfort room at the third floor. it is clean, complete with all the life saving toiletries and not all mall goer go there. most people prefer the comfort room at the top floor. since the one at the third floor is asking for P10 for every use. then, i felt a higher level of urgency on my situation. i was already making ballerina steps while walking.
but despite of this, i forced myself to drag my body to the comfort room in time. it was like carrying a ticking bomb that needs to be detonated on time. i even almost forgot the change for P100 that i handed over to the bored-with-her-life lady infront of the doors. there were only two people inside the comfort room when i went in. one was lathering lotion on both of his arms. probably just relieved from the same situation. while the other one was the maintanance crew who asked for the ticket. i immediately looked for an empty cubicle. then pulled a generous length of tissue paper and wiped the seat (its a mortal sin to forget and not do this. since there are still a lot of people who doesn't know the purpose of the toilet seat), pulled off my pants which took me almost a minute just to pull off my so-complicated belt), and then widely embraced relief.i was about to cry when relief completely devoured me.
suddenly, while i was pushing the last tidbits of my burden, i saw a sudden movement of a silhoutte. i tried looking down on the floor, where the movement was coming. the floor was very shiny dark with silverish accents. indeed, very clean and tidy. but i almost dropped my jaw on what i have found out. the floor was so clean that it was beginning to reflect the guy on the next cubicle. i was so disturbed that it was no longer a shadow but mere reflection. you could barely see the details of the guy on the next cubicle: how he stood up. what part of his thigh did he hang his pants and what he was doing while sitting on the throne (he was texting).
with all these pictures running into my mind, i just forgot the whole entire cleansing process. the most disturbing part of it all was, the guy stopped from texting and he actually waved his hands. that was my queu. i need to go as quickly as i can. good thing i haven't forgotten to clean myself. i was actually already looking at my own reflection, cautious on how i will pull up my pants and fix myself.
by the time, i reached starbucks and meet my friends. they were surprised that i was so quiet the whole time.

11 comments:

Quentin X said...

reminds mer of a more embarassing situation that happened four years ago. I was on the train to work one Sunday morning when I need to do a wet one (had improperly cooked chicken the night before). I got off the next stop thinking of using the public toilet. What I didn't realise was the bloody toilets were closed. So I had an accident inside my trousers and I had to ring a cab to take me home. The smell was so bad the first cab refused to take me home. That was the lowest point of my entire life.

Electric Itlog said...

Shameless-plug-mode: I'm inviting you and all your readers to join Blogifreshify! the Electric Itlog Blog Refresh Contest. It's my thank you to everyone for supporting Electric Itlog. More details on my Blog: http://et-log.blogspot.com/.. ^_^

DN said...

yan ang hirap sa 'syadong malinis na sahig ng banyo. hahahah!

aw....he waved at you wander???

lol.

gerrycho said...

woah! creepy guy! kumaway pa neh?
hmn... weren't you staring at him while he was texting?!?

Anino said...

Hahaha!Alam mo nabanggit ko na yan sa blog ni Daddy!napansin mo din pala yan!

Wanderer,pakiboto mo naman ako bilang "Blog of the Week"
Ibabalik ko din sayo ang suporta kapag ikaw naman ang nominado.

This is off-tangent,but I really need your help.My blog is nominated as "Blog of the Week"
Please vote for my site by clicking the link or posting it on your address bar.

http://salaswildthoughts.blogspot.com/

Then click my blog re:MADILIMNAKASAYSAYAN

It will only take two minutes of your time.The voting is daily. Please vote for me whenever you go online.Thanks a lot

Mel said...

its like saying "oooooooohhhh my gulay!" after relieving yourself, then saying "oooooooohhhh my gulay!" teh second time you realized that you are not the only guy looking at the floor haha, really, this is a very funny experience, i wanna try this one out... in the female washroom! hehe kidding(jokes are half meant!)

Kiks said...

the reason why i love hotel toilets: they are completely and securely enclosed that no amount of glory holes can penetrate.

this is so surreal, wander.

wanderingcommuter said...

quentin x: hahaha, thats extreme dude! well, i haven't posted the same experince on a 12-hour bus trip from manila to bicol yet. although its grosser! so i am hesitant of posting it. nakakayurak ng pagkatao, so to speak. hahaha.
dn: ok lang naman kapag masyadong malinis ang problema sana hindi itim or any dark colors. hehehehe!!! he absolutely did! hahaha.
gerrycho: i was trying to think if the reflection was real thats why i was staring at him. hahaha! making excuses eh noh?! hahaha!
anino: ok, no problem, dude! congrats!
mel: but come to think of it. kapag babae yung nasa kabilang cubicle ibig sabihin nun, hindi siya talaga babae yun. hehehe!!! hmmm...half meant jokes are always not a joke.
kiks: yeah, thats what you get if you have a very wild imagination. hahaha! parang hotel toilets are completely opposite with motel toilets! hahahaha!

Unknown said...

hahaha. toilet stories ba ito? i have a lot to share and could put everyone to shame that i would rather tell them in private not in blog. well, i guess i could share one in my eccentrip blog.

:)

wanderingcommuter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
wanderingcommuter said...

the tripper: i bet you have, tripper! hahaha. too bad nga lang hidni ko malalaman. hahaha! how bout emailing them all to me? hahaha. though thats too much too ask! hahaha.