Thursday, April 26, 2007

Campus Vendors (and one extra strange event)...

C2Vendor

Mostly C2 and Panbread...

KidVendor

Mostly bread, cigarettes, and mineral water...

CartonVendor

Mostly fish cracker, chips, and cold drinks...

IcecreamVendor

"I am all ice cream!"

ChicahronVendor

Mainly chicharon...

They are the walking sari-sari stores of this country. They might not have everything you need, but surely, they can ease your hunger and thirst (even once curiosity). Walking under the scorching heat of the sun, they don't earn that much but they get by. We live and survive each day.

------------

This might sound strange, but I met someone inside the bus. A stranger. The travel was long and I was aching for a short nap. But this person beside me, he told me his life story. Like it's the last thing he'll have to do. He almost got married when he was 18, he is product of a broken family, he's been arrested, he's been to prison, he's done drugs, his favorite sports is fire shooting, he hates Manny Pacquiao as a fighter but loves boxing and Mayweather, he has his own amunitions, he was once a contributor for an adult mag, he does graphic illustrations, he's a college kickout, his dad got him an educational plan but did not want it because they are not in good terms, his parents are in New Jersey, he has done almost all kinds of jobs, he got his tatooes early in life as an outlet, he loves Prisonbreak, he travelled in almost every spot of this country (from Batanes to Jolo) that his Mabuhay Miles already earned him a travel to Japan....the list goes on, some of them are bypassing memories, some of them I can't begin to remember. I don't even know if he tells the truth. He just keeps on talking.

He talked for hours. I merely listened. Then he bid goodbye and thanked me. It sounds like a clip from a movie, but it did happen. Not the strangest thing that happened to me, but that was a first. To have someone talked to me about his life like I am confession box or something. I reckon, I don't look friendly at all. I am a passive bystander. I chose where my curiosity lies. So I wonder...that guy must be crazy to even start talking to me. :-)

6 comments:

pieterbie said...

Perhaps it was the red nose that attracted him?
Whenever is it crazy to talk to someone? Here in Belgium, this business man tried to introduce someting some months ago. Wearing a red button meant: 'I'm interested in conversation, please talk to me'. The main argument being: at one time when people sat next to each other or across each other in a train, they would start a conversation. Today we just listen to our iPods with our earphones, or watch movies on our portable DVD-players or iPods, or play with our portable computers. Conversation and smalltalk are dying. So this guy wanted to stimulate it. I've, however, never seen anyone with a red button in all those months.
Like these photos! Life on the street, trying to make a buck.
This is a kind of street life we don't have over here.

my gulch said...

this happened before the dive. it's definitely not crazy to talk to someone, but in this context, i mean 'crazy' in a different level. the situation, the approach, the timing, etc. it's not even a conversation since he does most of the talking. don't get me wrong because i love conversing with people, i just find it strange that people would be that open in offering their stories (even the most outrageous ones) to other people, to someone you barely knew. or maybe it's just me and my pessimistic attitude. could be. i dunno.

Sidney said...

Those street vendors have really a hard life. Walking into the heat, the pollution...

I don't think I would have the patience to listen for hours to someone's life story. I don’t know many people who do. So I guess he was happy to have found a rare good soul.

Anonymous said...

Hey nice shots here. Parang ang laki ng influence ni Sidney on this series. Hehe.

Ah ikaw ba yung nakausap ko sa Bus. Thank you ha! Hahaha! Biro lng. Maybe he's been travelling awhile and knows how to spot a fellow traveler din. I had almost the same situations din. Me girl naman na biglang nagsabi ng lifestory nya and all pati love life nya ngayon at problema nila. Kumakain pa naman ako ng breakfast nun. hehe Nakakatuwa naman yung story mo. Di ka ba binigyan ng number o ikaw nagbigay ng number. :P

Anonymous said...

sidney,
rare and good...those are nice adjectives. i just don't know if they'll both fit me. :-)

ferdz,
onga, puro na lang ako Sari-sari. bukambibig ko nga ang salitang yan eh. yung idea actually. minsan ako naman ang kakausap ng mga estranghero, yung tipong sa isang malayong lugar at malabo na kaming magkikita. ibubulong ko sa kanya ang mga hinanakit at sikreto ko sa buhay...sabay takbo!

Anonymous said...

Tena koe ehoa
The items these street vendors sell they're obviously resale items yeah?

Is this poor people trying to make a living Rayts or is this a street vendor franchise type of thing? Or is it both?

Your image prologues brings to mind the death of "The art of conversation".
I'm near apalled by the downturned faces with less than hospitable expressions that greet me with more frquency than ever, everyday. People are desensitising themselves to interaction and hiding behind the guise of an iPod or cellphone in an attempt to not have to, or to feel obliged to responding to a "hello" or a "how are you?"

I'd have to admit there are times of course when conversation is no a welcomed addition and in fact can be an invasion but, I think you get what I'm getting at, yeah Rayts?

What I have grown fearful of is that I may have forgotten how to communicate with people without having a keyboard in front of me. The hazards of a person who loves to write and talk to much. It's not true but again just a point that might be worth some thought.

If don't communicate with others how will we ever be able to interact with others?

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