Cat in the Bus Compartment?!?!

Today, April 13, my mom and I were in a loooooooooong line at the bus terminal of Genesis in Pasay City. Our cat, Jerbie, was with us (it's Holy Week and we were headed to my father's province); she was caged and leashed. Knowing Jerbie, who is afraid of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE, she was cowering inside her carrier, not making ANY sound.

We arrived at the bus terminal at around 5 in the morning (we left home at 4:15) and we were in the looooooong line for three and half hours. There were people cutting in the line, two people reserving for seven people, so naturally, I was pissed of, majorly. My mom and I were ranting all over the place, our fellow passengers-waiting-in-the-line doing the same thing.

When FINALLY, we were a few people away from entering the Saulog bus, the dispatcher, conductor, bus driver, practically almost everyone working for Genesis and/or Saulog told us that we have to put Jerbie INSIDE THE BUS COMPARTMENT! AS IN THE ONE BENEATH THE BUS!! THE ONE OPEN ON THE SIDE OF THE BUS AND FEELS HELLISH HOT WHEN OPENED!!

Can you not see that she's afraid?!?!

I felt like I was electrocuted. My mom, too. We pleaded to let Jerbie in with us, saying that she's caged and leashed a
nd quiet, but NOOOOOOOOO! They insisted that we put her in the baggage compartment.

Bes, iba yung shock ko. Sabi nga, I was shooked! Jerbie is a cat which has a life!! We took care and is currently taking care of Jerbie for five years already! She got lost and I found her before. My mom regularly goes to the vet to have Jerbie vaccinated. AND NOW, YOU'RE TELLING US TO STOW OUR PRECIOUS CAT IN YOUR OVEN TOASTER OF A BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT?!?! She's scared of her fellow cats! She likes cold water! THEN YOU'RE TELLING US TO KEEP HER INSIDE A DARK AND EXTREMELY HOT COMPARTMENT FOR THREE, POSSIBLY LONGER, HOURS?!?! ARE YOU FREAKIN'G KIDDING ME?!?!?! Ikaw kaya isalpak ko sa ilalim ng bus sa init ng panahong ito???

I know, we may be in fault as well. We should've asked the moment we got there whether our cat would be allowed in. Should we have, we could have hired another taxi the moment we got there and by the time I am writing this (at 10:30AM), we could've been lounging in my granparents' old home.

I just assumed that Jerbie will be allowed in, since I recall seeing roosters (for cockfight) inside provincial buses before. I also assumed that since Jerbie is caged, and leashed, and is practically mute, she would be allowed in. Apparently not.

How could you let a cat ride the core of a bus?!?

But then again, WHY ARE ANIMALS NOT PERMITTED INSIDE BUSES?! It's not as if we had a pig or a horse with us! It's not as if we did not prepare Jerbie's cage!

So, what did we do? We hired a cab to bring us to Pampanga. We paid P2,000.00 for a ride to SM San Fernando, rather than pay for less than 500-peso ride for two that would have brought us almost a stone-throw away from my grandparents' old home with the possibility of Jerbie becoming a cat mush. We actually thought of going back home even after all those waiting.  We would have rather wasted three and half hours than let our beloved cat die in fear and suffocation.

Even at Barney's Burger, where we had our lunch, we were not allowed in because Jerbie was with us. JERBIE WAS IN A FREAKING CAGE!!!!

It's just unfair! I wonder what PETA and PAWS has to say about these kinds of animal cruelty.

Here's my vlog on our Holy Week vacation, day 1:

Goodbyes

This post is long over due. These events happened last August 6 and 7 but I was too busy to share what happened. But now, since there is no classes (Ninoy Aquino Day) I will share two unfortunate events of my life: my phone was snatched from my hands on my way home, and our family pet cat had gone AWOL (but she's back now, thank God).

So on August 6, on my way home from I cannot remember where, I rode the jeepney from Baclaran. We were along Coastal Road, when the traffic lights turn red and we had to stop. I was  reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ebook on my phone and the chapter I was in was Chapter 30: Pensieve, I was also listening through my earphones to a song of ABBA. In the ebook, something was about to happen to Harry when in reality, a hand suddenly came from outside the jeepney and took hold of my phone and snatched it away. I was not holding my phone tightly but I tried to tug it from the snatcher by pulling my earphones, of course the earphones just came out of the headset socket and the perpetrator managed to run away. All I could do was to shout "F*ck, yung phone ko (F*ck, my phone!)" Which was of course did not help. I did not dare run after him because (1) the snatcher was already ahead of me by five meters, (2) the snatcher knew what he was doing, and by the looks of it, he was already a pro in snatching, (3) I am a slow runner, and (4) the jeepney I was riding will surely leave me behind when the traffic lights turn green.

And there I sat, shocked with what just happened and stared at my co-passengers dazedly. I heard them murmuring, "Marami talagang magnanakaw dito sa lugar na 'to (There are really many snatchers in this area), "Grabe, bata pa yun oh (Woah, the snatcher was still young!)" and sadly, there is nothing I can do about it. I asked the passenger on my left if I could text my mother with her phone and she let me (and ironically, my mother did not receive my text).

The rest is history, my My| Phone Rio Fun is no longer my phone. The Smurfs' Village I was playing (and had undergone reset thrice already) is gone forever. And the photos I had with celebrities were lost as well, thank goodness to Instagram I still have an Instasize copy.

The next day, our family cat (Jerbie) escaped. I was watching the preview of The Last 5 Years at CPR Auditorium in RCBC (try to get your tickets, it is a wonderful show) when my mother texted me "Wala na si Gerbie, nakatakas siya. Hindi ko makita (Gerbie's gone. She escaped and I cannot find her.)" I cannot focus on the show anymore, I was restless. I wanted to teleport home right then and there and look for her. When the production called for a break, I went home. I searched in the darkness to find her. I called out Jerbie's name while crying. The people in the neighborhood came looking for our cat as well. I looked for her for more than 30 minutes but to no avail. An old man even told me to go home and he will look for her in the morning. I grudgingly walked home.

The next day, before my 7:30AM class (which was Cinema), I could not help but sob. My friends and classmates were shocked and surrounded me asking what is wrong, consoling me, patting my back, and stuff. I could not bare the people surrounded me so I shouted "Layuan mo ako, Bryan! F*ck (Bryan, leave me alone! F*ck!)" Unfortunately, my professor was just right outside the door and heard my outburst.

The rest of the day, I was dazed. I could not easily laugh. I was even silent than usual. And I did not even joke around with my friends. At home, my mother was also morose. Every time I pass by Jerbie's cage, I could not help but feel a pang of sadness and I would feel the urge to cry.

The next day (a Saturday), I ushered for a debut. Compared to the previous day, I was more lively, but not as lively as I usually am. The debut lasted probably until two in the morning but I went home around 12 midnight. I rode a cab with my co-debut workers Kuya Marcel and Teacher Howie but I got off at Heritage Hotel to ride a jeepney.

I was sleeping during the ride but when the jeepney passed Talaba, I woke up and got off the jeepney. I got off quite a distance from the terminal so I have to walk. As I was walking, I realized that I rode the jeepney going directly to another terminal. Having no choice, I rode another jeepney passing a different route but still would lead me home. Amazingly, I was awake during the second jeepney ride. I was actually wondering why since I wasn't conscious during my first jeepney ride. Since I was awake, I stared out the window to look for signs of Jerbie. I passed this school near where I live, with its doorway lit and a black and white cat sitting. At first, I thought it was Jerbie but I noticed that the cat was bigger than ours so I ignored it. I got off the jeepney and was about to walk home when I had a second thought, maybe I should check it out, after all it was just a distance away. So instead of walking home, I walked the opposite way and headed for the school.

As I passed a wooden cart, I looked down and saw... JERBIE! She was sitting there, looking lost. I crouched in front of her and took hold of her. She squirmed at first but probably upon realizing who I was, she relaxed in my arms. She and I rode the tricycle home. I was screaming "Ma! Nakuha ko na si Jerbie (Ma! I got Jerbie!)" when I got home, waking the whole house. And well, we are living happily ever after :D.