5 Things Every Manileño Needs In Their Bag
Leaving one’s home in Metro Manila is akin to going into battle and like any battle, you’re going to need the right armor to survive. From surviving being a packed sardine in the LRT during rush hour to using a poorly stocked toilet at work, here are a few things you should always have in your bag!
1. Umbrella
Anyone who has been to the Philippines for more than a week will tell you that having an umbrella is the one item you shouldn’t leave the house without. From shielding yourself from the blinding sun to avoid UV damage and uneven tans to keeping yourself from typhoons that appear out of nowhere, you’re bound to need an umbrella 80% of the time while you’re en route. Plus points if your crush forgets theirs and they realize the one you , then you can have your How I Met Your Mother moment!
While it’s tempting to buy a cheap one, it’s always good to invest in one that can withstand strong winds without breaking easily and one with an interesting print so your schoolmates or officemates less prepared than you will choose a less obvious one to steal in a time of crisis (as many Manileñass have experienced first hand).
2. Tissue Paper
Other than the occasional need to wipe your face from all the sweating that commuting in a not air-conditioned (or let’s be honest even the air-conditioned — Hello, MRT & LRT!) modes of transportation, one can’t always help when they need to do #1 and #2 out of home!
While there are generous public and private spaces that offer tissue paper in their toilets, there are few and often far in between. Many people struggle stingy employers either rationing their tissue with thin, single ply ones you’ll be lucky to even see refilled once a day.
Even on the off chance that you do find yourself in a location with tissue, they are often located outside the toilet areas near the faucets. I’m sure I’m not the only one who had unceremoniously forgotten to grab some before heading unto the toilet in a rush. So save yourself the embarrassment (and possible unhygienic consequences) and bring your own tissue!
3. Rubbing Alcohol
Like tissue paper, you’ll also be hard pressed to find public restrooms with hand sanitizers or hand soap. Other than regular toilet runs, we touch so many un-sanitized things every day from the moment we leave our houses, go on our commute, during and after work hours. There’s so much bacteria on everything from door knobs to our cellphones that if we’re not careful, we’re bound to catch a sickness.
Because we’re Filipinos, we also tend to eat with our hands or end up ending with them anyway when utensils don’t seem to offer the same flexibility to cleaning that Chicken Joy down to the bone. There were so many moments in my life when I had to stop myself from going barehanded on the basis of tissue wont cut the post-meal clean up.
4. Bite-Sized Snacks
Let’s be honest, commuting in Manila is like playing Russian Roulette. The same trip can take anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours depending on luck, circumstances or the weather. We’ve all experienced being on the road a lot longer than we thought we would and have either had to pay for expensive take out food or have gone hungry.
Having bite-sized snacks is great because it keeps you sane when you’re hangry (hungry + angry) at everyone from the person who cut in front of you in line to the government that allowed such a sorry state of public transportation in the capital. After you eat, you can simply be angry like the rest of us who can’t get home.
5. Breath Mints
While not many people can afford the extra tooth brush or hassle of bringing the same one around everywhere, there will be many moments when fresh breath is extra needed.
You’ll catch yourself needing it when you don’t have time to brush in the morning because you woke up late in someone else’s house after a midweek drink, had to snack on some kwek-kwek on the road, are suddenly called in to meet a client mid-way through lunch, told you have to present 5 minutes before or even just asked on a sudden date by a cutie you just met. It’s an alternative to getting dessert which more often will cost more and pack on more calories.
Whether it’s an important recitation, presentation or date, smelling fresh makes a big difference in looking confident and professional.
Got any other things you never leave home without? Let me know in the comments!
