Yesterday was such a waste! I don’t even know where to start (¬_¬) It was so horrible… I need to put these in stages. (Sorry, in advance, for the long post.)
Stage 1 – Prayer
So I got to the local train station on time to catch the next train to Penn Station (Manhattan), and I’m so glad because I’ll be able to buy The New York Times, chill, and just hope on the train. But as I’m approaching the main place — where you go on the platform etc. — this guy, about my age, starts walking towards me, and I start thinking, “Do I know this person?”
He extends his hand for me to shake, but I contently keep them within my hoodie’s pouch. He notices this and withdraws the hand, but then starts talking. “Hi, what’s up? What’s your name? Do you think you’ll go to heaven if you die?” Wait. Hold up. What?
Low and behold, he was spreading the word of his church and God. So I told him, “Yea, I think I’ll go to heaven.” He asked me why and I told him because I do a lot of good things. Why oh why did I not just shun him from the beginning?
Now, I believe in God, but I don’t go to church. And after a long talk about God and sins he said a prayer for me and asked me to repeat one too — which I did. He then asked for my personal info so his church could mail me “one thing, no harassment,” but, I lied! (T_T) I felt so horrible. And he was like, “If something — God forbid — were to happen to you today, I know you’d go to heaven.” It made me feel so guilty (Though, he couldn’t possible know I’d go to heaven.) He shook my hand and left after taking down ‘my info’ and when I say I wanted to wash that hand… wow.
Stage 2 – The police
The train comes on time and what not, and I get one but I forgot one thing: The New York Times. I wanted to get it but I decided it’s best if I just stay in the train in case it leaves. Anyway, the train takes off and it’s going smoothly (the Long Island Railroad is very nice, in my opinion) until — except for the yapping of people to each other and on their cellphones ¬¬ — this lady causes a commotion.
Apparently she was using her husband’s monthly ticket. That, however, was prohibited, and the guy-who-checks-the-tickets said he’d have to take it away and she’d have to bu
y another. So she says, “You’re not taking away my husband’s ticket! He has to go to work tom
So we got held at a station for about 15 minutes just so that the police could yank her from the train, talk to her, and put her back on. And for like the duration of the ride to Jamaica, NY all the yap-yapping was about the incident.
Can I say, thank God for iPods. (Thank you, too Apple and Ayumi Hamasaki.)
Stage 3 – Stood up!
I forgot to explain the purpose of my trip in the first place, sorry. I was going to meet a friend at Jamaica station i
n NY, probably get something to eat, and then go to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn to check out the cherry blossoms and the Japanese Pond Garden. I had to meet my friend so that I could get back my iPod, which I had forgotten to take from him months ago when we last hung out.
So I get off the train at Jamaica at about 1 p.m. — 15 mins. later than scheduled. Of course, I expect to see my friend — who doesn’t have a cell phone by the way! — waiting for me. He said he’d text me with his Mom’s phone when he left his house.
I waited for TWO HOURS. No text. I hated it not only because of the standing and idling, but also the damn shady people that were around. I hate “gansters,” and I felt like I was in some ghetto. (This was still at the main station.)
I caught the train to Penn Station in Manhattan (where I’d have to take the subway to Brooklyn) and went on my way. It was so much walking my feet were killing me. By now I was livid.
When I got to the botanic garden, it was so pretty! And the Brooklyn Museum, which I didn’t know was right beside the garden, was so pretty too! — so architecturally stunning. But I digress.
I payed my $4 to get in (yay student discount), and explored. The cherry blossoms were so awesome and it was so pretty! It was like a cherry blossom tree tunnel at one p
art. I must say, that park is very well designed. The downside, however, I was alone. And everybody I saw either had friends or family with them and that made me sad. I just walked through, and I really didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
Silly me left at the wrong exit — not where my subway stop
was — so I basically had to walk the entire perimeter of the park (ugh!) to get back there. (See graphic at left.) By now, it’s about 5 p.m.
Stage 4 – International calling
I head back to Penn Station and go to Starbucks. I got myself a Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino, and I called my friend — in Canada. I lamented my situation to him and asked him to tell me the address of the nearest Apple Store so I could use their computers for free (Apple is awesome by the way!) and cuss my friend who stood me up. After about 20 minutes of talking (at 80c/minute T_T!), I got off the phone and went to the Apple Store.
It was the awesome looking glass store on 5th Ave. and it was so cool. The place was PACKED. I’m surprised I got an iMac to use so quickly. They had iPhone beside it that I could play with too — Apple stores rock. Anyway, I go online on Meebo and IMed my friend in Canada. My deadbeat friend was also online, but of course, ‘away.’
Only when I’m in the store does it strike me, “I have his number!” Well, his Mom’s at least. All this time and I didn’t know. I could’ve saved so much time.
So I call him, and he’s like, “Oh well, I could’ve leave till 3, and I forgot to write down your number!” NANI?! >=O After I specifically told him to do it! And he was like, “Don’t worry.”
I told him I was in Manhattan and that I wanted my iPod. “Okay, I’ll get ready and meet you in Queens.”
So now, it’s about 7:40 p.m. and I need to get back to Penn Station to catch the train to Jamaica, Queens. I ran like there was no tomorrow and luckily I caught a subway train to Penn Station just as I got there. I made it to Penn St. just in time!
Stage 5 – ‘I’m too lazy’ and The moment of truth.
I nearly missed my stop in Jamaica because I didn’t recognize the station, lol. (Though I’d been there multiple times, so that was weird.) As the doors were about to close, I hopped out.
I call my friend again and I’m like, “Where are you?!” He says, “I’m at home, I’m too lazy to leave.” GAH! You better get your ********* at this station right now. (I didn’t say that, but I wish I had.) It was 8:45 p.m. and I had to meet my friend and get my iPod by 9:35 p.m. when my train to go home would come. I could not miss that train or my parents would kill me. (There were later trains but they’d get home too late — they come every hour.)
He told him it’d take him at least 40 mins. to get there — if he was lucky. What!
An idea struck me — a very expensive idea. Take a taxi. I ran to a taxi driver and I said, “How long to get to ‘XYZ’? I need to go and come back by 9:30!” He said no problem.
What would follow: the multiple hawkings of the man’s GPS system in his SUV — this could not have been a legal taxi, lol — and the cruel treatment of the city’s traffic lights. But after much pain, we got to him… by 9:05 p.m. I would’ve cussed him out, but the driver was there and I was running short on time. I grabbed my iPod, said thanks, and jumped back in the car.
Stage 6 – Step on it!
My eyes were glued to the GPS which had the estimated arrival time at the station. At every traffic light I’d see the time go up by 1 minute, lol. My heart would just pound harder. We got there with 10 minutes to spare, and I paid the main his $30! ugh! So expensive. I think in that day alone I spent about $75 for the whole trip. Most of it spent on transportation. What a waste!
I got on the train, relieved, and just slept till I got to my station. When my stepdad came for me he asked, “Had fun?”
“Yep.” ¬¬
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