I spent the better part of my day today in traffic. I left the house at 10:30 am to run some errands near our house (QC area) then travelled almost 2 hours to Pasig to have lunch with friends. Left the resto at 2:00 pm to pick up something from a friend’s house then travelled almost an hour (not bad!) to Nail Files SM Bicutan (my nail salon) in Parañaque. I had time to get a mani-pedi (finally!) with my Dad and left at 4:00 pm to avoid the rush hour going back to the north. I had to go to Greenhills to pick up the printer I bought, and “Waze” told me to take the Makati-Mandaluyong route (obviously, EDSA was in carmageddon-mode this pay-day). I got to Greenhills at around 5:15 pm, picked up the printer then left at 5:30 pm. I got home 1 hour later! So roughly, in the 8 hours I was away from my 3-month old baby today, almost 5 HOURS was spent driving!!!
Thank God I have learned to multi-task while in traffic. This is when I make my “to-do” lists, list my expenses, and answer texts and emails on my phone. And since I am breastfeeding, I have learned a new skill – to pump milk while in the car. I had to learn how to do this because my pumping schedule often coincides with me driving on the way to somewhere. But of course I only do this when the car is on full stop. If not, I pull over at the nearest gas station or any safe place where I can park for a few minutes. So today, I had to pump 3 times – at 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, and then at 5:00 pm! Good thing my pump is a double electric, and can express most of my milk in only 15 mins (I use a Medela Freestyle by the way, in case you were wondering, and I love it!) 🙂
The Waze app on my phone is huge help when I navigate the clogged streets in the metro. Besides giving me directions to my destination(s), it also give me routes that I otherwise wouldn’t know so I can avoid (or at least spend the least time in) traffic. I have been using it for over 2 years now, but I stopped briefly when I was not allowed to drive while pregnant. According to the app, I am a “Knight Wazer.” I don’t really know what the use of Waze points are, but I am on the 2nd highest level, which means I drive a lot, yikes!
I try to schedule errands, work and meet-ups in 1-2 days in a week so I won’t have to leave Kobe everyday. For me, time is one of the most valuable things in life and I want to spend most of it with my child. I am lucky that I don’t have an office job and pretty much “own” my time. But for me, time spent in traffic nowadays is too much, and it costs us too much! It is time away from our family (unless you get to spend it WITH them while in traffic 🙂 ). It is time we’d rather use for other, more important things (like work or rest!) and therefore, it is time wasted. I don’t know when this problem will be solved, or if it will ever be solved. 🙁
So please pardon my rant. My legs and feet are aching from driving my trusty old car with a stick shift! Waaaah!
Nail Files SM Bicutan Branch is at the Lower Ground Floor, Building B of SM City Bicutan. Mobile numbers 0906-5288856 and 0923-7458856. Email: nailfiles_smb@gmail.com.
The Medela Freestyle breast pump and other other Medela products are available at The Parenting Emporium. Address: #29 1st Street, New Manila, Quezon City. Tel Nos. 725-3723, 738-6272, 0917-6247246.
