Commuting is a bitch. Sorry. I had no intention of beginning this post with a bit of French. But there's really no more eloquent way of describing it.
In my country, the Jeepney is the most common mode of transportation. You are pretty much squeezed in a small open-windowed vehicle with at least 9 people in one bench. And then you let other people stare at you when you enter and find a good seat (or get settled on the only available seat). When you are running late, you have no choice but to pick a jam-packed jeepney. So you have to worm your way inside the vehicle.
There is much to be desired about this mode of transportation when you are dressing up. Other than the annoying, not to mention rude, stares you get from the other commuters, you also have to find a way to get in without inadvertently exposing some unmentionable parts of your body.
Where I live, being chauffeured to the places in town is a little over the top. It's such a pretty small town where you can easily get around with the use of your own two feet. There are times when I'd just ditch public transportation when I'm in town and go for walking. It feels like traipsing all around Shibuya. Not that I have been to Shibuya but from what I've seen, they're pretty fond of walking there.
One downside to commuting is that you have to limit your wardrobe options. It is advisable not to wear skyscraper heels or mini skirts or low-waisted jeans. Otherwise, you'd be a pervert-bait. Another thing that sucks is the other commuters. Some of them don't even move or adjust to accommodate you. They'd just sit there and pretend like they haven't seen you and will only move when you ask them to. You'd think they have learned commuting ethics 101 before being unleashed to the world...but no. Some will also position themselves close to the driver but will act all surly when you politely hand over your fare. It's not like you have a choice.
I also had a couple of commuting dilemmas with foreigners. They'll usually occupy the seats close to the driver. If I want to hand my fare over, I'd stage an internal battle first if I should talk to them in English and ask them to hand my fare to the driver or if I should just wait for them to get off the Jeepney. Talking to them is a little awkward. While it is really cool and admirable to speak English with a neutral accent, other people do not think it is. Speaking English in public is usually frowned upon and seen as an act of arrogance. Pretty ignorant if you ask me. It is, after all, the universal language.
But anyway, my photographer is MIA this day so I had to bribe my 9-year old cousin to take photos of my look today. To my knowledge, this is the first time she has ever held a camera, hence the cropped and blurred quality of these photos.
I like photographs taken by kids. You can tell they don't know what they are doing. On the other hand, you can also tell I don't know what I'm doing when I'm the one taking photos so...hahaha! I can't take decent photos to save my life.
I had too much fun playing around Picnik.com. It's such an awesome application. It takes the nitty-gritty out of photo-editing.
Outift details:
slouchy vintage top: thrifted (from this post)
high-waisted bottom: unbranded
lace-up shoes: thrifted
bag: Germaine Monteil
