Going to Testing Center for Our Thesis, Reckless Driver, and Coffee and Pizza Date

Today feels like a very long day after I went to one of the testing centers where our thesis specimen would be tested. We already went to Quezon City yesterday, and now we need to go to another location to test the last physical property of our specimen.

I prepared early and went to our meeting place on time. I was with my girlfriend at 7/11 while waiting for one of our friends so we could ride the mini bus and go to our destination. We were really not familiar with the place, so we just used Google Maps and our communication skills to reach our destination.

We rode a mini bus and got the best spot at the front, near the driver. We also asked how much the fare was until we reached the Barkadahan Bridge—it was our first destination, and after that, we weren’t sure what was next. We just told ourselves that we could ask the local people there how to get to our final destination.

We arrived at the Barkadahan Bridge after 45 minutes in the mini bus. We were thankful that there was no traffic that day. While walking, there was a tricycle driver who was a “kamote”—a term used for drivers who have too much pride while driving and follow their own rules.

We were crossing the intersection when he suddenly continued to drive. His tricycle didn’t manage to get up on the road, so it moved backward and suddenly hit my girlfriend’s head. I was furious with the driver—he didn’t even say sorry and just kept making excuses. The passengers were also laughing when I looked at them, saying that I could just put a coin on my girlfriend’s head where there was a bit of blackish color due to the impact.

I was worried because it was her head—it could have turned into a serious injury—yet the driver didn’t do anything to help. It was my first time getting so mad that I felt my muscles shaking. I didn’t even manage to capture his plate number. My girlfriend stopped me and said it was fine and enough. She told me that the place was a squatter area and that things could have gotten worse if I didn’t stop.

Our friend told me to stay calm before going to our final destination. After a few minutes, I calmed down and continued asking locals for the possible route to the testing center. They suggested riding a tricycle and telling the driver our destination, assuring us that the driver would know where to go.

Luckily, we saw a tricycle driver—we think he was with his wife—and they offered us a free ride to our destination. We finally saw the testing center after carefully following Google Maps.

When we arrived, I talked to our contact at the testing center about our inquiry. But to our shock, they said that the testing wouldn’t be possible considering our given specimen. They said it was too thin and couldn’t be tested using their machines.

They explained everything to us, and we decided to write a letter signed by them, stating that the specimen couldn’t be tested for its compressive strength due to its thickness. We talked a lot with the staff before finally leaving the place.

Our friend decided to leave us and went home separately. So, we decided to visit a mall and went to Dunkin’ for some coffee and Greenwich for some pizza. We tried the Garlic Cheese flavor, which I didn’t like in the end. We had a long conversation before finally leaving the mall and going home.

One thing I learned today is how important it is to ask and communicate with other people. Despite not knowing the location of the testing center, we managed to arrive. There is nothing wrong with asking if you don’t know something.

Another lesson is that no matter how careful you are on the road, you cannot avoid accidents if someone around you is being reckless. I was furious when the driver acted stupidly while driving. I hope everyone follows traffic rules to avoid incidents like this.

I think being mad in this kind of situation is totally normal. I am still worried about my girlfriend’s head since the color is still the same as when I last checked it. But thankfully, she said that everything feels normal—she doesn’t even feel dizzy because of it—but it is painful when touched.

Anyway, that's all for today. Thank you for reading!

_{All images are captured by the author}