The traffic situation in Manila is something we all have to live with every day. Unless your job allows you to telecommute (work from home), there is no escape. Or is there?
“Mindfulness,” or the art of living fully in the moment, may have gained traction this year, but when it comes to Manila’s traffic situation, I practice a form of escapism.
Once I enter my Uber or Grab car—no more taxis for me, thank you—I check if the driver is tuned into one of those radio stations that are more blather than music. If that’s the case, then I take out my phone loaded with playlists created on Spotify, slip on my earbuds and blissfully tune out.
I have R&B, ’90s tracks, the complete discography of Everything but the Girl, Sarah Geronimo, Nina Simone, Hailee Steinfeld, Camp Claude and Britney Spears (“Brit-Brit”).
There are also several themed playlists. “A Call to Arms” includes songs like Kylie Minogue’s “In My Arms,” The Lemonheads’ “Into Your Arms,” and Martika’s “Safe in the Arms of Love.”
My “Blue is the Color” playlist has Ella Fitzgerald’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” Jo Stafford’s version of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” Sarah Vaughan’s “Mean to Me,” and Miss Simone’s “I Want A Little Sugar in My Bowl.” You get the drift.
I could be stuck in traffic for hours on end—but it’s all music to my ears.