ERA OF CREATIVE BREATHING
By: Iris P. Concepcion
Luckily, I was at the NAIA-3 airport around midnight and had explored the new facilities with very few passengers trickling in. The viewing area is immaculately spacious and similar to a stage for an orchestra. I could sleep here all my life without complaining.
There are advertisements of the curious lot on the massive wall. It bears watching like trailers. Whether or not you take them as microcosm of felt work depends on your aesthetic judgment.
As usual, you take glimpses of how others operate this kind of transportation haven and how these glitches are addressed, comparably. What I have noticed, passengers can lug their baggages themselves: the carts are for free, wheezing their wheels up to the nearest taxi and bus stations. I am wondering why this was not given much fanfare by the media. It operates efficiently and at first brush, unchaotic. The maintenance people know where to go and are conversant with areas. Very different from the offhand remarks of "ay dumating na ata yan kanina." No need to get frantic. The flight schedules are computerized. You do not need reading glasses for this. They are printed hugely. Checking in takes less than ten minutes; there are no bumping off shoulders and backpacks. The whole arrival and departure areas are designed for easier mobility of Skywalkers and Darth Vaders alike with their stormtrooper bags.
Now I get it. It is not crowded because there are no porters around grabbing your bags like it is a snatching race. It does free up the walking zones. Use the elevators in going down; they only provide escalators when you go up. I mean, that must be the parallel hassle one must undergo in another setting.
I wish they could service more international flights; it is in the works. If I were a tourist visiting this country, I may not be overwhelmed by it since efficiency is the first rule of law from my country of origin. At least, it wouldn't be a bad impression as no hagglers and fixers and atrocious prices zap the exploring soul. For providing competition to a deeply mired and quite emotionally-charged sector, I am glad this was built. I am for quality all the way.
Moreover, it is pleasing to the eyes. I read that the primary airline carrier using this facility provided an access to a passenger winner, being its 50 millionth passenger. That is quite a lot of air space.
I had interacted with some foreigners in the past and they had likewise bewailed the brooming and sweeping manually right in front of their faces, the dirt off the airport ground. I had likewise observed this.
Thus, when I saw this rocking gizmo (picture number 1) knocking down dust unobscurely, I just took out my cellphone and took this. By gad, it was neat.
I have read somewhere that airports are great pieces for film ideas. I agree. In this visit, I saw trash cans that eerily resembled R2-D2 of Star Wars. They were carried (by cart) in that manner and blinnnngggggggggggg I thought: why not highlight these miniscule works of pleasantness.
I know that the people behind this do not pay for publicity stunts. Their products speak for themselves. They do not hog the limelight; in fact, they credit their wonderful works to other people. It is a neat jab at the creative impasse that had dumbed our lot for a long period of time.
As an aside, I think I was educated on how some enterprising Lotharios use airport exits like motels. It was funny. Like a Gulliver looking for her own island, I turned up my radio phone with the emphatic words:
"We are young and we are we are we are.....superstars."
Something like that.
I encourage every Filipino, if budget permits, to hop inside this terminal. You'd feel unharrassed.
Actually, you'd feel more like you are billeted inside a beautiful house. In fact, if you can't afford Switzerland, this is the place to best ski. It was sheer wisdom they consulted some German guy for this.
We must, at all times, compete only with the best. This actually sums up a message that I had seen on a shirt. Worn by a hybrid of the better other and a Dad. It proclaims, singlehandedly and in cute font (none of those large prints in our language that are difficult to read). Here:
"RESOLUTIONARY". Resolutionary. I think he is a Rembrandt revo, in a more positive, thinking way. More of my turf this time.
P.S. If you are wondering over the second picture, this is momentous. Only Van Halen and the rustles of guitars and muzak could understand why I sometimes get lucky, in an odd way.
I also do not know why everyone is dozing off. Probably the time.