The Raving Lunatic

I have nothing but the mountain to compare this abode that welcomed me a few hours ago. I felt a calm sense pass by, as I spent the majority of this day alone but still doing what I hate most. I saw congregations of bikers and those wanting to be alone, yet still happy on their bikes. It was just last week that I had some form of enjoyment doing Tagaytay. I love biking but more and more I’m missing climbing again. I always wondered when I’ll be able to go back. I’m right now trudging in the mud, wondering why. It’s like the pain one feels whenever breathing is hardest and muscles complain: “Why subject ourselves to something this hard anyway?” Through the climb, one does rest to do anything that can be done when the mountain forces you to do nothing but climb. Sadly, my home has been those few minutes of rest I value most where I have the time to do everything I want, but which will never be enough. Hay. Wake me up to speed things up. Unlike the prospect of that wonderful crater or summit, I find no enjoyment thinking how painfully far away the reward still is. And is it in any way, even rewarding at all?

Worked yesterday on Unlipix and all went well, save for perhaps one quirk that was a surprise as I wasn’t expecting to learn something new at this stage in my photography knowledge. Nonetheless, they liked the results and it felt much better than before.

And now, I’m working alone at the office. My PC with crappy speakers are blaring in all this silence. It still sucks and I hate it. huhu.

Did the first trial run of the operations this day, for Sir Lou’s birthday. I had earlier expected to take an hour to set everything up but was misinformed. I rushed to prepare for whatever we could set up and luckily, there was no need for any lights as the COS’ room was lit like the outdoors.

It took me 15 minutes to unpack and connect every needed cable, plug them where they belong to, install the printer on a new laptop and fiddle around with the program. Jem and Marc took care of the general setup of the scene. I had to fix a few quirks and we were running in less than 30 minutes, albeit initial excitement and expectations led the people to brush up on their looks which bought me more time. It was also harrowing that while they were all busy and waiting for the go!, the laptop froze and gave a blue screen. A single restart worked and just took away a few minutes.

It was simple enough that we just fired right away with absolutely no customization made for this first run! Seeing the first photos print incorrectly, I tried to find a quick fix. There were a lot of other unexpected more quirks which propped out and that had to be dealt with but after about 45 minutes from the first second I started setting up, everything was running smoothly. Pictures printed with correct vibrant looks instantly too. Overall, it was more than what I expected and eased away a few apprehensions I had earlier. Nay was also surprised to hear of my reaction.

Luckily, Ms. May dropped off for a visit for the first time in three years after separating with the company. We then had a nice excuse for our setup.

For the first time in my recuperation stage as I still undergo self-rehabilitation, grudgingly force my knees to function the way they originally should, I experienced how it was like to be treated as a handicapped by the disadvantaged scum of society. It is no secret our company faces a problem maintaining the slow and incompetent old, but to force them to do tasks beyond their capacities is stretching them into unfixable stinking conditions that begs to question why there aren’t no better ways of firing moronic assholes.

I had a terrible night last Friday as a simple event provoked my inner senses and thoughts into epic proportions.

It all started as I moved to another seat in our company shuttle during my ride home to one that was nearer the door. It would provide me with faster access out of the bus. I looked for an untaken seat and found myself seating on a three-seater as it looked more spacious with only one person seating near the window. He was on his phone, something I wouldn’t realize a little later. Having stuck my back firmly, I fixed my cables and stuck back my ipod earphones into my ear. I closed my eyes and a few seconds later I felt someone talking. It was nothing out of the ordinary; everyone starts conversations anytime. Suddenly I felt a twitch and a tap as my seatmate who I immediately recognized upon opening my eyes was the shuttle bus marshal for the Bacoor line. He immediately complained about the way I seated, citing he was distracted by how I strongly seated myself and said his cellphone was nearly thrown away. I was taken aback with a sense of grave shock, awe and puzzlement. How could one complain of such austerely ascetic incident? His voice was irritable and face was full of dissent. I have past experiences of this marshal exhibiting his true color. Our past marshal, Sir Bobby was full of vigor and would love to talk to anyone he met on our bus. It was not difficult to know a lot about him. Together with Tin, one of my CP-mates, we get around with long conversations at times when we can seat around near one another. He guided me some times around the Bacoor housing whenever I missed my stop and even invited the both of us Tin to his office to celebrate occasions and eat. With his retirement came the replacement I wouldn’t really know much of. He’s old, that’s for sure, probably in his 40s and would only strike conversations with women and people his age or about 10 years younger. I never got to know him. In fact the first time we were stuck in traffic along the Longos, Talaba curve, he went out to buy pandesal and offered them only to his mates, leaving me and a few others with me wondering, I wasn’t hungry, but could anyone be that inconsiderate? Sir Bobby started this, and he probably thought he’d want to continue getting the same accolade from his current mates.

Hell, numerous times, he’d ridicule the hell out of our bus driver for something the driver has done. Is this how someone in power really treats someone who has wronged?

Back to the bus incident, I caved in to the marshal, in all his over-acting demeanor and said Sorry po. A few seconds after a pause, I found myself in hell. I started with a line that made him go ballistic. Actually po, kung napalakas man upo ko, baka dahil po kaka-opera ko lang kasi. Nahihirapan po ako umupo ng maayos. With all my courtesy, it was meant to make him understand and be appeased. However, perhaps the age-old cliche of grumpy oldies never seem to leave any generation. He reacted in a way that would only seem to suggest he took it negatively that I prolonged the conversation and mistook my explanation as me insisting he was wrong, which by all means, was just right. I could never understand why this old marshal would grossly exaggerate anything. Tatalsik cellphone dahil malakas umupo katabi mo? How could anyone mockingly complain of that? Wouldn’t it even make a fool out of anyone to react in an embarrassingly stupid way?

If there was one thing I learned about human behavior as I lead an optimistic view of life, it’s that most people in general would find ways just to avoid confrontations. For the most part, it leads to stress free lives and makes one feel at peace, which I understand is also what most people would desire.

Anyone who know me would find me as a slave of technology. I eat it everyday. What my mistake however was forgetting to record the next 10 minutes of our conversation as I lost myself trying to reason my way out of an unreasonable wall.

I started asking him what his name was and it just made him more angry. BAKIT SINO KA BA?! TANONG MO SA KANYA! AKO ANG MARSHAL DITO! IKAW SINO KA BA?! SAN KA NAKATIRA?! I was trained to reason well and did just that. I answered his questions and reasoned my way out that he didn’t have to say harsh phrases and didn’t have to raise his voice. However, every time I said a word, he got just more and more furious. Hindi nyo po kailangan sabihin yan, nagpapaliwanag lang po ako kung bakit po sa tingin nyo napalakas ang upo ko. Ask anyone whom I’ve met all my life, I am not known to be in anyway rude. As he ridiculed me and my position in words of hatred, I felt as if I wanted to snap. Sometimes, when reasoning wouldn’t work, and people wouldn’t stop, emotions would fill me in and I’d find it hard to contain it. I wanted to curse and do cuss out words that I know would hurt, but tried not to.

How could someone be so insensitive as to be annoyingly irate because of someone’s handicap? That would be how it went but it wouldn’t be entirely accurate. That marshal was fuming because he was disturbed by the way I seated myself.

I got home and immediately told the incident to my father. I also asked someone from the office on how I could complain. I was advised the details, and it would be up to me to determine the future of this grumpy employee.

Somehow, I felt that it was hard that I just let the incident pass by without fighting back but figured it would be for the best. The marshal is old and would probably retire without reaching the superintendent status, and given the present context might have received a poor to mediocre rating at best. It wasn’t all that surprising, given his demeanor and his attitude. I felt lucky that I am in no way connected to him, and felt pity to his kids and immediate family.

I might not file a complaint as it would not be wise to not have proper backing for it. The next time though, I’d fully record any future altercation. It’d be up to the rest to judge how awfully retarded any person can be.

Kasama ko lang noon si Herminio “Third” Bagro III sa kung san-san. Parang ewan lang kami nun. Like, nang maligaw ako sa COC, sabay kaming nakiusap na umalis… at kung anu-ano pa, etc. Blockmate ko kase sa Philo, N8, AY 2001.

Bigla ko nalang nalaman na UP Diliman USC Chair na.

Talaga nga naman! Dapat ako i-employ ng mokong na Miong na to. Ang galing e. Bwhaahahhaaaa!!! Congrats! Shiyet. Kung di lang ako nagpabaya no?