Sir, Customer ka lang dito! Teritoryo namin to..

Sa init ngayon di ka na magtataka kung bakit sumasabay ang mood ng mga tao sa panahon. Nagkalat ang mga mukhang pagod, mukhang may sakit, mukhang hindi maipinta. Ramdam ang init ng tag-araw kahit nasa loob ka ng isang air-conitoned mall.

Pero  may alam akong lugar kung saan walang pinipiling panahon ang mga tao. Isang mall na itinayo sa Aklan kelan lang. Dito, suwerte ka na kung ang mga nagtatrabaho na makakasalamuha mo ay alam ang pinag kaiba ng customer at empleyado.

Alas dose impunto, oras ng pananghalian. Kumain kami ng nanay ko sa loob ng isang mall. Hindi naman kami choosy mag ina kaya wag na sana kayong magtaka kung pinili naming kumain sa isang Batchoyan. Deadma sa amin ang panahon, ang mahalaga masarap ang kinakain.

Iilan lang kaming andon at sabihin na nating malakas ang loob na kumain at humigop ng mainit na sabaw sa kalagitnaan ng matinding sikat ng araw. Sa kabilang mesa, may isa pang matapang na nilalang, isang matandang lalaki na halatang uugod ugod na at ang tanging katabi nya ay ang kanyang tungkod.

Aksidenting nasagi ng matanda ang baso na may lamang tubig. Inaasahan ko, gaya ng inaasahan ng nakakrami na lalapitan sya ng waiter para tulungan at asikasuhin. Yon naman talaga ang dapat di ba? Pero asahan na natin ang mga bagay na hindi inaasahan. Isang napakasamang titig lang ang ginawa ng waiter sa matanda at tinalikuran din ito habang ang matanda hindi malaman kung ano pa ang pwde nyang gawin bukod sa pagpunas ng mesa gamit ang basang basa nang tisyu paper. Si Madam Manager? nagreretouch pa po sa counter, deadma lang. hindi mo aakalain na may mga empleyadong gaya nila ang isang sikat na kainan sa Visayas.

Ilang minuto pa ang lumipas ng binalikan sya ng waiter at padabog na kinuha ang mga kubyertos at pinunasan ang basang mesa habang sya ay nakasimangot. Hindi naman kagandahan si ate, hindi naman siguro sya apo ng matandang yon at kung umasta sya ay halos pinapagalita na nya ang matanda. Sana naman hindi pa nya nakakalimutan ang job description nya. Nasaan na ba ang customer is always right? Kung wala na yon, saan na lang ang pakikipagkapwa natin? Ang pag galang sa mga matatanda?

Si lolo, malungkot na lumabas. Si ate? tumayo sa isang tabi at sinabayan ang sound system nila sa pagkanta na parang hindi nya alam kung ano ang ginawa nya sa matanda. Nasa mukha nya ang pagiging inosente.

Sa grocery naman, hindi ka sisimangot dahil sa init ng panahon. Isang binatang lalaki ang naghahanap ng supervisor dahil ang cashier sa kung saan sya nakapila ay nawawala ng ilang minuto na. "Miss, pwede bang makausap ang supervisor nyo?" ang dalawang cashier sa kabilang counter ay pansamantalang natigilan sa pinag uusapan nilang royal wedding "Sir wala e, pakihintay na lang, andyan lang yan sa tabi-tabi", ang sabi ng isa sabay hagikhik na tila kinikilig pa rin sa pinag uusapang kasal. San ka nga ba naman nakakita ng isang saleslady na nagtsitsismisan sa gitna ng trabaho at magsasabing wala silang supervisor. Nang mag walk-out na ang customer dahil hindi pa rin bumabalik ang cashier, at gawa na rin siguro ng galit at pagkapahiya sa inaasta ng ibang mga cashier. Nang makalayo na sya, nagtawanan ang iba pang mga pang empleyado na tila ba tuwang tuwa pa sila na may nag walk out si kuya. Oo naman, talo ang pikon di ba?

Mas nagulat ako ng bumalik ang cashier sa pwesto nya. Tuwang tuwa na binalitaan sya ng kasamahan nya na may isang customer na nagalit habang wala sya. Hindi man lang ba nila naisip na may iba pang customer na nakikinig sa kanila. Tumigil lang sya sa pakikipagdaldalan ng ang isang babae ay nagalit sa kanya "miss pwede bang unahin mo yang ginagawa mo bago ka makikipagkwentuhan". Ng makaalis ang babae, nagtawanan na naman silang lahat. Tuwang tuwa talga sila na inisin ang mga customers. Kaya kayo, kung sakaling maligaw kayo sa grocery store na yon, good luck kapag napikon ka kasi pagtatawanan ka lang nila.

Sa department store, wag ka nang magulat kapag ang saleslady ay nagsalita ng "mahal po yan, baka hindi nyo kayang bayaran"  or "bibili po ba kayo kasi kung hindi baka masira nyo lang yan" o di nmn kaya wag kang magulat kung sa paglilibot mo may mga nakaupong mga saleslady at nagtatago sa tabi habang nakatunganga lang, meron din namang sosyal na mga saleslady na sama sama sa isang lugar nagtatawanan, nagkukwentuhan, naglalambingan. Wag ka na ring mainis kung  pagkatapos mo na pakiusapan sila na e-assisst ka sa bibilhin mo ay makakarinig ka ng "Neng, pa assist mo nga dito, tinatamad ako eh!" habang tinatawag nila ang ibang kasamahan.

Sa grocery pa din, ang sabi sa'kin ng isang empleyado habang naghahanap ako ng maiinom "miss, bili ka ng C2 para kay baby" at biglang nagtawanan. Hindi ko alam kung sa grocey ba talaga ako pumasok o sa isang kanto ng palengke kung saan may mga naliligaw na lasing. Hindi ba pinagbabawal ang mga lasing na pumasok sa trabaho? dapat siguro pati mga asal lasing ipagbawal na rin.

Sa baggage counter, andon naman nakapwesto si kuya na hindi alam ang mga salitang "fall in line". Pagagalitan ka pa kung pinagmadali mo sya. Huwag nyo nga naman syang madaliin at natataranta sya. mghintay kayo noh! kasi busy sya sa dami ng nagpapaiwan ng mga gamit. Kung magagalit ka isang masakit na titig at kamot sa ulo ang matatanggap mo mula sa kanya. Wala syang kwentang kaaway!Kaya cool ka lang.

Minsan naisip ko, teritoryo nila yon, at magagawa nila ang gusto nila. Hindi uso ang Sir at Ma'am, minsan sila pa ang tatawagin mong sir or mam para pansinin ka nila.

Wag ka na ring maghanap ng supervisor, manager at kung sino man dyan ang naiisip mong ipatawag kasi hindi nila alam na meron silang ganon.

The Tide



The scene reminds me of the poem I read years ago.



"The Tide"

(by Anonymous)

The tide recedes, but leaves behind
bright seashells on the sand.
The sun goes down, but gentle warmth
still lingers on the land.
The music stops, yet echoes on
in sweet, soulful refrains.
For every joy that passes,
something beautiful remains.

Behind every dark is a light.

I always fail to remember how inspiring this line is. I  tend to detest life's darkest side only to realized at the end that life could never be good without passing through those points. If it wasn't because of the pain I felt yesterday, I could not be the person I am today. If I haven't run away, I'll never be in such a wondrous place where acceptance of who I am exists.  Most of all, I'll never meet the person who made this journey worthwhile.


Life has a lot to offer if we can wait and if we can open not just our eyes but also our heart so we can appreciate what is beyond us.

OneNote

I just checked my one-note file and this is what I found! Surprisingly, I never thought I wrote this note. I'm feeling sad because it seems to me that I am always on a search. I always seek for something that is never found.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dated June 8, 2010:
"Constantly Changing" 

Each person I know is talking about how depressed our town is becoming.

As a certified lasso that established and became comfortable in a rustic ambience, my first impression was that not everyone can actually appreciate the beauty like I do. I’m the kind who desire to breathe fresh air, to walk bare-footed along the seashore, to hear early morning birds making melody. I wanted to live in a place where crickets and frogs blend their noises and are making splendid music during the evening—to live a simple life. 

Aklan can offer a lot—more than Boracay Island do.

I asked for nothing more nevertheless I’m also asking for nothing less.

Days passed by. Each day marks another day of down in the dumps. All the splendid creations vanished in a blink of an eye. Things I appreciated yesterday became the one I hate today.

I’m starting to prove them right. Maybe, those who leave for whatever reason they’re holding to had made the right decision. Maybe, those who decided to stay had no other choice but to be contented.

I wanted to run away from here and go somewhere else instead. I don’t understand why I am so desperate to abandon our town which also means to stay away from my love ones. I feel like I’m not in the right place although I know I am. God knows how confuse I am right now and how eager my heart is seeking for clarity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's all...

Aklan: I'll go home later in my life

I still have 53 nights and 52 days to think about it. I wonder if I should continue the risk of going back to Iloilo City (for me, this is a big deal) to attend a graduation—the awaited day, the only thing my parents asked from me in their own silent way, the only joy I could offer them so far—to see their bunso marching with her Sablay together with the rest of the Iskolars ng Bayan—almost my desperation, I never thought I made it.
                 Now that I already have in hand a copy of my eTicket going to Iloilo—everything in me is heightened—fear, anxiety, alarmed, name it. It is not simple, it is not easy... it is a risk. Again, this is a big deal... Pardon me for being such a narrow-minded... I just can't help it.
                Consider this: the moment I printed out the eTicket today, I found myself standing in the middle  of nowhere...things around me moves faster and faster while I, I am just there... standing, I don’t know why... how... and what is happening around me, all I know is that I was thousands of miles behind. So what I am trying to say here...  going back to the place I used to love is scary. I couldn’t find any word that could explain what I feel right now.—it scares me. In fact, If not for the graduation, I’ll surely will make a sacrifice of not seeing my friends and family and cancel my trip right at this very moment—the anticipated fun was gone, t’was replaced by fear in a matter of seconds.
                A common question which I ignored for a couple of weeks already with regards to it:  “Are you going home in Aklan then?”             
 There were realizations made—I had accepted the fact of how bad-mannered I been and realized the mess I made. I personally feel the guilt, feel so embarrassed... the feeling of “if only I could turn back time to avoid my thoughtless actions, then I will” I should have let things pass and let them be... but I didn’t...I was always over powered by my emotions back then. I am simply suffering the psychological consequences of it right now—I got no strength to face Aklan—I am still trying to restore my confidence right now... I hope this is good enough. I am just giving myself a chance to start a life, and later in my life...I’ll be going home.


originally posted at
cristymay.multiply.com