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Monday, June 16, 2008

Sunburn and A Bruised Ego

Yup. Those two, I’m nursing now.

First, the sunburn:

The Filipino community in Tokyo celebrated yesterday, both the Independence and Migrant Workers’ Days. I hosted the day-long program (with two alternating partners). It was held in an open field inside a park.

Luckily, the weather was fine (I was told it rained heavily last year, the show had to be cancelled). The sky was so clear this time, it allowed the sun to mightily throw all its destructive ultra-violets to us.

(Dennis Trillo thrilled the crowd)

As usual, I forgot to apply sun block (ever-ready boy scout I never was). By mid-noon, my face was already blood-red, and I knew I’ll be wearing a well-fried face for some time.

(Jed Madela wowed 'em with his vocals)

But , in hindsight, I really don’t care. What’s this minor inconvenience compared to the fulfillment of seeing our kababayans happy? Truth is, it would have been too self-indulging if I were to think of sun protection when everyone was also there in the middle of the park, enjoying the show. Even the guest artists from Manila basked in the sun.

(Allan K left the crowd in stitches)

Now, the bruised ego.

I only had a half-hour break by about 1 o’clock to change barongs and have lunch. The production assistants offered to get me food, but I decided to go out of the dressing area to check our office booth. As I passed by the VIP tent, the chairman of the activity saw me and offered me lunch.

I took a single barbecue stick and a morsel of pancit. As I was munching on my anorexic food alone, an overbearing underling working with a government agency approached me and told me to my face, “the food is only for embassy officials and the guests!”

WTF! I was stunned! I can’t believe someone could be so rude! What was she expecting me to do – return the food? My shock dumbfounded me. All I was able to do was inform a friend with the Embassy about it and left the unfinished lunch at the booth.

I felt so bad. Some officers came to me later to apologize (not the ill-mannered woman), but I really cannot find any good excuse for her uncalled-for act.

I tried rationalizing her outburst when people said: “she’s always been like that”, and “maybe she didn’t recognize you, being new here”, but I can’t.

If she has always been so uncouth, why is she still there working with and representing the government? And in an agency that trumpets our fabled hospitality at that? If she was mean to me, given her alleged reputation, then there must have been many victims before me. Her boorishness has no room in government service- not in the Philippines, not anywhere in our embassies abroad!

She did not recognize me? For pete's sakes, I was on stage all morning! Where was she all the time? Or better yet, did she really need to recognize me? I was in my dignified barong, for crying out loud! I surely could not be mistaken for some vagrant trying to score food! Or even presuming it was just anybody from the crowd. Does she have the right to do that? Definitely not.

Ahh... Yesterday could have been a perfect day (I still finished the hosting job despite the experience). But there really are people in this world who are out to ruin each and every good day. To hell with them.

33 comments:

The Gasoline Dude™ said...

Sobra naman 'yun! BBQ at Pancit lang pinagdamot pa! Itinusok mo na lang sana ung stick sa mata nya. Hehe. = P

Abou said...

sobra talaga ang taong un. u should have posted her name here.



.

atto aryo said...

Gasoline Dude: Isasak ko nga sana sa baga niya e. Kaya lang, sayang ang stick. Mas me silbi pa yun kesa sa kanya. :-)

Abou: Wag na. Baka sumikat pa siya, he he.

zchelle said...

stupid person! d nagiisip sa ginagawa nia! pag pasensyahan mo na yon.. baka may problema lang yon..:)

escape said...

wow! that's a privilege. thanks to that service. im sure enjoy yung mga kababayan natin dyan.

atto aryo said...

zchelle: kung me problema sya, dapat magtago sya sa bundok kesa sa iba nya ibunton, di ba?

Dong: yup! enjoy sila lahat kaya kahit papano, nbawasan ang bad trip ko sa @%#$%$%* babaeng yun. :-)

carlotta1924 said...

it's just too bad na me mga taong ganun. people like that won't last long there.

atto aryo said...

carlotta: on the contrary, matagal na daw yun dito. ewan ko ba, minsan yata malalim din ang ugat ng mga taong ganun.

pepe M. said...

oh nasabi na ni gasoline dude yun gustong kong sabihin!

what a bitch! she lacks class! i bet shes equally as fugly as malou fernanadez

atto aryo said...

pepe: he he. sinabi mo.

Oman said...

panyero dapat sinigawan mo at binuhos yung pansit sa pagmumukha nya. kung sakin nangyari yun di ko papalagpasin yun baka sinungalngal ko pa barbeque sa bibig nya... kaya lang lawyer na tayo kaya tama lang na maging composed at collected. makakarma din yun.

atto aryo said...

Nyero: I wish I was able to snap back. Pero hindi ako pwede bumaba sa level nya e. Di ko kaya makipagbastusan. Papakulam ko na lang siya, bwehehehe.

AJ said...

ktwa naman ang counter ng ating mga fellow bloggers, but I could relate as well, bkt nga kaya may mga taong kulang sa manners and modesty?

...its good to know doin' your noteworthy part in that part of the world..

my regards atty ryo.

reyian said...

dah nangaway gyud. actually naa ko didto mga pips when panyerong reo was outraged in the landbank booth. :-D

atto aryo said...

Josh: Thanks! Just tried to be part of a worthy cause. Yung isa, out of sync!

Ian: Ayg saba diha! :-)

Abaniko said...

Ikaw naman. Crush ka lang noon. Nagpapansin lang sya sa yo. :D

atto aryo said...

abaniko: oo nga no? di ko naisip yun. He!

aajao said...

that stupid woman! you should have given her your plate of unfinished food and let her clean it up.

on another note.. so you have met my twin? si dennis trillo? lol. twin in the sense that, pareho kami ng birthday. yun lang wala nang ibang similarities :p

KRIS JASPER said...

no wonder you agreed about the witches thingy in my site.

Gina said...

What a total lack of manners ...Obviously , she needs to brush up on it.

Mabuti na lang , ikaw ang mayroon noon. It's good that you kept your cool.

hope the sunburn is healing ..(and i take it, your eye is fine now ,too?)

Coldman said...

ipako sa krus! hahaha!


dapat pala mag audio blog ka para naman mapakinggan namin ang maganda mong boses! =)

Anonymous said...

what a mean lady. maybe she was too stressed or is menopausing?

atto aryo said...

aajao: hmmm. mukhang kamukha mo nga yata si Dennis. Pag-uwi ko dyan pakita ka sa akin para ma confirm ko. :-)

kris: o di ba bitchy witch ang dating niya? kaya dapat sunugin! :-)

Gina: thanks! and the eye is okay now.

atto aryo said...

coldman: sayang ang pako. he he. audio blog? pano ba ginagawa yun? he he. sigurado akong walang makikinig.

Acey: I'm sure menopausing. Kaya nga dapat nagpahinga na lang siya... ng tuluyan sa mundo. bwehehe

Jeland said...

Ey, someone like that deserves to hear what she needs to hear from people who can say it. Put them in their places so they wouldn't do it again.

Baka inisip pa nya na she did something good as a result of her actions.

I would have squinted my eyes, and orated in the most eloquent way my law education gave me.

Sorry dude, just got so flustered with the story, hehe.. ;p

Jeland said...

Ey, someone like that deserves to hear what she needs to hear from people who can say it. Put them in their places so they wouldn't do it again.

Baka inisip pa nya na she did something good as a result of her actions.

I would have squinted my eyes, and orated in the most eloquent way my law education gave me.

Sorry dude, just got so flustered with the story, hehe.. ;p

atto aryo said...

Jeland: I really wish I did, Panyero! But I really have yet to use my oratorical skills, more so my law education, in arguments outside the confines of an intelligent debate. Magpapraktis na ko, he he.

Anna said...

what can i say, the woman IS crass. and in foreign service too? i bet sa mga kapwa pilipino lang sya ganun. baka pagdating sa foreigners tameme sya.

ScIoN said...

ei, I went to that event, hahaha. Wasn't able to watch most of the program since I've been busy shooting pictures and eating pinoy food.

You were one of the emcees? I was only able to come close to the stage when it was near closing time. Were you the one with 'orange' Barong Tagalog?

atto aryo said...

anna: ur right. pinoy lang ang kaya niyang tarayan. mababait kasi tayo at mapagpasensiya sa mga baliw. :-)

atto aryo said...

scion: me in orange barong? he he. secret. sana sinabi mo you were coming to Tokyo para nagkita tayo.

Anonymous said...

hahaha! i heard a lot about this issue. juls even said you told him about it last night when you guys met at the station.

atto aryo said...

caryn: nye! bakit mo nahanap blog ko? hehehe. marami na nga nakaalam sa nangyari.