#AMALAYER

There's nothing special about what I'll be writing about today. I just want to share my views regarding a very "trending" topic-- the "Amalayer" incident.

The woman in the video apparently humiliated a Lady Guard at an LRT Station, which was caught on cam by a bystander. The incident purportedly happened last Tuesday and the video has gone viral since Wednesday morning. I wasn't able to watch the news nor visit the net this past few days so I never had the chance to be "updated" about it. While I was too busy minding my own business, the video already hit worldwide popularity and has been getting tons of reviews since.

I was able to watch the video only this morning and my initial reaction was that of shock. Nothing prepared me for that. It was like a scene straight out of a badly made Teleserye. It bothered me so much that somebody could have the guts to humiliate somebody else in public and not even feel any shame at all-- in real life. What happened to the morals and ethics painstakingly instilled in us by our guardians? But then again, who was I to judge? I was not there.

News about the "Amalayer" incident has been spreading really quickly, thanks to the media and the cyber world. The Amalayer Video which had been taken and uploaded by a commuter named GPL, circulated the net through likes and shares. Innumerable Facebook Pages and Twitter accounts dedicated to PJS were created over the past two days. Parody videos of the Amalayer incident also flooded Youtube, each of them earning as many as a hundred views by the minute. Even celebrities and people from other countries tweeted about the incident, saying that PJS had been very disrepectful and showed no breeding although she purposely mentioned that she is an educated person.


 


Here's what PJS said, as heard on the video clip:

"Noooo...
So now you're making me look like a liar? So I'm a liar?
So you're telling me I'm a liar? I'm a liar? I'm a liar? Answer me! I'm a liar?
Sorry po, sorry. That's how you say sorry? If I say to you, sorry ate, sorry. Tanggap mo 'yon?
You really shouted , ate. Ate! May pinag-aralan akong tao. Ginanon mo ako. I'm just returning the favor!
No, no, no... Alam mo kung paano mo ako tinanong? Pano mo ko tinanong?
Sabi mo, 'Ate, anong problema mo?' Ay, Oh my God, Kuya, she's a liar. Oh my God, you're a frigging liar, miss!
Anong sabi mo, "Anong problema mo?..."

The phrase "I'm a liar" sounded like "Amalayer". Thus the term stuck and catapulted PJS and her video to stardom-- but not in a good sense. Yes, I have been hearing this word all day and it wasn't because of her good manners. A morning at the office introduced me to the Amalayer video. I went to eat at a fastfood, I heard people talking about it. I went to buy something at CD-R King, the salesladies were gossiping about the "ugaling-eskwater" lady. I entered the Ladies' Room, the girls were all laughing at the "girl without breeding" while powdering their noses. On my way home, the driver of the FX and some of the passengers were chatting about the "disgraceful" video.

Oh my-- please stop.

So what was she screaming about? According to several news reports about the incident, investigation showed that PJS failed to follow security procedures. The LRTA-OIC mentioned that PJS did not put her bag on the conveyor of the X-ray machine for security check, thus causing a breach. It was said that the Lady Guard reprimanded JPS, and did so because she was only fulfilling her duty. Other people, however, tweeted that the guard could have done something that offended the passenger.

PJS said, in an interview after the incident, that "the matter should have been resolved privately" and that "because of what happened, her aunt has been rushed to the hospital and her parents have also become worried." PJS now cries foul, saying that she's become a victim of cyber-bullying. While it was true that the Lady Guard SMC already offered her apologies on the same time PJS was lashing out at her, PJS did not feel that the Lady Guard was sincere. The Lady Guard, SMC, said sorry again a day after the incident took place.

I don't support PJS for what she did, because I felt that she was really very disrespectful and insensitive to what the Lady Guard was feeling. I also felt that she was also showing her superiority, thus speaking in a loud voice and using the English Language at times, when she knew that the Lady Guard would not be able to reciprocate. I think it wasn't really proper for an educated person to do just what she did. I feel for the Lady Guard and commend her for the calm and composure she exhibited even when she was publicly humiliated by PJS.

PJS's mistake, in my opinion, was that she was too consumed by pride during the reproach. She felt humiliated that the Lady Guard admonished her about not having her bag scanned, she felt wronged and thus, resulted in her being angry. I cannot explain the reason why she had to do that, but at the same time, I recognize the fact that many factors could be contributing to her outburst.

BUT I WASN'T THERE AND I DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO JUDGE HER-- MORE THAN MY OPINION OF WHAT I SAW HER DO IN THE VIDEO.

Having said that, I also recognize the fact that she must have been taking too many heavy blows by now. People have been relentlessly criticizing her, mocking her and making her the epitome of stupidity and rudeness. Do we think about how much pain and stress this must have been causing her and her family? The incident has already happened, perhaps, it would be better to leave it at that and just let the concerned parties settle what they would need to settle.

We are appalled by how PJS acted toward the Lady Guard, but do we not see that how we react to her now is also appalling? Come on. We all disapprove of what she did, but let us be bigger persons by not judging her more than we already did. It would be better if we would lay off from the name-calling and the cursing. That girl is suffering enough.

Let's admit it-- don't we all have these bad sides of us? Don't we all have the tendency to not listen to what is right and to choose to act with selfish intentions? We all have that "bitch" days, right? The times when we just hate the world just because. The times when we snarl at every person who accidentally bumps into us. The times when we feel the urge to bite somebody's head off. These times prove how imperfect we are-- to judge others for something that we also do. Yep, we also do bad things-- we are just lucky that we haven't been caught on camera.

In this digital age, nobody can "safely" do anything wrong, anymore. One wrong move and you can have your very life scrutinized and criticized by people who don't even know you. You can get popular, sure.. but the question is, is it gonna be worth it?

Moral of the story? Be on your feet even when you think that you are right. Just remember: if you really are a good person, you will do good not only when someone is looking, but even when nobody is around to see it.

Spread love, People. Hate is a bad thing. 

TAHOOOOOOOOO!

These past few days, I haven't done anything cool enough to talk about. That's sad, right?

Anyway, let me just talk about something I've done this morning. It's nothing death-defying, okay. I just ate TAHO. Period.

You might be thinking to yourself now, "who cares about you eating taho, anyway?". Well I care. You care too, that's obviously the reason why you're still reading this blogpost.

Okay. Let me begin..

During my break earlier, I went to the pantry to buy coffee. Then I saw Manong, the lolo who sells Taho. He was standing in a corner and was looking at every person who comes in, hopeful that they will buy from him. So I felt myself feeling the same feeling everytime I see him in that corner, I decided to forget coffee and buy Taho instead. Well, here I am-- you have one customer here.

As I walk toward Manong, he was staring straight at me. I smiled as a confirmation that I'm buying, then said to him, Yung dati pa din, Manong. He immediately ducked to scoop some of the white stuff (soft tofu with the texture of silky custard). Tanghali ka na Manong, ah, I said as he added the arnibal to the cup using a thin metal laddle. He shyly replied, Oo, nanakit kasi ang likod ko kanina. I watched him add the tapioca pearls on top, while unintentionally picturing him carrying his taho container/buckets.

I was surprised to realize that I have been thinking too much again- and getting teary-eyed. Manong was already handing me the clear plastic cup brimming with the succulent dessert. I accepted the large cup and paid him P20 for it. After thanking him, I slowly made my way out of the pantry. Before I was able to stop myself, I looked back at him, and at the same time, felt the same strong emotion which always prompted me to buy from him everytime he's around.

It's just plain and simple; I have a soft spot for the elderly. When I see elderly people toiling in spite of their age, my heart breaks. When I see old people eating and traveling alone, I feel lonely for them. When I pass by peasants, I can't stop myself from feeling bad about their family not being able to provide for them anymore. Yes, I am that soft, the mere thought of a lola walking alone crushes me.

I was once able to talk to an elderly gentleman who lives in a retirement home in Australia. As I listen to him talk about his family, I was able to grasp how lonely he is. He said he wanted his telephone line transferred beside his bed so that it wouldn't take him a while to answer when his family called. He said he usually misses the calls because he can't get to the phone immediately, and his relatives are usually too busy to ring more than once. I spent several minutes inside the ladies room after talking to him-- I couldn't keep myself from crying.

On several occasions I think of my grandparents whenever I see old people. I guess that's one of the reasons why I'm easily affected. I miss my grandparents. I wasn't the best granddaughter in the world and I have broken their hearts more than once, but I love them. I wouldn't want for them to be subjected to any difficulties, because they're old and very fragile now. I would definitely give everything just to be able to support and protect them. They were my fortress when I was a young child, I would like to be one of their strongholds now that I am older.

Taho, you want?

Great, I'm getting dramatic here. Going back to Manong and his taho. I don't really like taho that much. Infact, the only reason why I'm buying is because I want to be able to help him. That P20 can mean a lot to him more than it can ever mean to me.

Everybody gets old. Sure. But I don't think people my age can imagine themselves forty-five years from now. If only they can, then they would probably have soft spots for the elderly as well, and a lot of my colleagues would be buying Taho from Manong. Come to think of it-- have you imagined how you'd be when you're old and arthritic?


As for me, I don't want to grow old alone. I would love to grow old beside someone who will love me 'til our last breath. I want someone to hold my hand during my last minutes on earth. (Great, I'm really getting dramatic here. This paragraph isn't even supposed to be here.)

NO ONE BUT..

It's not everyday that you would meet someone who will make you feel something profound. Most of the time, we tend to want to prolong their stay in our lives. But as much as we don't want to, some things are meant to end. And when they end, there won't be anything left but the memories. Memories, therefore, should be preserved.

Today I had my third ink. It's a very simple design for a tattoo; it's really small and inked in black, but I wanted it that way. I initially wanted it way smaller, but the resident artist said it would be better to adjust the size, for the sake of bringing out the minute details.

I had my tats done at Cadence Tattoo Studio. The facade of the shop is painted pink and is full of graffiti- you're not going to miss it if you happen to be on a lookout. It's pretty small and somewhat cramped inside but that didn't even bother me at all. I have read great reviews for Jeffrey's works- in fact, some people I personally know wear his art as well. It's the quality of work that matters to me and not how extravagant the shop should be. Besides, he offered me a good deal.

It took less than 30 minutes to finish the job- from design transfer to the actual inking. I didn't even feel any pain at all, even when the needle repeatedly passed over a bony part. He works with the speed and precision of a professional. It's really true that how you'll feel during the process depends on your pain tolerance level, how detailed the tattoo is, how gentle the artist is, and how big the tattoo is. I was even surprised when he informed me that it's already finished. He kept asking me what the design meant, but I just smiled and replied "secret" everytime he did.

I marveled at the awesome tattoo on my shoulder, glad that I didn't have it placed on my upper arm since it wouldn't probably look as good if I did. My tattoo has a very special meaning. It signifies something profound that I have found a long time ago.. and eventually lost just recently. It pertains to something I wanted so badly, but had to let go. Half a decade worth of memories written down in one small phrase, and the part where I had it placed was just as significant as the tattoo itself.

I don't need a tattoo to make me remember everything; it's primarily there to always remind me of a turning point in my life.