don't you dare move my marker!

akala nyo ba eh sobrang malumanay ako pag naku-kwento ng mga bagay bagay sa blog ko? Hay nako kung alam nyo lang. minsan lang kasi ang hirap humirit sa isang bagay na maraming pwedeng bumasa pero minsan din gusto mo lang i-kwento. Para lang ilabas mo kasi nga pag pinigil baka kung saan pa lumabas! As in!!!

example, etong last Ms. Gay na ito. actually may nakaaway ako dahil sobrang nakikialam... paano daw? ganito yon. At kung may doubts kayo, tanungin na lang si husticia na bumisita sa akin at nakita ako in action!

Kasi yung waswit ko kailangan magtrabaho ng araw na yon. Conference kasi sa isang UN organisation at dahil short-term lang sya di pwedeng mag-absent. So yung kanyang responsibility sa pagtuturo ng choreography eh napunta sa akin pero usapan na namin yon at kaya nga ako nasama sa kanya para tulungan sya. Ok, so walang problema. At ok pa rin ang nangyari dahil maski ala akong ride, dumating ng friday nite ang isa sa aming best friend na si M. (a.k.a. City-Driver-Girl sabi nga ni Justice) kaya may sasakyan na.

Eto na, nako late kami ng 30 minutes kasi sinundo pa namin ang isang muder at tagaktak ang ulan sa kalye. Pagdating doon, di rin kami makapagsimula kasi di pa kumpleto ang mga bading at super ayos pa sila ng hall. Hay antayan blues ang nangyari sa amin. Eto pang iba na may nakalimutan at kailangan lumabas sandali para sa kung ano-anong bagay. Ok, sige lang, antayan lang at alam ko rin ang feeling ng kandidata. At isa pa, mababait talaga ang mga gals na ito kaya ok lang sa akin.

In the meantime, punta sa stage ang beauty ko at nag-iisip kung saan ko ilalagay ang marker ng mga bakla. Baka di makita o baka mahulog sa stage nako eh di naloko na. While there, nakita ko na may kausap si M., also one of the host for the night, at I assumed eto na yung ka-co-host nya na guy. So punta ako sa kanila at sus! di na maipinta ang mukha M. sabi ko tuloy "Oh!Oh! Bakit kaya, anong problema... alam nyo ba ang dahilan? Nako day! Bagyo! Madaming sinasabi si Mr. B. na mga antics daw na pwedeng gawin at kung ano-ano pang ekek... saying things like, "I warn you ha! I'm not formal, magulo ako kaya nga nila ako kinuha." and I felt some apprehension dahil we wanted the show to be decent and not cheap. Baka gawing Vic and Joey style, kawawa ang mga bakla. Plus I know that M.'s style is really elegant and subtle. Hello?!? eh professional host ang friend ko noh! As in, she even made an extra copy of the cue cards for him na he didn't even bother to print out or read kasi wala daw syang time. And to think that I already sent the provisional programme to him a couple of days before the event so that he would be more or less ready. Anyway, I tried to consider and say not everyone is like me, so I tried to calmly explain to him that their job for that night was going to be something simple coz there would be few occasions where they would have to do some impromptu talking gently urging him to read the f**king programme. Pero you know what, para kong may kausap na hanging. Day! kung makita mo lang ang kilay ko... tumataas na!

Well, wala na akong pakialam muna don kasi mas concerned ako sa mga bading so we tried to practice a bit on the stage and put the markers on the floor so they would have a guide kaso talagang ang hirap kasi kulang sila. Tapos lapit pa uli itong guy na ito after ng practice at sabi, "so after the production number we come to the stage for our introduction?" Nako! pinigilan ko lang ang mukha ko na mapangiwi dahil parang hello! basahin mo kaya yung programme no! Pero kalmado ko pa ring kinuha ang another type of programme na ginawa ko para may global view sya. And later on while waiting for the stage to be ready, I again thought and brought him another version of the Programme with comments on it so he would know more or less what's going to happen. Guess what?!? He still has no clue.

By that time, we had to pick up husticia at the train station so M. and I quickly went together with some bilins from the candidates hoping to be back by 2pm to practice. In the end, we we're only back at 2:30 p.m. but thank goodness the candidates took the initiative to practice by themselves. Ok, so to position and cleaning ng steps. Then, while looking at the formation, we realized one small detail na palpak. When we were practicing the night before, there were 8 people but since the last candidate is not able to arrive early to learn the dance at di na sya kasali, may butal kaming space. By then it was 3pm... waahhh... so I was trying to arrange things in my head at lapit na naman itong si Mr. B. at kung ano-anong tinatanong!!! But I just didn't have the time to deal with him so I sort of dismissed him offhandedly (diba jus!! **wink**). And while trying the choreography again and seeing another formation that is not working, nako! I was getting frantic.

Tapos, si Mr. B, kinukulit naman yung member ng banda at nakikigulo doon sa stage asking where they were going to stand?!?! (Yup that's such a BIG problem). Eh ako yung tinuro kasi parang pinag-uusapan nila yung marker ko sa floor. He then asked me that I should move my marker coz they we're putting the host podium on where my marker was. I told him that they can easily put the podium on the far left-side corner. Sabi ba naman "Host kami hindi kami pwede sa side!" Wow! I started heating up. I told him that they would be easily noticeable because the spotlight will be upon them while hosting kaso ayaw makinig. Hindi daw sila pwedeng nasa side! Nako naman Diyos patawarin! Naiisip ko kung pwede lang siyang i-hang sa gitna gagawin ko! Sabi ko na lang "If you're a host then you have to be flexible." "Yes I am flexible but I need to know where I should stand." (Again such a BIG problem). Then I told him to discuss with his co-host. Eh si M. sobrang cool na nanunuod lang sa baba, observing, such a difference from him. Kailangan daw alisin yung marker then I exploded! "No one is removing that marker. This show is about my girls and the band and that's it!" Then he started backing off coz my voice is now raised, tapos patutsada pa sya nung nasa baba na ng stage, "I was just asking! I'm not dictating you" nako day! I yelled back "You were!". Tapos ang dami pa nyang satsat na super-explain sa mga tao sa baba. I was just so fed up dahil sa dami ng bosing sa show na yon dagdag pa sya na kararating lang at host lang naman, I just yelled again "I don't even need another host! I can live with one!" Pero di na ata narinig at baka kung ano pang nangyari.

Anyway, it was an experience although quite unpleasant. I just feel justified coz I was doing my job and he didn't have anything to do on that side. I felt pushed around when all the while I knew that I have given him infos that he needed to know and his only work was to then observe what we are doing or at least ask me after the practice what they are going to do. I call it prioritizing. And another thing I can't stand? Was the fact that he was playing with his American English always dropping information of him working in an American Base. Honestly, he's like an epitome of Pinoys filled with American Junk. How you speak English and where you work does not make you better than the rest of us. My respect level for him just dropped.

But you know what? I don't know what he thought after but after some point he approached me and he apologized. I was torn but I'm naturally forgiving. Who am I to not accept an apology. So we even hugged and just said sorry to each other. At least that became his saving glory.

Moral of the story: Don't ask me to move my marker next time, ok? Peace!