Tag: onepageaday

Elevator

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Ilang taon na ang nakakalipas nang mangyari ito.. noong nagtatrabaho pa ako sa call center

Madalas, sabay-sabay kaming nagla-lunch break ng mga ka-team ko. 9pm-6am ang shift. Pero bilang working student, may pagkakataon na nagrerequest ako ng ibang schedule na naiaayos naman agad. Lalo na kung kelangan ko pumasok sa school nang mas maaga, o kung gagabihin ako sa mga school works. Pag ganun ang nagyari, minsan wala akong kasabay mag-lunch break sa team mates ko

Nung nangyari ito, nagrequest ako ng mas late na pasok sa trabaho dahil may mga tinapos kami ng mga kaklase ko.

So pumasok ako sa trabaho na normal lang lahat. Nauna na maglunch break ang mga ka-team ko habang nasa calls pa ako.

Nagkataon din na wala akong nakasabay na ibang team sa lunchbreak ng requested schedule ko. Pumunta ako sa cafeteria. Pero di ko gusto yung mga putahe nung gabi na yun kaya nagdesisyon akong lumabas ng building para kumain sa restaurant o fast food.

Nasa 9th floor kami. Sakop din ng company namin ang 7th at 8th floors. Ang 5th at 6th floors ay parang ginagawa pa lang para sa bagong lilipat na company kaya walang tao at madilim doon tuwing gabi. May ibang companies sa 2nd, 3rd at 4th floors at karaniwan, pagbukas ng elevator may guwardiya agad na makikita.

Pumunta ako sa elevator at pinindot ang G. Sigurado ako na G yun.. Ground.

Bumaba ang elevator pero kung sa anumang dahilan ay huminto yun at bumukas sa 5th floor. Kinilabutan ako at nanlamig. Napakadilim. Pinindot ko ang close dahil alam ko na wala namang tao doon pero ayaw magsara. Ewan kung gaano katagal yun. Pero sobrang tagal. Pinikit ko na lang ang mata ko at patuloy na pinipindot ang close. Sa wakas, sumara ang pinto. Pero bigla itong umakyat pabalik sa 9th floor. Lalabas sana ako pero hindi bumukas ang pinto. Pinipindot ko yung open pero wala talaga kaya pinindot ko na yung emergency call.

Gumalaw ulit ang elevator kaya tinigil ko ang pagpindot. Pero tumigil ulit ito at bumukas sa 4th floor. Pagbukas ng pinto ng elevator, nakita ko ang guwardiya na nanlaki ang mata at parang binuhusan ng malamig na tubig habang nakatingin sa direksyon ko.

Nang magsimulang sumara ang pinto, nakita ko ang tayo ng guwardiya na parang natataranta ang mga binti niya pero nakatingin pa rin sa direksyon ko. Nakita ko rin na tumalikod siya at parang tumakbo hanggang tuluyan nang sumara ang elevator.

Umakyat ulit ang elevator. Hindi na ako mapakali at kanina pa mabilis ang tibok ng puso ko. Huminto na naman ito. 5th floor. Pumikit ako ulit sa takot. Gusto kong sumandal, tumalikod, o kaya maupo sa sahig at magtakip ng mukha pero di ko magawang igalaw kahit anong parte ng katawan ko dahil sa kaba.

Bumukas ang elevator, sumara ulit, saka lang tuluyang bumaba. Sa wakas narinig ko ang ingay ng mga taong nag-uusap. Dumilat ang mata ko. Sa wakas ay nakababa na ako sa Ground floor.

Anong nangyari? Hindi ko alam.

Ikinuwento ko sa mga ka-team ko ang nangyari. Isa sa kanila ay may edad na. Binanggit niya na marami ang kakaibang kwento sa site kung saan nakatayo ang building namin. Sa malapit lang siya nakatira, at aniya, parte ito ng dating sementeryo.

Don’t quit your job

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In a generation where there is a growing population of those who dream of breaking free from nine-to-five job and where everyone who has bravely broken free advises you to do the same, an opposite advice may be a surprise.

Do. Not. Quit. Your. Job.

No. Do not resign just yet.

If you want to quit your job because you are tired of the hassle it all brings you when you catch the morning transport, and the stress it gets you when you fight your way to commute back home, no, that reason is not enough.

Yes, it is understandable. Yes it is tiring. No, nobody wants the stress in travelling to and from work.

But how long have you been living in the metro before you decide to take this job? If you live nearby and around the city, I bet you understood how terrible traffic is long before you took this job.

Before you quit, remember why you took this job in the first place. yes, in spite of the stress along the road.

Do you envy those who tell you about the convenience of their home-based job? There is a lot of good things about working from home. It works for some people.. And they want to tell you how convenient it is to live like that. They want to share its beauty, through social media.

But maybe, it works against for some. That is why they use social media to boost their ego. They use it as channel to peek out into the world.. The real world which you regularly see when you experience those stressful public transportation. The real world where you get to meet real people, new and old, young and aged..

Going out everyday shows you the real ways of the world. Its beauty, scars and wounds. There is a lot of good things about going out of your nest everyday for work.

If the reason you want to quit is because you want more money, no, that reason is not enough.

Yes, everybody wants a higher pay. No, you should not stay in a job that offers less if you think you could get better compensation at a company that requires the same or less effort.

Just remember that money is not always enough reason to quit. Do not give up your job that keeps you financially stable. Your company may not pay you as high as others can, but maybe it can take care of you better than those who promise to bring you wealth sooner.

Do not give up just yet. Money is not everything.

If you want to quit your job because you want to serve your religious community, no, that reason is not enough. Unless you take the vow of poverty, or the vow of celibacy (making you swear to denounce physical intimacy, and thus denouncing the rights and duty to bear a child into the world and build a family), no, do not quit your job for your religious community.

If you believe your religious community is worth the unemployment, then ask again. Will you really be serving God, or will you be serving your community leader?

Will you have enough resources to share your blessings among the less fortunate?

God will provide, yes you say. But what will happen to the gifts you were given? You got those talents, knowledge and skills for a reason. Use them. Be the means so God can provide for yourself, and others.

If you want to quit your job and move to another where you will be better appreciated or compensated; if there is fire building within you that your current job suppresses; if there is a life that needs your presence to evolve to its best.. Do it. Leave.. Otherwise, rethink your options.

Rekindling your sense of commitment to the very job you once dreamed of hiring you could allow you to give back to your loved ones, your community, your country. Maybe it could fund you to pursue your true hidden passion.

What would you lose when you quit? What would you get?
©2021 | J.E. Orolfo | All rights reserved

Sleep Paralysis: A Glimpse into One of the Nights

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I am seated in a chapel beside the 1-year old baby Halley*. (She was a child of my college friend who died last year.) Behind me, there are three elderly women. At the opposite pew, my brother Kuya Gil is seated beside his friends. My college bestfriend Danny sits at the pew in front of Kuya.
Halley cries so I called Danny. He comes right away and gets Halley. She starts smiling as if she is victorious. I laugh as I understand her pretend-cry.

The old woman behind me starts to cry. She laments that her time is fast approaching. The other women try to console her. Another girl who I knew in the university comes to the woman.

“My time is coming too,” she says. They are all crying.

Then one man in dark grey suit and tie enters the chapel. He stops halfway through the isle and stares at what is in front. He seems emotional. I grab his arm and try to talk to him but he is absorbed by the moment. He continues to walk forward crying.

I glance at my brother. He is chatting with his friends. And then….

What is he doing here? Why is Halley with us? Why am I in this place?

Halley must be with her father. Kuya is supposed to be in Canada. Danny is in Korea. And I am supposed to be… in bed.

No!! This just a dream. I am dreaming. I am back in my bed now. Now I am awake.. But no, I can’t move. Oh yes, this has happened thousands of times since I was a child. I know I only have to calm down. This is easier than when I am floating. I only have to relax my body till I gain control again. Then I will start moving my fingers and toes.

There, I can move them now. But my chest feels heavier. Wait! There’s someone awake. I am safe. They only just need to notice that I am having a “nightmare”. Then they will wake me up.

I will speak. I may not be understandable but whoever’s awake will hear me and realize what’s happening.

I am speaking. She noticed. I don’t know her, but she ‘looks’ nice. She is trying to wake me up. I still cannot move. My chest feels heavier. I can also hear my own heartbeats. They are becoming faster and louder.

Another person from outside the room is also awake.

“Maybe she’s already awake, but she can’t move,” she said to the first person awake.

“I want to wake her up, but I can’t reach her,” the first person said.

(I sleep at the higher bunk bed).

I am trying hard to relax my body. But what about my heartbeats? They are slowing down!!

I hear somebody else speaking.

“The window is open.”

I see hands from outside the window. They grab the window grills and now they are getting inside. I feel something coming up from my feet. And it’s as if something is piercing my side.

The dream!! It was about a funeral! It was about death!! Was it a warning? No way! I need to keep my heart beating. I will pray, but I will scream my prayer.

I am praying. But what are these prayers? I can’t understand them. What language is that?

Someone is now actually moving in the room. Oh yes, I know her. She’s my new roommate. There’s a light. It’s a light from a cellphone. It’s not enough. I will try to speak.

I want light. I am screaming. The new roommate is calling me. I still can’t wake up. I will call my friend who also happens to be my roommate.

“Arvie!”

“Ilaw!” (Light!)

I screamed for what felt like five minutes.

There! The room’s main light is on.

Arvie gets up and shakes me.

I am awake now. I look at my two roommates. They look back at me in horror.

It’s 5AM. I might fall asleep again. I know it will come back. I slapped myself and stayed awake.

I sent messages to my brother and my friend.

They replied that they, too, just woke up from a nightmare.
*Names were changed for privacy

Sa Jeepney

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Pauwi ako galing sa trabaho. Habang tahimik akong nagse-cellphone, biglang may umakyat na bata sa jeep na sinasakyan ko at nag-abot ng papel na’to..

Siguro, kahit sinong nagji-jeep eh pamilyar na sa ganitong experience. Itinago ko agad ang cellphone ko (pagkatapos ko kunan ng litrato) at hinawakan ng maayos ang bag ko. Yung kasama niya, nakaupo lang sa pinto ng jeep at nagtatambol ng lata ng gatas. Yung batang nag-abot ng papel naman ang kumanta kaya lang hindi ko maintindihan ang lyrics.
Naalala ko tuloy noong mga unang araw ko sa Taft. May sumakay na bata sa jeep at bigla na lang pinunasan ang sapatos naming lahat na mga pasahero. Dahil baguhan sa kalakaran sa Taft, naantig ang puso ko sa bata kaya nagbigay ako ng pera. Hindi man lang nagpasalamat ang bata tapos bumaba na.
Saka nagsalita ang mga kapwa ko pasahero.
“Kaya namimihasa ang mga yan kasi marami ang nagbibigay.”
“Dapat hindi na yan binibigyan. Ipambibili lang yan ng rugby.”

Minsan naman, nakasakay din ako sa jeep sa Taguig nang may sumakay na dalawang batang babae. Yung mas maliit na bata ang kumanta habang yung ate ang nagbibigay ng sobre. Hindi ako nagbigay ng pera. Nung kinokolekta na yung mga sobre, iniabot ko ang isang pack ng sky flakes. Nasagasaan ata ang pride ni ate na naghahanapbuhay, kaya ayun… itinapon sa mukha ko yung sky flakes.

Noong nasa Makati naman ako, may binatilyong umakyat sa jeep at nagpunas ng sapatos namin.. Yung katabi ko, ibinigay na yung isang donut na sobra sa kinakain niya. Nagpatay-malisya ako kasi wala ako balak magbigay. Tinitigan ako ng masama nung lalaki. Minura niya din yung matandang babae na nasa harap ko. Natakot ako kasi medyo malaki ang katawan nung namamalimos na yun..

Balik sa present..
Ipinasa ko yung papel sa katabi kong pasahero para siya na ang magbalik doon sa bata. Tapos tumingin ako sa labas ng jeep at nagpanggap na malalim ang iniisip.

Bumaba naman nang payapa ang mga bata. Noon nasabi ko sa sarili ko: sa wakas, may nagawa na yata akong tama sa jeep.

 


©2005 | J.E. Orolfo | All rights reserved