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Archive for October, 2004

Bitterly Burned by Burning Bitterness

Posted in Uncategorized on October 7, 2004| Leave a Comment »

I tried extremely hard not to be bitter to the bitter bank clerk, yesterday. I did. Though bitten, I was successful. Most of it because I truly COULD understand why he was the way he was. Bitter, that is. Who would not? His everyday tasks involve piles and piles of money. Stacks upon stacks. And none is his. Not even a single baiza. Wouldn’t you be bitter too?

I stood for five minutes being ignored. It was a long time to be waiting, especially when there was no one else in the bank. He saw me, he saw my papers. But he probably found it entertaining, to let a customer wait. ‘Ah well, it’s just another Asian, Filipino maid perhaps. Why would I care?’ And I was there trying to help Bibik make a Demand Draft. It wasn’t even MY mulah.

It wasn’t the issue, nevertheless. The issue was him being bitter. When I finally let out a big sigh, obviously trying to be obvious…he took my paper. Found a fault, and rudely told me to get the copy of Bibik’s labor card from the customer service desk. I gave him the you-don’t-speak-to-me-with-that-tone-okay look, and he looked at me back NOT!

I took my own sweet time lenggang kangkong Mak Limah to the CS desk and lenggang kangkong Mak Limah back to him with Bibik’s labor card photocopy. I wasn’t polite when I slid the paper into the counter box. And I had no single drop of politeness left when I didn’t you’re-welcome his thank-you. What was the point? My silence was better than a screw-you-too.

I could have been more vocal if I wanted to. But I have been here long enough to know the nature of these people. Plus, more often than not, I have seen the pay-off of patience. Was it not I who believed that had I the knowledge that words would fail me, silence would lift me up closer to heaven? Was it not I?

Echeh! Terikut dialogue Prince of Egypt lak sekejap. Mentang baru beli the DVD for Kitreena yesterday. By the way, here’s a picture of a magnolia I took over a year ago from my brother-in-law’s place in Atlanta, GA. He’s a nature lover that one. He’s the kind of guy who surrounds himself with the green-ness and gentleness of nature. When humankind or its unkindness fails him, magnolias and lilacs are just a sniff away. Now I wish kangkong’s blooms are as sweet-smelling (when I should be grateful they don’t smell anywhere close to belacan!)
Hmmm…come to think of it, perhaps nature does play an important part in a person’s bitterness. Think about it, long and hard lah kan. Imagine yourself being surrounded by dry and barren rocky mountains or scorching hot deserts full of emptiness. You turn to your right, and all you see are finger-countable mountain goats trying hard to reach the sky. You turn to your left, there they are…camels, flying horizontally across the sandy ocean. You would burn so bitterly as well. Would you not?

Well, anyway…why don’t you click on the magnolia picture above to see a larger view. I don’t know about you, but to me it looks like a sweet flower. I mean, literally sweet. I could almost taste its soft sugary honey-plated petals. The way icing sugar tastes on the tip of the tongue. Velvety shade of sweetness. Gitu.

Try putting one of those white petals on your tongue, and feel the sweetness wash down your dry throat. It washes your bitterness away, too. Trust me on this one. I know.


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