Amalayer. Yeralayer. Wadever!

Just recently, I became an aunt to a very cute and healthy baby boy named Zach Christian. Since he was born, pictures and videos of him posted by the new parents made my day. A couple of days ago, while I was looking for new pictures of him on my sister’s facebook page, I saw this you tube video link that she shared about a rude LRT passenger. The title was what caught my attention since it was a word that I haven’t come across in the many years that I’ve been reading and writing. AMALAYER (!), it read. I thought it’s about a woman jokingly telling someone that she’s a lawyer but… oh, well.

It’s gone global, and every minute it’s getting more attention than it actually deserves even just for mere cyber entertainment. You see, this kind of scene happens everywhere, every day. In the hospital for example, there are so many doctors ego trippin' (Here’s an important tip: The HUMBLE doctors are usually the BETTER ones, professionally speaking.), patients and their relatives complaining about the littlest of things after seeing the hospital bill, and nursing superiors making a big deal out of every simple mistake just so they could feel good about themselves. Almost all of us have been in an “Amalayer” situation at least once in our lives. I, for one, have been in many. There were times when I was the “Amalayer” (the bitchy one with the higher pitch), and there were times also when I was the “Amalayee” (the doormat). For the infamous “star” of the clip, the newest target of online fury, it’s plain and simple: Shit happens.  The man with the cam who posted the thing better be practicing what he just preached.

I have never been a security guard in my life and I doubt that I’ll ever be, but I have no difficulty understanding how difficult that job is. Give a nurse six patients in one shift at a private hospital and she’ll already feel tired five minutes after endorsement. I can only imagine what an LRT guard is imagining while preparing for work. Thousands of people from all over coming to and fro and all the drama that they carry with them, gosh!  The sight of a clock showing you that you have just started your work day can be enough to tick you off. But, I’ve also been reprimanded inappropriately by so many people, sometimes without plausible reasons and it sucks when I can’t fight back. That’s when I wish I had the “Amalayer guts”.  Oftentimes, verbally wrestling with a dumbass who causes me a considerable amount of anger can't fix the problem. I just think about my mother and the things she had to go through to raise me, and forgive the other person’s impeccable stupidity and ungodly manners for her sake.

Maybe the lady guard did reprimand the girl in a manner that was inappropriate -according to her standards- because there was NO seminar for that. Maybe the girl got provoked and overreacted in a “konyo” way that is SO her. Maybe the guard did not retaliate because she’s not SO “konyo”, or she was briefed on how to handle difficult passengers- THIS the government had a seminar for. Maybe the girl, educated as she claims to be, does not have a degree on how to act like one. Maybe, one or both of them are lying.  Thing is, these are two different people, with two different lives, with loved ones who are hurting because the one they care about is in an unfortunate situation. Maybe the one who took the video just got so annoyed and thought that posting something like this can make it all stop. I sure hope it would. All the security guards of the planet will be more courteous. People will learn how to act accordingly in public, no matter how strong the emotions they’re having at any given situation, because we’re all in one big reality show. The world would then be a better place. Plus, “Amalayer” can officially be a word in the dictionary.

The times my nephew was born into is not only hard; it’s unlike any other century of the past. Raising kids these days is going to be one hell of a job. It’s okay. Good thing he’s got great parents. He’s got a cool aunt too. “Ama-share” to him the things that I learned, “ama-teach” him how to deal with life one person/one situation/one day at a time, and “ama-tell” him that in life, you never know what shit you’ll get for every shitty thing that you’ll do. “Ama-use” kid-friendly words, I promise.

 

By now, y'all must've watched the video. But for those of you who just woke up from a coma, or have been pretending not to give a shit about the "Amalayer" phenomenon, here's the link: "AMALAYER" LRT incident (13/11/12)