One of the boys...

I think I am the kind of person that do not inspire deference from the first look. I think that I'm the kind of person that exudes some sort of negative physical vibes to certain people who I meet for the first time.

=*=

Tipong pagpunta ko sa planta ng Pepsi-Cola Philippines sometime ago, the guard at the gate assumed I am not someone who is meeting the IT manager:

I was walking up to the gate when the guard blocked my path, "Saan kayo?"

"Sa IT." That is what I usually visit in our customers, the Information Technology (IT) department. It can also be called Information Systems (IS) department. Its the same, IT or IS or any other names..

"Saan?"

"Sa IT."

"Kanino?"

"Kay Bong Tanamayor, IT Manager."

"Sa IS. IS kasi sabihin nyo. IT kayo ng IT. Walang IT dito."

Honestly, I don't think the guard was disrespectful or rude. He may well be that, but I think that I project this persona of a 'probinsyano' and 'simpleton' that the guard simply does not effect his "respectful" persona or his "im-at-work" mode when he was talking to me. Like the maids and other househelps, we know they are there but there is no effort to be decent or respectful to them; we simply behave as ourselves in their presence.

I think I have this effect on people, I strip them of their pretensions. That is why I have this unusual number of similar experiences.

=Starbucks=

Once, I went to the Starbucks in Emerald Avenue, Ortigas and told the girl at the counter, "Miss, isang kape nga. Maliit."

Counter girl: "Bosing, 60 pesos ang kape dito. Diretso ka dyan sa kaliwa (pointing outside the Starbucks) may canteen dyan."

When I was relating this to my business partners, they said I should have complained to the manager or at least slap a bundle of thousand peso bills on the counter. My girlfriend said I should have retorted with some witty comeback. I did nothing of the above. In fact, I think the counter girl was simply, honestly being helpful, being emphatic.

=Travel Agency=

Ako: "Bili ako ng isang roundtrip ticket puntang Singapore."
Agent (looking at me): "Sabihin nyo sa amo nyo, kailangan ng passport."

=Property Sales Agent=

While taking a look at the booths and displays of condos, houses and lots in one of those property agents in SM Megamall, I approached one of the salesmen:

Ako: "Pwedeng humingi ng pricelists?"
Salesman (after looking at his notebook): "Wala na ho kaming available na mga low cost housing."

=Acebedo Optical=

Ako (pointing to a particular frame): "Magkano to?"
Saleslady (pointing to the cheaper plastic frames): "Mahal yan sir. Dito ho kayo pumili."

=*=

Of course, there are certain upsides of stripping strangers of their pretensions. I could also say that I probably get an unusual number of random kindness from strangers. I will write a blog on this aspect one time...