Friday, February 8, 2008

outside this building


working inside a building of a big television network gives you the opportunity to meet different kinds of people. you'll see big personalities, celebrities, working professionals and common individuals who are hoping and striving for an instant better life through chances.

everyday, as early as 2 in the morning, there would already be a long pile of people, sleeping on the cold floor outside and waiting for the gates of respective game shows to open. the thing that was alarming about this was that most of them are old women and children who are struggling the cold of dusk by simply drinking hot drinks that they've brought and sharing a thin sheet of cloth.

you wouldn't imagine how its like falling in line on those piles. everybody are outwitting one another, screaming and engaging to fight cats because everybody claims that they came in first: just to learn that at the end of the day that there weren't able to make it to be a contestant. but this obviously wouldn't stop them from applying again and expect them to be on the next dusk, repeating the same viicious cycle.

there was one time, when i came out of work to buy a cigarette, a man was standing in front of the entrance door holding a wide manila paper that states his dismay for the crew of a local game show, who told him nasty things. the man claims that he crew screamed at him and rubbed into him that he doesn't have any chance to make it to the show even if he kept on applying everyday. he was addressing the letter to the host of the game show. i felt sad looking at the man while he was shouting in tears, requesting the host to go out of the building. no host went out.
one thing i also noticed was that there were a lot of psychologically challenged individuals who were walking around the station.

there is zorro, a vagrant along the vicinity that wears tattered and soiled clothes folded and sewed to form a mask and a cape. usually, he guards parked cars infront of the building and do traffic instructing as well. there is also the torch bearer, a vagrant who wears the same type of clothes. you would see him every morning jogging around the building raising an ice cream cone. there is also the talent scout. compare to the previous ones, she wears the typical clothes. but wears an oddly and thickly applied make up. you would see her roaming around coffee shops introducing herself to have lots of connections inside the network and asking people if they want to be an artist. the funny thing about it is there are still a number of people who would bite her offer.

everyday, new sets of people come, stay and go. sometimes they'll talk to you, ask for directions, borrow you lighter, ask for spare coins for jeepny fare and even touch your life.

12 comments:

Quentin X said...

In a society where the gap between the haves and have nots is wide, there is a tendency towards a get rich quick mentality.

KRIS JASPER said...

which network?

anw, sad isn't it? people test their luck by staying up all night,

then again waiting if their names will be called,

then there goes the actual game.

But life is a gamble anyway.

Turismoboi said...

these game shows are only instrument and only a one time chance of luck

these doesnt mean that these people will go ahead, fall in line everyday para lang sa game shows

alam atin mahirap ang buhay pero di ba tulad nga ng sabi nila

nasa diyos ang awa nasa tao ang gawa

sana lang maintindihan nila na ang game shows ay hindi sagot sa kahirapan bagkus isang daan lamang para sa panibagong kinabukasan

Kris Canimo said...

culture of easy money. instead of making fun of the hoi polloi, why not 'teach them how to fish'. now it sounds better than to stand there broadcasted on national tv selling your own 'drama' for money. matapos mong umiyak papasayawin ka pa?! wtf.

Unknown said...

wanderer, i always see zorro during marathons and i know which game show u are referring to kris.

whatever happens to the people, it always reflect back to how society "raised" them. it's not necessarily the government. it could be some other institutions of the society. it could be even the individual himself. but who else could help you but you yourself.

Bulaang Katotohanan said...

vagrant psychosis = taong grasa
hmmm, dadami talaga sila. sa hirap ba naman ng buhay at sa lure ng mabilis na pera at chance na manalo ng milyon...talagang mapapraning ka kakapila at kakaisip.

wanderingcommuter said...

bk: thanks for the new jargon. hehehe! well, instant money is indeed a tasteful bite. who wouldn't want one, honestly and practically speaking? but as they usually say it, the instant it comes, the instant it goes. in general, nobody could really blame them because as we all know opportunity is as rare as seeing a blue moon in a night.
tripper: really? i think he is still roaming around the area. would this mean that you are also around the area? hmmm...
the power of socialization vs. individualism. wonderful topic to tackle with. are they related? or could they be separated?
kris jasper: you have only two networks that are competing against one another. but i think there is no sense of keeping it a secret anymore when it comes gameshows, its abscbn.
though i am not sure if they consider themself as a network anymore.
indeed, life is a gamble.
quentin x: exactly! but surprisingly, there are just a number of the haves would want to live a simpler life. one good example is coconuter, who i really admire (check his blog: coconuter.blogspot.com).

turismoboi: as i've mentioned to bk, indeed life must go on. but in this life where opportunity is as rare as seeing a bluemoon in a night, marami pa rin ang kakapit at kakapit sa patalim. hidni man ganun kainam ang jive ng analogy na sinabi ko. sana naintindihan mo pa rin ang punto ko.
believe me, i thought of this as well, before. but seeing the same faces every dusk as i go to work, it seemed like life for them already revolved among gameshows. even the previous ultra stampede would atest into this, in which, despite the great number of people who died, there are still lots of people, some are survivors, who still wanted to take risk, fall in line and take part of such game shows.
i must agree that people should realize its not only luck that decides one's fate. its always us who carries our ship to its destination....
*palakpakan!!!!

Dabo said...

wow.. quite interesting..why those broadcasters make a documentation of this in black and white.. it is worth a great story.

devastating? probably not, but only them could stop this pathetic culture they are promoting and promoting very well.

i wish the sky would fall and give us all our reality check now!

wanderingcommuter said...

davenport: indeed, well sometimes kasi journalist from such networks also consider if the report that they're going to conduct will be detrimental to their mother station's other show.

sana nga... i wish it falls hard! thanks for the comment!

bulitas said...

the sad thing about those game shows/contests of local tv networks is that they pose a spark of false hope to millions of people; that everyone could be an instant millionaire, provided that they flood the seats of the show and make the show top the ratings.

tsktsk

wanderingcommuter said...

bulitas: exactly!!! hayy,,, they will do everything just because of the ratings...haaay

Julienne said...

galing mo pala magdrawing!! i think this one here's my favorite of the group. it's very...strong. the impact, i mean.