SHAKEN BUT NOT STIRRED
i was in makati yesterday to cover an event in one of the hotels there and later decided to leave it to write my articles in some press room nearby. there i was, cavorting with some colleagues from the broadcast media (one of them was so incensed with mcdonalds for botching the orders) when their respective cellphones rang.
there was a blast in nearby glorietta 2 mall.
a few minutes later, sirens of ambulances filled the air. i was starting to write my first article for the day when that happened. another colleague whom i was with during the coverage suddenly burst into the room and declared it was a good thing he decided not to go to glorietta after we left the hotel or else...
i was even thinking of going there after i have finished the articles because i thought i needed some new blouses since i'm already bursting in my older ones and later i would just ride the FX at the terminal at the back of landmark.
so there we were, huddled in front of the tv watching/hearing our colleagues -- who were with us some 5 to 10 minutes ago -- reporting about the tragedy.
another colleague and i were skeptical about the exploding LPG theory since the cameraphone photos taken by our colleague that was broadcasted on tv showed no signs of fire that usually accompanies LPG explosions. no one reported about gas smells or something that would indicate gas leaks.
it was already 3:00 pm but still i wasn't able to continue writing my articles. i don't know why i was affected. by 4 pm i forced myself to finish 3 articles within an hour.
another colleage texted me and asked where i was and she was worried i was in glorietta since she knew i was just in the area. told her i was fine and i didn't go to the mall for lunch.
it was already 5 when i called up the office and asked if all my stories came in our mailbox and told my colleague on the other line that i was in makati so i couldn't go to our office for the company meeting.
"ha? nasa makati ka? kanina pang naghahanap si Sir ng tao sa makati, yung tatao sa makati med."
i didn't know the protocol for cross-beats. i didn't receive orders from my section editor. i was stuck...catatonic baga. di ako makagalaw, di ko alam kung ano dapat gawin.
i'm not really brave when it comes to things like that. i wouldn't know how to report tragedies like that. i'm emotional and easily shaken. i could explain to you the philippine economy and business, the subprime mess and interest rates but i don't think i can handle things like deaths and such.
but others would argue that i should be able to do that since -- well, you know, people in our business should be thick-skinned and unaffected.
there i was, being the exact opposite.
there was a blast in nearby glorietta 2 mall.
a few minutes later, sirens of ambulances filled the air. i was starting to write my first article for the day when that happened. another colleague whom i was with during the coverage suddenly burst into the room and declared it was a good thing he decided not to go to glorietta after we left the hotel or else...
i was even thinking of going there after i have finished the articles because i thought i needed some new blouses since i'm already bursting in my older ones and later i would just ride the FX at the terminal at the back of landmark.
so there we were, huddled in front of the tv watching/hearing our colleagues -- who were with us some 5 to 10 minutes ago -- reporting about the tragedy.
another colleague and i were skeptical about the exploding LPG theory since the cameraphone photos taken by our colleague that was broadcasted on tv showed no signs of fire that usually accompanies LPG explosions. no one reported about gas smells or something that would indicate gas leaks.
it was already 3:00 pm but still i wasn't able to continue writing my articles. i don't know why i was affected. by 4 pm i forced myself to finish 3 articles within an hour.
another colleage texted me and asked where i was and she was worried i was in glorietta since she knew i was just in the area. told her i was fine and i didn't go to the mall for lunch.
it was already 5 when i called up the office and asked if all my stories came in our mailbox and told my colleague on the other line that i was in makati so i couldn't go to our office for the company meeting.
"ha? nasa makati ka? kanina pang naghahanap si Sir ng tao sa makati, yung tatao sa makati med."
i didn't know the protocol for cross-beats. i didn't receive orders from my section editor. i was stuck...catatonic baga. di ako makagalaw, di ko alam kung ano dapat gawin.
i'm not really brave when it comes to things like that. i wouldn't know how to report tragedies like that. i'm emotional and easily shaken. i could explain to you the philippine economy and business, the subprime mess and interest rates but i don't think i can handle things like deaths and such.
but others would argue that i should be able to do that since -- well, you know, people in our business should be thick-skinned and unaffected.
there i was, being the exact opposite.
