Am supposed to be removing make-up, brush teeth but my son has just ‘jom’ the toilet so I shall have to wait. We only use one toilet at home though we have three so that our relative doesn’t need to wash too many toilets. Nice, eh?
I wanted to rant about this earlier but was so busy until I lost the fiery rant already. Moreover, I was so happy to see myself in the finale of the cooking contest. When the video is up, I shall put on my blog, ok?
So, this morning, I had a spat with a elderly gentleman. I shall put it nicely since I have lost the fire to rant too much.
I got to my assignment place very early. I was the first videographer to reach. We videographers go to this place quite often so I am used to the place, very sure where to place my camera and how their press conference setting is like.
One gentleman asked several female reporters to move over. I was like…..wuah, he must have some dancers or something so he needs the bigger space. So, I got there, placed my darn heavy backpack on the floor, check out where my main subject is sitting, take out my bag of cables and mike. Plonked my tripod approximately where I want to put my camera.
He gave an order in a very patronising way. He pointed to the far end of the table and asked me to go there. I smiled and explained nicely where I am from. Before I can finished explaining, he said, “Don’t try to intimidate with me his name” (he quoted the name lah).
So, I told him nicely, “I am not doing that, I am only trying to tell you that….”
He said, “I am the founder of this project.” My inner side is already saying, “So, what, big deal.” But I told him, “I only want to tell you because I have to film him and if you ask me to go to the far end, I cannot get the angle. You see, my cable is this long.”
I showed him my 3m mike cable. He was pissed with me already and said, “Guan Eng’s people….” So, that got me riled up. I said, “I am only a videographer, my job is to video and you know, we Penang don’t have a lot of budget, so my camera is not like big TV stations, I cannot go far away.”
He then, add more insults like, “We can debate about this when Guan Eng is here. We are common rakyats. People always use his name…bla bla bla…”
Tell me lah, if you are in my shoes, would you retorted and tell him off? So, I pull in a deep breath, started grabbing my mike, mike stand, cable, tripod, video camera and backpack. I said, “Ok, then, no problem, I don’t have to video.”
I went to sit in a corner. Another team of videographer came in and I purposely said it loudly, “Jangan letak sana oi…nanti orang marah.”
So, yeah, he was pissed again. He came to me and started yakking away. I left that seat and went to sit with the other reporters. He came after me and added more bla bla bla…At one point, I told him, “Don’t put words into my mouth…”
Meanwhile, I felt my face getting hot and I am sure it has turned red. He then, tried in a patronising way said to me, “Ok, don’t spoil the function, don’t involve your personal feelings.” I told him, “I will know what to do with my video.” But he wouldn’t let it pass and kept making it like I am spoiling the function.
So, I rubbed it in with my ‘I will apologise and see what you can do.’ Remember, I am a Chinese woman and we Chinese women are darn good in arguments one. Or at least smart ones like me. Hehehe.
He went on and on and said he will remove a chair for me. I reminded him he asked me to move to the far side of the room. But I threw a ‘I apologise and sorry then.’ So, he can’t go further. In a room full of reporters, officers and etc, I had said sorry (though it is not my fault) so he had no way of digging further.
I moved to another corner when I saw someone I know. And he came to me again and apologised, this time, a genuine one. Because two other videographers have came in and they used the same place like I wanted. I supposed by then, he realised how foolish he is.
Damn….Now I am very convinced that old men get andropause and they can get mad over nothing. I was merely a kelefeh whom he thought he can take his anger on me. I suppose he has big issues with the big boss.
I mean, come on, what he had said reflected a lot about him. It is not even a political thing and yet, he said I tried to intimidate him with LGE’s name. When I tried to explain, he said, ‘guan eng’s people….bla bla bla….we are common rakyats’ I was like wth, is guan eng some emperor to you or what? Why take it out on me, duh?
And the ending? It was a very good one. Sorry I cannot reveal lah. But it is a ‘make farting sound with armpit’ kinda happy ending lah.
Something it’s hard when we just want to do our job. Some people get too personal.