There is an option to going to a therapist to unburden feelings. Just find a queue where people have to stand close to each other for more than five minutes and sooner than soon, you’d be spilling your thoughts to strangers.

Wow. Think of the money you’ll save.

This I learned when I accompanied a friend to the building of a television network. A mass communication grad, he had been trying to get into the world of media forever yet somehow, the only industry that responds to him is the call center.

He figured that maybe the resume he has been sending online regularly to media companies never get received. Hence, we two and about 20 other applicants standing beside the little space where the desk of front guard is, who seems to have no intention of letting anyone in unless he goes down on his knees and grovels.

"Sino? May appointment ka ba?" the guard said to the person in front of him and us.

The guy in front of me shoved something to him. The guard looks at it dubiously and said, "Teka lang po, i-che-check ko."

Then the guy whipped around and shook his head, muttering, "Eh, sira ulo pala tong guard na to, eh, tsk, tsk! Hindi yata marunong magbasa, eh! Bwisit, di ba?" He was then looking me in the eye.

"Yeah, well…" I grunted; a non-commital response people make that signals cessation in conversation or even before one could begin.

"Alam mo, kung masama lang akong tao, patatanggal ko yan sa trabaho! Ipatutumba ko yan! Hindi dapat pinatatagal ang ganyang mga klaseng tao sa mundo! Kung makapag-power trip, akala mo kung sino. Mukha ba kong may dalang bomba?" Another question. What was I to do?

"He he," was my address. I was trying to humor him but still indicating subtly that I didn’t want to talk. I looked at my friend but he was talking to someone on the phone.

Idea! I took out mine and pretended to text someone. Noticing that the guy in front of me can actually see the screen of my phone, I texted a message to myself just so he knows I was in fact busy and have friends.

"Chong, ano’ng oras na ba?" he asked. Guard was still nowhere in sight.

"5:16," I said. I started to whistle but was halted by another remark from the stranger in front of me who was acting like a long lost bud.

"Bwisit, ma-la-late na ko sa appointment ko!" he said, swearing some more. "Ang tagal naman nitong guard na to! Ano ba akala niya sa mga tao dito, walang gawa sa buhay?"

I just shook my head and pretended to look at something on the ground. I would’ve gone outside briefly just to elude this dude but, man, the entrance was too crowded for me to even hope to be able to get back to where I already was.

"O, bakit? May nahulog ka?" the guy in front of me asked concernedly. He began to kneel down to help me look for Godknowswhat. He was just being helpful, I know. But still… shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

Talk to the hand.

"Hindi, okay na," I said.

"Nakuha mo na?" he queried again.

"Ah, oo," I found myself saying. Great. I now have added to my mountain of lies unnecessarily.

I look at my friend but he was still conversing away with his new found friends (there were three of them by that time. What was it, the Council of Trent?).

"Sobra na talaga to, grrr! Antagal! Lagot sa kin tong guard na to! Lintek lang ang walang ganti. Hindi ba niya alam na malaking pera ang nawawala sa akin dahil lang sa ka-ewanan na to? Kung…"

"Andyan na," I said suddenly.

"O, ano?!?" the guy said angrily, facing the guard.

"Okay na daw po, ser," the guard replied.

"Sabi ko naman kasi sa yo, eh, tsk!" And just as the guy moved on, he turned to me to show his eyes roll back to his skull. Strangely, I found myself smirking and shaking my head to let him know I know exactly what he means. The guy gave me a salute and disappeared.

"Sino yon?" my friend asked me.

"Heh!"