How Not to Look Like an Idiot When Badtrip

“Kailiangan nasisira ang LCD ng laptop, nagtatampisaw sa baha, nananakawan ng cellphone at nababalewala ang pinaghirapan ng sabay-sabay? Hindi pwedeng isa-isa?”
~My Facebook status post


Ok, so there are a lot of things in this world that piss many people off. Of course, being badtrip is only natural, especially when you see people like a certain ex-President bemoaning not being able to use her laptop while under house/hospital arrest, when, in some non-media covered part of the country, mothers are dying of the preventable complications, children are being raped and sexually abused, and animals are being treated unspeakably by poor excuses for humane beings.

Honest to God, it doesn’t take a lot to absolutely piss me off, and there was a time that I would – literally – throw a chair at you if you got into my nerves. If you’re lucky, then a couple of colorful word from my extensive vocabulary of cuss would suffice to express my displeasure at whatever abhorrence you’ve brought upon me. Thank goodness I grew out of it. Whenever I remember all those times that I went ballistic over a teensy-weensy lil thing, I go:



I can now happily say that instead of going all Hulk, I go do some less destructive way to deal with being thwarted by the world when pursuing my desires for a better world...

So, here my rules of not making a fool of yourself when badtrip.

1. Never involve the world when you’re just pissed off with one person, especially when you are at work and everybody can see just how good you can throw a toddler-thumping tantrum. Seriously, you do not want the wrong people to see exactly how childish you can be. Double the penalty if you’re in the management. Being a manager/leader/superior doesn’t give you the right to blow up, it gives you the responsibility to deal with it.

2. Pissed off that some religious groups, idiotic TV personality/senators, and some ultra-conservative groups are spitting at the face of the escalating number of maternal deaths and HIV/AIDS? Stop bitching about it and start DOING something about it. Take to the streets, go write a blogpost, be involved in organizations that are willing to work for what you believe in. Trust me, it significantly lessens the badtrip.

3. When expressing your displeasure via E-mail, SMS, or even chat, and it is to a co-worker, refrain from using ALL CAPS. Internet language suggests you’re either a jejemon without knowledge of the appropriate use of capitalizations, or that you are screaming your head off. Screaming is definitely unprofessional.

One of my clinical instructors in college did make a good point though. She said, “What are you gonna do, capslock me to death?” Point taken.

4. Never ever turn to drugs, alcohol, and/or sex when you’re pissed. The typical teleserye might suggest turning to these little temptations for the sake of melodrama whenever we’re heart-broken, but seriously, what happens afterwards? You get a hang-over, or worse: STI. Real smart move. You’ve succeeded in wrecking your life further.

5. Compare yourself to other people. So, okay, you got stuck walking in the flood, in the middle of Bagyong Ondoy. Badtrip, but still a better story than getting stuck in places where flooding is too mainstream, or sitting through seven mind-killing re-runs of that movie with the sparkly vampire and apathetic leading lady.

6. Refrain from flashing the finger, particularly the middle one, or its less infamous but equally asking-for-trouble sibling, the pointer. It’s downright rude. Remember that if the offending party is an impolite obnoxious imp, there is still no reason why you ought to step down to his/her level.





7. Keep the palengkera moments in check. Please, people are not interested on how extensive your vocabulary of cuss is. It’s not impressive; it makes you look like a bloody harpy who’s out for blood. Spew cuss only in the presence of most trusted friends who will not think of you as a hormonal war freak.

8. Catharsis. If you’re pissed of, say it, but remember to do it nicely. Society demands that you get angry with poise. Also, make sure that you point out clearly that what was done to you really cranked up your blood pressure. Be sure that the offending party knows exactly what was done, and what should be done about it. They might even say sorry and try and turn things around. Or not. Regardless, be clear with your message. In my experience, sending rage text messages to a bunch of friends or posting “I’M PISSED OFF” status messages on my Facebook don’t work. Same thing goes for posting random quotes by random people who probably do not know you, or care.

9. And lastly, get over it, and move on to better things. It’s simple, really. The best way to get over badtrip is to render the cause insignificant in your big, bright future.

Hopefully these not-to-look-like-a-war-freak-idiot tips did you some good. Now excuse me, it’s my turn to put them to practice.


Disclaimer: Photos are not mine. They can be found in Google and 9gag.