the boredom of ramfree17

For sometime now I have opted to play with my responses to the mundane question of “how are you doing (today)?” in the office. My response admittedly has turned dark lately but the canned response usually are:

• Better than I deserve! (credits to Dave Ramsey)
• Same-old, same-old.
• SSDD 😉
• Can’t wait for the week to be over.
• Looking forward to the weekend.
• Still breathing.
• Dying a little bit every day.

The last one is a play in the saying that one of these days death will come to our doorstep. It is a reflection of the common reality that all of us will need to pass through that milestone in our lives. The question however is that given of that inevitable reality, how much of that time can we comfortably say we have lived; and not just along for the ride and surviving? Can we look back at the end of each day or week and say “it was worth it”?

I saw my father today

In fleeting moment he was dancing in our living room.

I was not hallucinating nor dreaming

But it took me a while to recognize him.

See, I got my pointer finger squeezed between the hinges of the portable dog fence.

The shock and adrenaline rush causing a familiar tirade. A wail of pain peppered with a self-directed admonishment:

“Ang tanga. Ang tanga-tangaaaa!” (“Dumb move. You d-dumbasssss!”)

While enveloped by a crimson pain for an eternity stretching few seconds that was when I saw him.

For that was exactly how he would react in situations like that. Reactions that I aways thought funny and, par for the course with my father, “eccentric”. I didn’t realize that I have appropriated it as well.

Ergo, I am my father’s son and a part of my father lives within me.

For most, today marks the start of the Christmas season as the day one of the “BER” months . For me it unexpectedly announces the return of an old acquaintance that I hoped would never show its face again.

Hello D! I hope you dont stay. My Septembers had been fine without you and I dont look forward to you lurking around the corner. I am better than this.

Image sourced via www.publicdomainpictures.net/

Wake me up when September ends.

You probably have heard of “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” or “you cannot make omelette without cracking eggs” but company business optimism is taking this a bit further. They are thinking ahead and in what I would assume to be pursuit of cost cutting the powers that be has shifted to “why bother making lemonades and omelette in the first place? let us take away the lemons and eggs so you wont have that problem” mentality.

Ingenious, yes.
Devilish, yes.
Practical? It depends on whose perspective.

I like lemonade and omelette. I also like having the choice whether I will or I will not have them.

ciao!

I am cleaning up my work inbox to free up some space and came across an email from the “enthusiastic” events committee of the UPEM team. This was about the awards they give out during the year-end party. Guess which one is perennially mine. 🙂

• Banksy Award – lives up freedom of expression via whiteboard graffiti
• Bleep Award – for having the most “colorful” vocabulary in the team
• Bully Award – do we even have to define this?
• Caffeine Addict Award – for someone who drinks the most coffee in a day even if not collecting stickers for a Starbucks Planner
• Call of Duty: Ghost Ops – for the one who stays longer than our core hours to fulfill duties
• Could Have Been Sweethearts – their chemistry is palpable that in another time, place, and lifetime they could have been… We can rename this to Popoy and Basha Award? May second chance! =))
• Duct Tape Award – for being able to fix issues, resourcefully
• Early Bird Award – for consistently being early in the office
• Fitness First Award – for someone who hits the gym regularly
• Food Basket Award – for being a saint in providing nutrition to the team
• Human Vulture Award – for eating anything found lying around
• Iron Chef Award – for the person who always packs a delicious looking lunch while everyone else gets Ministop’s Nuclear Chicken
• Keep Calm and Carry On Award – for being calm, cool, and collected on the highest severity of issues
• Man of Steel Award – for being thoroughly dedicated to his work that no disaster can stop him . This is given to the teammate who had no or the least number of SL’s/EL’s for the year.
• Megaphone Award – for actively voicing out (sometimes louder than necessary) his opinions to the team
• Most Bromantic Couple – for living up The Bro Code
• Mr./Ms.Seenzone Award – for someone who turns the Lync taskbar icon into a blinking light, and prefers the old fashioned way of one on one interaction
• Neatest Nook Award – for having the cleanest cube in the office
• One More Thing Award – most likely to extend meetings
• Papa/Mama Bear Award – for someone who takes care of the team
• Pig Pen Award – for someone who has the messiest cube in the office
• Six-pack Award – for someone so funny, he can give you a six-pack just by laughing
• Social Butterfly Award – for someone you are always up to date with due to his/her social media posts
• Stuck Thread King/Queen – for consistently causing downtime in any of our environments
• TMNT Award – for the one who demonstrates proficiency and skill in the art of stealth
• UPEM Fashionista (female) – for consistently dressing extraordinary in an ordinary day in the office
• UPEM Fashionisto (male) – for consistently dressing extraordinary in an ordinary day in the office

Quoting Robert: “Good Times!”

ciao!