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.
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
Ito ay kwento ng isang batang matigas ang ulo.
Nangarap, naghirap, bumuo ng mga plano.
Nagsimula sa baba, nagtyaga sa trabaho
Nagsunog ng kilay; puyat at pagod ay inilako.
Di pagmamayabang, may angking kagalingan
May tereng ang isip kung ano-ano ang napagbalingan
Pero ang di maatim ay ang sumunod sa lakaran
Iwanan ang nakagisnan, sa agos ay magpatianuran.
Sa pagdaan ng panahon, binantayan ang sariling pwesto.
Sa mga paanyayang umakyat di laging umaamo.
“Kayo na lang, masaya na ako dito
Di naman ako sasaya sa iyong mga pangako.”
Ngunit di namalayan na sa oras na tumatakbo
Ang sistemang hinindian ay di naman humihinto
Unti-unting nilulukuban ang kanyang pagkatao.
Isang umaga ay nagising na lang ang batang katoto
Tumingin sa nadaanan,nagiisip kung nasaan na ako.
Di naman dito nagtatapos ang kwento
Pero kung ano kakahitnan, di ko pa napagtatanto.
SLA – the maximum amount of time that a task can be put off that the requester cannot contest except to raise the cost by involving higher-paid individuals to increase the imaginary priority shown to external users.
Sometimes misunderstood to be the time needed to require work to be completed.
Philippines is the prime example of a modern day Babel.
Calls for unity is a running and expensive gag. Political opinions are like assholes, 99.99% of the people have one; most of them different in varying degrees; and each group hell bent in believing that they are in the right. The best we can aspire for is a ruling majority as even consensus is too far fetched of a goal.
Make no mistake that I love my country. Its people, not as much. But the weird part is that we make good citizens but only if it is in a foreign land. I am still puzzled if it means those who have the qualities of being a good citizen tend to migrate out of frustration, or if the endemic political system in the country is really an engulfing viral machine immune to vaccinations. Maybe it is both?
Patriotic but tribalistic; the combination is a bitter sweet pill to swallow. It is like mixing oil and water which is possible with the right emulsifier. If only we can agree on what that is.
Wikipedia starts its definition of the Golden Rule with mentioning its reference as a law of reciprocity in most religion. For some reason this version is the one that sticks with me:
It is fairly long but there is a shortened version for it which is not normally used as it shows the selfishness of the quote:
Ang tagal na inobserbahan
Bago nagkalakas ng loob na pagtangkaan.
Nagpakahirap na abutin, kamtin
Sa wakas sa isang malalim na hinga ay naangkin.
Pagkatapos ano na ang kasunod?
Puwang na iniwan ay bakit may bahid na lungkot.
Siguro sa susunod na lang ulit na paggising
Aasa ba ako sa iyong muling pagdating?
Lumipas na pala ang dalawang dekada
Na ikaw ang aking laging kasama
Anim na taon na magkasintahan
Labing apat na taon na kasagutan.
Mga nagdaang taon na puno ng pagkukunyari
Teka, ibig ko palang sabihin ay pagpupunyagi.
Ikaw lamang ang aking kanlungan at bato
Ang aking kinontratang ipukpok sa aking ulo.
Sa aking paboritong asawa, kaibigan, kaaway at kabit.
Heto pa sa susunod na dalawampung taon
Tayo ay parang bigas at alak, mas mainam kapag laon.
It took me awhile to compose this post, possibly because of self-denial.
I am still trying to believe that everything is still the same.
The realization is now sinking in, that my brother is gone and has moved on.
I don’t know to where but I would like to think it would be a much better place.
At least in a state where he is free from physical and emotional suffering.
In his wake I have tried not to shed a tear, even cracking jokes while everyone is near.
My mind silently attempting to fill the unwanted shoes of being the new eldest son.
Wearing a smiling mask while my mouth tastes like ash.
In the end, it was all for naught as the emotions flowed out.
We would have wanted to keep him longer but at the cost of extending his suffering.
We all wanted to cheer him on, to encourage him to look at the beauty of life.
We egged him to believe in miracles for that is the only hope we can offer.
The charade went on until his body caught up with his spirit and both gave up.
I am my brother’s keeper as he was mine.
But now that is just an empty space.
It will take a while for everyone to adjust to the situation
But for his and our sake, we will soldier on.
Rest finally, rest well.
Savor the respite that your next journey bestows.
Don’t mind us anymore as you have already done your part.
We will meet you again, in spirit, in dreams or at the very least in our hearts.
