Mar 06
ErinMovies, Rubbish
Last night we watched “Music & Lyrics” which is another feel-good movie. I really liked the humor of the film but my wife doesn’t. She said she prefers “The Holiday” which is another feel-good movie we watched a couple of weeks ago.
I like both films but I feel they are not comparable. My wife said that M&L is too predictable but feel-good movies are not about the ending. Endings are just icing on the cake for these type of films, what is important is the journey and how the story developed to reach that predictable ending. M&L was the fast-paced story type while TH is more of a “keep you guessing what more they could squeeze in before you have to face the ending” type of story. On both types the viewers are already aware that there are only two endings: a happy one or a sad one, and I never doubted that both movies will opt for the happy one.
I don’t know if this is valid but when I saw the trailer for M&L in the movies there was a scene where Hugh’s character(?) said (in typically haughty british accent) “Oh my god, you are killing the song…” which was pretty funny. I didn’t notice it in the movie last night though so I don’t know if they edited it out, I missed it, or I am purely delusional.
Anyway, add those movies in your feel-good movie list. In mine, they accompany “Click” and “40 first dates”. Adam Sandler makes good movies of this type, well most of the time. 🙂
ciao!
Feb 04
ErinRubbish
I was going to comment this post on Chris’ blog about Manny Pacquiao entering politics but it was something I wanted to write about (the fame+politics bit and not the MP-specific issue) so I am making it a blog-entry in itself. It also gives me an alibi of keeping this blog alive. 🙂
I just saw in the TV a couple of mornings ago that Manny wont be able to file for candidacy in GenSan because he needs to have one year residence in the city and he still have residency in Manila.
If Manny ever runs for office then that will only show that he has taken too many blows in the head. As a boxer he has shown that he has the capability to unite the nation but as a politician he has the capability of splitting the nation into a few more pieces. If ever he enters politics then it is already a given that he will win the first time because:
- Majority of the Filipino voters are stupid. They equate popularity with capacity to serve.
- Manny is from GenSan so he has a home court advantage.
- Manny is currently at the peak of his career ergo he is famous ergo most voters will pick him because they are stupid.
- Majority of the Filipino voters are stupid.
Did I say that most voters are stupid? I meant to say they are uninformed, stubborn *and* stupid.
If ever Manny will win then there are 3 outcomes:
- the omnipotent force in this universe will smile on him, protect him, grant him the wisdom similar to what was reputed to be given to King Solomon, grant him the courage to fight the dirty political machinery, and the temperance to not be drunken with power. He will then be able to serve his constituents like how naive children envision serving others would be.
- be a political lackey since he has no idea about governance.
- be the sugar-daddy of the people he meant to serve until he has already blown all of the savings he got from boxing. And then he
- would be forgotten because he does not have anything else to offer, or
- He would succumb to the system of kickbacks and be an avid follower of traditional politicking.
This is why I admire Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes. He makes the nation proud and he has the common sense to keep out of politics. He knows he can help more via his own little ways.
ciao!
Oct 12
ErinRubbish
According to my college logic professor, beautiful debates happen when two opposing sides can argue the validity of their points without any intent of winning the other side over. At least during the duration of the debate. It is highly unlikely that one side will immediately appreciate the points and counter-points presented to them since it is hard for any rational human being to completely do a 180 degrees on what they believe in.
If the person engaged in the debate is easily swayed into the arguments of the other side it does not mean that the other side is good. It means that the person easily swayed did not really believe the position (s)he is in.
Good debates make people think long after the debate is over. Debates per se do not involve shouting matches, nor employ dirty tactics like name-calling or derogatory insinuations. Any ‘debates’ using those are not really debates but merely arguments. Debates are exchange of ideas fueled by passion and intelligence, while arguments are exchage of words laden with emotion. You ‘win’ debates not because you deliver beautifully crafted speeches, but because you stimulated other people to think for themselves if what you said was true.
I admire people who could deliver a good debate but they are few and far between. Most belong to the average category (I wish I belong to this category, lol) but the moment their passion begins to sound like emotions then that is the time I just phase out (or phase them out).
Gist of this post: Debates make people think, good debates make the other side think, arguments can get people killed.
ciao!
Sep 29
ErinGarbage, Rubbish
I am currently employed by a big, multinational company dealing with various IT outsourcing and consultancy deal. With the Philippine office alone, we are already dealing with more than a hundred projects, therefore the company explored various ways to augment its information distribution channel especially for emergency situations wherein not all personnel have access to their company email (default communications channel). The company employed a SMS-based emergency information dissemination channel wherein employees can subscribe to receive ‘late-breaking news and advisories’. Given that the SMS-usage in the Philippines is very pervasive; this looks like a perfect deal.
The infrastructure seems to be ideal but as always it is the human side that functions like crap. The problem with the setup is somebody has to send out the message and given the variance of project culture in the local office, such messages need to be approved (re: immense red tape). The system really underwent a litmus test yesterday when typhoon ‘Milenyo’ hit the NCR area and I have to say that the SMS system is just an excess baggage.
Understandably the NCR is buffeted by strong winds since it was given a Signal No. 3 rating. Normally that should have suspended work since it is a fortuitous event, an act of God if you will. Unfortunately the SMS channel was dead silent even when I have arrived in the office. The SMS announcement came at around 1PM, at the height of the storm when roofs were being torn and billboard structures and trees were being ripped from the foundations.
To add insult to the injury the message goes something like “Exercise discretion if you want to go to the office as safety is a personal responsibility. Project management can work out with you if you want to go home. Should you go home you can charge the hours to your vacation leave.” Typical upper management bureaucracy! The message is worthless because:
- Majority of the employees are already in the office!
- The purpose of the emergency channel is to provide emergency information when its usefulness is still relevant.
- We don’t need to know that project management can work out offset or leave hours if we want to go home due to the weather. We already know that but whatever the reason (cheap, needy or working on a tight deadline), we cannot afford to skip work. Management knows it is the norm in an outsourcing environment since the storm does not cover the international client.
It would have been useful to receive that message when I was still at home. I would have skipped the exciting experience of getting stuck in traffic for 2.5 hours from Ayala to Shaw Blvd (standing nonetheless since the buses are jam-packed),and standing in line in the FX terminal for 3 hours since most FX units are not on the road due to damages caused by felled trees and flying debris.
Worthless crap of a service. They should either retire it, or else revamp the red-tape laden process.
Feb 01
ErinRubbish
Feeling lazy at work, I blitzed some blogs and happen on this post by Dido regarding his reasons of staying here in the Philippines given the worsening economy and living conditions (attributed to very opinionated political, religious, and ksp groups).
Being asked the same question at least once a week (but not necessarily as talented as Dido), the answers given were very much the same stuff that I give to my well-meaning friends and family. For me it all boils down to one thing: job security.
Since the internet bubble burst, the tech industry has not yet been able to get a glimpse of its former glory. If then the jobs were literally draining the IT resources of the Philippines, a reversal is happening; jobs are being outsourced to locations where labor is cheap and the developers are as good as what they can get on their own country.
I still have plans of working abroad but my current job allows me to be assigned onshore for a short durations at a time. Given that my position is given less opportunities to work on a foreign assignment I am not totally out of it which is a good thing for me. Even if India is proving to be a tough competitor in the outsourcing business (they pay less and their education system is churning out IT masteral graduates much as the same way ours is churning out nurses and caregivers), I am still optimistic that I will still be competitively employed for the next 5 years. Within that time I hope I am already able to pay for my housing loan. 😀
Instead of spouting a spiel about nationalistic and patriotic duties I would paraphrase what my father told me when I kidded him about migrating to Australia (or was it New Zealand?) and petitioning him and my mother. My father said “migrate if you want but leave me here. In there I am going to be the outsider, the one being discriminated. Here in our province I belong and occasionally feel like a king.”
Wise words.
ciao!
Sep 09
ErinGarbage, Rubbish, Top of my head
I am a text-book Virgo especially when it comes to the arts. Many people think I am joking whenever I say that I am ‘artistically-challenged’ but that is the truth. I enjoy and appreciate works of arts but I can never participate in them actively.
Many people have proclaimed that songs can tame the beast inside men. Aside from psychologists, many people would regard the theory of that power as romatic mumbo-jumbo. Today I got a sampling of that power. I was listening to a pinoy internet radio station and it played an old OPM song. It was a cheesy song that gained a short popularity. The song goes something like
Bakit si tisoy, pacute-cute lang...
Ipinagpalit mo na ako sa kanya...
......
Di ba non ay simple ka lang,
Tayo ay padyip-dyip lang...
The moment those waves was decoded by my brain something magical happened. I was transferred to my college days, hanging out on the UST pavillion with some of my friends. We were chiding a friend and I can feel the shade provided by the gazebo and smell the grass on the soccer field. I dont know if it sounds crazy but I was filled with a sense of carefree-ness, something that was abundant during my college days.
That is not the only song that triggers such powerful memories in me. RHCP’s “The Zephyr Song” never fails to bring chills to my spine because I always associate it with dark cold winter. The reason is it was always blaring at MTV during my first stay in Helsinki, when the sun goes up at 9AM and comes down at 3PM, usually with temperature below -14 degrees celsius. Madonna’s James Bond song also has the same effect but to a much lower degree. Certain pinoy alternative songs also bring me back as far as high school days. Sadly I cant think of any song that will bring me back much further. 🙁
Songs are really powerful, but only if you have a strong memory associated with it. Many people are familiar with this which explains why they ask for the ‘song that moves you’. Most only associate with love songs but other genres can offer a much more diverse possibility.
ciao!
Sep 08
ErinGarbage, Rubbish reality bites
Today was the last day of Hiram, a very *idealistic* friend, in the company. Being gifted with the flair for the pen, he has made an impressive farewell email showing his views. Unfortunately a lot of people were in the recipient list so I cannot post my replies there so I will do it here. For security and ethical purposes, the name of the company will not be posted here but I will be referring to is as the “firm” if I need to. I don’t have permission to post the whole email so I would comment on the parts I want…
But first, break a leg on your journey. My advice to you is to tone down your idealism. Just like what a comic said, the key to living life happily is lowered expectations. Idealism is good but you have to be realistic as well. Both are on the opposing sides of the arena that a person needs to precariously balance in order to find his happiness. Both are like powerful medicines which when taken too much will do you more harm than good.
Note that while I may be commenting on Hiram’s opinions my answers need not necessarily be aimed at him. I respect his opinions and what I put forth are my own views and opinions. The cliche goes that opinions are like assholes, everybody has them. None are absolutely correct or absolutely wrong. You were given a mind to digest things through.
Re the low salary, the correct term is “competitive salary.” The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. At least on the side of fence that we wish to see. An employee’s salary is not guaranteed to give you satisfaction, and most of the time it never will. We are always striving to get a higher compensation, always looking for the next fat increase. Unfortunately the business model can only take so much. You have economics to blame for that. Economics belongs to the realm of reality while fatter checks belong to the ideals. Make them play ball nicely with each other and you are set. Besides you still have to take into consideration other stuff like personal growth, job stability, etc.
Re health over time, I agree that on most occasions we, the staff, get the shorter end of the stick. Or so we thought. Unfortunately we only see our side of the story. Being the geek that I am, I don’t like managing other people because I prefer being a lone wolf. However I am not stupid not to observe how management works because sooner or later I have to deal with that both in the corporate world and in my personal life. If solving the next delivery/logic problem is already mentally and physically exhausting, I wonder how much more would managing a team? You think we are working long hours? Most management people that I know are working 24×7. Imagine how much exhaustion they have to bear with that kind of strain.
Time management is one skill that I wish to perfect because like you I am biting more than I can chew. Prioritization is one more skill that I need to master and hopefully I will get there someday. Part-time job? You are not allowed to do those and you explicitly agreed when you signed your contract. Don’t bitch for something you willfully tackled head-on. We make choices and we have to live with the repercussions, either good or bad.
Re slave-master relationship, that is your perception. I also cuss when I have to stay late but I don’t take it personally with my superiors. They have their own jobs to do and I have mine. Before you condemn somebody you first have to walk on their shoes. If you think you can do better then prove it with actions rather than words. Politics is something that you can never avoid, especially in the corporate environment. I have been employed in companies wherein the politicking is much, much worse. We could play indifferent to these but sooner or later it will suck us into the mire. I think politics is already embedded into the human culture. You can keep putting your finger in your ears and humming loudly but that does not mean that it is not there. Oh before I forget, sitting on the fence does not mean you are not participating in politics. You are only passively participating in it by letting both sides duke it out. 😀
Re crap. Hiram is right that crap is good. Come to think of it crap is life. Hiram might not be able to stomach the corporate crap but we will always take crap from somebody else. Look at you for instance, you are already reading my crap. 😀 . Some might think that starting a business means you don’t have to deal with (corporate) crap but they are dead wrong. Being self-employed only means that you will take crap from people from more than one organization. You may end up taking up more crap than before, but hey choose your own supplier. 😀 Eventually we all will turn to crap. The bible says that we will go “from dust to dust” (no, there is no “ashes to ashes”), but we will be crap in between regardless if you were cremated or dumped in the Pasig river. 🙂
So handing out crap is good? I did not say that. Avoiding handing them out might not be totally feasible but we could work on minimizing the amount we hand out to others. Stop hoping to change the world because that is too big a goal. Work on changing the persons around you as that is more achievable. Shield others from the unnecessary crap and they might hopefully do the same when their turn comes.
Whew, this one is longer than I expected. I could go on further but I need to sleep since I need to go to work tomorrow (yeah, I need the money too). To wrap things up
– Idealism with realism goes hand in hand. The right balance between the two will greatly help us find satisfaction.
– Time management and prioritization is good but difficult to master.
– Everything is relative based on our perception.
– Crap is good. Embrace crap. Life is crap but crap is life.
ciao!
Sep 01
ErinGarbage, Movies, Rubbish distance learning, upou
I watched the film With Honors yesterday and since there is nothing else on the TV I placed it in the background while I was working on my TMA. Although I caught it on HBO a few time I have not seen the beginning.
The film couldn’t have a better timing. I have been thinking about my stay in UPOU, and my exasperations. Time and again I have stated that I am not taking it up for the degree. I am in it for the learning. But what have I learned during my 1.5 year stay? I would have to say a little because most have been a rehash of what I have already known from lurking from a few mailing lists. Aside from the course that teaches the concepts of assembly languages I cant remember a single thing that I learned from the program.
I am already weighing stopping as an option. In the movie, Simon Wilder (Joe Pesci) said Monty (Brendan Frasier) is a loser and he (Simon) is not because he is a quitter. Simon also said that quitters are romantics, maybe because they try to validate why they quit. Somehow those words keep on coming back to me even during my commute to the office. If I am going to quit then the only romanticism that I will attribute it is that I am no longer enjoying what I do and it is time to move on.
I assume my wife is going to have my hide for posting that. She and others might say I am wasting resources and opportunity if I will quit. Maybe I am, maybe I am not. Paraphrasing what a friend told me over dinner a few nights ago “have we come to the point wherein we have to endure things just to survive?” She was talking about bland food at cafeterias so we answered at that point in time the answer to her question is a yes. If I relate this learning endeavour to that question, is the completion of this program really the same way? Will the answer still be ‘yes’? Do I need to complete this to survive? At my deathbed will I really die without having regrets about it? One thing is for sure, I wasted nothing because I met a few invaluable people whom I am happy to call as peers. Some might even want me as their friend! 🙂
I might already be being disillusioned, or even nearing burnout, so I guess the right route for me is to take a sabbatical to sort things through. I like learning and would not stop learning but I am beginning to think that I should have stayed with my previous career course: being a jack of some trades and master of none.
ciao!
Aug 17
ErinGarbage, Rubbish distance learning, upou
This is my reply to a recurring trend on my experiences with being a distance learner at the University of the Philippines Open University. This was triggered by the recurring theme of not getting enough time slice from the faculty-in-charge(fic), especially for an information system project…
< rant mode on />
Another thing that confuses me is that the course guideline talks about masteral research and the likes but the course catalog description is
IS 295a Information System Project I (2 units)
Design of an information system
IS 295b Information System Project II (2 units)
Implementation of an information sytem
I know we are masteral students but that description is misleading. In my opinion theses are over-rated since it only proves you are specialized in one aspect of a field. That is the reason why i picked this program, both because i can manage my time and not do a thesis.
At this point in time, introducing an ‘innovative’ addition to the knowledge tree is a tough act considering that almost everything has already been done and tried. You dont believe me? Then try wading through the freshmeat.net site. Almost everything is done at least two ways.
One more stumbling block is that you have to have an organization as your target user and you have to get your proposal approved by your adviser/committee as well. I do not know if that is just me but i have a hard time explaining to a prospective sponsor about the course proposal and then just find out it will be rejected afterwards. Getting them to at least spend the time to evaluating my request for ‘sponsorship’ is hard enough that transforming this into a chicken-and-egg (err. organization-or-adviser in this case) scenario is downright frustrating.
I can only imagine the paperwork piled on top of the FICs but these is already bordering on the absurd. They should have instituted a screening process that only students with pre-approved proposals are permitted to enroll in the course, that way the time of the majority is not wasted waiting for the second coming of Christ.
I am already thinking that we are getting what we have paid for. We paid for an ‘inexpensive’ program and look where we are: a bunch of students trying to find our bearings while being guided by overloaded fics who barely have time to spare for distance-learning students. Prof. Anacleto once told me that he has a personal theory on why the MIS only has 1 graduate so far. I think I also have mine: reality erodes idealism. Bok Apao and the rest who already dropped out are proof of that.
< rant mode off/>
ciao!
Aug 16
ErinRubbish
I am fond of fantasy games and novels, as well as fiction works. One theme that goes on a large portion of the works that keeps on popping up is the celebration of the human aspect. The authors might be biased because we are human but it has always something to do about the way humans think, how a small action can be interpreted as good or bad depending on who is looking.
According to the bible, man was born with the weakness gene. They succumb to temptation. They get enticed by the ‘dark’ side. They are enthralled by bodily pleasures. However humans have one saving trait, that which makes them weak are also the ones that enables him to triumph and ascend to greatness.
Each man is unique, with a different set of skills and talents that is formidable especially when taken as a whole. Call it God’s will or just plain Karma, but the sum of a man’s traits balances him out. Nobody is without any problems, and each have their own demons to contend with. The person you admire might not be leading a fantastic life.
I remember watchng a show in MTV wherein they showcase the house and other properties of some famous people. The houses were gorgeous, and the things that they collect and own are something that I can only dream of having. But then I begin to think, what happens when the camera goes off? Are these people really happy? Does their gigantic house really make them happy, or is the spacious caverns of each room amplify their loneliness?
We have always heard the phrase ‘Money is not everything’ and ‘Money cant buy happiness’ but having some really goes a long way. There are no hard and fast rules about how much money is needed to make somebody happy, or a part of that happpiness. There are people who are filthy rich but are not really happy while there are those who dont have much but are genuinely content on their daily lives. For me the yardstick of happiness is when a person has already decided that he has enough and learns to enjoy what is already in his possession.
Human nature is a wild beast that whole fields of science are devoted in understanding how it work. They have already come up with patterns and other mumbo-jumbo that explains why certain people do what they do at certain occassions. That sounds amazing and all but I dont think man can really understand the reasons why man does what he does. It is one of the greatest X-Factor that is called LIFE. The unpredictability of humans make life interesting. Putting it in a petri dish that can be dissected under a microscope is something like an impossible dream being chased by many. I admire them for their zealousness but I dont want to be them. It is more fun to stay here in the sidelines and just appreciate life as it goes by one moment at a time.
ciao!
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