Thoughts from my head, published to the web. Punishment for people like you who have nothing better to do.
Jul 21
Garbage life, musings No Comments
Every working day I usually have a 30-minute walk from my workplace to my wife’s office where our car is parked. I pass through a busy intersection under a criss-crossing elevated highway. I saw something today that made me think of the paradox that asks “What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?”
Let me try to describe the scenario to set it up.
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Jun 28
Garbage, Top of my head opinion, rant, shithappens No Comments
Sometimes giving up is the only option. Shelving it. Lowering the priority. Putting it in the backburner for a later time.
Give up with the hope that someday might be a better day to try again; that on that fateful day you will have the numbers and support to cross the pitiful gap that for all it’s worth could be the chasm between two continents.
“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight”
– one of the essentials of victory, Sun Tzu, Art of War
Jun 27
Garbage life, musings No Comments
“I can still fix this!” is the battle-cry of the resilient or the delusional. Most of the time it is the difference between salvaging the current situation or predicament over spending a commensurate effort in going back to square one and starting from scratch. More
Jun 21
Garbage Garbage, life No Comments
Why settle for mediocrity when you always have the potential to be great? Finding yourself being the big fish in a small pond is a great feeling. However the intent on staying there is a disservice to yourself. Do not be afraid to start as the average fish in the open sea as that is where you will expand your horizons and discover new things about yourself.
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May 29
Top of my head housebandry, summer No Comments
Maladisyertong init
Kailangang makibaka
Tawag #housebandry
May 26
Work agile, musings, Work No Comments
I came across this simple definition of done in my inbox:
A good working definition of “Done”: Someone’s need was met.
– Mike Burrows (@asplake) , January 29, 2016
Someone in this context should be taken as everyone that has a stake on the feature/user story:
The definition of done (DoD) need not be a list. What is needed is for the team members to understand that Done means the feature is useful for everyone who is interested in it, may it be directly or indirectly. If that is not possible then the team needs to make sure they arrive to that point as part of the Inspect & Adapt mandate of agile methodologies.
May 26
Literature, Top of my head rant No Comments
Gusto kong manalo sa Lotto
Hindi dahil ayoko ng magtrabaho
Kungdi dahil medyo sawa na ako
Magpaliwanag paulit-ulit sa mga tao.
Maikli na nga siguro ang aking pasensya
Marahil sadyang dahil tumatanda na
Kahit gustong idaan sa diplomasya
Kahit paimpit nais kong magmura.
May 02
Garbage, Work communication, Garbage, Leadership, life, people management, Work No Comments
Holding a ball in one hand in front of you illustrates the common fact that two or more sides of the truth can exist without negating other truths. This boils down to perception; and managing the perception of the other viewers.
My co-lead in the project was getting some reputation flak for his leadership style. When we talked about it he raised a good question: “I used the same tone and method you used a few days ago when you addressed the team. What makes my delivery different (and unacceptable)?”
It was good question because I agree that our leadership styles have a lot of similarities. How come one can get away with using that style while other people have a negative reaction? Is it the context/personality of the person using the style and the preconceived notion of the audience about the person that makes a difference? This makes me think of the social experiment wherein random people were made to taste cakes. In one experiment there was a tag price in front of the cake where the slice came from and one is expensive while the other is affordable. In one variation there are no price tags but one of the cakes were placed in a plain platter while one was in an ornately gilded tray. A lot of the people said they preferred the more expensive cake (or the one in the more expensive looking tray) better stating that it is finer and has a more chocolaty taste. The catch is that all cakes used in the social experiment were IDENTICAL.
Presentation and context may be the critical factor in play here.
Nov 16
Reviews, Rubbish dining, food, review No Comments
My wife and I are currently enamored with Frankie’s Buffalo Wings whenever we will eat lunch in Megamall. A couple of stores beside it is occupied by “The Halal Guys” which is another US-based franchise. The queue for The Halal Guys is insane and has been that way since it opened up a few weeks back.
This weekend we had an opportunity to try it given that I have seen some rave reviews from friends in facebook. By opportunity I meant we are not famished yet and the queue is not that long. I queued up for about 20 minutes and ordered the Gyro/Falafel combo for me and my wife. The fare costs around Php470 for the New York size, and it seems a bit normal: two scoops of yellow rice pilaf, a scoop of what seemed to be lettuce salad, a few tablespoons of fresh tomato salsa, a small serving of gyro/lamb meat and 3 falafel medallions. The meat and falafel was then squirted with a white sauce that they are also selling for Php25 per additional packet.
My wife and I made short work of the food, and the verdict is… MEH.
Don’t get me wrong. The food is good but I dont think the price and the wait is worth it. I may not be able to replicate the lamb part but if one is really looking for a similar taste then going to a tex-mex or mediterranean place would do unless you belong to the Moslem religion and really looking for Halal-prepared food. Again this looks like a food hype and will eventually die down when everybody has tried it once.
We are going back to Frankie’s on our next visit. There are a few more flavors that we are really excited to try. And the half-dozen required to satisfy us will cost half of the food we ate from the Halal Guys.
ciao!
Oct 30
Garbage, Work Leadership, opinions, policies, Work No Comments
At any given point we are either a follower or a leader. In some rare scenario we fulfill both roles.
I am getting a reputation at work for a troublemaker when in fact I am only clarifying glaring holes in policies that are too specific or useless. These are the same policies that, to paraphrase one of my recent statuses, people wield like a paper shield that wont even muster against the slightest reason. Pitiful that the instigators of these policies are the same people that I should be relying on to look after my welfare as a follower.
In these cases I take up the mantle of being Captain Obvious. It may come across as troublesome but being a leader means you need to take the road that is not going to be comfortable. If nobody complains then it is the same as being complicit to something that you do not believe in.
Follow or lead? Do you take a chance in participating in a battle that can be the turning point of the war; or sit quietly in the corner reminiscing the “what if” of an opportunity that has long gone by? Choose your own poison.
ciao!
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