Rediscover

The crudely handwritten memo posted at mother station's pantry says:

"Because we conserved energy, use microwave on lunchtime only."

That piece of paper never failed to get my attention, even in my half-awake state, every time I fill my half-liter mug with good ol' Mr. Fixit's batangas brew.

It's been there since we came down from Tagaytay last December 15 to discover the meaning of "rediscover".

Memo Master strikes again, and he's getting good at it -- spurred perhaps by the rediscovery sessions where he made sure everyone is reminded how important and hardworking he is (it's probably a gift to be able do that with uncanny ease).

Everytime I fill my coffee mug, I kept thinking if King Tot would have ripped that memo to shreds by now. I guess I'll find out as soon as he recovers from his tryst with pneumonia.

Po*@#, anong gagawin namin pag late kaming kakain? Ipitin sa kili-kili ang ulam? I could almost hear King Tot saying.

But the memo stays posted. I guess it has its purpose.

For me, it's a reminder that such attempt to appear efficient could never replace genuine dedication to continue helping and improving the mother station. It's a reminder, perhaps, to look at my self as well and see my own shortcomings.

Genuine dedication, I believe, is the reason why the office pantry has freshly brewed coffee at 8:30 in the morning without fail for the past 20 years.


Looking back at the whole rediscovery exercise, I say Brother Sangre could not have chosen a more appropriate prayer for it:

"Lord, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things that I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference."

Faces

My dream of passing the creative torch to the new-bloods died yet another painful death this year, and the task of designing the station's christmas card falls on my lap, again.

It all started when I heard the station wishing for a more personalized greeting card to replace the UNICEF cards it customarily gave out on Christmas. In between research work, I played with Photoshop and Pagemaker, and submitted my first design.

It got approved (aha, madali palang i-please mga tao dito. haha!), marking my first break into (extremely) amateur graphics design, and my unofficial designation as the station's designs/layout artist. It was only a few years ago when my job description got revised to include those functions.

The task gets gruelling each year: now I have to fit 43 people into a half-letter size postcard while trying to make it pass for a decent greeting card. The pictorials get more complicated (thus messier), the designs more demanding, and the deadline more toxic than ever.

I have to find someone to do this next year!! *reminder entered*

Anyway, there's (always) a certain high with designing the station's christmas card, however simple or amateur. Labor of love, maybe, and the chance to see the faces of people I hardly get to even talk to in this workplace -- taking note of the new faces, how the old ones have changed, and remembering those who were once part of this station's motley mob.

Looking back: a draft of my first proposed design. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a copy of the finished product.

OTY blues....

Unclogged

The mess at Mother Station must have been THAT bad if management had to declare November 2 and 3 as official clean-up days. Anyway, I agree that our area at Tech had been in a "creative, frantic chaos" for the longest time.

It took me nerves of steel to dump nine years worth of documents into garbage bags, scanning papers by the bunch for any sign of value or worth. My first pile ate up the whole morning, with the nagging thought of accidentally throwing away precious notes (like "Leo, use this format from now on" or "Do not use this!" or "Good work. You deserve a raise"-something-like-that-yeah-right-dream-on).

But no, people change and so does this organization.

By mid-day I cast all worries and loosened my grip on old documents and notes. In no time I was rid of over half the papers in my work area. There's much left to be done, but I say it was good enough for one day.

It was exhilirating and liberating -- throwing away all the mess with reckless abandon. I could get used to it. In fact, I just finished cleaning up our Kampo hideout, and threw (or rather, packed in black plastic bags) a LOT.

I hope the basureros (or rather, their kids) will find use to what's inside those black plastic bags. ^_^

Advance Merry Christmas!

Tsk. I need a bigger box...

Guess who's back

Hold on to what's left of your sensibilities, mga katotong Techies.

I just heard that someone is going to make a comeback to the Tech. Many have come and left the Techies area, but this is one comeback act that scares me more than pulmonary tuberculosis relapse.

Que horor!

What pisses me off to no end is the reason for the comeback act: "Lagi kasing late eh."

Ulit nga, sa English naman: due to habitual tardiness, there will be changes in area assignments.

Anak ng...

While I hold on to my sensibility, I better keep my mug, food stuffs, and whatever from lying around the white table and other places, lest I get a memo.

A posted memo, no less.

non-sense conversations......

i just spent 40 minutes talking to someone from a government agency talking and blabbing about some things we already discussed in the 3-4 times she called me in the past two weeks.... all i can tell you is that she is a huge pain in the ass...
while talking to her and listening to her "hypothetical" scenarios, i have to stretch my tired arm holding the handset and transfer the handset from my right ear to the left...once in a while, i have to drink water because my throat is dry and my lips parched of explaining to her, repeatedly, the answers to her somewhat never-ending questions.....i hope she heard me kicking under my desk or slamming my desk or throwing my stressballs around my desk.....
and one time, i took a fleeting look in a piece of paper pasted in my computer monitor, in which a Thai saying is written -- "tolerance, patience and understanding are the highest virtues one can develop" ...well, it did not placate my annoyance and irritation, which has risen to the nth level...i had to control myself not to put the handset down and cut her off....
and finally, she said "thank you"...and i thanked her too...but then she added, "i'll just call you if i have other inquiries"....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr >(

Sa wakas... SPEED!!

Hindi na namin kailangang bumili ng isang kahang beer sa tuwing magme-media release kami after six. Hindi na rin siguro natin kailangang mag-sayang ng katakut-takot na oras sa pag-eemail ng kapiranggot na attachment...

At ang post na ito ay ginawa sa loob lamang ng dalawang minuto.

Mother station goes DSL! Yeah baby!

Close encounter

Good morning po. May ika-clarify lang po ako about this bluebo...

Here, look at this. In 2004, this was paid by blah-blah blah blah. And in 2005 yackity yackity yak yak yak. Wala pa rin yung hack chop chuck chack chenes arf arf...

I see. Actually I’d just like to check what Big Boss Bear said about...

... it was Jay who went to pay the waayaaaa eeeayyyargh muwala muwa muwa muwa eyow. So ngayon lang dumating itong bratatatatatat tongyaw tongyaw pting pting pting zizboom bah hale hale hoy...

Okay. Pero tungkol po doon sa media rel...

... you know this booga woooga looo is just like the book of cars...

I don’t know that po.

Oh you don’t? It’s that book...

I don’t have a car po. Sige po. Thank you!!

... of the gwwwaaaark uwak uwak uwaaaaaaaaaakkk uuuuuuwwwwaaaaaaaakkkk...

* hurries out of the room *



Good grief. *shudder*

...

watching horror flicks @ sm cinemas,
81 php;

renting vcds of japanese and korean horror movies,

3 for 50 php;

ghost hunting @ sws,

20 php;

hearing my officemates shriek and
scream in horror of seeing a sadako-look-alike

pop-up unexpectedly in their pc monitors,

priceless...

>:)

Samahan Special Release: Admin in Dismal State; New Techie Shocks Group

The 2nd Quarter of 2005 found the Admin in troubled grounds with the resignation of its Finance Officer, just barely three months after assuming the post left by uber Admin Officer AAB, following allegations of disharmonious working relationship with long-time External Auditor extraordinaire.

Another fresh face joins the folds of the Techie group, adding yet another afternoon delight to the already wacky ensemble.

One Down for Admin, Potential Trouble Looms

Finance Officer Lorie tendered her resignation last week, barely three months after taking on one of the tasks left by AAB, due to alleged “disharmonious working relationship” with the station’s long-time ExAu.

“Hindi naman kasi trabaho ng ExAu ang mag-mando ng iba,” says King Tot, station’s Master (as in ancient) Programmer. “Si Rene Magbubungkal lang naman kasi dapat ang tina-trabaho niya.”

A new FO reports today to replace Lorie.

In other news, more and more sightings are being confirmed about the “extracurricular activities” of the recently promoted Admin staff, eliciting raised eyebrows among those who are more familiar with staff’s somewhat shady past.

“This brazen display of hanky-panky is just an indicator of loss of moral authority within the group,” observed a Techie in a Pao-Pao convention. “We can expect more of these sightings, as well as unofficial phone calls and possible neglect of duties,” he added, pointing out the staff’s recent request to be assigned as hardware maintenance officer.

Take good care of your computers, Techies. *gives computer a hug*

Tech Group Got Shook

The formerly quiet and camera-elusive Blue Eagle Maf shocks entire Tech, thanks to the ala Ju-On pop-me-out-of-my-seat-while-screaming screensaver which is fast becoming a hit in the station’s local area network.

“Pu******na! Hindi ko ini-expect na lalabas uli siya! “Pu******na!” says Maf, after falling off her chair screaming.

Maf is also a lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University, specializing in political science and industrial relations. She reports at the station in the afternoon.

...finally, but..........

an ended day
the soothing sanity and blitheness of
completion,
the pomp and hurried contest-glare and rush are
done;
now triump! transformation! jubilate!
-- walt whitman

.....finally,

but,

there's still the judiciary,

which,

will celebrate it's 2nd "anniv"

this september.....

until then......

and hopefully, the end of insanity...

poem written out of boredom and sleepiness in a monday afternoon at work...

just want to share a poem i wrote in a monday afternoon while trying to write the cultural indicators report and struggling to fend off sleep at the same time....well, i'm still working on the report, and i was unsuccessful in warding off sleep...the poem is unfinished, maybe i will finish it in one of the coming lazy days hehehe :)...

boredom and sleepiness,
a deadly combination
both urging the soul to escape the body,
to drift in the the empty black-filled space.

eyelids drooping,
hopelessly trying to keep it open.
yawning incessantly,
forcing air to the oxygen-deprived brain.
catnap interrupted by a sudden
annoying click of the mouse.

the mind is wandering,
in a far, far land where sleep is permissible.
blank, expressionless, stone-faced
thinking absent-mindedly,
doing everything, yet achieving nothing,
just to impede the longing and desire for deep slumber.

a pathetic state
even liters of hot-steaming coffee could not help,
as the brain has become a sponge of caffeine
in many countless but futile efforts to stay awake
and to keep off boredom.

nor liters of energy drinks
would resuscitate the sluggish
and lethargic remains of a half-awake, half-asleep creature,
for the yellow liquid has permeated the blood stream,
slowly decaying the inner recesses of the anatomy.
....

Salamat, AAB

Chords: D A Bm G
Matagal ding panahon tayo’y nagkasama
Sa lungkot at ligaya, sa hirap at ginhawa
Sa bawat oras, sa lahat ng bagay
Sa bawat pangarap
Sabay nating hinaharap

Refrain: D A Bm G
Sa araw ng ‘yong paglisan
Kami’y ‘wag mawaglit sa isipan
Ang lahat ng ating pinagsamahan
Sa aming puso lang maiiwan

Chorus: D A G Bm A
Salamat, salamat sa iyo
Ina, kapatid at kaibigan
Salamat, salamat sa lahat

ng ‘di matatawarang kabutihan

Refrain: D A Bm G
Sa araw ng ‘yong paglisan
Kami’y ‘wag mawaglit sa isipan

(Humming) D – A – Bm – G (3X)

Chorus: D A G Bm A
Salamat, salamat sa iyo
Ina, kapatid at kaibigan
Salamat, salamat sa lahat

ng ‘di matatawarang kabutihan

Refrain: D A Bm G
Ang lahat ng ating pinagsamahan
Sa aming puso lang maiiwan

(Humming) D – A – Bm – G (3X)

Chorus:
Salamat, salamat sa iyo
Ina, kapatid at kaibigan
Salamat, salamat sa lahat

ng ‘di matatawarang kabutihan

(G)-----


Lyrics by Vlad
Music by Mic, Leo, and Dennis (honorary tet-cheeze)
Sung by Mear

A mother, a sister, a friend. Yes, that's how I see Ate Ana in over nine years of working with the station. I can add "a mentor", "a master", and a thousand others to describe her, but one thing is for sure -- Ate Ana is all about good things and goodness.

It's been with utmost pleasure and honor to have worked with you, Ate Ana. Good luck and God bless. Ü

The tet-cheeze with Ate Ana, on her despedida party, March 28, 2005.

(2nd from left, standing: Jay -- tek slash DP slash data bank manager slash fellow... whew!)

It's a dog's life after all...

got this from mic...

A little consolation for the battered hearts & the bruised egos....
A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog coming inside the shop. He shoos him away. But later, the dog is back again. So, he goes over to the dog and notices it has a note in its mouth. He takes the note and it reads, "Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please". The dog has money in its mouth, as well. Thebutcher looks inside and, lo and behold, there is a ten-dollar note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and Lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog's mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it's about closing time, he decides to shut the shop and follow the dog. So off he goes. The dog is walking down the street, when it comes to a level crossing; the dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button. Then it waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights toturn. They do, and it walks across the road, with the butcher following him All the way. The dog then comes to a bus stop, and starts looking at the timetable.

The butcher is in awe as the dog stops a bus by pulling its left leg up and gets in it. The butcher follows the dog into the bus. The dog then shows a ticket, which is tied to its belt to the bus conductor.The butcher is nearly fainting at this sight, so are the other passengers in the bus. The dog then sits near the driver's seatlooking outside waiting for the bus stop to come. As soon as the stopis in sight, the dog stands and wags its tail to inform the conductor.Then, without waiting for the bus to stop completely, it jumps out ofthe bus and run to a house very close to the stop. It opens the big Iron Gate and rushes inside towards the door.

As it approaches the wooden door, the dog suddenly changes its mind and heads towards the garden. It goes to the window, and beats its head against it severaltimes, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door. The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog,kicking him and punching him, and swearing at him. The butcher surprised with this, runs up, and stops the guy. "What in heaven's name are you doing? The dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the life of me!" to which the guy responds: "You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog's forgotten hiskey."

Moral of the Story: You may continue to exceed onlookers' expectations but shall always fall short of the boss' expectations.

It's a dog's life after all...

tenemos caras perfecta...

pero somos inteligentes?

hrmmmph. twelve units of spanish (span I to III, and spanish 20), and still i struggle with basic conjugation. anyway, all these for want of a catchy blog entry. i was simply trying to say "we have perfect faces, but are we intelligent?"

my thought has nothing to do with perfect faces nor intelligence, but perhaps if keep up with the badminton games we might just end up with perfect health. heaven knows how much we need the exercise.

it's been days since we played all-out badminton, with basketball on the side, at the nearby school, and i still can't reach down to touch my toes (ow ow the pain!). thanks to mae and vlad for facilitating the games, and mae for putting down the rules. take note, though, that we still have unresolved situations, like uhm when the shuttlecock keeps hitting lynn on the *bleep*, or when the boys get distracted as lynn freethrows on the other side of the court.

kidding aside, we look forward to our next game Ü.

some other thing...

i'm thinking of borrowing the intern from library and request him to be our photographer on thursday. either him, or ariel, or kuya cerry will do. suggestions?

mae, let's get our cameras ready for our perfect faces. Ü

workplace with a heart

is it me, or there seems to be an influx of beautiful people (naks!) from LB here at the tech area?

okay, so it's not just from LB, but i do mean it when i said beautiful (naks uli!).

i find it just fair for the ladies here to complain about the station's lack of male staffs. rest assured, though, that this issue -- the station's propensity to be feminine (meaning, having more females) -- has been subjected to scholarly studies by no less than dr. pepe abueva himself and other fellows from the academe.

i have yet to see dr. abueva's full report (done in 1995, if i remember correctly), but i was told that one of the conclusions were "... this organization is feminine in nature".

ahahay!

the world of research, i admit, is not exactly a male-dominated profession. not just by experience (of the total 15+ something in my comm research batch, there were only 4 of us guys), more than a few studies have found distinct relationship of gender differences with several aspects involved in research such as query, numbers, intuition, and human interaction (the word OC comes into mind). just don't ask to me to cite my references now (can reader's digest qualify as a source?).

there's a new catch phrase going around the station lately -- workplace with a heart (no, not the "productive" thingy, that's something else).

the few men here at the station have no complains, really. we may not be the hunky, yuppie-types that lynn is looking for, but just as everyone else, we certainly have big hearts.

happy valentine!!

for editing later ---> post picture of "nasty sisters" here + the new secretary and hr staff. heehee.

word play

"my plans assume that i'll be around within the next five years..."

how's that for an answer? it doesn't carry much conviction, does it?

practice makes perfect, i say. i've been asked "will you be staying with us in the next five years" too many times that sometimes (just sometimes) i'm tempted to say "i'll be leaving very soon. tomorrow, maybe." just to have something different to talk about.

if you ask me, making a promise for the next five years is quite a feat. i can't even plan my gym or jogging sessions for the next week.

but there lies the uniqueness of the station, or of most NGOs for that matter: it neither has a firing mechanism nor an iron-clad contract binding any staff to a fixed period of employment.

if i go back to my fresh techie years (which is waaaay back), the answer would have been less vague and with absolute conviction. but after seeing people leave -- the same people whom you've heard answer with the same conviction -- i guess i've grown tired of asking "bakit ka mag-reresign? di ba sabi mo di ka pa aalis?".

two things: opportunities change, and so do people.

---

i had a taste of high-brow art film yesterday at kampo. i guess it's art when even the title makes you want to ask "why that title?"

but i guess that makes "sex and lucia" a good art film, right? it opens to a lot of perspective, giving the viewers so much freedom to explore every bit of symbol and meanings scatterred and stringed beautifully together throughout the film.

but nay, this is no film review, nor would i even attempt to do one. so enuf blabber.

good monday morning, tet-cheeze!

>Monday, January 17, 2005 9:52:44 AM - Maeh to LEO
>dilbert-stat analysis and dilbert-slow computer in ur databox...good morning d:-)

conversations (part 1)

me: hello hello hello!

my cubicle: hi! how's vacation? ang tagal mo ring nawala, 'no? na-miss ko tuloy na nagtatago ka sa likod ko kapag dumadaan si mrs. g para mangolekta ng bowling sheet.

my computer: hoy!!! dumating ka rin. pwede ba, tigilan mo na attempts mo na maglaro ng ragnarok sa akin, eh alam mo namang walang kwenta internet connection dito! at nung ma-frustrate ka sa ragnarok, nag-blades and swords ka naman. panay tuloy hang ko dahil sa laki ng game na in-install mo, hayup ka!

my chair: anak ng... lumamon ka na naman sa inyo 'no? bigat mo na!

me: miss you, too, guys. happy new year!