Barely got into the spirit of the holidays just in time. Maybe it's the weather, or the lack of free time to let it all sink in, but it really came late this year. I was forced to give out money as gifts this year, which is the corniest thing ever, at least for the giver. Everyone else, of course, enjoys it. Ask my dad.
Which isn't saying I'm not happy. I am; it's just that I have no words for it. Not just yet.This is also the year when I didn't have a wishlist, which if you know me is something short of amazing. Okay, I have at least one item, and you can't wrap it up. ...
Tons of stuff happened between the last post and Christmas. Had the yearly Christmas Party (number 3) with the boys, and all that entails. Of course ever since 2002(?) it's been a bit subdued. This is a good thing.
One thing that won't die are the stories. Please guys, let's write some new ones.
Next, treated the team to a day in Enchanted Kingdom, which was great. The last time I was there was in the last century, and was something of a seventh wheel. None of that this time.What I did have this time around was a chance to get on some rides. Well, most of them. Except this:
No thank you. I'll be in the ladies room putting on makeup.
Then it was off to Christmas Party number 4, in a foreign land. Well, technically it was.
Where I embarrassed myself by not knowing how to arrange dates in descending order. I guess that's why I do Java and not Oracle.
Sidebar: We had better get some recognition soon. Do we need to freaking campaign for it?!?
...
Then it was a wild scramble to get things done by the break. That should be break in quotes because I'll be coming back to work during it because I need to get more stuff done. My tasks should consider birth control.
Of course in between all that is to be all Christmassy and buy gifts and trinkets and distribute them. ...
Friday never hesitates.
Went to work at the other office. Tried to park at my secret free parking but due to the collective design flaws of the Civic dashboard and the magnetic sensor strip (and not at all due to my idiocy!) I spent a good chunk of the afternoon trying to get the strip unstuck and consequently parked at the ridiculously priced Metro parking.
Oh, before that spent a couple of relaxing hours at the Power Plant and did a bit of shopping. I do the whole bit where I pre-select stuff to buy, go out and window shop some more and come back. It's as if I have no January production date! Wow!
I like the Makati office. It's cozy. Sorry, Ortigas.
Then I wound up at Greenbelt 1 (what is this, 2005?), then at Serendra and then back in Makati for a game of Taboo...
I will scrimp on the details for now, turtle pie calls. As does my self-preservation instincts.
Have yourselves a merry little Christmas, everyone! Not in the sad Tori-Amos-sense. More like tongue-in-cheek OK Go.
Easy for you to say, you're on the inside looking out.
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Tonight was the second of count 'em five Christmas parties I have to attend. Too bad I'm still not in the Christmas spirit. Then again, when was I ever?
That sounded way too cynical, even for me.
I haven't done any shopping yet, and I've already received a couple of advanced gifts, so I guess the guilt is starting to kick in. Where the hell am I going to find the time to get stuff for other people? Some time ago I figured that unless I really make an effort to listen, I never know what people want for Christmas. Is it just me?
...
I imagine that when people ask what is important to me, there is never a case that they'll like the answer.
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Just in case you were wondering, the mob actually did get Krispy Kreme to open after-hours. So the score is Fat Mob 1, Human Dignity 0.
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I have a question, and maybe it will sound cynical again, but sometimes when people say good luck, why does it sound more like: "Good luck, you snowball headed for Hell"?
So last night we were sitting outside of the just-minted Krispy Kreme PH just before midnight. The store hours really should've ended at ten but since the lines for the donuts were so long they closed the register at around 11:30 PM.
Anyway, while there were still people inside enjoying the last of their original glaze, the store was obviously closed. However, over time, a mob started to form outside of Krispy Kreme clamoring that the store open specially for them, since they could see a batch of donuts still in the conveyor belt. The poor lone security guard had to put up with gems such as:
We'll pay double!
We'll pay triple!
If all of us rush the door, the guard won't be able to stop us!
We know those people inside! (After standing outside for quite a while.)
Open up, or we're going to Gonuts!
Rrrright, so why don't you? We'll pay double, and we'll throw in our dignity as a bonus!
My friends and I are convinced that there is an active illegal ingredient in the donuts that makes these people need to have their 'fix'. I was ready to sell my half-dozen (down to five by then) for a thousand bucks. I bet I would've gotten some takers.
Some members of the mob also looked like they needed to lay off the donuts for a while.
... I first had Krispy Kreme at the gasoline station grocery next to my hotel in Salt Lake City, and I had that for breakfast almost everyday for three weeks after that. When I hear KK, I am reminded of two things:
Me realizing that it was time to leave my job.
Talking endlessly with KC over Yahoo! about the United States' only noteworthy contribution to global well-being (the donuts).
KC, due to her weird job setup here in Manila, was on the NA shift and was the only one online during the mountain region time zone. This is her on the left with Auds. She's also smart, funny, and taken. And, I'm convinced, will soon need donut rehab.
And why not? I was listening to Morning View again thinking the power chords could take my mind off things. Then comes track 9, 'Echo' and I'm even worse off.
...
Someone please tell me how this makes sense: a couple of years ago, maybe even one year ago, a night like tonight would have been OK. Perfect, even. Now? Not even close.
And I assure, it's not, and I'm not, growing up.
Guess what's swimming inside me again. If you guessed either alcohol, despair, jealousy or love, then you're probably right. Then again, those things seem to come hand in hand anyway.
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I wish I could exorcise that part of me that makes all this seem important. Of course, I would have wished for that ability long ago and if it were granted then I wouldn't be here.
I did something stupid last night that almost made me break down. Haha, 'almost'. Even I didn't believe that.
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Fuck I didn't just write that.
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Something funny happened at Krispy Kreme which I will share later on. But let me just say, some Filipinos are just downright embarrassing.
Why am I blogging two nights in a row because I need to dammit and besides no one cares anyway so fuck off oh yeah I'm liquored up again (I like that word, liquored) but not so much really for lack of anything to do we just drink they say the taste of beer is the same everywhere so why did I drive an hour and a half for it that's just nuts people bailing on you is never good and if they matter its like a billion times worse and no I don't mean tonight particularly just in general.
Some sort of Saramago homage, that was. Jesus, I'm so out of it.
Onto secular things. Yes, let's.
Things to do:
Rearrange everyone's task to fit skill set, experience, contract timings, etc to fit the new schedule. Like sudoku, except with consequences and a hundred times harder. Fix bugs in my modules and clear up design issues. Write low level design elements for Phase II and write their test cases. Consolidate scheduled jobs. Read the project plan and improve our audit standing; I think I'm the only PM in the site who hasn't read his project's own project plan.
Ha it just dawned on me why this project is on the track its on.
...
I really need to make my Christmas list. I'm afraid it will reach a record length. And I don't even have that many friends to begin with anyway! Who the heck are all these people in my life? I kid. Love you guys.
Talking about checklists reminds me of this talk we had about how we were wrong about checklists and patterns when were younger. There is no pattern; all it gives you is a best-fit line, and each new dot could be the exception that proves the rule. In the end, we're all just victims of circumstance.
For example, I always thought smart was on the list. Then it needn't be on the list. Then it was barely on the list. Now it's back on the list.
Sometimes I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore. Everything is so fleeting.
Will the world please follow the script?!? The world in my head is so much better, honest.
There has to be a 2-heartbreak limit per day. New rule.
Where do I start and when does it end?
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It's been a crazy week at work. Whether or not the outcome is a win is still undecided. But now we have a shot, and I'm taking my best one. I will fight for this one if I need to. Check that: I will fight, period.
It's been a crazy week at work. There was one point during the week when I was sure I went through all the seven deadly sins in a span of 30 minutes.
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I know I'm not making sense a little bit more than usual. I think it's because I'm liquored up again. To quote a previous version of me: I'm sorry I can't let it go as easily as everyone else. I'm not wired that way. Just let me handle this the only way I know how.
