So, my last week at my job. Am I sad? Sorrowful? Depressed? Perhaps a little wistful? Not really. Am I glad to get out of here? Yes, in a way. I'm glad to leave this stupid, pointless work. I'm glad to know that I won't be working for the evil, soul-destroying corporation. I'm glad that I won't have to trudge through countless pages of gibberish anymore...
But to be quite honest, I'm going to miss the people I've worked with. In spite of the trivial, meaningless, unnecessary work that I was forced to perform, those I worked with have made it bearable. They're a great bunch, and if anything they managed to keep me smiling all day. Although some would contend that's not a very hard task in itself!
Point is, I'm going to miss them.
I'm going to miss their silly little comments, their corny jokes, their little nicknames for each other, their names! I swear to God, just there a couple of guys passed my desk talking to each other. One was asking if the other had heard about the meeting this afternoon.
"Yeah, Chain Gang was telling me"
Hold on...Chain Gang?? Within this company, is a guy called Chain Gang. Chain Gang. Granted, I'm probably spelling it wrong and its supposed to be spelt something along the lines of Xyyinn Jyanggey or something. But however you spell it, it doesnt change the fact that sitting at a desk within a small cramped cubicle, up to his eyeballs in charts and graphs, with his little glasses perched on the end of his little nose, is a man called Chain Gang. *sigh*
Or then there are the Germans who work in the same office as me. Extremely tall fellows, I'm talking 7 feet tall maybe 8! Well, maybe not, but you get what I mean. Tall, straight men who march instead of walk. Who lift their knees above their chests when marching from cubicle to cubicle. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating there as well, but you get my drift. Straight backs, tucked in shirts, maximum efficiency. Rolf is the big boss and as everyone should know, the big boss should never smile! If something can be said seriously, why in the world would anyone choose to say it with a smile??!! NEVER!! We don't SMILE when there's work to be done!! PAH!! Let the wall FALL before I smile in the face of targets and deadlines... oh wait. It's been down since '89? Dammit! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here) Seriously though, I don't think he feels comfortable smiling. Still, that doesn't stop me smiling at him! And you know what? I think secretly, he really likes it. Its like a release of all this pent up energy when finally he has a valid reason to smile at someone. 'What did you want me to do?? SHE smiled at me!! I HAD to smile back!!' Olaf is quite the opposite. Always ready for a joke, always smiling, I actually think that sometimes he feels he may be betraying Rolf. Betraying the stereotype of the serious, efficient German. And you know, strangely enough his smile always disappears when he hears the strong, sturdy, purposeful march of Rolf coming down the hall! Ah, how they entertain me.
And what about the Egyptians? Now, there's a fun group! If something can be said with a smile and a joke, then WHY would someone make the rational choice to be serious? They laugh, they joke, they shout, they scream. Yes, they don't talk, they shout. And it's great! It brings life into the place! Hey! I haven't seen you in 3 minutes!! How have you been?? Hows everything?? Have a coffee! We'll get onto that report later!! Not to worry, Not to worry. There's still 10 minutes before the deadline. With God's help we'll get it done. Ah, I'm exaggerating here, they're extremely hard workers. But I think it's great how Arabs still keep a firm hold on formalities, on pleasantries. It's so important I think. Good manners are so important to me, and should be important to everyone. Unfortunately, it seems that many people are forgetting what it means to have manners [we'll leave that for another post!]. Among Arabs, it's normal to greet someone everytime you see them. No matter if you just saw them 5 minutes ago, and every 5 minutes for the past hour, you still acknowledge them! To pass someone without saying hi is a huge insult. I remember when I moved to Ireland, people used to think I was mentally retarded. I kept asking them how they were! 'Um, I'm still the same as when you asked me a half hour ago'. No work is too important that formalities can be cut out in order to get straight to the point, and if you ask me, that's the way it should be all over the world. I remember a story I read in a book called "Understanding Arabs" (check out a short review here) about an American nurse working in a hospital in Saudi. She called up an Arab doctor to ask a question and when he answered she got straight to the point. "Ahmed, I need to order more swabs, who should I call?" "Ok Miss Jones, but first tell me, how are you today?" How are you today! It's so simple, but many feel that in order to be perceived as professional, they must refrain from taking a personal interest in their workmates. How wrong they are. I know Rolf loves it when I ask him! :)
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Puppets On A String
This one should be familiar to some who read my blog. I wrote this about a year ago, maybe more, and actually started it in a Juris class. Those who went to Juris with me won't be surprised, that class was mind-blowing. Well, it was to me anyhow!
What we know as reality is really just fiction
Our perceptions of the world a cumbersome restriction
You are not you, I am not me
Each day we become who we want to be
Perhaps we have dreamt up this world we reside in
Perhaps these ideas are us realising
That there is nothing upon which we can depend
There is no one reality, do you comprehend?
Do we not feel alive at night when we sleep
Who's to say this 'awakeness' is any more deep?
Our lives become a handful of memories
Scenarios as faint as our nighttime reveries
And yet we continue day after day
Believing our lives a moldable clay
Which we can reform this way and that
Totally reshape at the drop of a hat
Oh foolish fools that we have become
Marching in time to the same old drum
With State and Society providing the beat
Generic beliefs moving our feet
We are no more individual than we are real
Our god is Authority and before it we kneel
Choice, Chance, it's all the same
We're the lifeless figures in a golden frame
Wealth, Riches, Material Possessions
Hiding the sadness of our oppression
On the beach of life we are mere grains of sand
Puppets on a string; But in whose hands?
Some other poems I've posted on this blog can be viewed here, here, and here.
What we know as reality is really just fiction
Our perceptions of the world a cumbersome restriction
You are not you, I am not me
Each day we become who we want to be
Perhaps we have dreamt up this world we reside in
Perhaps these ideas are us realising
That there is nothing upon which we can depend
There is no one reality, do you comprehend?
Do we not feel alive at night when we sleep
Who's to say this 'awakeness' is any more deep?
Our lives become a handful of memories
Scenarios as faint as our nighttime reveries
And yet we continue day after day
Believing our lives a moldable clay
Which we can reform this way and that
Totally reshape at the drop of a hat
Oh foolish fools that we have become
Marching in time to the same old drum
With State and Society providing the beat
Generic beliefs moving our feet
We are no more individual than we are real
Our god is Authority and before it we kneel
Choice, Chance, it's all the same
We're the lifeless figures in a golden frame
Wealth, Riches, Material Possessions
Hiding the sadness of our oppression
On the beach of life we are mere grains of sand
Puppets on a string; But in whose hands?
Some other poems I've posted on this blog can be viewed here, here, and here.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Who's Been Sitting In My Chair??!!
This morning I came into work, early might I add, back to a desk that someone else had definately been using since I was last here. I felt like I stepped into Goldilocks and the 3 Bears...
Someone had definately been sitting at my desk. There was paper littered around, pens opened, post-it's all over the place:
"Who's been sitting at my desk?"
Has that ever happened to you? Someone else just decided that your desk looked like a nice enough desk to take over for an afternoon. Decided to put their grubby paws all over your phone, all over your papers, all over your things. I sat down, and was about a mile over the desk! Someone had been toying with the height of my chair, and whoever he was, he had been freakishly tall!
"Who's been sitting in my chair?"
I tidied up my desk, re-adjusted my chair, turned to my phone and...I swear to God, laying next to my phone was a half-eaten, opened, jar of honey!!!!
Could this job get any stranger??!!
Someone had definately been sitting at my desk. There was paper littered around, pens opened, post-it's all over the place:
"Who's been sitting at my desk?"
Has that ever happened to you? Someone else just decided that your desk looked like a nice enough desk to take over for an afternoon. Decided to put their grubby paws all over your phone, all over your papers, all over your things. I sat down, and was about a mile over the desk! Someone had been toying with the height of my chair, and whoever he was, he had been freakishly tall!
"Who's been sitting in my chair?"
I tidied up my desk, re-adjusted my chair, turned to my phone and...I swear to God, laying next to my phone was a half-eaten, opened, jar of honey!!!!
Could this job get any stranger??!!
Angelic Inspiration
I am not ready, Lord I'm not
Prepared to settle with my lot
Forgo my hopes, desires and dreams
Still the waters of my lifes streams
For what should I make this sacrifice?
I ask you why I should pay this price
For Stability? Routine? Domestic Bliss?
Ah Death! I'd sooner accept your kiss
This can't be all that life will be
To live in chains and never be free
Chained to traditions and expectations
Blinding myself to my situation
Believing that I have my autonomy
Solely controlling my destiny
Ah, what a fool I am and I should be
If I close my eyes to this tragedy
And blindy follow where they have all gone
Ignoring my caged hearts desperate song
If I should refuse to search for love
Be indifferent to the wonders of heaven above
Why then I would simply be fooling myself
Remaining rooted upon my shelf
Angels above please show me the light
Help me have courage, honour and might
Courage to soar to spiritual heights
Honour to do what I know is right
And finally Might, so I may be strong
And resist the temptation to be strung along
I owe it to myself to be true to me
To be all that I ever wanted to be.
I didnt win that competition, so I'm posting some of the poems I entered. Here's one that I wrote last June, just after graduating.
Prepared to settle with my lot
Forgo my hopes, desires and dreams
Still the waters of my lifes streams
For what should I make this sacrifice?
I ask you why I should pay this price
For Stability? Routine? Domestic Bliss?
Ah Death! I'd sooner accept your kiss
This can't be all that life will be
To live in chains and never be free
Chained to traditions and expectations
Blinding myself to my situation
Believing that I have my autonomy
Solely controlling my destiny
Ah, what a fool I am and I should be
If I close my eyes to this tragedy
And blindy follow where they have all gone
Ignoring my caged hearts desperate song
If I should refuse to search for love
Be indifferent to the wonders of heaven above
Why then I would simply be fooling myself
Remaining rooted upon my shelf
Angels above please show me the light
Help me have courage, honour and might
Courage to soar to spiritual heights
Honour to do what I know is right
And finally Might, so I may be strong
And resist the temptation to be strung along
I owe it to myself to be true to me
To be all that I ever wanted to be.
I didnt win that competition, so I'm posting some of the poems I entered. Here's one that I wrote last June, just after graduating.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Sick Bed Within The Firm
There is this guy in my office who has been sick for the last week. Well apparently anyhow.
I say apparently because, the only evidence of this "sickness" is his constant moping around and continuous complaining! You'd swear he was on his death bed the way he's been carrying on.
The long face, the half-closed eyes, the slow labourous shuffle, the polite little sniffle every now and then. It's enough to drive anyone crazy! He's been on this anit-biotic, that anti-biotic, this painkiller, that painkiller, 2 tablets 3 times a day, 3 tablets 2 times a day...you name it he's done it. And yet, do you think he's actually finished any of these courses of tablets??NO
Do you think he's taken them at the times he's supposed to have taken them??NO
I called him on it today, and some way or another he blamed that on his doctors. I say doctors because he has been to several!!
What is particularly annoying about it all is that they guy probably isn't all that sick really. He's probably got a little tickle in his throat and from that has deduced that he's got some life-threatening throat disease. Or virus as he keeps referring to it as. If it's not the bird flu one then keep quite! Honest to God, anything for a little bit of sympathy huh? If he had to put up with monthly cramps and what not I don't know how he'd survive. Probably wouldn't really, would he?!
I say apparently because, the only evidence of this "sickness" is his constant moping around and continuous complaining! You'd swear he was on his death bed the way he's been carrying on.
The long face, the half-closed eyes, the slow labourous shuffle, the polite little sniffle every now and then. It's enough to drive anyone crazy! He's been on this anit-biotic, that anti-biotic, this painkiller, that painkiller, 2 tablets 3 times a day, 3 tablets 2 times a day...you name it he's done it. And yet, do you think he's actually finished any of these courses of tablets??NO
Do you think he's taken them at the times he's supposed to have taken them??NO
I called him on it today, and some way or another he blamed that on his doctors. I say doctors because he has been to several!!
What is particularly annoying about it all is that they guy probably isn't all that sick really. He's probably got a little tickle in his throat and from that has deduced that he's got some life-threatening throat disease. Or virus as he keeps referring to it as. If it's not the bird flu one then keep quite! Honest to God, anything for a little bit of sympathy huh? If he had to put up with monthly cramps and what not I don't know how he'd survive. Probably wouldn't really, would he?!
Men Don't Really Think, Do They?
I think it's so funny the way alot of guys change their attitude to you the minute they get a girlfriend!!
Suddenly they're not as friendly, they don't joke around as much, they don't pay as much attention to you as before. It's very funny really because it shows that they initially were so nice to you because they fancied you. Which, if you think about it, is pre-dominantly the reason most guys become friends with a girl in the first place! There are exceptions of course, and quite honestly there's absolutely nothing wrong with fancying one of your friends, but I have a little bit of advice.
Guys, it would be alot smarter to stay the same with us even after you've gotten yourself a girlfriend. Even if you're still all buddy, buddy with us, we can notice the difference! By doing so, you're showing that your fondness for us was as a result of our wonderful personalities, our charm, our wit, and had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you fancied the pants off us. Doing so, you're increasing your chances that you may yet woo us when it doesnt work out with your girlfriend and you're back wanting to be "good friends" again!
Unfortunately for them, men really don't think alot of the time!
Suddenly they're not as friendly, they don't joke around as much, they don't pay as much attention to you as before. It's very funny really because it shows that they initially were so nice to you because they fancied you. Which, if you think about it, is pre-dominantly the reason most guys become friends with a girl in the first place! There are exceptions of course, and quite honestly there's absolutely nothing wrong with fancying one of your friends, but I have a little bit of advice.
Guys, it would be alot smarter to stay the same with us even after you've gotten yourself a girlfriend. Even if you're still all buddy, buddy with us, we can notice the difference! By doing so, you're showing that your fondness for us was as a result of our wonderful personalities, our charm, our wit, and had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you fancied the pants off us. Doing so, you're increasing your chances that you may yet woo us when it doesnt work out with your girlfriend and you're back wanting to be "good friends" again!
Unfortunately for them, men really don't think alot of the time!
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
KAPOW! BAM! ZAP! BANG!
Anyone ever asked you what Superpower you'd like to have if you could? Most people think of the more conventional powers- X-Ray vision, Ability to fly, Invisibility, Super-Human Strength!
If you're a little rusty when it comes to the super-powers out there, check them out here!
They're all well and good, but what about if you could make up your own superpower?? Think of what you could do!!!! What would you do??!!
I never even thought of the possibility of making up our own powers until last night, when myself and the one and only Mark Pieri were talking about superhero powers. You know, as you do and all! Thing is, he had come up with an amazing power! One that you probably wouldn't think of, unless you're Mark, but one that upon contemplation is one kick-ass power!
Get this, the Ability to Make People Laugh at Will....
Think about it. Think of the consequences of having the power to diffuse any bad situation with laughter. No more wars! No more fights! A truly ingenious power Mark, hats off to you! Unfortunately we're not all as inventive as Mark, so here's a test to find out which Superhero you would be.
I must admit though, I'm a little peeved that "Superhero" has been described in Wikepedia Encyclopedia as a fictional character! Listen, they exist ok! And even if they don't in the literal sense of the word, don't you think it would be SO much more fun if they did!
Someone steals your purse, Spiderman to the rescue! A bomb is dropped on Iraq, Superman changes super-quick inside the nearest phone booth, flies out, catches the bomb and zooms up to outer space so that it can blow up without destroying the Earth!
BAM! KAPOW! ZAP!
And the COSTUMES!!!!!!!!
What am I doing sitting here, I need to get out there get a costume made and become....!!!!
hmmm well give me a while to think of what I wanna be. In the meantime, The Sagernator and I have some Earth-Saving plans to put into action!
ZAP! BANG!
If you're a little rusty when it comes to the super-powers out there, check them out here!
They're all well and good, but what about if you could make up your own superpower?? Think of what you could do!!!! What would you do??!!
I never even thought of the possibility of making up our own powers until last night, when myself and the one and only Mark Pieri were talking about superhero powers. You know, as you do and all! Thing is, he had come up with an amazing power! One that you probably wouldn't think of, unless you're Mark, but one that upon contemplation is one kick-ass power!
Get this, the Ability to Make People Laugh at Will....
Think about it. Think of the consequences of having the power to diffuse any bad situation with laughter. No more wars! No more fights! A truly ingenious power Mark, hats off to you! Unfortunately we're not all as inventive as Mark, so here's a test to find out which Superhero you would be.
I must admit though, I'm a little peeved that "Superhero" has been described in Wikepedia Encyclopedia as a fictional character! Listen, they exist ok! And even if they don't in the literal sense of the word, don't you think it would be SO much more fun if they did!
Someone steals your purse, Spiderman to the rescue! A bomb is dropped on Iraq, Superman changes super-quick inside the nearest phone booth, flies out, catches the bomb and zooms up to outer space so that it can blow up without destroying the Earth!
BAM! KAPOW! ZAP!
And the COSTUMES!!!!!!!!
What am I doing sitting here, I need to get out there get a costume made and become....!!!!
hmmm well give me a while to think of what I wanna be. In the meantime, The Sagernator and I have some Earth-Saving plans to put into action!
ZAP! BANG!
Monday, February 20, 2006
Rain! Ah, How I've Missed Thee!
Finally it's raining! Never realised that I actually missed the rain until this morning, when I stepped outside and walked straight into a puddle! Ah...how I've missed those soaked jean-ends!
The thirsty earth soaks up the rain,
And drinks, and gapes for drink again.
The plants suck in the earth, and are
With constant drinking fresh and fair.
Abraham Cowley (1618-1667)
The thirsty earth soaks up the rain,
And drinks, and gapes for drink again.
The plants suck in the earth, and are
With constant drinking fresh and fair.
Abraham Cowley (1618-1667)
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Am I Really A Blonde?!?
Someone just asked me if I worked in NEXT. Perplexed, I answered no and asked if there was someone who worked in NEXT that looked like me??
He said no, but said that since I was sitting in that desk he thought that I was...
He walked away and then it hit me...
NEXT stands for Network EXcellence in Training!!!! Some program they have going on here.
I sometimes wonder if I'm really a blonde!
He said no, but said that since I was sitting in that desk he thought that I was...
He walked away and then it hit me...
NEXT stands for Network EXcellence in Training!!!! Some program they have going on here.
I sometimes wonder if I'm really a blonde!
Looking For A Pin To Burst His Bubble!
I'm trying to come up with the best way to tell him I'm leaving work earlier than he thinks I'll be. Initially, if you'll remember, I told him I'd be staying in AD a 'couple of months'. Somehow, he took this to mean that I would be working here for a 'couple of months'. Since I've started, I swear to God, he's been adding weeks on to my intended stay. First it was 2 months. Next it was 3 months. Then it was mid-March. THEN he starts telling his boss that I'll be staying 'till April, maybe longer??!!@!!! I mean, is he sane? Does he have his wits about him? More importantly...can he count???!!!
I have absolutely no intention of staying here 'till April. It's hard enough dedicating myself to dragging myself in here tomorrow! Thing is, I couldn't very well correct him in front of his boss, who is (for the benefit of Ismail) in charge of many legal departments! So there I was, a young, freshfaced, motivated assistant, seemingly intent on working my way up the ladder (oh, if only they knew!) sitting in on some meeting, interrupting my boss and saying "well actually JB you've got it wrong. Absolutely no intention of staying here that long! HA! Over my dead body actually! In fact, I'm counting the days until I'm out of here. So, no, you're wrong there buddy, nope won't be staying here that long! Maybe another week or so, you know, depends on my mood and all. Just wanted to clarify that to the big boss over there and make you look quite silly. ooh that rhymes with willy. haha oh never mind! so no, won't be staying here that long. yeah, amazing isn't it how we got the wires crossed there isn't it? quite funny really! well, I think so. haha ahem, yeah, didn't mean to interrupt there, no no, by all means keep going... pre-emptive non-disclosive multilateral contracts you say?"
Wouldn't really have been a good move... so i've kept quiet and well, now I just need to come up with the perfect way to burst his ever-growing bubble.
I have absolutely no intention of staying here 'till April. It's hard enough dedicating myself to dragging myself in here tomorrow! Thing is, I couldn't very well correct him in front of his boss, who is (for the benefit of Ismail) in charge of many legal departments! So there I was, a young, freshfaced, motivated assistant, seemingly intent on working my way up the ladder (oh, if only they knew!) sitting in on some meeting, interrupting my boss and saying "well actually JB you've got it wrong. Absolutely no intention of staying here that long! HA! Over my dead body actually! In fact, I'm counting the days until I'm out of here. So, no, you're wrong there buddy, nope won't be staying here that long! Maybe another week or so, you know, depends on my mood and all. Just wanted to clarify that to the big boss over there and make you look quite silly. ooh that rhymes with willy. haha oh never mind! so no, won't be staying here that long. yeah, amazing isn't it how we got the wires crossed there isn't it? quite funny really! well, I think so. haha ahem, yeah, didn't mean to interrupt there, no no, by all means keep going... pre-emptive non-disclosive multilateral contracts you say?"
Wouldn't really have been a good move... so i've kept quiet and well, now I just need to come up with the perfect way to burst his ever-growing bubble.
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