My ex-ex-boss, Greg, has recently (and finally) been promoted to the rank of COL. We always feel that he should have become a COL much earlier with his capability. We really don't understand why some COCKsters were able to move up the ranks faster than him.
He is a thinker and often give us insights to some issues, in which we will get superficial inputs from some other bosses. He has never ever breathed down our necks before and had given us a lot of autonomy in doing our work. He will tell us where to beef up our argument and of course, correct our grammar errors if there are any. Never once he ever rewrite our papers (i.e. rewriting our submissions in his style) to the extend of not being able to recognise our work, unlike a lot of the other bosses who I have worked with. I really miss working with him.
I could sense that his concern for us then was genuine, though he was quite bad at HR matters during his tour of duty there. Well, one person can never be that perfect right?
I wish I can meet more inspiring bosses like him who are able to show me the way of being a thinker and knows when to empower us. :)
I've had a horrible week, emotionally, for various reasons. So I'm promising myself that for the week ahead, I should take my mind off these issues, and just focus on the unintelligent but lighter side of life. Like Wii-ng myself silly, binging on durians, or simply taking a hike with Thomas, who has been most patient with me all week.
Speaking of durians, Thomas's dad has been bringing home some good kampung durians. They are so bona-fide kampung, some of them even have bitemarks from squirrels! I hear the squirrels actually burrow into the durians and eat them from the inside. The only telltale sign is a small mousehole in the durian shell. Cool huh? Makes me wonder what my hamsters would have done if I'd given them an entire durian to devour.
And while we were discussing durians, Brandon kept telling me that he had seen on TV, pet monkeys going up trees to pick durians for their owners. That perplexed me for a while, before I realised that what he had seen were monkey picking coconuts, not durians. Haha. :)
There is a particular friendship (or should I call it extended tormentship?) that I wish to let go of, but am holding back because I fear the abrupt end may leave some unfinished business that may carry on into the next lifetime. So I stretch the already frail thread into an unbearably long, uncomfortably tight strand, in the hope that the extended timeline allows us to tally up our sums, no positives, no negatives, just a neutral zero on the karma scale so we won't ever have to rub shoulders in our next lives.
Of course, nobody knows if this karma thing really works that way. It's merely my way of rationalising why I bother to carry on, when I'm obviously exhausted from the effort of keeping it up.
I just had a lunch that was, imho, the worst I've had in the whole year. Which is ironic coz' it was a pricey restaurant that Thomas and I would not usually go to. OK, maybe it's not pricey by other people's standards, but it's certainly pricey to me. I can't help but wonder how many old folks can live for months on that same amount of money.
Worst of all, the lunch was for a purpose that did not agree with me. At all. It's Boss's birthday and the lot of us were giving her a treat. I don't think the boss gives the rest of them a treat on their birthdays. There was a present (perhaps "offering" would be a better word) to go with the treat as well. And no, the boss doesn't give the rest of them pressies on their birthdays either.
What amazes me is that the boss accepted these gifts when she knows full well she does not or cannot return them. For the cost of the pressie, she should have picked up the tab. Sure, she "offered", but in a manner that will elicit a "no...no...please don't" sort of response.
There's no love between them. They tell me this is a necessary gesture to ensure a good boss-staff relationship. I wanted to say no but couldn't bring myself to. I need more backbone. Rather pissed off at myself for having partaken in an exercise of such hypocrisy.
I think I try too hard, sometimes. Maybe it's wiser to leave more breathing space...not everything requires my 100% effort. For trying to walk into a wall with 100% effort, I have now a huge bruise on my forehead instead. In Mandarin they call this 碰了一鼻子的灰。
A note to myself: a better equation would be 60% effort, 20% understanding, 20% leeway. Lesson learnt. Remember it. Well.
For doors that have opened, for paths accessible and for decisions to make.
Difficult decisions no doubt. But thankful nevertheless.
Duringi the Al Green tribute on this year's BET Awards, one of my favorite singers performed one of my favorite songs.
Two minutes waiting for the next train feels longer than an hour of fun with your friends. Best friends.
Really, time is relative.
June, the longest month this year is finally coming to an end.
Hello July.
