Three days in the jungles of Quezon. Sure they have hot showers, the buffet table always full, your choice of drinks, all the channels you could care to watch and 24-hour airconditioning in your own quarters, but still, it was jungle out there. On the third day, I found myself knee deep in a meandering stream watching out for snakes and buffalo crap. Yep, this was a jungle alright. A day after enduring the jungle, I still have mosquito bites the size of marshmallows on my legs. My trail shoes still stink of crap, and somehow the dirt underneath my nails don't seem to be going anywhere. Ahh the memories of crouching under the foliage, hearing unfamiliar bird sounds and almost falling face-first on a mound of shit about half a dozen times, I get a taste of my own filthy sweat trickling down my face and am loving every drop of it.
This is work, the kind that I signed up for and not the afternoon battle against falling asleep on my desk. On my first week on the job the big boss tells me I was going places, so after having gone down the deepest sewers and up the highest smoke stacks. Boy, he sure as hell nailed it that time.
Okay, you probably have the vaguest idea of what I do. Well, first and foremost, I am a salesman. I sell stuff that other people might or might not want or need or even think of before they see my pretty mug. No, I don't go knocking on your door, ringing on your bell or rapping on your window... nor do I jam my foot in your door or seduce your wives who you thoughtfully left at home. Most of the time I make calls, take calls and type up proposals that you may or may not approve of.
But then every once in a while, I get out of the office and go out for a drive. Sometimes I put on my best threads to meet the president of a company, just to give our company a face to go by and shake his or her hand. Conference rooms, hotel lobbies, corner offices, I've done them all. Then other times, I go out to tell a bunch of people about what we do, whipping out my laptop and projector and show them a fancy shmancy slide show that I prepared in thirty minutes. Conventions, seminars, board meetings, I can't count how many times I've gone in front of a crowd wondering if my fly was unzipped.
Then comes my favorite part of the job, not selling. It gets pretty busy in the office at times, and so every pair of hand counts, including my own. I make believe I'm a technician or an engineer or a chemist and go out in the field doing technical stuff like climbing up dangerously high chimneys, wade through plague-infested waters or crawl through sewers and drains. Or perhaps I've bitten off more than I can chew and have to be on the ground managing whatever catastrophe is bound to happen.
Funny how my job actually favors my attention deficit disorder, doing a lot of different things each day and switching from the boring to an extraordinary adventure each week. I guess I love my job, so even when the pay sucks or I am made to do things I don't like doing, I end up showing up every day. Anyway, it's just a matter of sucking it up and making the most of what you have, I guess.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Steel-toed shoes kicking me in the nuts
Bought a pair of steel-toed shoes for my trip to a power plant. I donated my old pair a year ago to an officemate since I didn't use it much anyway. Kind of a bad decision after all. The shoes I bought aren't as comfortable as my old pair (but then again, steel-toed shoes aren't meant for comfort, anyway) so hopefully I won't have to wear them as much on my 3-day stay. They're heavy, clunky and don't "breathe" at all. Stinky feet with dead toenails aren't far off, I guess.
Though it's a working trip, I don't expect to do much work. There's not much to do there, anyway. What's more concerning for me is that tight security at the plant means that I don't get to bring along my trusty laptop. So what I was hoping would be a great opportunity to write nonsense turns into something short of forced meditation time. I wonder if there's any way I could sneak out for a nice bottle of Gran Matador during my stay?
*****
Things are getting a little too lax at the home front. The laundry has been piling up, I haven't used the vacuum cleaner in two weeks and my sheets are 3 weeks old. It would be great to have an excuse, like I was too busy with work or the golf is taking up too much time, but nope, it's just a case of being too lazy to do anything about it. Just 10 minutes ago I saw a cockroach choking to death because of the filth in the house. Not really a good sign, is it?
Not entirely my fault, I do share the apartment with stupid little sister (not her Indian name). She's on garbage duty, or was I should say. And her room is filthier than mine, so she gets half the infamy. Wait, I did defrost the refrigerator yesterday, so that means she gets a bit more of the blame.
*****
I did some groceries around lunchtime today, and I came back an hour and a half later to sleepy to do anything else. I put the golf clubs in the trunk, figuring I could squeeze in some driving range action in the afternoon, but as soon as I set the groceries in the kitchen, an eerie whisper came from the bedroom, beckoning me to take a little nap. Well, that little nap turned out to be 8 solid hours of sleep, disturbed only once by the irritating sound of my mobile phone yelling at me that someone was calling. I was too tired to care.
So I woke up with a dilemma, should I just stay awake until the hour of my trip to the power plant, or get a bit more sleep? I lay down again after a bit of dinner but sleep eluded me. The soft whispering voice was no longer there, just the uncomfortable gust from the fan. Grabbed a glass and took a shot of whiskey on the rocks, I knew there was a reason I bought a bag of nuts from the grocery.
*****
For someone who just got unlimited internet access at home already, I find myself not really using it. I did download a couple of videos online, but before I could watch them, stupid little sister deleted them from the computer. Gee, thanks. I got my desktop back for gaming and downloading purposes, but the power cable was missing. Crap. So now it sits in the living room, taking up space, gathering dust but not really doing anything.
There was a time that I downloaded multiple episodes of television series and movies online, but I guess my laziness has extended to the internet. Evidence of this is my dwindling number of posts on this blog, as well as procrastinating on my new one that has yet to be functional. So why did I have internet installed in the first place? Oh yes, porn.
Though it's a working trip, I don't expect to do much work. There's not much to do there, anyway. What's more concerning for me is that tight security at the plant means that I don't get to bring along my trusty laptop. So what I was hoping would be a great opportunity to write nonsense turns into something short of forced meditation time. I wonder if there's any way I could sneak out for a nice bottle of Gran Matador during my stay?
*****
Things are getting a little too lax at the home front. The laundry has been piling up, I haven't used the vacuum cleaner in two weeks and my sheets are 3 weeks old. It would be great to have an excuse, like I was too busy with work or the golf is taking up too much time, but nope, it's just a case of being too lazy to do anything about it. Just 10 minutes ago I saw a cockroach choking to death because of the filth in the house. Not really a good sign, is it?
Not entirely my fault, I do share the apartment with stupid little sister (not her Indian name). She's on garbage duty, or was I should say. And her room is filthier than mine, so she gets half the infamy. Wait, I did defrost the refrigerator yesterday, so that means she gets a bit more of the blame.
*****
I did some groceries around lunchtime today, and I came back an hour and a half later to sleepy to do anything else. I put the golf clubs in the trunk, figuring I could squeeze in some driving range action in the afternoon, but as soon as I set the groceries in the kitchen, an eerie whisper came from the bedroom, beckoning me to take a little nap. Well, that little nap turned out to be 8 solid hours of sleep, disturbed only once by the irritating sound of my mobile phone yelling at me that someone was calling. I was too tired to care.
So I woke up with a dilemma, should I just stay awake until the hour of my trip to the power plant, or get a bit more sleep? I lay down again after a bit of dinner but sleep eluded me. The soft whispering voice was no longer there, just the uncomfortable gust from the fan. Grabbed a glass and took a shot of whiskey on the rocks, I knew there was a reason I bought a bag of nuts from the grocery.
*****
For someone who just got unlimited internet access at home already, I find myself not really using it. I did download a couple of videos online, but before I could watch them, stupid little sister deleted them from the computer. Gee, thanks. I got my desktop back for gaming and downloading purposes, but the power cable was missing. Crap. So now it sits in the living room, taking up space, gathering dust but not really doing anything.
There was a time that I downloaded multiple episodes of television series and movies online, but I guess my laziness has extended to the internet. Evidence of this is my dwindling number of posts on this blog, as well as procrastinating on my new one that has yet to be functional. So why did I have internet installed in the first place? Oh yes, porn.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Fore!
I've got more or less 15 minutes before bedtime, so I thought I'd do something utterly useless like getting a new post in while I still remember my password. Here it goes...
*****
I've just finished watching 4 stages of Initial D, the anime series. Must say, pretty interesting. It has not only allowed me to forget eating past 6pm (My new diet plan, not eating after 6pm) but has somehow given me new perspective on how I see my driving. Apparently, there are lots of things you can do with your car aside from just getting from point A to B. Unfortunately, I realize that I can't do most of those things because A) I thing most of it is illegal on the streets of Manila, B) I've got such an underpowered car, and C) Well, the simple reason that I'm a pussy.
Now that I've settled that, good thing I've finished the series and will now get back to a couple of more urgent things, like my good old laundry.
*****
Last night while on the way home, I got reminded about how terrible the traffic was along EDSA. As a consequence, I found myself snoozing at a gas station this evening whiling away the time (and traffic). A good solid couple of hours left me rejuvenated and alert, after which I remembered I hadn't eaten dinner and was doomed to stand by my after-6pm diet plan without the benefit of the usual 5:30 pig-out. Crap. So I went into the convenience store and had myself a cup of coffee. So far so good, until I got home.
Tummy grumbling, I instinctively reached for the refrigerator door and found an apple perched atop one of the shelves. I hesitated for 2 seconds, then grabbed the sucker and a sharp knife. So much for the diet, but at least I got myself eating something healthy, so healthy that I couldn't resist smoking a couple of sticks of cigarettes right after, plus my second cup of coffee for the night.
*****
Across our apartment, there's a little toddler who is living in a different time zone. His parents seem to be working the evening shift, so when they get home past 10pm, they wake the tyke up to play with. Feels kind of unnatural to me.
Back in the day, when 3 work shifts were unheard of, every kid had to sleep at 8 or 9pm on the dot. Staying up to 10pm was unthinkable, and pretending to sleep so that mom and dad won't hit you with their insanely heavy slippers was a very common habit. So it just feels very odd that at this midnight hour, I could hear Dora the Explorer's voice. I'm very tempted to get over there, knock on their door and hit the kid with my sandals until he's unconscious. Hmm, maybe a better idea is to take my 9-iron and beat the parents senseless. You have no idea how irritating it is to hear nursery rhymes when you're trying to get some sleep.
Oh crap, now they've changed the disc and I'm hearing a choo-choo train calling all-aboard. Excuse me while I put on my golfing gloves...
*****
I've just finished watching 4 stages of Initial D, the anime series. Must say, pretty interesting. It has not only allowed me to forget eating past 6pm (My new diet plan, not eating after 6pm) but has somehow given me new perspective on how I see my driving. Apparently, there are lots of things you can do with your car aside from just getting from point A to B. Unfortunately, I realize that I can't do most of those things because A) I thing most of it is illegal on the streets of Manila, B) I've got such an underpowered car, and C) Well, the simple reason that I'm a pussy.
Now that I've settled that, good thing I've finished the series and will now get back to a couple of more urgent things, like my good old laundry.
*****
Last night while on the way home, I got reminded about how terrible the traffic was along EDSA. As a consequence, I found myself snoozing at a gas station this evening whiling away the time (and traffic). A good solid couple of hours left me rejuvenated and alert, after which I remembered I hadn't eaten dinner and was doomed to stand by my after-6pm diet plan without the benefit of the usual 5:30 pig-out. Crap. So I went into the convenience store and had myself a cup of coffee. So far so good, until I got home.
Tummy grumbling, I instinctively reached for the refrigerator door and found an apple perched atop one of the shelves. I hesitated for 2 seconds, then grabbed the sucker and a sharp knife. So much for the diet, but at least I got myself eating something healthy, so healthy that I couldn't resist smoking a couple of sticks of cigarettes right after, plus my second cup of coffee for the night.
*****
Across our apartment, there's a little toddler who is living in a different time zone. His parents seem to be working the evening shift, so when they get home past 10pm, they wake the tyke up to play with. Feels kind of unnatural to me.
Back in the day, when 3 work shifts were unheard of, every kid had to sleep at 8 or 9pm on the dot. Staying up to 10pm was unthinkable, and pretending to sleep so that mom and dad won't hit you with their insanely heavy slippers was a very common habit. So it just feels very odd that at this midnight hour, I could hear Dora the Explorer's voice. I'm very tempted to get over there, knock on their door and hit the kid with my sandals until he's unconscious. Hmm, maybe a better idea is to take my 9-iron and beat the parents senseless. You have no idea how irritating it is to hear nursery rhymes when you're trying to get some sleep.
Oh crap, now they've changed the disc and I'm hearing a choo-choo train calling all-aboard. Excuse me while I put on my golfing gloves...
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Boredom is Back!
So, it's right smack in the middle of February, finally got a post out. Well, it's not going to be much, way past my bedtime and all, but I just couldn't resist tapping the keyboard a bit.
I bet you're wondering why the long absence? Pretty embarrassing, actually. You see, around a month or so ago, I changed my password on blogger. Then, uhm, I forgot what is was. It took this long for me to suddenly remember it, friggin' stroke of genius, I know.
Oh well. Mystery solved. Good night, folks!
I bet you're wondering why the long absence? Pretty embarrassing, actually. You see, around a month or so ago, I changed my password on blogger. Then, uhm, I forgot what is was. It took this long for me to suddenly remember it, friggin' stroke of genius, I know.
Oh well. Mystery solved. Good night, folks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)