I asked for a move

From a room like this:

 

To a room like this:

all because I couldn't stand the smell of tobacco.

first time I hear of a non-smoking room in a hotel...

If you're overweight, don't take this job...

They could just lock you in here and throw away the key...

Desiderata

Max Ehrmann



Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.


Avoid loud and aggressive persons,

they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain and bitter;

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.


Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals;

and everywhere life is full of heroism.


Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love;

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment

it is as perennial as the grass.


Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.


You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.


Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.


With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.


Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

My Ramblin' Prose 4

For you who swim with sharks.

The working world's full of sharks.  But there are also dolphins. 

Sharks, as your imagination will tell you, are aggressive, fierce and to be avoided if possible.  In some situations you can't avoid them.  Dangerous and treacherous as they are, you have to deal with them.  You end up with lots of scars even if with a cage to escape those jaws.  If the job or money's not worth your limbs, get back in the boat and go fish somewhere else. 

Dolphins, you already get the idea.  They're supposedly docile, friendly and ready to entertain you and show you where to get what, and even let you know where the sharks are.  But then there are times you get so blur (the waters so murky) you can't tell the difference between the two. 

Some sharks can turn out to be your allies if you feed them the right stuff.  These you recruit to go after other sharks when the going gets rough.  But you need some cunning and sharp wits to handle them.  Some are actually dolphins dressed up like sharks for the sake of survival.  And then there are the real dolphins.  They'll come to your aid if you also look like one.  So, if you aren't rough and tough don't dress up like a shark.  But the major skill for survival is being able to spot a shark dressed up like a dolphin. 

But wait, don't jump in yet.  Some dolphins are so naïve and innocent they turn out as tools for some sharks.  They'll drag you in for a kill and turn out to be just as bad as those sharks in dolphin skins. 

Don't be discouraged though.  The odds of your survival doesn't seem too bad.  You just need to swim (I mean work) with caution.  But your best bet for survival is still knowledge.  Armed with knowledge and skill in your area of expertise you'll survive the worst shark infested waters of the corporate world.  Just dress those wounds and stop any bleeding before you go back in.  Otherwise there'll be a feeding frenzy.  In other words, stay clean.

 

About choices   

Don't go into something because of the glamour or the money.  Go for it if you think it's something which brings out the best in you.  Something you enjoy doing and that stretches your mind and imagination.  You might want to try a challenge you often wondered if you could handle or not.  If that's what you don't want to miss, do so while you're still full of energy with quick wits and sharp fangs & claws.  Then if you find it too exhaustive, you can switch to some safer occupation.  Don't try it after you're 40.  That's when you should be valued for your expertise, not your ability to work around the clock (or fight with sharks).  Michael Korda wrote a piece on that 20 years ago.  I kept it in my scrap book.  Unfortunately I scrapped the scrap book.  I decided it was too exhaustive swimming with sharks.  I improved my technical skills and stayed in the boat.  I wanted to be able to whistle while I work.  You can't do that in the water.

 

From Solemn to Hilarious

Just got back from a meeting.


Chair-person (lady) was pretty serious.  New on the job, oozing with enthusiasm and eager to make a good impression.  But half-way through the solemn affair, someone saw a nice blind-spot in her field of vision and decided to toss in a banana peel.

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Chair-person:  This item has been on this minutes for the last two weeks.  Why can't we proceed with the sample build?


Project guy:  We're still short of some raw materials.  The parts are coming in soon… within these two days. 


Chair-person:  When is the deadline?


Project guy:  Yesterday…


Chair-person:  Did someone request for an extension?


Project guy:  Done…


Chair-person:  Any other surprises that can stop us?  Equipments ready?


Project guy:  Done.  We'll run the process as soon as possible.


Chair-person:  Soon? 


Project guy:  Can't promise until I see the parts are OK.


Chair-person:  How soon?  Can we have a date?


Project guy:  I'm flattered…but..


Chair-person:  ???  Come again?


Project guy:  Sorry, you're not my type...

My Ramblin' Prose 3

"When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and true maxim that 'a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall.' So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say what he will, is the great highroad to his reason, and which, once gained, you will find but little trouble in convincing him of the justice of your cause, if indeed that cause is really a good one."

-Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

Alas, but how few use such wisdom nowadays.  And how few actually would respond positively to such soft approach anyway.

Of course during his time, in politics, dear old Abe had only to deal with men.  Therefore his statement was only made in the masculine context.  Can't fault him for that.  Our political landscape now is totally different.  On top of having to deal with different sexes, cultures, religions, we also have to contend with double-speaking and spin-doctoring. 

Then there are the actors who can play dumb, shed tears on demand, or scream and shout abuses at you even when you see no reason for them to behave the way they do, in spite of your diplomatic approach.  The fact remains they're making statements to reach a larger target audience.  Being seen as idiots by a small part of the public doesn't diminish their worth in the eyes of a bigger section of the population.  In other words, principles have no more value than a teaspoon of salt in the ocean.  Political dexterity is of utmost importance.  While getting voted is the bottom-line.  How you 'sail with the wind' decides how well you survive politically. 

And also that's why the regime in charge always intend to keep more of the population poorly educated by all dubious means they can get away with, while maintaining that they're always updating and advancing the standards.

For us ordinary folks, we tend to either shoot first and talk later or we don't say anything offensive to those close to us.  That's why we are either quarrelling most of the time or we just cold-shoulder each other when we don't agree, until one of us decides that the other could be right and makes a move for further discussion. 

It's only when we can thrash things out openly and maturely that we can solve common problems without involving highly charged emotions.  Otherwise unhealthy conditions just fester and anger and frustrations grow until relationships finally fall apart.

Perhaps, that's why it's terribly difficult to find sincere friends nowadays.  Value the ones who dare to give you the medication without sugar-coating it.  Of course you have to be the type who can take it straight.  I don't mean to say that those who can sugar-coat things before they throw it at you, are insincere.  On the contrary, these are the very people you should thank heaven for.  They are a rare breed who are honest yet diplomatic with you.  Consider yourself very fortunate if you can count them on the fingers of one hand.

No holes barred

Chairman of the Bored just sat down in front of his PC.

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Bad Company = too many executives, too little execution.

Bad Equation = Too many managers = too much management = too little being managed

Crisis Management = Pay consultants for some rubbish which helps to sweep the problem under the carpet and hang a certificate on the wall where there's a lose brick showing.

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Quick Returns

Guy went into washroom and met a colleague coming from one of the stalls. He sniffed the air and made a face.

1st guy: Waaah! That must have been you. What an awful smell!!

2nd guy: So, what do you expect to get in a shit-house? Baking cookies?

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Meanwhile, wish I could join the lawyers@Putrajaya If they pull this through, I'll never make another lawyer joke again, ever. Promise.