Compromise

Perhaps the most damning thing about life, much more so if you don't live in a developed country, is that it's very difficult (if not downright impossible) to get everything you want.

Choosing which necessary evil we could tolerate has become second nature, and we often find ourselves juggling our priorities because of that.

Take work, for instance. In my field, one only has so many options to choose from. I could have taken a regular nine-to-fiver. Sure, the pay would probably suck unless you're part of middle or upper management, but you'd be the very definition of separation of personal and work time.

I personally work in frontline operations. That would usually mean I put in the same number of hours as other folks, albeit at very different times. Also, I could also afford more time off. Sure, at this point in my life, I have relative financial freedom. The catch is, it doesn't mean much if you don't plan things WAY ahead of time. Your friends are asleep when you're awake, and your usual haunts are closed when you want to go out.

Then there are those who work for second level operations. From what I've seen, they work nine-to-fivers, although chances are they're on call and those calls come at unexpected times. There's nothing more annoying than being woken up at two in the morning every single day to be asked to go to work.

I won't even delve into the merits of those who chose to work for (most) BPOs. I have no quarrel with them, but I don't think it's something physically feasible as a long term career.

I truly wish I could end this rant on a positive note. The thing about life is that we play with the cards we've been dealt, and more often than not there will be times when the only choices left are bad ones.

If there's anything I've learned, it's not to spend too much time worrying. I've gotten out of more horrible situations that I would be retarded to attribute to dumb luck alone. I'd like to think there has always been someone looking out to bail me out during those times, and those are things I've always been thankful for.

And no, I'm not preachy. I hate being preachy.

Staring at a Blipping Prompt

So I suddenly get the urge to write while waiting for some processes I initiated to complete.

That's the funny thing about working in the field of IT. Unless you write code for a living, most of your time will be spent praying that nothing goes wrong. I guess it's pretty safe to say a boring day at work is something to be thankful for.

This is just about the only job I could think of where one gets paid to be bored. When you work nights, you have all the time in the world to do things one takes for granted. Time to read, to learn new things, and probably most importantly, time to reflect on what the heck it is you're doing with your life. There is an eerie peace when one is left to their own thoughts while the world is tucked away in deep slumber.

Maybe that's why I know a lot of folks in this field who are incredibly laid back. Maybe that's why my approach to work is 'Work to live, do not live to work'. Maybe that's why I find it strange when people take their work frustrations home with them. Maybe that's why people in IT are provided generous amounts of operational freedom in their work.

Ah well. Back to work. Looks like waiting's over.

Still No Tomahawks, Drat

If there ever was a place of gun nuts, it's probably Makati Cinema Square. I went there with a friend today (who is obviously a gun nut himself), and holy crap, he wasn't kidding when he said it was a firearms mecca. The place was probably better equipped to deal with the zombie apocalypse than that mall in Dawn of the Dead.

The basement area was practically an armory. There were pistols, shotguns, SMGs, ARs (!) and the occasional crossbow mounted on most of the shop's walls. I was pretty sure one would find explosive munitions if they looked hard enough, but I'm not one who's curious enough to check. No thank you, I'm a bit iffy around those things.

Anyway, what should have been a two hour trip ended up taking most of the afternoon. There was this hunting supply store owner who was surprisingly a pretty nice chap, and he didn't seem to mind sharing his insight on the country's firearms policies and whatnot. Interesting opinions, I guess, and a bit on the survivalist side. He sounded sane though, and quite well versed. The person practically walks around armed to the teeth. I assumed he had four blades on his person (though I only saw two throatcutters) and I'm fairly certain he had a sidearm concealed as well. Scary stuff, I probably leveled up my intestinal fortitude today (+2, nonetheless).

I have (probably) always been a fond listener of people telling stories. The gist is that I find it interesting when people talk about why they believe the things they believe in. One could sometimes find the views they've always held dear become contested, and when those views are flawed, maybe change them for the better (or worse? I digress).

And no, not interested in getting a gun. That's fucking insane.

Drafts, So Many Drafts

Old habits die hard, I guess. I've never posted on this blog for a couple of years, but every once in a while I'd look over, type up something and never get to finish it.

Pages upon pages of drafts, probably doomed to stay as just that forever. Why I never delete them, I don't really know. I'm a packrat, probably.

Let's see.

I probably need the practice anyway, NaNoWriMo seems like a worthy waste of time and that's something I really badly want off my bucket list.