My buddy, Photo Cache, tagged me to answer a few random questions. Thus, I present below my supposedly random responses. Hehehe :D
1. WHAT WAS I DOING 10 YEARS AGO?
I was working for a telecommunications company that was based in New Jersey. My job then was very different from what I'm doing today. The job I had at the time was in the Information Technology (IT) field. I was managing a software quality assurance team that supported an automated credit and collections management system that the company used to facilitate account collection from its delinquent customers. My team's responsibility was to make sure that any enhancement or modification to the system's features or functionality was adequately tested prior to full implementation.
Although the job paid well, I was already feeling quite unhappy with my IT career at the time. I had been in it for several years at that point and I no longer felt any passion for the job. I had wanted to go back to my true passion: the work I'm currently doing. Plus, the great guy who was my boss left the department that year to move to another and in his place came this ugly, inconsiderate, micromanaging woman with no social life to speak of.
It is awful enough that one has lost his/her passion for one's job. It becomes a lot worse if one works in a job he/she no longer loves and for a boss that he/she absolutely abhors.
This lady was an awful boss due to the following:
a. She loved to call meetings at noon and at 5 in the afternoon, at a time when people are ready to call it a day. (None of her meetings lasted less than an hour.)
b. She loved to gossip about people in the office, even about people we didn't personally know.
c. She loved to waste time during meetings by talking about a lot of non-work related stuff.
d. If you did 98% right and 2% wrong on your job, she is the type who will focus on the 2% you did wrong and make it sound that you screwed the whole thing up.
e. She engaged in favoritism and would coerce her managers to give her favorites high performance appraisals and therefore high bonuses.
f. She always thought she was right.
g. She was a micromanager who often overruled her managers just to get things done in the way she wanted them done.
h. She was a disgusting sight. Physically ugly with thinning hair, dark rings around her eyes, and rotting teeth.
I ended up working for her for three more years and as a result, I went through a period of depression. I often hated Sunday afternoons and evenings because of the thought that once Monday morning came, I would have to deal with her and her crap again for another week. Needless to say, I felt so much joy the day I finally left her team in 2002. She was one of a kind.
2. WHAT ARE THE FIVE THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST TODAY?
a. Pack up my things and get ready to check out of the hotel first thing in the morning. (I'm currently at the end of a one-week assignment in Alexandria, Virginia.)
b. Take some pictures of a nearby park by the banks of the Potomac River.
c. Finish this tag.
d. Prepare for my project's closing meeting tomorrow morning.
e. End the evening with a nice, long talk on the phone with my SO.
3. SNACKS I ENJOY:
a. Chippy
b. Adobong Mani (Filipino garlic-roasted peanuts)
c. Pringle's Potato Chips (Sour Cream n' Onion flavor)
d. Cornick
4. PLACES WHERE I LIVED:
a. City of Manila
b. SSS Village - Marikina City
c. Marcelo Green Village - Paranaque City
d. Alexandria, Virginia
e. Somerset County, New York Metro area
5. THINGS I’D DO IF I WERE A BILLIONAIRE:
If I were a billionaire (in US dollars), I'll do the following:
a. Set up a foundation to run a well-funded and well-maintained orphanage.
b. Set up a foundation to set up and maintain public libraries in the poorest areas in my country.
c. Fund and support efforts to preserve performances of Filipino artists on film, tv, and radio.
d. Buy a nice home for myself and immediate family members.
e. Buy my own island in the Philippines.
f. Travel.
g. Invest a significant portion of the money so that its earnings could fund Items a, b, and c on this particular list.
6. PEOPLE I WANT TO KNOW MORE ARE:
The last time I did a tag, I passed it on to the ladies. Now, I'm passing this tag on to the following gentlemen:
a. Monaco
b. Rudy
c. Blogusvox
d. RJ
Thanks in advance for doing this tag, guys!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Baker Answers Some Random Questions
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40 responses:
Thanks for doing the tag. It's always nice to learn new things about a "buddy".
On question 1, letter c--I had the same problem with my former boss. Our meetings would stretch to 3 hours, sometimes four. Thankfully no ulcer resulted from the stress of working there, but I did have some stomach problems after that. I am okay now, after ten years away from "them" hehehehe.
I answered this same tag about two years back.Hehe!I just realized that I am already an oldie blogger.;P
That lady you mentioned is no less than the so many insecure, arrogant and insensitive managers around still enjoying their position. And I sigh for their subordinates. It's really hard to work when you don't like the people you work with.
same answer with you in your first list when you get billions.;)
thanks for the tag pards. gawin ko to. hehehe.
i like the way your boss thinks. meeting at 5 pm? c'mon!
-->I was managing a software quality assurance team that supported an automated credit and collections management system that the company used to facilitate account collection from its delinquent customers.
ano raw??? english naman iyon pero...ano raw? paano raw iyon ginagawa?
may boss din akong ganyan noon. babae. psychologist. pero punyemas, psycho siya! tatanggihan siya sa mental. haha!
I had a mentor too who loved making rounds just before 5.
I also like Sour Cream and Onion. I don't know why but somehow those with ridges taste so much better.
If you lived in Alexandria, Virginia before then this trip is like a homecoming. How has the place changed?
Happy weekend!
oh what a nice boss! she can be popular you know, maybe in the next devil wears prada movie! lol
Oh so this is the tag you mentioned in your comment. Heh, I've done this meme before, two years ago if I'm not mistaken. But I'll gladly do it again, pards...
Have a great weekend.
wow bibili ng sariling island.. astig! hahahha ;P
if one is a "witch" inside, it would definitely manifest in one's physical attributes. hence, the thinning hair and the rotten teeth. good riddance!
Wow, that was some boss you had! My unhappiness with my boss more than 10 years ago also made me miserable. It also took me years to finally decide to quit my job to get away from his molecules!:D
Oy, sali ako sa foundation mo, ha?! At pwede bang magbakasyon din sa isla mo, kung sakali? hehe
Photo Cache,
I worked for her for four years and it was hell. It was the first time in my professional life that I experienced dreading coming to work simply because of the thought that I had to deal with her again.
You're very welcome. Even though #1 brought back memories of an awful boss, all in all, I still enjoyed this tag. :)
Ev,
Don't be unkind to yourself naman. Hindi naman "oldie". "Experienced" blogger lang. :)
She did have her insecurities and for some reason, she felt threatened professionally by the people around her. Everything that the department achieved was because of her efforts. She was so hesitant to share credits. Awful.
RJ,
Maraming salamat, Pards. I look forward to reading your post. :)
Prinsesamusang,
Sinabi mo. Napaka-inconsiderate sa oras ng mga tao. :( It's been years since I worked for her but I'm still annoyed when I think of the things she did to her employees.
Atticus,
Hahaha Sorry for that. In all honesty, I always try to keep my sentences short pero for some reason eh nakalusot iyang isang iyan. Hehehe
She probably did have some psychological or emotional problems. Her work was her life. She had no social life. She often stayed in the office until 8 or 9 in the evening for no apparent business-related reason.
Em Dy,
I love that Sour Cream N' Onion flavor. I could easily down an entire canister if this is the flavor I'm having. :D
This trip was both a homecoming and a sentimental journey for me. It has a nice "old town" district where the homes date back from the 18th century. George Washington even had a home there. I will make it the subject of a future blog entry.
The place hasn't really changed much. This is due to the fact that the town is designated as a historic site and as a result, in order to maintain its character, there aren't a lot of new or modern buildings being put up in the town.
Piapot,
Hahahaha You're probably right but Meryl Streep would be too pretty to cast in the role of my old boss. I would probably cast Danny DeVito instead to play her. :D
Thank you very much for the visit. It is much appreciated. :)
Rudy,
Thanks a lot, Pards. I appreciate it. I look forward to your post. :)
You have a great weekend too.
Princess_Dyanie,
Yeah para puwede na akong mag-skinny dipping Hehehe Kaso nga lang baka maglayasan ang mga isda. :(
Mari,
That is true. One's nature eventually manifests itself physically. You can just imagine the "torture" of having to look at her in her numerous and lengthy meetings. Ugh.
Luna Miranda,
I felt miserable in my job and the only motivation I used to keep performing well on the job was to protect my reputation. But even with that, there were still many times when I was dragging myself to work.
Sure, welcome ka sa mga foundations ko. Pili ka kung saan mo gusto. :D
And of course, welcome ka sa island ko. Libre ang swimming and ang chibugan ay palaging buffet! Hehehe :D
nagutom naman ako bigla sa mga snacks na minention mo, hehe. :D
sino si Danny DeVito? lol add kita sa blog roll ko ha?
you can cast dany de vito in my upcoming telenovela entitled, bait and switch. bagay yang si ms tapia at si manay.
My, my, I'm glad you got out of that hellhole. I never had that kind of boss. I have lots of bosses (all Germans) before but they leave me alone. I'm one of those workers who doesn't need supervision. They assign me a task, set a date and I deliver on time or earlier.
BTW, I'll do the tag today. Thanks.
Carlotta1924,
Actually, ako rin ginutom noong nilista ko sila. Hehehe
Neuroticsister,
Pandakekok na artista iyon. Comedian siya. He played the role of Penguin in one of the first Batman movies, back in the day when Michael Keaton played the role of Bruce Wayne.
Thanks for the link. :)
Mari,
Yes, Danny DeVito is a great and very versatile actor. I'm pretty sure Mr. DeVito won't have a problem playing the role of a self-centered, untrustworthy, disloyal, and racist insurance broker based in Burlingame, California.
Blogusvox,
This lady closely supervised EVERYONE. A lot of people lost the initiative to work because she dictated how things needed to be done. We were treated like children.
Thanks for doing the tag, Pards. Much appreciated. :)
I'm glad you're out of the hellhole with that boss of yours ! Nice to know that you're more contented with your present job :)
Thanks for the tag. I'll do it soon.
You're lucky your boss calls meetings at 5pm. My former boss had meetings later than that. Once, we had a meeting at 1 am! I'll probably write about it in my tag.
buti ka nga lady ang ex-boss mo.. i mean can you imagine those traits sa lalaki? ganyan yung ex-boss ko except dun sa pag call ng meeting ng 5pm. pero 5 years+ din akong nagtiis dun hanggang sa naubusan na ko ng reason to stay..
actually may post dapat ako tungkol dito nung july 17, kaso.. tinamad ako. i'll share it later na lang. hindi pa naman tapos ang july. :D
This tag came to you too hehe.
I have been missing out on the blogosphere hehe...hope you are doing good! =)
of the 4 places you've lived, where do you like it best? ;-)
BW,
Thanks. I truly am glad that that phase of my work life is over. For now, at least.
Monaco,
I find such bosses horrible and inconsiderate of their people's time. It's okay to have such meetings if there are legitimate and urgent business reasons for them. However, if they're done simply out of habit or personal preference then such ways should be condemned.
Lei,
Nakakainis at nakakawalang-gana pag ganyan ang boss, 'di ba? Granted that we need to be thankful that we have a job but there are times when the situation at work becomes unbearable simply because of bosses like the ones you and I had. Talagang mapapalayas ka sa inis.
Mirage2g,
I'm feeling much better now, thanks. I hope you and the family are doing well. :)
Gandarynako,
I loved all the places I lived in in the Philippines. I have special memories from each place. In the US, I kind of prefer Alexandria, VA over my current residence. The place is rich in history and not as cold in winter as where I am now.
Thanks for visiting. Much appreciated. :)
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