self portrait.

here’s a self portrait.

picture says it all…

how cute can this guy be?

      pure teen-age drivel and all that awful shit.

      but still. this guy is waaay CUTE!

      man, call me — we’ll have coffee…

      nyahahaha. yeah right.

lessons from the shipyard

i know… here’s another drivel on how i will miss the pier and all that. but for the sake of posting a coherent thought — here are the things i’ve learned working off the pier.

1. time is relative — at the pier, time is purely dependent on the weather, the arrival of ships, the efficiency of cargo placement, the maintenance and quality of the vessels…in short time is dependent on everything except time.  quite weird but that’s the point exactly. it is not hard for us to wait repeatedly for two..three…four…until it’s finally okay and it’s really your departure/arrival time regardless of what’s indicated on your tickets.

2. there’s still unsung heroes in our midst — as ive said, i have encountered numerous saints during my stay. they are the people whose work is so efficient and clean you’d think they own all seven ships. these are the nameless people who’d risk being mugged just to ensure that the ships are maintained and the passengers are safe. these are the people who won’t think twice about logging an unscheduled overtime just to ensure that work is done and everything is in order. up till now, i will maintain my belief that the prime asset of my company is its people. these are those who look beyond their responsibilities to do more than what’s expected of them. they look beyond money, compensation, comfort…everything in the name of service…yep, unbelievable but true but there’s still a lot of people like that (and they all work in pier 2)

3. …but, there are also random people you’d want to toss out the murky waters of the pier — they are the opposite of what’s indicated above. they are shitty, inefficient, freeloaders, users, megalomaniacs, slave drivers and stupid beyond disbelief. now i know where all the trash off the pier went during clear days (it’s embedded in their brains).

4. the age old adage about "seamen and vessel crews having branches in every port of destination is SO TRUE!" i will have to apologize to my bestfriend onboard one of our vessels (hello, godo!) but he is a classic example for this. entries in his phone inbox are categorized according to our port of destination. For example: RenRen Estancia, Jenny Iloilo, Cristy Palawan, Angel Boracay — something like that, you get the point! i’ve seen these guys in action so many times to know what i’m saying…they operate like james bond on viagra overload, they have no mercy, they act like mr. suaves and won’t think twice about denying the existance of a girlfriend, wife, 3rd mistress when opportunity presents itself. in short, malulufet talaga!

5. Porters can be instant celebrities too (and more often times than not, they have far more dough than us office workers)… our porters are a new breed of star struck — american idol — star circle quest wannabes. they have a cult following, believe it or not — who’d gladly toss a coin or avail of our services because they want to see these hunky (hahaha) guys do a mean "average joe"

6. when one gets to stay for a long time in a certain area/ place, it is wholly possible to pick up the language — when i first worked at my company, i was completely nonchalant to the "panggas" and "gani". but having stayed for two years and being closely aqcuianted with jing the saint — i know call everyone ‘ga, say "gani" when i want to stress a point, make "palihog" when needed be… somehow overtime, i’ve learned to understand the sweet, distinct ilonggo accent and dialect that even when they speak in tounges in my presence i now know what’s being discussed (and i don’ have to fear if im being sold on one of the piyaya markets).

7. we have the best safety record in the industry and that alone can shut off any annoying passenger. bar none.

8. commitment/loyalty/faithfulness is relative when you work at pier 2. people — attached or otherwise — are pairing off for some weird reason, ‘must be the sea smell during summer.

9. our people are one of the most efficient multi-taskers i know. i always tell my friends that my training with my company has surpassed any past job experience. this job readied me for the world. in this company, if you don’t know how to multi-task and face responsibilities head on– you’re a goner. we have the best trainings for employees and we know that. the only problem is there are people who’d choose to shy away from the opportunities and remain contented on being mere fungi on the great scheme of things (their loss…)

10. things happen for a reason.

…as the curtain falls

i am now counting the days…minutes and hours…before i finally say goodbye to my old company. I have tendered my resignation effective next week in  lieu of a new opportunites elsewhere. While I am truly, madly happy that finally i am going and that i am finally through with odd work hours, cranky passengers who smelled of sun, sweat and grease and the exhilarating smell of pier 2…still, SURPRISINGLY…there is this certain sadness in me which i cannot place. i have been bumming around repeatedly for the last couple of days and my superiors have been gratefully tolerating…still, i have this feeling that i am reluctant to say goodbye.

while my job may sometime be thankless (well, actually most of the times) and the pay is not that good really and the people sometimes are waaay incomprehensible for their own risk…i have to admit that i have learned too much and invested too much emotion to the company that i will be leaving FOR GOOD by 530pm monday next week.

i dont know why i am writing this, maybe this is my way to bring closure to my entire shipping industry experience, as well as the hardships and happiness it brought me along the way. i usually deny this but in reality i have to say that i truly care and love my company…even if sometimes it brings me nothing but frustration and hate redefined. while there are people there who i will gladly toss of the murky waters of manila bay anytime or feed to the hungry mutant fishes teeming our ports (HAHAHA) — there are people who i will forever remember. these are the people i usually deal with with less crap as possible. they can be blunt and unorganized and generally noisy but they were the closest i got to the sense of family in that little slice of paradise off pier 2.

i will always remember the hot momma who nagged me like a mom on steroids (she’s a mom of 5 big, bouncing, smart kids). while she has the personality of ma barker, she also has the certain characteristics in which i can talk shit with her and still see the sense of everything that is shitty with our workplace. i will always remember jing–the saint. i have given up for good on my quest for angels and saints until this person showed up in my life. she is both a saint, a martyr, the kind of person whom i promised i will build a monument one day at our anchorage point in manila bay. jing’s life revolved around her group accounts, her family, her boyfriend and of course — the tasty slice of heaven we all call amo ganni longanisa. speaking of which, i will miss the monthly supply of longanisa too. then there is janey — the single mom with the hots for my boyfriend. haha. even so, never have i regarded janey as the type who steals people away. she is fiercely loyal to the person that i date and never hesitates to say it to my face.

there are also a lot of people in other departments who are worth this space but were just too many. they are accommodating, efficient, playful and innocent to a point. they are the ones who make me smile and grin during some of the most deppressing moments of my working life. i will miss them…