Should I Stay or Should I Go

Everyone’s idea was to take your annual leave now and be back just in time the project critical stage has kicked in and no turning back up to the handing over of the project. Should I stay or should I go.

Logical it may seem, and our Project Manager is in chorus with the rest of the staff. And so, more than fifty percent of the project staff has filed their vacation leave, one or two weeks between each other so as not to totally affect the day to day operation of the project. Should I stay or should I go.

Three weeks into the vacation frenzy, as others are anxiously waiting for their turn to leave for vacation and the others are sorting out their itineraries for a country hopping grand vacations, the Project Director just turned off the party’s music, changed the music and raises the tempo. Break your back before you take a break.

He just issued a memo informing everyone that there will be no more vacations until the project is completed.

Lucky are those who had and had just left, they are now enjoying their well deserved vacations. For those who were caught up by the emperor’s order, it looks like it hit them with an ice cold tsunami with their sand castles washed on the shore.

The country hopping plans has to be put on hold and make the most for a desk-hopping, pencil-pushing and paper-sorting frenzy in the meantime.

Some has managed to salvage and bargain for a shorter break by making their own personal alibis that only them can tell if it is a legitimate excuse or not.

As for me at the time of the new memo, I just started to decide for at least two weeks break. In any case, I was not that worried about the new memo as I have a “godfather” to sort out things for me.

I filed my leave when my immediate superior was in town for his bi-monthly visits and explained to him the current moratorium on vacations. I also explained to him the urgency of my leave as I am trying to catch up with my kids during their school holidays, which ends by the first week of June. My leave request was signed. As an assurance my boss told me, “just let me know whoever rejects your leave request”. One down, two more to go.

The Project Manager rejected my leave request and refers me to the Project Director’s memo. I did not contest, as I was not still sure if I should stay or should I go. The financial aspect is what’s holding me back, as I am still repaying my loan from the company, proceeding with my plans may complicate matters for the worst.

Two days after I failed the second hurdle, I decided to go for the approval of my leave request, I will decide later if I should stay or should I go.

Serendipity works on my side, the same day when I decided for the kill, the Project Director visits our site and at the same time I received a bank notice informing us a payment has just been credited to our account which amounts to more than QAR 6,000,000. The opportunity had just presents itself.

I took one transparent envelop, put in the bank notice on the facing page, the second page is my leave form. I knocked at the Project Director’s office and in I go. I handed over to him the envelop I was just holding and told him we just received two notices. He examined the paper, and then his face starts to glow like a boy drooling at the sight of a freshly opened ice cream. He smiles from ear to ear.

Turning to the next page expecting the second “notice” to be much better, still his face glued with his wicked smile, he tried to comprehend why the “notice” looks different. I told him, “that’s my leave application, seven (7) days would be enough”. Too late for him, he cannot shrug off the smile on his face no matter how he tried he said, “Ok I’ll give you ten (10) days”.

Trying to recover from his weakness, he said, “But subject to the finalization of the variations at Diwan Emiri project”. I said, “It’s a deal and consider it done”.
Mission accomplished in regard to my leave approval. But I am still in a dilemma, should I stay or should I go.

Read more...

Just Another Day In Lulu

I make my groceries once every week. I normally buy necessities like water, vegetables, fish and meat. Sometimes I also need to buy some personal stuff and small treats like one or two corn chips.

Last Friday I went to Lulu Hypermart to buy my groceries. I made my usual round shopping for my week’s provision.

My first stop is the fish section. There were quite a lot of customers by the fish counter. Everyone is trying to get the assistant’s attention, pare, my friend, bai, every friendly word you might think of. I was standing there for about 10 minutes but no luck. When I noticed on my left side, a churchmate of mine was also trying to get some service. Then another churchmate came by. One of mine churchmate came with an idea to have a quick service and 100% sure that the assistant will get you noticed. He said, “My friend, give me a kilo of this fish without cleaning”. As quick as the flash my churchmate got his fish. Me and the other churchmate employ the same strategy and we end up buying the same fish.

My second stop is the vegetable section. The downside of the vegetable section is the weighing scale. It is always a very busy section. You would be thankful if you manage to queue before an Indian expats. Indian’s likes vegetables, more often than not, their shopping cart is half full of vegetables.

My third stop is the bakery section for a bread, cakes or cookies.

My fourth stop is the various goods aisles to take some water, softdrink, canned food, condiments, small treats, etc.

My last stop is the meat and poultry section. You got it right, for a chicken, a mutton or beef.

And then to the cashier.

As the cashier was scanning my groceries, I grab my wallet from my back pocket to ready my payment. Surprisingly, my card was not in my wallet. I later found out that it was in my shirt’s pocket as I was hanging my laundry to dry. I ended up paying cash. As the cashier hand over my change, he gave a bar of candy.

“What is this?”, I asked.

“Your change” he replied.

“Yes I know it is my change, what is this candy bar for?”, I inquire.

“Your change, I don’t have 50 dirhams”, he arrogantly replied.

I responded, “I want my 50 dirhams, you want me to pay you with candies?”, he keeps quiet and gave me my 50 dirhams.

I don’t buy into this supermarket tactics. If I want candies, I will buy candies. They don’t have the right to force me to pay for a candy. If they give candies or gums as change, then they should accept their customer to pay with candies or gums. I just can’t imagine how a candy register looks like.

Read more...