Monday, January 21, 2008
Jaded
Hosted a mostly successful regional sales conference and company dinner with attendees from 8 countries.
Did mostly the helicoptor stuff to supervise that everything was on track, and none of the menual stuff like getting the conference file out. But micro-management issues that may have political importance like seating arrangement, lucky draw price listing, programme etc still had to be done by myself.
Part of the job was of course the strategic meetings with the attendees to hammer down FY08 plans. An even heavier than usual burden since Big Boss showed little interest this year to even show face at these meetings: leaving me and the Sales Manager to handle everything from budget to travel plan. Thankfully we work well together, taking turns to play good cop/ bad cop and rephrasing each other's comments to either sting harder or go down easier.
What drained me the most was the constant eye on EVERYTHING to make sure EVERYTHING runs like clockworks, usually being the first few to arrive and definitely the last to leave.
Had to host dinner and entertainment for some of the attendees too, but luckily by sheer fortune (or calculated scheming) I didnt have a drink for most nights, unlike precious years where I had to, a lot.
But the truth is, it gets really REALLY boring when you dont drink and stay sober when everybody else is getting plastered. But then again, my job is not to have fun...
The interesting turn around for the company dinner came when the lucky draw was conducted. Ranging from food hamper (which had canned abalone and liquor in them, dont pray pray hor) to the top price of $5k travel voucher. I came in 9th with a Creative Zen Stone + $300 shopping vouchers.
Then an even more interesting proposition came when some big sponsors stepped up with $10k of super grand prize. Big Boss decided to have some fun by setting the rules and then changing them, several times, to get people (overly and unnecessarily) excited of the possibility of being handed $10k in cold hard cash for no rhym and reason. Mad scrambling ensued. Broken props. Sudden moment of clarity and seriousness in a night of high drunken revelry.
Me? I stayed aside to watch the proceedings... I mean, i will never win a karaoke KO, plus i knew the Big Boss so well that i was sure the rules would change at least once, and it is "only" S$10k
In the end, through some unfathamable logic and proceedings, I came away with 2 pieces of S$1000 notes.
Some other went away 1 or 2 or 3, grinning from ear to ear.
Me? I smiled the smiles i was supposed to but no real joy.
S$2k not small change in any way.
But i didnt earn it.
Maybe i am slightly depressed for having sustained more losses than this since the stocks started dropping like flies.
or maybe I'm just seriously jaded.
Did mostly the helicoptor stuff to supervise that everything was on track, and none of the menual stuff like getting the conference file out. But micro-management issues that may have political importance like seating arrangement, lucky draw price listing, programme etc still had to be done by myself.
Part of the job was of course the strategic meetings with the attendees to hammer down FY08 plans. An even heavier than usual burden since Big Boss showed little interest this year to even show face at these meetings: leaving me and the Sales Manager to handle everything from budget to travel plan. Thankfully we work well together, taking turns to play good cop/ bad cop and rephrasing each other's comments to either sting harder or go down easier.
What drained me the most was the constant eye on EVERYTHING to make sure EVERYTHING runs like clockworks, usually being the first few to arrive and definitely the last to leave.
Had to host dinner and entertainment for some of the attendees too, but luckily by sheer fortune (or calculated scheming) I didnt have a drink for most nights, unlike precious years where I had to, a lot.
But the truth is, it gets really REALLY boring when you dont drink and stay sober when everybody else is getting plastered. But then again, my job is not to have fun...
The interesting turn around for the company dinner came when the lucky draw was conducted. Ranging from food hamper (which had canned abalone and liquor in them, dont pray pray hor) to the top price of $5k travel voucher. I came in 9th with a Creative Zen Stone + $300 shopping vouchers.
Then an even more interesting proposition came when some big sponsors stepped up with $10k of super grand prize. Big Boss decided to have some fun by setting the rules and then changing them, several times, to get people (overly and unnecessarily) excited of the possibility of being handed $10k in cold hard cash for no rhym and reason. Mad scrambling ensued. Broken props. Sudden moment of clarity and seriousness in a night of high drunken revelry.
Me? I stayed aside to watch the proceedings... I mean, i will never win a karaoke KO, plus i knew the Big Boss so well that i was sure the rules would change at least once, and it is "only" S$10k
In the end, through some unfathamable logic and proceedings, I came away with 2 pieces of S$1000 notes.
Some other went away 1 or 2 or 3, grinning from ear to ear.
Me? I smiled the smiles i was supposed to but no real joy.
S$2k not small change in any way.
But i didnt earn it.
Maybe i am slightly depressed for having sustained more losses than this since the stocks started dropping like flies.
or maybe I'm just seriously jaded.
Labels: to Despair
# posted by yojanjan : 1/21/2008 03:33:00 PM
