Thursday, October 12, 2006

This Time of The Year

I have many things I want to say, things that I am dying to type it down here, for ages in fact but I never got around to do that. Exhaustion is one thing. Utter disgust is another.

Somebody tell me, why do I still hang around in this African jungle. It's madness. A totally deflating experience, I need not point out more. Why are our energy, time & resources wasted on stupid things? Why??

Take for example when I proposed the e-card. It's about time we cut down cost of printing / buying stamps / cutting down trees to print cards only to be thrown away after the festive season ends. What do I get?

'E-cards are not professional & personalized! People will think we are stingy!'

Oh really? Then why do some big companies resort to e-cards and nobody thinks they are stingy? In fact they are called tech-savvy, duh. They are smart companies who know how to trim costs, and make use of technology.

Why 'Selamat Hari Raya' is not enough, but it has to be 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri'? Why do we need to reprint the cards again just because the word 'Aidilfitri' is missing?

'Because we have two hari rayas, just Selamat Hari Raya can mean either Aidilfitri or Aidiladha.'

'Err... And therefore?'

'Nobody sends card during Aidiladha.'

'Uhuh... so why the bother again?'

'Because we have two hari rayas!'

I give up. The whole contradictions are both hilarious and annoying. If nobody send a card during Aidiladha, isn't it clear that it therefore could be understood as 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri?' And if we had sent e-card instead of printed card, wouldn't it be easier to change it without wasting more money & time fixing things that are clearly meant for 'Hari Raya Aidilfitri'?

If we are so concerned about the fact that some poor sod will send the card during Aidiladha, what is exactly wrong about that, if you ask me? This practice of sending cards during Hari Raya Puasa is not a religious tradition and nobody would incur God's wrath for going against the tradition. Is the below conversation going to take place should it happen?

'Poor soul...'

'Why?'

'Kena panah petir.'

'Innalillah... apalah dosa dia...'

'Tulah aku cakap jangan hantar kad raya masa Raya Qurban, dia degil. Orang lain hantar kad raya masa Aidilfitri. Kan dah arwah.'

'Kesian...'

I know it's very important to uphold the corporate identity, but rational & logical thinking ought to be considered as well. If something does not pose great risks of tarnishing the company's image, it's ok to just let it go by instead of creating all these hassles and stirring ill feelings among teams. And since they want so much for us to cut down our costs and department spendings, why do they shoot down ideas that fit this bill just because they are worried about what other people think? Do they think it's a piece of cake trying to do something of high quality at just a fraction of the normal cost?

If this is the way things are done around here, it gives me absolutely good idea why moving forward is a tedious process because even small, harmless things get to be scrutinized, argued, and fussed over while more important issues are waiting and either growing larger every day or dwindling away into nothingness.

Welcome to hell.