Difficult Jobs

Some jobs aren’t easy. They require extreme skill and precision. Errors can lead to catastrophic consequences. Oftentimes solutions aren’t readily available and certain amount of research is required prior to launching an implementation. In this day and age, availability and instant access to information is critical to success. Failure is unacceptable and lawyers have joined the fray in ensuring that errors are compensated financially. In short, you screw up, you pay. Oh well, not exactly. You screw up, your insurance pays. Money does allow people to forgive easy.

It is therefore of paramamount importance that people get trained to enhance their skills in their field of endeavor. Some employers even encourage their staff to widen their horizons and explore the possibility of a career shift to eliminate the boredom in their jobs. Doing the same job over and over for 30 years does seem to make people lose interest and consequently their productivity suffers. Job rotation is another thing that most companies practice these days. Doing something different for 6 months isn’t a bad idea. As they say, variety is the spice of life.

Most of us bitch and moan about our jobs not even thinking that there are much worse jobs out there. Quitting isn’t always the solution. Sometimes it appears that all we need is a reality check in form of a day off or a vacation or simply not thinking about work when we get out of the office ! We dream about winning the lotto and not showing up for work the following day so we keep on buying tickets until the day we retire and nothing happens πŸ™‚ Man is by nature lazy. We all want a free ride don’t we? And why not? Some folks have found out the way to beat the system. It’s called going on welfare. (click on icon to enlarge)

BLOGGER’S MEME – 5 FAVORITE POSTS

I’ve been tagged by SNGLGUY on the 5 favorite posts meme and boy it took me a while to search for these posts πŸ™‚ Again, this meme is kinda difficult to answer because frankly, I find most of the sites I visit are interesting, especially those in my blogroll.

Here are my choices :

1. Alternati – BAH HUMBUG. Rarely would one select a Christmas post but I thought this was one very witty, humurous and pretty that showcases the author’s superb writing skills. Alternati is definitely one I would like to have in my team πŸ™‚

2. Major Tom – BARBER STORY. A post I found nostalgic and made me remember my grandfather who doted on me when I was a young boy. Being the eldest grandson my grandparents literally grabbed me from my parents when my sister was born. Gramps used to take me to the barber and had my hair cut just like his. It was my grandad that pinned my honor medals on me when I was a grader. He was a cool dude and I miss him.

3. Toe – I HEART NEW YORK – A series of posts that chronicled Toe’s trip to the Big Apple which I thought was pretty comprehensive, candid and funny at times πŸ™‚

4. Rizalist – VICTIMOLOGY’S REFLECTION IN A FORK AND SPOON – a thought provoking insight on the Luc Cagadoc story that rocked the Filipino nation and took people to the streets to protest against Canada. I had blogged about this issue (Musings From a Train Ride) and never understood why this was not resolved within the context of parent-teacher dialogue. The story all of a sudden disappeared from the airwaves and one wonders if this was one of those over-hyped stories designed to cast Quebecers as xenophobic morons. By now we seem to have an inkling who the real morons are πŸ™‚

5. Sassy Lawer- PALANGGA TRIES SOCIAL RELEVANCE – what do socialites and environmentalists have in common ? Absolutely NOTHING! This is one hilarious post of a Pinay socialite’s attempt to mix water and oil which as expected, failed miserably πŸ™‚

43 Responses

  1. He,he… love those cartoons!

    β€œMistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.”
    -Nikki Giovanni-

  2. lol… I don’t want to be in that hospital.

  3. Hahaha, I love that first cartoon. I sure would hate to be in that guy’s shoes. Holding a target upright in a shooting range isn’t good for one’s health… πŸ™‚

    Thanks for indulging with this meme, bro. πŸ™‚

  4. http://www.goodgovernance.com

    A how to website for Pinoy movie celebrities/politicians.

    But seriously, I tore down the engine of one of my bikes to adjust the valves and extend the cam shifters. The bike forum webs helped me through with the job and was quite an experience for a weekend mechanic like me.

    You can save a lot on repair expenses when your warranty expires on such appliances as clothes dryer, dish washers, automatic clothes washers and even basic plumbing now has a tutorial on the web.

    But as always, most of the time there’s a payback for these modern conveniences.

    I enjoyed Major Tom’s Barber Story.
    I am a creature of habit myself and have fond memories hanging out in barber Shops hustling on the Pinoy checker games(Dama with bottle caps), Pinoy Pool games and just BS’sing with the older folks while they pet and blow smoke on their roosters(pang-sabong)getting ready for the next tupada at the local galeriya.

  5. haha… I so love the suicide bomber cartoon.

    Hey, I’m flattered by my inclusion in your list! That’s one of my fave entries as well. hehe.. I checked Sassy Lawyer’s blog and that entry was hilarious! hehehe.. I’m gonna check out the other ones as well. πŸ™‚

  6. Gee, thanks for having one of my posts in your list of faves. I never expected it really, and wouldn’t have at any rate but here it is. This is a great encouragement and honor bro and thanks so much.

    About the ‘difficult job’ subject—I reckon that there is really no job that ain’t hard to take, or be convenient with over the years, as boredom would surely ensue. The idea of rotation is I think a revolutionary scheme to improve work environment and of course productivity. I think the government here and private enterprises should be well aware of this method.

    In this connection, I am reminded of that phrase where sometimes there are individuals—usually well-known—who we know to be doing what they want to do and then getting paid for it. Examples are NBA players, rockstars, pop icons, popular writers, and succesful web content providers. If only I can get into this utopic situation, but right now, I can only dream about it—to do what I like best and enjoy the most and then getting paid for it.

  7. Sidney – thanks man πŸ™‚ Hey that’s a great quote ! It’s how we handle mistakes that spells the difference between learning and failure πŸ™‚

  8. Sngl- scary to think that in the future these so called “expert systems” will take over our human expertise πŸ™‚

    Hey no worries mate. Took me a little while to figure out things to be honest coz there’s a lot of great posts out there and I had to select only 5! That’s kind of unfair πŸ™‚

  9. Noypetes – great to learn that you are a handyman πŸ™‚ I’m sure you’re having fun tweaking your bike and that’s great.

    Yes, barber shops are sort of like the center of the universe for towns back in Pinas, where everybody congregates and play dama or chess or just plain chatting about what’s going on in the town πŸ™‚ I still vividly recall the names of the barbers my grandpa took me to when I was a kid and kinda wondering where they are nowadays πŸ™‚

  10. Alternati – there you go, I finally confirmed to you that one your favorite posts is indeed great !

    I also got a laugh at that post, thinking how these whale chasing, oily faced activists rubbed elbows with Palangga and her socialite friends πŸ™‚

  11. Major Tom – the Barber Story was your personal account which was written as it should be – original and honest and I liked it πŸ™‚

    My ideal daily work would be blogging, reading and doing my favorite recreation or sports and I don’t have to report to anyone, LOL. That implies I have a real fat bank account which would be possible if I won the lottery tomorrow πŸ™‚ THAT would be one heck of a life to live – won’t it? See, my dreams are pretty simple..hehe.

  12. Despite the contoversies with the lottery, I’ll still put my $2 in for a lotto pool to win the $25M lottery jackpot this week. Who knows, I might get away with even a million. Heck, I’d even settle for less. I might quit my job and stay home and blog for a living:o) Its all a dream. All workers do that I think. But we all have lots to be thankful for.

    I’ve only read Toe’s post amongst your list. I’ll be sure to visit your other recs.

  13. dahil nabasa ko itong post mo, magsisipag na ako mag trabaho simula ngayon, ayaw kong trabaho yung taga hawak ng target board tulad ng isa sa mga picture mo.

  14. yihaha! everytime i get intoxicated with my job i will utter my mantra ILOVEMYJOB, psychologically working…. er working?
    atleast i prefer my present job over that man below the target, nyayks!

    thanks snglguy for the meme….

  15. I’ve also enjoyed Major Tom’s barber story too. πŸ™‚ Wow, thanks for taking notice of my New York series. I enjoyed writing that and I’m glad someone like you liked it too. πŸ™‚

    That cartoon on the operating table is hilarious! Unfortunately, it’s not really that far-fetched considering the mishaps in operation tables with regard to cosmetic surgery by fake doctors that I’ve been hearing in the news a lot lately. 😦

    Job rotation is the best! That’s what I like about my job. πŸ™‚

  16. gThat guy holding a Target could have been a bulls eyes during my shoot from the hip days.
    I still remember the time when I shot out the window at my stall at Cold Creek Conservation Area Target Range when I did a rapid fire from the waist with my Mini 14 Ruger .223 (before the magazine limit law) and that guy would be no contest. I paid for the repair though. And I got rid of my Mini 14.. Scary stuff.

    The Luc Cagadoc case was schedule for some kind of hearing and I’m not sure it has started or not. The reason why all press releases were suspended or stopped, because of the upcoming Quebec Commissioner of Human Rights Inquiry.

  17. lovely, hilarious cartoons! hehe. i like the suicide bomber one.

    nice blog you got here. mind if i link you?

  18. Leah – I know what you mean. Life’s OK but a million bucks wouldn’t be bad eh? You’d be a blogging mom and that’s one heck of a job πŸ™‚ Best of luck on the lottery ! I hope your 2 bucks multiply 12 million times πŸ™‚

  19. Rheiboy – how about a screen saver for your PC at work… ILOVEMYJOB… every time 3 minutes passes you get a reminder πŸ™‚

    You bet, thanks to Snglguy too for the meme πŸ™‚ He’s cool and a sport when it comes to these things πŸ™‚

    Hey, nice of you to drop by bro πŸ™‚

  20. Toe – welcome back and hope you had a grand vacation in Pinas ! Yep, I liked your I Heart New York series of posts.. I thought you covered a lot of ground – very informative, esp for those who haven’t been to NYC.

    Cosmetic surgery is one area that sort of scares me, when people spend a fortune changing their bodies which in the end does not meet their expectations 😦

    Yes, I’m sure you’re looking forward to a new assignment after your stint in Cambodia.. Best of luck wherever you go next – avoid Iraq and Afghanistan ok ? LOL πŸ™‚

  21. Curacha – it my absolute pleasure if you link me . Please go ahead and I will do the same. Thanks for stopping by πŸ™‚

  22. 😦 I’m not included in the list…I’m supercalifragilisticexpeliadociously hurt 😦

    and the cartoon didn’t even work to make me smile….hmmmmmp!

  23. The NYC Police Department favors applicants with average or below intelligence. Supposedly, such people get bored less often.

  24. bw,
    Coldcreek conservation is in Nobleton. Used to have all kind of outdoor activities there open to the publice, trail, hunting dog training, trap shooting, snowmobiling, but the range was closed to the public, because the ‘well-off’ residents of the Area with acres and acres of farm land start complaining about the traffic especially during hunting season, when hunters sighting in their hunting rifles. Then the built their own private range. Also our own SWAT team practice there and we used to gather their 9mm para mt after their practice for our reload, but that was years ago when they have UZIs (heavy and recoiloperate instead of gas smooth HK MP5s. Used to be a certified club safety instructor, but you know, you don’t do what you preach is quite true not only for the priests….

  25. Verns – hahaha.. You must have borrowed Tita Toe’s onion skin costume ! I always read posts from top to bottom but you must have read from bottom Going Up LOL πŸ™‚ No worries Lil Sis – remember you’re already in my team πŸ™‚

    I could give you a hug !

  26. Eric – that’s interesting. They’ll probably assign them to direct
    traffic which I think is pretty boring but at least they’re doing
    calisthenics all day which is good for the body πŸ™‚

  27. Vic – my instructor brought me to an outdoor range in hwy 9/hwy 400 area back in Feb which I thought looked like a private range. Dang I couldn’t remember if it was Nobleton or Orangeville. I was shooting his .22 and .40 handguns while my buddy student was warming his hands in the fireplace and we switch places after we emptied the mags. It was a cold -15 C with snow on the ground, not an ideal condition and the tiny .22 was jamming the Ruger and since my fingers were almost frozen it was painful to even insert ammo into the mag. Gave me an idea how tough it is to hunt in winter.

    When I watch the WWarII footages on the History Channel of those soldiers fighting in the dead of a harsh winter, I can almost say they
    were already in hell before firing a shot 😦

    To date, still waiting for the final hands on test on the handgun and the hunting test πŸ™‚

  28. alright okay na ako sa hug from big bro hahaha babaw ng kaligayahan noh? lolz πŸ™‚

  29. Hahaha. That suicide bombing squad school is hilarious.

    Anyways I agree that somehow we shouldn’t take our jobs for granted as well, lest we end up with this difficult jobs you illustrated. But there are times as well that we crave more from it’s monotony or what we really dream of doing aside from what we are doing right now. Now that is where the dilemma comes in for some people, they stay at their jobs since it’s their comfort zone or quit their jobs to pursue what they really love to do. Just a thought there. hehe

  30. Vernsky – no worries coz I smell good ..hahaha πŸ™‚ When the EB happens, I’ll surely make up for it *wink πŸ™‚

  31. Ferdz – the bombing instructor is for sure a real hero LOL ! Hey – congrats pal. I heard you won the travel blog award ! Well deserved win πŸ™‚

  32. I also like Alternati’s Bah Humbug post. Toe’s I Heart NY post was also good. Haven’t checked out Major Tom or The Rizalist. I did read The Sassy Lawyer’s post about that socialite’s Greenpeace article. I checked the original link and I can’t make heads or tails of who the writer is. There’s no “written by…” anywhere. The writer is palanggas and this palanggas is a socialite? Oh, well, at least the writer was “super-concerned” about the environment. πŸ˜‰

  33. A-L-R-I-G-H-T-Y! chocolates puwede na lolz πŸ™‚

  34. I guess you are right – “We all want a free ride” sometimes, if not all the time. ha ha ha

    Saan ba galing ang work, Need or Want?

  35. I have a hunting license for years now, but beside for small games (rabbits, etc)I postpone the big games for one reason or another. One is my friend who I would very much would like to go, didn’t pass his license and now into full time “cockfighting” and breeding.

    But the other friend I was telling you about go about every opportunity and told me it is not a problem as long as you are dressed up to it. And he’s quite successful a few times. One time he harvested a deer in N.Y. with bow and arrow. Now he hunts with slugs and 30-30 lever action.

    Were you shooting a Ruger 10/22 with Rotary Magazine? I had one, which I gave to a friend. A very accurate rifle and fun to shoot.

    I am shooting at Burlington Rifle and Revolver Club at present. A non-profit 1400 + members and membership pay is cheap just $150 a year and the club is available 24/7. check the site below.
    We used to run our own small club (30 members, but we rent a range only on Friday nights (vacated police station) and eventually our members moved to better facilities. Don’t do much now. maybe just once a year. just to check if the toys still working. Maybe going back again in retirement sooonn…
    http://www.brrc.ca/index.php

  36. bw, I must add you were shooting a Ruger Target .22 instead. The very first Ruger pistol, designed by the Man himself, Bill (William Ruger) selling for $49 for so many years until inflation was invented. It is still the same as the original except the bolt hold at last shot. Taking good care of it will last forever…

  37. ang tagal ko na sa current employer ko kaya parang gusto ko na ring umalis, pero kung ililipat ako sa ibang dept siguro tatagal pa ako.

  38. Verns – OK DOK.. deal πŸ™‚ at saka ako taya sa EB for all who will attend πŸ™‚

  39. Wil – Rizalist is Dean Jorge Bocobo. He’s pretty deep on political commentaries much like blogger Manuel Quezon III. “Palangga” is a term of endearment in the Ilonggo language means “someone you love”. Looks like the editor of the socialite column where Sassy took this article is Ilongga hence the nickname Palangga. πŸ™‚ The post is a hilarious oxymoron of sorts because I know that the environmentally “super-concerned” folks she was referring would likely have come in their gas-guzzling V8 Cadillac Escalades and Lincoln Navigators to attend the function πŸ™‚

  40. Vic – I’m really more into the hunting than the handgun sport bro πŸ™‚ Thanks very much for your valuable tips. I really appreciate it πŸ™‚

  41. Cruise – kumusta ka na bro πŸ™‚ Long time no hear and welcome back πŸ™‚

    YOu are right.. pag nalipat ka sa ibang assignment you get re-energized kasi nawawala ang boredom πŸ™‚

  42. The two cartoon strips really made me laugh out loud! Ahahaha! Thanks for sharing them with us, BW.

    Here’s a difficult job: “Hausfrau” (housewife). πŸ™‚ Too much hard work, and no pay. LOL.

  43. Jayred – thanks.. I had a laugh too πŸ™‚ Re the housewife , you need to stage a coup and seize the commander-in-chief job hehehe πŸ™‚

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