ideal vs. real

coming off the heels of the previous entry (see entry below; and i have to admit, i still think about that incident sometimes), it made me suddenly think of things, well, that should've been against what is the norm these days.  i can't recall if i wrote something similar to this (am i just too lazy to backread, or an early case of alzheimer's perhaps?), but i know for sure that i have tackled the things in the real world against things in the ideal world.  not exactly polar opposites, but contrasting just the same.  so below are the things that ran through my distraught head since that fateful day, with side comments on some in parenthesis.  of course, they are all open to your own interpretations and/or corrections and both are welcome.

…in the ideal world, your reputation is based on your character; in the real world, your character is based on your reputation.

…in the ideal world, doing a good job within your job description entitles you to a promotion; in the real world, getting a promotion entails you doing a good job outside your job description… and you have to apply for it.  (gone were the days where a promotion is just handed to you, aren't they?)

…in the ideal world, you need because you love; in the real world, you love because you need.  (a cliché, yes, but close to a truth as one can be)

…in the ideal world, getting famous means you have control over time to do your projects; in the real world, getting famous means your projects control your time.

…in the ideal world, staring at a beautiful woman would make her proud; in the real world, staring at a beautiful woman would make her file a sexual harrassment case against you.

…in the ideal world, doing good things for others makes one noble; in the real world, doing good things for others makes one a doormat.  (speaking from personal experience)

…in the ideal world, rubbing elbows with upper management labels you in good company; in the real world, rubbing elbows with upper management labels you a kiss-ass.  (hmmm…)

…in the ideal world, love "is blind;" in the real world, love is blind, deaf, mute, paralytic, and all the other things that a handicapped person is.  in short, it's taken for granted.

…in the ideal world, a simple mistake is easily written off; in the real world, a simple mistake can be easily written on record… and adds to your reputation (see first line).

…in the ideal world, when the boss says, "you're not obliged to, but you're encouraged to," means that it's voluntary; in the real world, when the boss says, "you're not obliged to, but you're encouraged to" means that it's voluntary, but you'll be seen in a bad light when you don't.

and last but not the least, and one of my "bitter pills," (because it's so true these days that at times, it's hard to accept it):

…in the ideal world, good enough is always enough; in the real world, good enough is never enough (partly taken from CNN).

forgive me for ranting, but it's a monday, and i hate mondays.  even if it is the second day of my work week.  i could sure use an ice-cold san mig light right about now… or a scotch, whiskey, or brandy on the rocks…  but an office-provided coffee machine is the only one available, so what the heck…

31-on-31 #21: under the weather

i'm having a bad case of cough and colds, yet i'm still at the office instead of resting at home.  because for me, as long as i can drive or walk, i'll report for work.  besides, i can still do my daily functions, though at a much slower pace.  plus, it's depressingly hot at home–weather-wise that is–and i've been having a hard time sleeping for the past couple of days because of it.  what's more irritating is that when i cough, a sharp, numbing pain simultaneously goes through the back of my head, rendering me motionless for a couple of seconds while the pain subsides.  it happens too whenever i blow my nose.  and my voice goes from hoarse to sickly deep every now and then.  and yet i'm still thinking of going to the gym after my shift, believing that once adrenalin starts pumping through my veins, i'll feel a lot better.  one colleage suggested that sex is a natural analgesic and that i'm lacking–severely, as she put it–that's why i'm getting sick.  well, i'm not getting any of that anytime soon, so scrub that as well.  in any case, i'm fine.  going to the gym will be a last-minute decision.  i brought my gear along just in case.  if not, well, head straight home and hopefully get some sound sleep this time.  but if you're gonna ask me, i'd rather have adrenalin pumping and getting tired after so as to be primed in going to sleep, no matter what the weather is anyday.  *sigh*  hope this goes away soon…

acceptance

i am appalled at the very least on how people criticize–no, ostracize–other people just because they have a natural tendency to dislike other people, if not publicly tell the world how they feel about such.  case in point:  former nba player john amaechi comes out and announces that he's gay.  reactions pour in far and wide about how brave he is for doing so, yada, yada, yada.  then just last week, another former nba player in the person of tim hardaway comes out and says he hates gay people.  then what happens?  people curse him to the dirt about what he said, on how he is as a person, how classless he is, and all other types of invectives thrown at him.  and to add insult to injury, he was banned by nba commissioner david stern from appearing in league-related events, saying that his remarks were "inconsiderate and does not reflect what the league promotes."  amaechi himself has gone on record saying that he was vindicated by what the commish did, and attacked hardaway for his comments.

since when did publicly announcing your dislike for a certain thing or person came close to being a crime?  or a disease?  i mean, i don't see the point of making such a big deal out of it.  so he hates gays.  he probably hates a lot of other things too, but was he criticized for those?  we're human beings.  we are not perfect.  we are bound by free will and freedom of choice.  and the cold, hard truth of it all is that we cannot and will not please everybody, even if we try our hardest.  at least hardaway was being dead honest when he was asked about it.  and that ladies and gentlemen should be the be-all and end-all.  be true to yourself and to people around you.  look what happened after the uproar of hardaway's comments echoed throughout the world.  he then issued this statement:  "i shouldn't have said i hate gay people or anything like that," and apologized to everybody.  can't you just feel the sincerity?  i mean c'mon, why can't the general public just accept what he initially said as it is and just let him deal with his would-be detractors in person?  why should he suffer for being, let's see, himself?  does that also mean that when any gay person comes out in the open, he should automatically be liked by everyone?  "hey, i'm gay, so you should accept and like me or else…"  since when did that become a must?  amaechi should've been prepared to be criticized by his decision, not just being praised for it.  there will always be persons who will hate or don't like gay people, white people, black people, asian people, abnormal people, illiterate people, wise people, dumb people, fat people, thin people, good people, bad people.  "that's just the way it is," as the song goes.  and it is.  it shouldn't matter.  we cannot change it.  and we shouldn't change it.  because we're entitled to what we feel.  what we want.  what we like and don't like.  we just have to accept that the world is composed of humans who think differently and act differently.

for the record, i also don't like gay people, among other things.  gay men to be specific.  yet there are gay men on my team.  and i had gay men as colleagues since the time i started working.  but i just let them be.  i respect them as individuals with abilities and skills that make them qualified as employees of the company we work for.  but that's how far it goes.  i won't be having gay men as friends.  ever.  yet you may ask why don't i like people like that.  the answer is simple, really, and an old-fashioned one at that.  only man and woman are created.  i'm no devout catholic, but that's one of the things i strongly believe in.  you may like me or hate me for that, yet i could care less.  i'm human, just like you.  why not give me the right to dislike just as you have the same?

yet i also dislike–no, hate–other things.  such as local actors running for public office, together with their colleagues who support them.  but hey, that's a whole new ballgame.