Law of the Garbage Truck
Writer: Unknown
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally.
Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so … Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
crisis in hell
One of my former employment is full of people who I will blatantly call under-employed. When one is under-employed, that means that they have no clue of what they are doing. So they pretend to be busy. That’s why other people call them lazy. This company is one of the most dysfunctional companies I have ever ran across in my working career. They hire people with no qualifications. I will talk about more about the rest of the department in my next entries. For now, let’s focus on the HR Department.
The Human Resource is under the Purchasing. How’s that for a start. The Human Resource Manager had no experience whatsoever on health plans, retirement plans and her ready answer on most HR questions are pretty much, “Oh! Let me look into that!”. When I was hired by this company, I was asked to choose from the two (2) health plans. I was only given 1 booklet and she has no information about the other plan. But that I “must” choose. How’s that for blind pressure?
When I hired an Accounting Manager (which I will blog later), she was supposed to conduct a background investigation. She has no idea where to start. I ended up doing the background investigation myself. I called the applicant’s previous employer and discovered a number of things (this will be blogged later, also).
Which brings me to this: employment verification.
I am currently applying for a job. There is this one job that I really like. Here in the United States, background investigation is normal. So the company that I was applying for conducted a background investigation of me. It was a simple employment verification. She was verifying my last two (2) previous employment. No one responded. I called the 1st one and I was lucky to have spoken with HR. I suppose, they faxed the verification.
This week, I received an email from the company that I was applying. The 2nd one did not respond, despite the fax and several voicemail.
So, I called HR. Luckily, I spoke with Ditha. “Oh Benjie! Call me in 5 minutes! We have a crisis!”
Crisis. That’s the usual line at my previous work. When you ask people to do something for you, they pretend to be busy. This is typically what they do. Exactly what she did when I called.
Me – “Hi! Ditha! It’s Benjie! How are you. I need your help…“
Ditha – “Hold on one second Benjie…“
She did not put me on hold. I could actually listen what’s going on in the background. She appears to be talking with somebody else on another line. Something rush. Something busy. I know this drama. Everyone at work laughs at this. Then she returned to me.
Ditha – “Benjie, call me back in 5 minutes. We have a crisis.“
I know the line. So, I called back in 5 minutes. Actually, I made it 10. She did not pick up. I left a message on her voice mail. I called back 10 minutes later. Voice mail. I decided to send her an email.
That’s my former employment.
There’s crisis in hell.
the system sucked me in
Not everyone at work are dysfunctional. Maria, our A/P Manager is very nice and yes, she’s black. Lenny, our receptionist is also very warm and nice to all. She’s the daughter of the Jewish VP. It was her mother who was truly obnoxiously annoying. One time we were in a restaurant, having lunch for one occasion. For some reason, the topic of conversation was me. They were talking about the future of the company because we were growing. She mentioned something that I was not promotable because I didn’t looked like them and that I don’t speak good English. That pissed me off big time!
For some reason which I didn’t understand, most of my officemates complain a lot. Big things. Small things. Trivial things. Complain. It’s everyday. By the hour. Sometimes, I can’t stand the attitude. The talk very loud. The laugh very loud. The most talkative was the Executive Secretary. They’re very sensitive. It’s always discrimination. My ears were hurting. It’s always the same. Why can’t these people move on? Honestly, there was no discrimination at work. They just dislike to be told what to do more than their current load. That’s mostly where the source of the problem. Besides, what discrimination? How could that happen? The owner was black.
But looking back, I should have not reacted negatively. I acted just like some of my officemates. I became very sensitive when I could have not. I could have ignored it which was normal for me. I was a very patient man.
I wasn’t careful.
I wasn’t strong.
I was brittle after all.
I did not stood my ground.
The system sucked me in.
I’m one of them now.
I hated myself.
I know I will pay big time.
Only time will tell…
To be continued…
dining out with my boss
I worked hard. Everybody knew it. I worked late hours and would come in on weekends. I finished my work in time and did the extra mile. VP number 3 gave me projects, and I decided to automate them using Lotus Macro Programming. He was very impressed. One program I created was the budgeting program. I not only designed the entire program, but I also created two (2) other very important templates. The sales forecasting template and the license and taxes template. We happen to be in an industry where licenses and taxes have some interesting calculations. The program was very well-received by our branches. The managers loved it. It not only cut down budget preparation to days, but it made everything easier on their part for they can work on it anywhere through their laptops.
VP number 3 mellowed. We don’t talk about his lawyer friend, but I presume he has already forgiven me. His lawyer friend is good-looking. A very nice man. However, I thought we were just friends. I had no feelings towards his friend. All along I thought he was a straight guy.
When the budget season was over, VP3 invited me for dinner. I guess for a job well-done, I don’t know. It was my 1st time to be in a nice restaurant. But I was nervous. I remember I had Heineken just so he would not notice that I was really nervous.
We had a nice conversation. He opened up to me that his 1st lover was Chinese, and that he was currently in a relationship with a Japanese for 8 years already. His lover was out of state, and that they would see each other every weekend. I asked him who else at work knew that he was gay. He said, most everybody. I guess, I must be lousy in detecting who is gay.
He invited me to his house after dinner to have some coffee. He has a nice house. He lived alone. His lover would come every other weekend. After coffee, he drove me home.
He warmed up to me. He was fun to be with. Soon, he would invite me for more dinner. But we made sure that no one sees us. He reminded me that no one must know. Despite that, I was beginning to enjoy his company. I was beginning to like my boss.
progressive philippines
I miss Manila. I wish that one day I can go home soon. I’m happy that there have been several improvement in the city. However, I’m still sad with the rampant corruption and the mind-blowing killings that is happening in the country. Some of them have gone unresolved. It is also disappointing to read that even the Ombudsman is a hindrance to justice. All I have right now is a wish for a better Philippines, so I can go home.
the land of equality
I started to worry about my job. Especially that I don’t want to see and hang out with the lawyer. My boss’ friend. I was shocked at my discoveries, one of which that my boss was gay and he did not talk to me for a while. I had no idea he was a friend of the lawyer and not one of them told me. That bothered me a lot. No one knew in the office what was going on. So, I focused on my job.
Our company was growing. I would find myself traveling. Alone. I was setting up accounting offices and assisting business offices with the reports. Others, I trained them on ADP and our accounting software.
I flew to California, Tennessee, North Carolina, Detroit, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas and Florida. I enjoyed my work but it’s a lonely road.
We hired new people. One Asian, one Caucasian and two African-Americans. While the dysfunctionality was manageable before, because the squabbles were concentrated among the VP and Senior Executives, the new hires will change the dynamics forever.
Some of my responsibilities were transferred to the Asian guy. A few months later, they promoted the Caucasian guy, and I was made to report to him. It was technically a demotion. I am a CPA. He’s not. Their reason, he was a Wharton graduate. I was pissed. I can’t compete on that level. It brought back memories about being a graduate of exclusive schools in Manila versus being a graduate from a school in the province. I was mad. Not because he was from Wharton, but because of these memories. It felt like I was useless again considering that I was already in America. The land of equality.
broken heart
I met Asians and a number of Filipinos while working in the city. I met them on the sidewalk, restaurant or food stores. Some of them invited me to their houses and join them in parties. I have a ready alibi. I avoided being friends with Filipinos ever since the experience with Fiona. I had no Asian friends. Not even a Filipino. I wanted it that way.
Then I met a lawyer. He was a few years older, a German. We became friends and would start hanging out. We went to the beach, hang-out with his friends, visited his parents out-of-state and went to bars. One Friday night, after some heavy partying, I got too drunk to go home. My friend can’t drive me either. Remember, during this time, I still don’t have a car. I had no choice but to sleep at his apartment.
Spirits. Getting drunk. Sleep-over. It’s always like this, if you know what I mean. Yes, he touched me. Yes, he kissed me. I was startled! I don’t know what else he did to me. I woke up with my pants down. Make it shocked! Then, he told me he loved me. I had no clue how to respond. I don’t even know what to do! This was the very first time in my life to hear another man telling me he loved me.
Without saying a word, I got up, picked up my pants and started to leave. I told him I’ll give him a call. He was begging that I stay. He was profusely apologizing. I said it’s ok. Then he started to cry. I walked out of his apartment. I checked my watch, it was about 3:30 am. I have to walk about 8 blocks to the train station that runs every hour. This train will take me to the bus station going home and I had no clue what time they run. As I walk to the train station, I was scared like hell, reciting all the prayers I know. I got home. Safe. I called him. I told him that maybe it’s best that we don’t see each other anymore.
It was a busy Monday morning. I don’t even recall saying “Good Morning” to everybody. My boss called me, VP number 3. I went to his office. He was not smiling. Then he closed the door. Strange. Then… “Why did you do that to him?!” He was angry. I was confused. “What are you talking about?!” I asked with pure bewilderment only to feel the world crashing on me.
The German lawyer was his best friend.
cutting through the maze of dysfunctionality
I was very happy with my new job. I thought I will never be able to find an accounting work. My last two (2) jobs were a disaster. I’m very excited with this one. Will this be my break? The company was owned by a black guy (African-American to the politically-correct), very well respected in the black community. It was a mixed group of people at work. But like my previous employment, I was curious what the catch 22 was. It didn’t take long for me to find out.
1.) VP number 1 was Jewish. Rumor has it that she doesn’t trust anybody. So, she hired her daughter as her secretary. Her cousin, a gay guy, was the payroll person. She made sure that her office is facing the entrance so she sees everyone who comes in and out of the office.
2.) VP number 2 used to be the owner’s secretary for a very long time. She learned accounting at work. So she became the treasurer as well as the accounting side. She is very protective of her work. She’s funny but could be insulting. She’s likeable but could be annoying.
3.) VP number 3 is an Irish guy. He is a fun person to work with. He is nice and we seem to click. He gave me some of the most challenging assignments at work which I enjoyed doing. He was very happy when I turned in a budgeting program I designed using macro programming on Lotus. Microsoft Excel was not in the market yet. The GM’s love the program. I made their budgeting life easy.
4.) The wife of the owner is a character. Start a conversation with her and prepare to listen until 5 pm, non-stop. Everyone at work is scared of her. Rumor has it that she doesn’t get along with her husband’s sons. And she loves to talk to me because I can listen for hours.
5.) The secretary of the owner is another character. She talks all day long, about other people. Her favorite subject is VP number, the Jewish. And she’s always tired. And there’s always something bothering her.
6.) VP number 3’s secretary is another character. She hides from everybody. Her favorite place to work is at the supplies room where one of the computers is located and where, not even a mouse would notice. She only takes order from VP number 3 and no one else.
Basically, I accepted a job working for a dysfunctional office where people don’t get along. My goal was to be able to cut through the maze of dysfunctionality and still be able to deliver my work. It helped that I was traveling. Otherwise, I would have gone crazy. I was setting up accounting and reporting systems. It’s a small corporate office because our properties were located out-of-state. And given my computer background, they needed me. So some of the staff was nice to me. That shielded me from a lot of political fights that was going on.
under the tree
When the daughter came back to work in our office, I knew that I have to start looking for a new job. She treated me differently compared with my African-American officemate. She became very strict with my time. I’ve had several payroll deductions coming in late in the morning. This was never an issue before because I would make up of the time by working late. Lunch time is exactly 1 hour. The problem is, 2 blocks of walking to the nearest food store eat up 10-15 minutes already.
I decided to bring me home-cooked meals. But I was not allowed to eat in my desk. So, I go outside. Close to our office. Sometimes along the sidewalk, behind the cars parked outside, under the tree. That’s where I eat my lunch. That’s where I met Charles. He was working for this South Korean Church “Moon” which is a block away from the office. He told me that he saw me for several days already eating under the tree, along the sidewalk. I told him why. He laughed at me. He offered his place, which is at the back of their office. Since then, that’s where I would eat my lunch. Charles and I became friends.
Meanwhile, I was nearing completion of my computer course when I received a call for a job interview. They were looking for an Accounting Supervisor. I know I am more than qualified for the job. Although I was not sure if they would entertain my application, I decided to send it anyway.
Mike was the name of the guy who interviewed me. He was nice and good-looking. He told me that they were growing fast, and that it was a good opportunity for someone like me. I accepted the offer that day.
I tendered my resignation from this realty company. The Office Manager begged for me to stay. I was surprised. But the salary offered to me was way more that I was earning here. The office is in the city. There were restaurants, fast-food and food stores in every corner.
I won’t be looking for trees.
out of siberia
I was shocked and angry. My co-workers comforted me. They taught me how to file for unemployment benefits. The wife of the owner and her son approached me and said sorry. I was in tears walking home. I have not paid my plane fare in full.
This experience changed the way I looked at Filipinos. I’ve heard so many scary stories how Filipinos would turn against their fellow Filipinos. I don’t know if the stories were true. According to them, it is worse in California. There, it is dog eat dog. For the next five (5) years, I avoided Filipinos. I had no Filipino friend. I had so many creative alibis for not attending parties, besides, I was going to school. This would turn out to be bad for me. I get no advice from anyone anymore. This time, I am truly on my own facing American workplace.
Back then, it was not a problem looking for work. You quit in the morning, you’ll have another job in the afternoon. I started sending out resumes, resumes not bio-data. I learned my lesson. No more 2×2 ID, no more names of my siblings, no more birthdays, none of that.
A week later, I started working as an Accountant for an Apartment Complex. It was owned by an African-American-German-Jewish Family. Around this time, my spoken English improved a bit, although I still have that distinguishable Filipino accent and I still have difficulty pronouncing certain words. At one point, a customer was yelling at me on the phone because she could not understand me. You have no idea how that feels.
What’s good about what happened about my first job was that, our office is only 1 subway ride to my school. This time, I don’t have to walk for several blocks to catch a trolley and hop into a subway. I was also earning more. Back at the mailing house, I had no medical benefits, I had no dental benefits. I had nothing. Sometimes, my salary is delayed. The work area is too cold during the winter. We were working with our coats and gloves on. It was like being in Siberia.
But things were not pretty inside.
It’s a family run business. The Office Manager was the daughter of the owner (woman). The owner re-married to an African-German-American. The daughter dislikes her step-father. So, there is a constant fight in the office. To make matters worse, the A/P clerk who was also African-American, did not like me. I heard she complained about my salary. I was earning more. But that was not much of a problem. I handled her well. What bothered me was the fight between the daughter and the step-father that escalated. It was not a pretty sight. She resigned. Another Office Manager was hired. She was Italian. We clicked. Soon, she would be inviting me to parties, and we would be going out to the bars in the city. Until one day, she had a falling-out with the owner’s husband. She resigned.
The daughter came back as the new Office Manager.
