The day I witnessed a real Zombie attack!

- Never Stop Dreaming -

I attended my first grand Japanese company R&R to close the 2010 fiscal year on 25th Nov. It was indeed an eye opener with over 500 guests from various units gathering for the feast. Since I was a noobie, I really didn't know what to expect but I was indeed looking forward to it.

The time and place had been pre-decided but all staffs had to start the day early in the morning, attending the Company's annual meeting where P&L, visions, goals, sales, etc. were laid out to plan the next stage of actions for 2011. To many others, mostly like 70% of the meeting were irrelevant but for me, though irrelevant, I was there collecting vital info as in free feed.

But it was really not the meeting that mattered...fast forward...and we are back to the Grand R&R.

Most came clad in their finest, or self-presumed finest, pieces of garment to either flatter themselves, deceive others or God knows what ever for. One came in a cheaply made trashy Darth Vadar costume only to reveal a less than normal looking huge tub of walking gluttony. Once again I found myself indulging in the observation of the various fashion parade since there was nothing else better to do than wait for the buffet on both side of the hall to start. Then a very nice colleague drop me an extremely vital piece of advice...

When the signal for the feast flashed, I witnessed the most awesome albeit gruesome army of zombies rushing for the food. Like a scene outta the latest Jovovich Resident Evil Movie, the prettiest, smartest, ugliest, youngest, oldest, fattest, slimest, etc zombies raced across the massive football sized hall for the tiny pieces of pathetic low quality fare in hordes and more hordes and more hordes. I wished I had brought my camera but then again there was the risk of losing it in the hordes of sewer filth. Never in my life had I been able to witness how scary and disgusting zombies were when they all came so well dressed initially. It was indeed a sick sight that I would never be able to forget for the rest of my living existence. I have come to respect the fact that I will never be able to look at the same people that showed the power of gluttony straight in my face.

Then in a blinking of an eye, everything was once again calm but the sad remaining humans were left with nothing but empty trays of gravy. It was these people that showed me hope since the remaining survivors were gracious to share whatever was remaining though meager and among them, the CEO of the company.

I respect the man in every way I can both in a good way and in a bad way. Good because he had established a global brand where his elders had left behind, which was nothing more than a local store initially. Bad because he had failed to recognize how rotten the inner core was. Talents were hired and then robbed of their skills and then fired...much like Electronic Arts way of swallowing up various developers and then exterminating them and then releasing shitty crap.

As for me...we shall see...

Meanwhile, while I get over all these nightmares, I am once again back to gaming on my lovely white PSP while waiting for the new snowboarding season to start.

The Awakening of The Sleeping Monster

- Never Stop Dreaming -

In my many short lived years of existence, not that I had many long ones, seldom have I seen a grown man, a family man, a father, a mentor and a skilled professional sank so low in spirits. So here is my version of the story...

He used to be a mechanic tuning, testing and repairing the famed Mazda RX-7 and that was years years years back. Somehow with no professional training, he found himself carving a very different niche as a wedding photographer. From the full manual film days, to digital film cameras to the modern day Digital SLR...he has indeed came a long way. He dedicated a full 10 years of his youth, often neglecting his family who happens to live quite some distance away, to pave way for a new level of wedding photography for the current company. He set the limits and raised the bars, brought the company to a whole new level. 10 years of blood and sweat and the numerous times he ate into his own character and compromised on his well being all for the company.

Then one fine day, not too long ago, the newly appointed Boss with not much experience, all words and no action decided to replace this fine professional because he was too good. Though the actual reasons were vague, it seems that this 10 years of effort for the company vanished in just that split second the Boss made the final decision.

Now he walks into the company each day lifeless and empty like a fresh zombie outta Left 4 Dead...

That is what everyone wants or rather, deceptively conceived to believe because something huge is brewing underground. Something so huge it will probably change history in the future...

And I am more than glad to be able to pen this awesome story... ;)

Paths are walked by people but those who made it will always be remembered.