Highway to Happy

Salary is no doubt an essential consideration when accepting a job. This, for the majority, makes waking up early every morning and dealing with all the stress worth it. Come payday, employees have a bright smile plastered across their faces, feeling all compensated and fulfilled.

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for myself.

For a hundred times over, I’ve heard people speculate that I am getting wealthier what with all the overtime work hours. FYI, people, I don’t get paid for the actual hours I worked. My salary doesn’t even measure up to that of a call center agent. They receive night differential bonuses when given an odd shift while I, on the other hand, don’t receive any benefit whatsoever for working OVERNIGHT. Add to that the fact that I have to endure forcing my brain to function in an AC-less room! (Just because air conditioners are switched off right after 5:30pm. Buti pa sila they can rest! Ack!) The feeling of discomfort is enough to pass it up as TORTURE! Desk fans are suddenly eyed as treasures. You grab one within your reach, without consideration to whoever is the owner. Okay, I have to stop right here before this turns into a messy rant box.

So why am I, after almost 2 years, still here? Why do I willingly subject myself to such, for lack of a better term, exploitation? Believe me, I’ve asked myself a thousand times only to end up with the same response, which I can state in less than 7 words, but this time, I'd rather let these pictures share the answer:

Half of the gang in a spur-of-the-moment photoshoot

L-R: Tin, Myself, Eloisah sans Ronnie (the photographer), Lance and Mae

You can flash that overflowing-with-zero pay slip of yours and I’ll slap you with these pictures, while drooling over your moolah, of course. But hey, we are too young and too careless to seriously mind about the income we are foregoing today in turn of our poor man’s salary. Our hearts are still contented with the fringe benefit we get from rounds of tummy-aching laughters, comforting and not-so-comforting words care of our brutal honesty and just about every other amazing thing a friendship offers.

You see, we are a bunch of clueless yuppies who are yet to find our true calling in life. For the mean time, we enjoy being slaves to this grueling job of ours, offering sweat and tears for the satisfaction of our dear gods. We complain, oh we do a lot of that; we are a bunch of babbling prisoners. But as long as the metal ball and chain strapped on our feet is the FRIENDSHIP that has naturally blossomed throughout the years, we will remain as the babbling/crabby/HAPPY prisoners that we are today.

Cheers to this friendship!