father-and-son in Madrid

i had another good laugh yesterday when i received a call from my 7-year-old son who said:

"mommy, when we get home you have to give daddy a consequence!"
(consequence - a word we use instead of the word "punishment")

i asked him why and so he told me how his dad convinced him to go on a roller coaster ride while visiting the Warner Brothers' amusement park. he said he felt sick after the ride and that it was bumpy and scary and the worst ride of all ... all this coming from a 7 year old with conviction. he made me promise that daddy's going to get a consequence for tricking him into going to that ride. i told him i'll think of a good consequence for daddy. and from the background i could hear his aunt laughing ... "yeah, mommy's going to give daddy some spanking".

hmmm ... we'll see.

odd as it may seem ...

... I am wearing a big grin on my face as I am writing this. No, actually, I’ve laughed out loud when I got back in my room – I simply couldn’t help it.

I just came out from a meeting and as I walked down the corridors, I saw a male colleague of mine from the Research and Development Department walking towards me waving something from the other end of the corridor. As we met, he flashed his big friendly smile and said: “Hej! Har du mens idag?” (Translation: Hello, do you have your period today?). I was taken aback … did I hear him right? Excuse me, I said. He repeated his question and added: “I just want you to try the new pad we are developing for the new markets.”, and he handed me a sanitary towel napkin. I nearly fainted … boy, how I laughed! I just couldn’t imagine being asked by a man upfront if I have my period on this very day.

Oh well, that’s some Swede for you – undeniably spontaneous, and passionate about his work.

home alone ...

i can't sleep ... no, i mean i can't go back to sleep after sending off my boys to catch their early flight to Madrid. i suddenly realised i'm home alone ... and for a good many days.

alexander was in high spirits ... quite excited over the idea of finally on his way to visit his aunt in Madrid. he'd been a tease since last night ... asking me over and over again.

"you'll be alone, mommy"
"will you feel lonely without me and Daddy?
"will you miss me, mommy?"
"what will you do when i am away?"
"shall i call to say goodnight before i go to bed?"

getting him to get changed and ready for today's adventure was easy. he shot off like a lit rocket, jumping and chanting: "i'm going to Spain. i'm going to Spain".

the house suddenly felt so empty ... and i need to get sleep. i'm now signing off ... at 4.45am.

100%

We had a full day at work today due to the reorganisation in our category group. Distribution of workload amongst the line managers and their respective groups drew a lot of discussion. Certain people in the group claim that their workload is way over the 100% required of them, to which my superior reacted:

“There is no such thing as working over your 100% capacity.”

To this I certainly agree … heck, it all boils down to making priorities and how you distribute your time. One cannot claim he/she gave 120% of his/her time to complete a task. How does one measure 100%, much less 120%?

After today’s meeting, the subject was still hot and discussion continued in the corridors. And as if on cue, when I opened my mailbox, I found an e-mail from another colleague waiting for me. Read and enjoy.


How do you measure 100%?
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint, it goes like this,

What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And,
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND, look how far ass kissing will take you.
A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Bullshit and Ass kissing that will put you over the top.

I can't help but grin after reading this ... I simply have to share this.

ouch!

every muscle and bones in me ache like hell ... i've played beachvolleyball today! i haven't played the sport for a good number of years - say 25 years? go figure! do i have your symphaty now?

anyway, it somehow felt good to rediscover the sport i once enjoyed in my teens. i am definitely signing up to play for the company i work for. i sure had a great time.