THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS [with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore]

'Twas the week before Christmas, when through the house
Not a shrimp in the email but a bunch of bananas;
The Skype hummed with versions of the English,
Soon, a new company ID is forthcoming…

Out from the inbox clattered Working Group 1,
To meet face-to-face or not is the question.
Best and good practices from Lotus Notes sprang,
One report conjured but a lot more cooking somewhere…

With that Tagaytay came and went quick like night,
A 3-day vacation forfeited for an almighty ToR.
Finally, a disbursement that cleared an overcast plan,
To Jakarta on February for a regional workshop…

And then in a twinkling, Reports 3/4 came from Behind
The prancing of a Word version from Neverland.
But still GRAISEA and the NAPs seems poles apart,
I’ve never felt so alone and cranky but spunky…

A Google Drive and invoices sprang like roses,
MRLG came in with climate change 2020.
That jolly Dutchman looped me into the grid,
Enough for me to know I had nothing to dread…

I went home drunk with a half a sack of rice,
One last email and a text message to send.
“Twas the day before Christmas and we got a cake too,
SO I’M SHUTTING DOWN AND BID ALL ADIEU!

THE REPORTS OF THE JEDIS

the day I received the first draft report is the night our group topped the 2017 Christmas Games and I won the Grand Raffle Prize

it was also the night I Grabbed to a familiar haunt with old friends, and that darkness before "discovering" the Food Truck in Kamuning and tomorrow's breakfast of Filipino pandesal from the Kamuning Bakery  

the day I wrestled in thickening a thin report is the night I watched a free movie at the Yard Street Food Cinema while tempting myself with pasta from the Mafia

it was also the night I walked to the Tuna King Asian Restaurant for a sisig, and the darkness before tomorrow's pandesal from the Pantoja Bakery

the day I practically rewrote the report is our 20th wedding year, the morning Bulan and me hit the trails after a long while, the afternoon that Balong came home with a tug-of-war silver medal, and the night we dined on green leaves and drank urine-gold Chardonnay  

the day the report was almost done is when Riza came in for the case study and the night before tomorrow's Convention where DenCun the Jedi took the floor, which is also the day for tomorrow's District party where we feasted on Jedi food and whiskey as I let the reports simmer in a consultancy requisition from the Galactic Empire while reciting spells from the Book of Luke that will charm the next Jedis into delivering less traumatic reports

BURYONG

nakakapraning
lap top at skype, skype at lap top

nakakaumay
Lotus invites na nagsasalimbayan

nakakainis
mga email na naligaw sa sansinukob

nakakabobo
ang misteryo at mga kulay ng OPAL

kaya mabuhay ang nakaimbento ng bisikleta
ang tangi kong tungkod at pampagana!

kaya kinailangang umakyat sa Baguio noong Sabado
nagsuot ng amerikana at nagpanggap na amerikano!

na-BALI

Agung in Ilocano means "nose" 

and that volcanic snout, all snores in more than 50 years, got stuffed with hay fever magma and finally sneezed out loud as I was about to enplane for a Bali workshop with several kilometers saved in advance to counter a much anticipated Bali Hai spree   

Ugong in Filipino means "sound"

and the eruption resounded in both the Denpasar and Manila airports, so deafening it cancelled PR 537 and a 2-night booking at the Swiss-Belhotel Segara Resort and Spa, so I sought comfort with an insanely priced coffee at Starbucks and an array of Filipino kebab at IBP 

Nabali in English means "broken"

as in my first trip to Bali disrupted, my wanderlust interrupted, kaput, fly another day which is maybe next year, which could be more Jakarta than Bali, perhaps Lombok, although the good side is I was able to attend one important meeting and got my Christmas gift too

And Sundays are for bike rides

this one to atone for a missed college fraternity reunion, for  two more stickers after paying for an insanely priced coffee and cake, and a liter of Johnny Walker Black during an extension tournament of the 2017 Bowling Games