What is it with titles?

Better yet, what is it with Filipinos and titles?

There are people out there who put so much weight on the use a particular title when people refer to them. You know what I mean, Doctor, Attorney, Engineer, Architect...

It sometimes comes to the point that to NOT use the title is taken as an insult.

I mean no offense to people who've rightly earned these titles. I respect them and I understand they've reached a certain level of professional achievement not many people attain because the entry barrier is very difficult.

But there is professional pride and there is being pompous.

Take, for example, this little exchange:

We have a project that requires the involvement of a video director. So we scoured our networks for possible candidates. One such candidate was a friend of ours back in school. Being familiar with him, we're on a first name basis.

He has an assistant who fields inquiries about his availability and rates. The conversation with assistant went this way (For the sake of protecting the subject, I'm changing the director's name to Archie.):

Us : Available ba si Archie next week?
Assistant: I-che-check ko pa yung schedule nya.
Us : Ok, paki-text ka na lang sa 'min pag free si Archie.
Assistant :Pwede next time, please call him Direct [sic] Archie.

Two things:
# 1: Since WHEN was Direct (Direk) an honorific title?
# 2: Did you have to INSIST on the title when referring to him?

(Let me just make it clear that it was NOT our friend who insisted on the use of the title, but his assistant. I want to give our friend the benefit of the doubt that he did not specifically ask for that title. But at the very least, he should be aware of the kind of representation he's getting from his assistant.)

To be fair, I do use the title 'Direk' but only within the context of a shoot. That's because in a shoot, there are people who may not know who's who until the actual day of the shoot. It's not uncommon for people to not know who the key players are. To help recognize who's in charge, production people use the title 'Direk' to identify the director.

But to insist on the use of such titles in normal, everyday conversation that has nothing to do with professional work, for me, REEKS narcissism, egoism and ironically, low self-esteem.

Why? This kind of person bases self-worth on the titles people confer on him. This kind of person will take it as a personal insult if you so much as forget to attach the title to his name. More often than not, he will say "I've worked hard for that title. I think I deserve people calling me that."

I have a title for people like that....

...and I'm sure they won't like it one bit.


To round off this rant, my parting thoughts:

A professional title is not an entitlement of prestige. It is an assignment of accountability so that when something effs up, people know who's responsible.
To be wholly responsible and accountable for what you do - THAT commands real respect.

Another Goodbye to the World I Know

If you've ever seen a trailer for a Hollywood movie or a major US TV network show, then you've heard his voice.

His name was Don LaFontaine.
His was the voice that heralded coming attractions for that past 25 years.






I didn't know his name till his passing at the age of 68.
But now I know.

And he will be missed.

Rondalla Rocks!!!

Go grab Emanwel's 4th album! (Having the first 3 is NOT a pre-requisite.)
Out now in SM, Odyssey & Music 1.













Support Filipino music, folks! It needs all it can get.

Yahoo! talaga!

So I'm using Ubuntu at the office. (I COULD say it was because I support the open source movement and am defiant against indiscriminate profiteering. But really, I'm just too cheap to shell out money for Windows OS.)

While running on Linux is great. (No more anti-virus programs! Whoopee!) There are some drawbacks. For one thing, I can't run the YM client anymore. The last version Yahoo! released for Linux is soooo old, it's pathetic.

And since there is no more YM client, there's also no more Launchcast applet.

I can't even run Launchcast via a browser, because I'm on Firefox. Yahoo!, in all its wisdom, has decided to run Launchcast on IE only (I'm not sure what the situation is for Safari or Opera, though).

DOES NOT LIKE

BIASED.

BUSET.

Now for those who survive their office hours by listening to internet radio, to be told you can't use Launchcast anymore is like being told you can't use the toilet.

EVER.

You have to give me some credit, though. I DID try to go cold turkey. For a while, I survived on Last.FM and Live365.

But I kept going back to all the time I've spent rating my favorite songs and artists on Launchcast.

All that hard work! There's got to be a way! It's just GOTTA!

This afternoon, the symptoms were SOOO bad, I spent a good part of the afternoon looking for a hack.

And to rephrase the much loved saying "Walang di nagagawa sa Recto."

My new mantra is:

"Walang di nagagawa sa Google."

After much keyword searches:
IE emulator on firefox linux
run launchcast on firefox
user agent switcher
Error 32 Launchcast

the answer came simply enough:
launchcast on linux (gee... why didn't I think of that before?)

I was able to find this solution:
http://playker.info/launchcast/

Now after some configurations on CLI (that's 'command line interface' for you GUI-only users), I'm happily listening to my playlist that's not seen me for a good 8 weeks as I write this post.


And what have I got to say?
One word:

Yahoooooo!


And now, back to your regular programming.

"I can do all things"

At the risk of sounding like a trite piece of inspirational prose, I dare share this little piece of introspection.

Anyone who's been around Christian "stuff" and paraphernalia may have come across Philippians chapter 4 verse 13 which says:
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Many people interpret that passage to mean that because they believe in Jesus who gives them strength, they're essentially Superman (or that everything that they set their minds to will happen).

One colorful example would be some of the contestants in those early evening game shows on TV: Some guy claims he'll get the jackpot prize because "will ni Lord!" or some lady prays to the high heavens and keeps invoking the Holy Spirit to win that house and lot.

In less dramatic situations, some firmly believe they will not experience hunger or sickness; their careers or businesses will always flourish; they will never be in dire need.

I'm not discounting anyone's faith but still I wonder, if they don't win the jackpot, or if theire business is failing, or if they can't make ends meet?

Who's at fault then? God?

Which leads me to question: who are we to know what God's will is? I mean, are we supposed to be clairvoyant or something to assume that WE KNOW what He wants? To assume we WILL get that million dollars because to quote the verse: "I can do everything" ?

Then I read the entire chapter. Here's what verses 11 and 12 say (I've added verse 13 as well to pull everything together:

(v.11) "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

(v.12) "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."

(v.13) "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

It's interesting how when put into context, the passage takes on a entirely different meaning.

We were never promised an easy life.
It never says we will always get what we need and want.
We were never promised prosperity
We were never promised perpetual success.

What we were promised with was grace.

Grace to be content in whatever state we are in.
The grace to know how to behave when full and when suffering need.
Grace to know that the strength we use to be successful or the strength we draw on to endure dire distress is not from ourselves, but from Him.

I just thought I'd share it with you guys.

Shalom.