22 days
random rumination number 7 - pedestrian
over an hour ago, i chanced on my friend JC at the lift. he'll be leaving for boston later this month to pursue an MBA. unlikely for most lawyers, but not unlikely for JC. what he did confirm to me was that at least one associate in QT got over a million pesos in bonuses. lord, on the other hand, got a little less than a million. a batchmate since undergrad, lord was one of the few creative writing folks at UP whom i admired most for his talent. it is a pity that neither of us now write for art's sake. but that is not the point of this entry.
the point is this: i am often asked when i will be getting a car. when i went to law school, almost half of my classmates already drove cars, provided by rich and generous parents, doubtless. 3 years after law school, probably half of those who didn't have cars during law school now drive cars of their own. those who do not drive cars don't, not because they can't, but because they don't want to. in my case, it is a little because i don't want it yet, and a little because i can't. yes, if i really wanted a car, i could've used that desire as motivation to staying in a firm, where bonuses alone could sustain my payments for the year. but then i left the firm because i felt that the goal (having a car) isn't worth staying in a cutthroat environment that killed me gently.
in a way, this is my justification for why i remain to this day, a pathetic pedestrian. but regardless of not having fat million-peso bonuses, i do not envy my friends to the point that i find myself regretting my decision. the experiences i've collected in exchange for the great sacrifices i would have made just to sit on a set of wheels far outweigh the goal. yes, there are times i really really loathe commuting. but i'm pretty sure driving would drive me crazy. i love being a passenger, getting sleep during the 30 minutes it takes me to get to the MRT, and the hour or so it takes for me to get home. and besides, i think ava is right about one thing: if i traded my gadgets, i would've had more than enough money to pay for the downpayment of a decent sedan. so imagine that: how would life be without my iPod, my iBook, my nikon D70, my nikon F80, my lenses, my altec lansing speakers, my mountaineering gear, my mobile phones, my toys. i wouldn't trade them for a car. but then again, there's a lingering thought: if i earned a million in bonuses alone, i could have those gadgets AND a car. haha. oh well. really, no regrets.
over an hour ago, i chanced on my friend JC at the lift. he'll be leaving for boston later this month to pursue an MBA. unlikely for most lawyers, but not unlikely for JC. what he did confirm to me was that at least one associate in QT got over a million pesos in bonuses. lord, on the other hand, got a little less than a million. a batchmate since undergrad, lord was one of the few creative writing folks at UP whom i admired most for his talent. it is a pity that neither of us now write for art's sake. but that is not the point of this entry.
the point is this: i am often asked when i will be getting a car. when i went to law school, almost half of my classmates already drove cars, provided by rich and generous parents, doubtless. 3 years after law school, probably half of those who didn't have cars during law school now drive cars of their own. those who do not drive cars don't, not because they can't, but because they don't want to. in my case, it is a little because i don't want it yet, and a little because i can't. yes, if i really wanted a car, i could've used that desire as motivation to staying in a firm, where bonuses alone could sustain my payments for the year. but then i left the firm because i felt that the goal (having a car) isn't worth staying in a cutthroat environment that killed me gently.
in a way, this is my justification for why i remain to this day, a pathetic pedestrian. but regardless of not having fat million-peso bonuses, i do not envy my friends to the point that i find myself regretting my decision. the experiences i've collected in exchange for the great sacrifices i would have made just to sit on a set of wheels far outweigh the goal. yes, there are times i really really loathe commuting. but i'm pretty sure driving would drive me crazy. i love being a passenger, getting sleep during the 30 minutes it takes me to get to the MRT, and the hour or so it takes for me to get home. and besides, i think ava is right about one thing: if i traded my gadgets, i would've had more than enough money to pay for the downpayment of a decent sedan. so imagine that: how would life be without my iPod, my iBook, my nikon D70, my nikon F80, my lenses, my altec lansing speakers, my mountaineering gear, my mobile phones, my toys. i wouldn't trade them for a car. but then again, there's a lingering thought: if i earned a million in bonuses alone, i could have those gadgets AND a car. haha. oh well. really, no regrets.