by on

And there they are once again, folks. We always knew the moment would come but, somehow, we expected it to be different this time. Somehow. Well, we were wrong and here they are: the end-of-year retrospectives. Yay!… or, is it?

I must confess those recaps make me usually a bit sad because, it does not matter how much I have reached, I always had bigger plans on my mind when the year started. So, recaps work for me as an (unasked) update on the items in the list of resolutions we all make at the beginning of the year. How many promises were fulfilled? How much progress in our lives?

Not that I have problems with reassessments, not at all! If you read me frequently, and I bet you do, you know that a good part of our meetings are dedicated to promoting strategies on how to deal with changes in the itinerary, unforeseen events and the like. My motto is: Life is like jazz: you have to know how to improvise!

So what is the problem with recaps? Sincerely, I do not know how to explain it, but there is an melancholy air in such compilations of “the best moments of the year”, that makes me blue. Besides, they tend to vary between condescending (“we are all victorious”), and hysterically euphoric (“people are sharing your music in X different countries!”).

I frankly like observing the numbers, the statistics, and finding out the number of playlists in which I was included always puts a smile on my face. In short: I enjoy having access to the amazing amount of data that retrospectives contain, but I do not like the idea of making a spectacle out of it.

Actualy, the end of the year awakens feelings of contemplation in me. Maybe because it is my birthday month, for me retrospectives fall into the big package of “rethink your new cycle”, and to reflect I need introspection, which does not always fit with the current social policy of constant content share.

At least in my astral hell I would like to have a little time to digest the results of a whole year of hard work. I want to celebrate my achievements and think about what can be done, so as not to make the same mistakes. I want to return to my metrics without fear, aware of the place I occupy, without comparisons or competitions.

Would it be too much to ask?

Be seeing you!

G.F.

by on

Corporations always win. The average individual, caught in the net of big companies, which will decide all aspects of their lives. From what you eat, to where you keep your money; from how you spend your leisure time to with whom you spend your pleasure time, there is always a corporation involved. Not even religious dates manage to escape the voracious radar of corporations and Christmas is no exception.

My story begins early in the month, on December 6th. On that day I bought online eighteen packages of Panettone to give as a present to family and friends. In Brazil, the Italian yeast-leavened bread, usually made with raisins, candied fruit peels, almonds, and a bit of brandy is a holiday traditional, and I was very happy for the good deal. With the delivery due to the fourteenth, what could go wrong? Well, quite a lot, as I would find out.

By the 10th it was clear to me that the package would not arrive on time. My account on the web store kept showing: “preparing your order” and the web chat was not a big help either. One day, I waited online for seven hours (I started in the 79th position on the line) just to be automatically disconnect, when the counter showed there were three people ahead of me. Pure evil? A total lack of organization? A mix of both?

I was not only very angry about not getting any kind of attention by the company, but also totally frustrated about the lack of my (already plaid) gifts. My sister came with a partial solution: a local super market had enough packages to replace my lost, by the same price. Great! The big corporations would not ruin my Holiday, although there was still the matter of the money to be solved.

On the 15th, since the delivered date had expired, I logged in again on my account on the web store and canceled the purchase. No need to tell you that, again, the company did not contact me. Little did I know, the plot twist was about to happen.

On the 20th the order arrived. Watching that huge box with all the packages laying on living room I felt confused. No sign from the company, no money back, double costs to me, double profits for them (if you consider the replacements bought at the supermarket). I simply did not know what to do, and hated the fact of being made “a hostage” by a big company.

I felt really angry and quite guilty for having such a feeling so close to Christmas. After all, no situation is so bad that it cannot be made worse by guilt. On the following day, I had a great idea, which turned the situation in my favor. A second plot twist: instead of trying to reach the company for a refund, I would simply donate the Panettones to the orphanage I usually help. Of course!

This way, it does not matter anymore, if the company will ever pay me back or, at least, answer one of the numerous e-mails I´ve sent. The packages had already paid themselves, so to speak. This time, the big corporation would not win, for a change.

The next day, the box with the Panettone packages was gone and there was a big empty space in my living room, but my heart was overflowing with pure joy. Since then, I feel ready for a Happy New Year.

Be seeing you!

G.F.