Thursday, December 01, 2005
X-Men Convention
The X-Men convention: Looks a tense affair"Idleness is the root of mischief"
- Geoffrey Chaucer off The Canterbury Tales
Frankly,I am idling right now,which is why I am risking a bit blogging in the Office.The environment is such that it's not really safe to write anything here anymore but well,I don't really want to do anything constructive,not until the afternoon anyway.I suppose the truth is that nobody in the office is actually doing any work anyway at this moment in time (because ALL the bosses are not around) but that's a pretty strange excuse for not doing anything.Oh well,whatever.Some of the other X-Men are right now talking in Jubilee's cubicle (Banshee,Jean Grey,Jubilee and Gambit [AKA Aquaman...everyone should have an X-Men moniker from now on,when referred to in context to the Office X-Men]).I can't hear what they're saying.I'm just immersed in the sounds of Lamb's trip hop.It's a wonderful sound,this trip hop thing.I am not taking part in the conversation.Usually I try not to.More on that later.
On Monday,the X-Men had their first ever convention (what is known in the general world as a retreat) in my four years.The X-Men,the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and members from O记 were mixed and divided into small groups for discussion.Hmmm,I suppose this is as good a chance to reintroduce all the X-Men again as any other,so here goes (in their respective groups):
Gambit: Doing a few card tricks to impress his chabo 杀破狼
Wolverine: Absolutely seething that he missed the convention...wait,is that Captain America kneeling beside him?What the...Well,I'd not go into the nitty-gritty stuff because I don't know what is happening in every group and I'd just talk about the stories that I've seen and heard.
- First,I gotta talk about Colossus's group.Apparently,Blob,Toad and Pyro went into the discussion group with answers they had previously discussed in their own group meetings.Hence,all they brought to the table was a sheet of paper with pre-determined points and they were less than eager to contribute to any discussion,let alone start one.So poor Colossus was left to start one by with the two O记 members.Hey,you don't contribute,fair enough but Blob,Toad and Pyro were apparently whispering and giggling among themselves.What type of schoolgirl behaviour is this?!Someone get these chabos some sanitary pads and stuff it into their mouths.
Colossus: Even the metalman can be reduced to tears in the company of Evil Mutants
The small-group discussions didn't really throw up anything interesting to talk about,so much so that I had to sneak a yawn at White Queen during a short break.Anyway,it's during the big group discussions when things got a little more interesting.
- During Group B's presentation,some interesting things went on.Scarlet Witch was the one arrowed to present and anyway,according to Banshee,she had failed to contribute anything during the discussion (merely smiling and nodding,according to him) and hence,it was only fair that she was made to do something.Scarlet Witch was,in my eyes,extremely nervy during the presentation and stumbled and stammered her way through the points.This,of course,was much to the sarcastic arse Banshee's amusement and he was,apparently,laughing and chortling and whatever at the girl's predicament (I didn't see) and for some reason,Iceman was also doing likewise.That was when,out of the corner of his eye,Banshee spotted Astra glaring at him poisonously and he immediately stopped.I'd lay the context for this later.
Astra: Staring daggers
- During Group C's presentation,when Destiny presented,again some interesting things went on.First off,I felt Destiny presented relatively well and that judgement is not clouded by the fact that she's my sister.Well,anyway,her group brought up some points that Apocalypse felt he needed to clarify.That was when Blob suddenly came in.He suddenly started talking about some point,which was for me,rather bull and when Apocalypse explained his stand,Blob just wouldn't let go of it.So he just went on and on and on and bored the fcuk out of me.And maybe just a number of others as well.
Blob: "My point is RIGHT,why won't you accept my point?!Boohoohoo..."...oh well,the big pussy
- Ok,this might seem a little haphazard but I'm going to talk about what happened before Group A's presentation.It isn't actually haphazard because the order of presenting didn't go by alphabetical order but by some weird colour coding scheme thing which made absolutely no sense to me...unless the intention was to create confusion.Anyway,for Group A, 陈慧珊 was the designated presentor but when the group's name was called,everyone in the group stayed rooted to their seats.Nobody got up.And so with the entire room's attention focused on the team,what happened?Astra resorted to another glare at the rather likeable Quicksilver and motioned for him to present instead.Which he did.But what the fcuk...throughout this entire episode,陈慧珊 was sitting black-faced and obviously refused to get off her butt and do her job.What's that attitude all about?
Quicksilver: Looking miserable...you'd too if you kena arrowed for nothing
- A final point I had was that when Jean Grey presented her slides during the convention,the mike she was using had so much echo that she sounded like U2 prsenting slides in a stadium or a karaoke lounge,whichever has more echo.Hers was one of the few presentations where I wasn't following the words but the echo of the words.Absolutely mesmerising.
Jean Grey: Went all mental during her presentation
Ok,now let me talk about matters outside of the convention but within the Office.Remember what I wrote about Astra's glare at Banshee?I'm going to set the context now.The lovely Astra was apparently glaring not just at Banshee but at Iceman as well.But why?Well,a couple of weeks ago,there was a sudden resignation in the shape of S.S is part of a power trio consisting of Astra,Scarlet Witch and S.The background behind her resignation was this.
S was apparently one of the worst performers in the branch and her non-performance has been the concern of some of the X-Men.What's really irritating them though wasn't just her non-performance but her tendency to get all defensiveness about her performance as well as a "victim" mentality which she apparently held.It seemed that whenever Psylocke gave her work or anything like that,she'd feel like she was being targeted by Psylocke.Apparently Astra and Scarlet Witch often did the same.
Now,assuming that they've had all of their patience finally exhausted (that's me assuming),they went directly to the demi-god to report about S,instead of getting their head,Mystique to talk to S.
Now,before we get ahead of ourselves,Mystique is no great boss.Apparently,Mystique is one boss who doesn't like to get her hands dirty doing any work.There was once when Mystique had a high level presentation she had to make and she dilly dallyed until one day before the actual event when she dumped it on the departed Cyclops,told him to deliver the goods and went on leave herself.Cyclops then went to his sugar-mummy,the demi-god to complain about the thing (Now let's not kid ourselves,what Mystique did was crap but Cyclops does have an unusually chummy relationship with our demi-god).So the demi-god duly summoned Mystique back from her vacation and told her that was not right.
Mystique: Gosh,if only the real-life Mystique dressed like this...wait a minute...eeeeew,perish that thought
What did Mystique do?She summoned Cyclops,Iceman and Polaris to her side and made the grand speech that she did not want to do dump the presentation on their laps as such high level presentation would unceremoniously end their career quickly if they didn't do it well and so she's doing the gallant thing by taking it back and presenting it herself...BUT they had to prepare the slides for her.And so,she made the trio prepare the slides while she went home.The three stayed till 12 midnight to complete the slides.
So now,you got a picture of what Mystique is like and obviously,she didn't want to talk to S(?).So the demi-god was the one who delivered the message and of course,S promised to buck up.She didn't.
And that got some of the X-Men so fed up that she went multipo-amano (there's no such phrase,I coined it) and S felt si beh buai song so she quit the next day,complaining to the demi-god that it was not right.Now I have no desire who the ringleaders are in this act but Astra and Scarlet Witch,being so close to S,almost certainly must have felt their friend was being victimised and driven out of this place (which is a crap place anyway) and that's how all the glaring came about.
My take on this whole event is the same as Psylocke's.I think S should take some fcuking responsibility for her own action and maybe S,Astra and Scarlet Witch should take the stinking boot that's stuck so far up their arse and stop behaving like they just experienced everything in the Book of Job (that is,if they're really like that,which I hope they're not).Nobody forced S out.I think no matter what people do or tell you,ultimately everything comes down to choices and they are your choices,not anybody else's.Don't blame what you chose on other people.
The thing that bothers me in this whole episode is the way hearsay and gossip is spreading around in this place.It is creating a poisoned atomsphere which I really really do NOT want to be part of.Banshee usually seems to be a central part of this,with his sources,stories and all.He always got this or that to say about people which reveals the ambitious and darker side of others (but what does it say about his own character?Because this is quite some feat of character assassination he is engaging in).
Am I guilty just by virtue of listening to all these without discimination?Do I really need to know who and who is an ambiotious arsehole,who and who is polishing apples?Sure,it is entertaining but what's really the point?Good,clean,harmless fun?When does harmless cross the line to become harmful?Or does it never?I asked myself this for several nights this week.I don't know but I know I don't feel good about it.So I am trying as much as possible not to engage myself in all these talking that's going on,to shut myself out from eveything.It's better that way.Ignorance is bliss.Or maybe as Psylocke said perfectly,it's really just time to move.
Banshee: Would fly to your side just to gossip...oh here he goes again
I really do not want to think of people the way I do and I'm frankly tired of all these gossips.In my four years here,I think this is the worst time ever working here.I can tolerate a bad environment but when even the people here become poisonous caricatures in your mind,how can I even want to be around them anymore,let alone work with them?Holding the opinions I have about them and which I wish I don't.And with the re-org coming up,there's a whole spectrum of factors which is creating an entirely different working dynamic with different people.Nothing will stay the same and that is the worst part because it means you don't know who you're dealing with in the future.
I find it hard to find a conclusion to this post...and it has been a LONG one.I'm just so glad the weekend is coming soon and I have a few days respite from all these rubbish.
