Monday, July 6, 2009

A Choice



What day is today?” my workmate asked me while we were having our smoko this morning. (His name is Roger. He will be turning 63 this August. Incidentally, we have the same birth date, and he’s exactly 4 months older than my mom!)

It’s Monday,” I answered.

Uh... o rite...” he nonchalantly murmured, peeped under his eyeglasses and immediately wrote down the mortality count on our daily record.

He asked me the same question last Friday when I reminded him that the next day (Saturday) was his day off. He was actually surprised to know that another week was over because he said he doesn’t really care to keep track of the date, day or time.

Uhmn... after work, I go home, feed my animals, visit my garden, have my tea in the evening, sleep, wake-up, have a toast and a cup of coffee... and come to work, that’s it!” he simply said.

While Roger is living in oblivion, I am obliged to live the exact opposite... I have to order the feed two days before I need it; so if I want a feed delivery on a Wednesday I must place my order on a Monday. I have to be aware of the current date to keep myself updated of the age of our flock so I can give them the correct ration, the ideal drinking-water pressure, the required temperature, ventilation and length of light. I have to know the time of chicken harvest so I can turn the feed lines off at least four and a half hours before the actual bird catching, otherwise the dressing plant will complain about their full crop.

Honestly, I don’t know if Roger is happy yet in some ways, I envy him.



27 comments:

Kosa said...

busy pa rin?
haaaaaaayssss...
sige Doc, kitakits.

malapit na birthday nyo ni Roger?
so,
Birthday mo...
Birthday ni Roger
at
Birthday ng Mama mo eh iisang date?
hanggulo.... parang di nag-sink in sa utak ko yung ingles..lols

RJ said...

KOSA
Busy, lalo na harvest season ngayon.

Pareho birthday namin ni ROger- August ___. Then ang nanay ko ay December___, parehong taon ng ipinanganak si Roger kaya 4 months older siya sa nanay. Whew! Buti pa siguro burahin ko nalang ang part na ito, hindi naman siya mahalaga sa kwento. o",)

bertN said...

Roger probably do not even know whether he is supposed to be happy or sad, but he is apparently content with his life. I think the only thing missing is sex between his evening tea and sleep, but don't let him know that otherwise you'll ruin the dream life he's living LOL.

Somebody told me the inmates in a mental asylum are the happiest people on earth because they live the imaginary world of their dream. They can have their world and I'll keep mind. Mine is not the best, nor better than most. but I am happy with it and that is all that count in my book.

eMPi said...

Sige sige... happy birthday na lang in advance kay Manong Roger... :)

Ingats :)

RJ said...

BERTN
Wow! You got it, very nice remarks, BertN. o",) Thank you.

Regarding the SEX thing, I have actually deleted some sentences in my draft, here it is: "His name is Roger... He got married twice- had divorced with his first wife and has been separated with his second wife. He has been vasectomized for 18 years. From his first marriage, he has two daughters and a son- all living on their own. Roger is living alone in his house."

A-Z-3-L said...

reading your follow-up comment about how Roger lived his life, that could be the reason why all of a sudden he preferred a simple life.

he has been through tough times. now that everything is in it's place (daughters & son, the hell i care with his x-wives lolz!), i think a simple life is the best for him.

he maybe stopped dreaming for a better or best life of his own, but im sure he's happy and contented with his life right now.

he never worries... that thing you do.. you keep on worrying for the future... relax doc!

you will have feeds tomorrow, cetainty that harvest time will come, there will be salary by the end of each month, there will be Birthdays & Christmas... relax lang! wag kang magpanic! lolz!

BlogusVox said...

Alam mo doc, para sa akin, parang payak ng buhay ni Roger. Maybe you envy him because you see he sees contentment in his life. Maybe because he already seen it all. Your young doc and still has a lot of places to go!

Ken said...

When we grow old, we tend to slow down. We have more time to think and short time to sleep. Pero I guess Roger is already contented, baka tapos na mga anak niya, there is no mention about his wife, or grandkids...was he alone?

Contrast that to yours, you are young, full of energies, thoughts overflowing, dreams and goals to achieve and fulfill, and perhaps siblings back home...this will keep us busy, this will give us enthusiasm to move on, to work on, and carry on...

my two cents...

Ken said...

going through the comments, and your reply to BERTIN, i now know Roger was married, had kids, and living alone. At 63, perhaps he accepted many things, be at peace with things, and maybe decided to live life to the fullest.

RJ said...

MARCOPAOLO
Ang aga naman ng iyong pagbati. U



AZEL
Ang galing naman ng advice mo. o",)

Maraming salamat, Azel.



BLOGUSVOX
Nagugulat lang po kasi ako kung bakit ginagawa kong kumplikado ang buhay, samantalang pwede naman pala itong gawing payak.

Pero tama po kayo, marami pa po talaga akong nais marating.



MR. THOUGHTSKOTO
Ito ang nagugustuhan ko rito sa blogging, maraming mga kaibigan ang tumutulong para bigyang linaw ang lahat ng iniisip at nararamdaman ko... I like the way you differentiated the situation between the younger and the older generation.

Tungkol naman sa analysis mo kay Roger, malamang tama ka.

lucas said...

well he's enviable. living without paying attention to time is like eating all the most delicious delicacies in the world and not have a full stomach. hehe!

but then again, his work is different from yours.

RedLan said...

grabe naman ang work mo, dapat talaga i-monitor. may planner ka rin ba or memorize mo na? bilis ng mga araw no? july na. soon ber na naman.

Qoutes said...

Hi! I’m new with your blog, nice site! Can we exchange link? I have added your link on my blog. Thank you.

Sardonyx said...

Doc- take it easy sa life, huwag maging seryoso palagi lalo ka kasing tatanda....laging magbasa ng hulascoop hahaha. Kumbaga si Roger, pabalik na ikaw ay papunta palang sa mga napagdaanan niya sa buhay. Enjoy your life to the fullest :-)

RJ said...

LUCAS
Were you hungry while typing your remarks? U You're correct!



REDLAN
Merong planner, Red. o",) Bilis nga, excited ka ba kapag may 'ber' na ang buwan?



QOUTES
Quotes or Qoutes?! Nalito ako. U

I'll visit your blog, Qoutes.



SARDONYX
Seryoso ba ako palagi? Huh! Sa totoong buhay hindi naman. Hindi ako marunong magsulat ng medyo humorous, eh. Try ko one of these days...

Yes, ini-enjoy... kinakaya. (,"o

docgelo said...

i think we have some things in common, i don't know, but this post revealed a bit piece of you which i can perfectly relate to. i don't know if you'll agree that we're somewhat alike in some ways because unlike roger, i don't like living life routinely. although i may have the same daily activities, i try to modify my approach to life in general so i don't get bored especially with work or even with family matters.

according to my colleagues and friends, i am also a bit perfectionist - i schedule everything, and always have ready options to most of my plans, be it small or huge so i have alternatives. medyo OC-OC (obsessive-compulsive, medyo lang or borderline kasi i want to be everything in order and do things systematically.

im just glad roger is happy and content with his life. as for me, as i aspire to do more and acquire more, inspire more and live long.

thanks!

Anonymous said...

If you look at it, you and Roger fall on a similar pattern of having a routine. Untimed nga lang si Roger. Ikaw, on the dot.

I used to be you. And then along the way, I became a Roger.

Masaya ba tayo for following a pattern? Siguro. I dream of leading a life that's full of surprises. Yung walang pattern. Sadly, I'm too duwag to venture that kind of life.

Kaya, kahit nakakasawa, I lead a life that's on perennial cycle. Okay naman kahit paano. Tahimik di ba?

The Pope said...

This anecdote about yourself and Mang Roger presents a story in contrast between two lives, na nagpapalalala sa akin sa kwento sa Bible tungkol kay Mary at Martha.

Minsan nagiging masyado tayong abala sa ating araw-araw na gawain sa ating buhay magmula sa pagsikat ng araw hanggang sa paglubog ng nito sa dapithapon. Let us not be worrisome on so many things.

It pays to master the art of perfection, but sometimes it pays more to slowdown a little in life and if necessary, try to look behind you, you might have missed something more important in your life.

" But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."(Matthew 6:33-34).

Pasensya ka na I have gone thru your blog yesterday, pero I missed to leave my mark, I think I am growing old and I need to slow down a little bit too. I do not want to miss important blogs in my life like yours.

God bless.

abe mulong caracas said...

somehow siguro.

and somehow, dapat din sigurong kainggitan pero in more ways, dapat mas maging masaya ka dun sa mga ginagawa mo kesa dun sa naging routine niya

Krisha said...

hi kuya tagal ko na hindi nakadaan dito..

how are you

Abaniko said...

To work to have money to buy food to eat, to eat to have the strength to work again the following day... I think I won't be happy with that. But your friend is different.

RJ said...

DOC GELO
I like your style! o",) I know you have the necessary knowledge to achieve good health, so your desire to live longer is, somehow, achievable. Go, and inspire more people Doc Gelo.



ISLADENEBZ
Happy and contented na nga kayo sa KSA. o",)

Kumusta po ang bakasyon niyo? Siguro nag-shoot po kayo ng video, take ng photos sa NAIA for your PEBA entry, ano? U



THE POPE
Sa tingin ko nga po... Masyado kasi akong nagulat nu'ng dumating ako rito sa Australia dahil ang original plans at dreams ko nu'ng papunta palang ako rito ay hindi pala dapat ganu'n. Kaya nagbago kaagad ako ng targets, na siguro naging dahilan ng pag-concentrate kong masyado sa future. Huh! ('Yaan niyo gagawan ko ng post ang tungkol sa mga dati kong plans, na hindi pala applicable dito sa Au.)

Maraming salamat po sa advice, I'll stop and check what's around and behind me ngayon. (,"o



ABE MULONG CARACAS
Hahaha! Nakikita niyo po bang mas maganda ang routine ko dahil mas challenging? o",)

Ayos!

Roland said...

ganyan tayong mga pinoy kung magmahal sa ating trabaho!

Jerick said...

i guess it really goes with the fact that he is old and had gone thru a lot.

KRIS JASPER said...

Hey RJ...

Perhaps he has achieved a lot in his lifetime hence he can afford to chill out.

RJ said...

ROLAND
Yes, tama!



JERICK (THE FORMER CURBSIDE PUPPET)
Possibly.

Welcome to the The Chook-minder's Quill, Jerick! o",)



KRIS JASPER
I agree.

Tagal mong nawala, KJ... Marami bang nagpapirma ng autograph? U

AJ said...

di ko yata nakasanayang nagiingles ka doc, ah..guess u made this for roger to read..

he's 63 and yet, still working in there!?..ugh, i supposed he is happy, and that he just enjoy what he is' doing.

whatabout learning that from an old man.?