pittance

after nearly 15 years of being stuck in burma, of being away from his family and life as we all know.. my dad's going to retire at the end of the month. in return for setting up the company branch and infrastructure there, for personally training every single expat sent over to work there and taking the time to know his local employees... all he gets in return are regressing social skills in dealing with everyone who doesn't live in burma and a salary bonus worth 4 months of his normal monthly pay as a gesture for his retirement.

that's what you get when u mix family with business sometimes. stingy brother-in-laws who buy their only son the latest nokia phone at his primary school graduation but can't find it in his heart to give my dad something more for the work he's put in over the past fifteen years. all the work that is now in this particular brother-in-law's name now that my dad's retired.

seriously dude. my mom was obviously really affected by it from how she sounded on the phone. she feels guilty but that's a whole other story in itself. she called up with that dejected half-amused "what else is new" tone of voice to ask me to guess what my dad was getting from the company.. well from her own brother.. for retirement. really, to hell with family. blood's no thicker than water in this case. karma will get him one day or another.

i know it's not nice to air dirty laundry in public. doesn't stop me from doing it anyway because it totally baffles me. i mean, doesn't family mean anything? obviously not if money's involved, even if it's nothing comparable to hollywood or tycoon figures. figures. ok, so family aside.. employee loyalty then. dude, the guy gave up his family to help you set up your current little kingdom of happiness. he spent fifteen years doing it while you were playing golf and learning the finer points of tea-drinking. that's my dad you're talking about! four months' worth of bonus salary? what kind of math is that? ok.. so again giving you the benefit of the doubt that you suck at math, what the hell happened to your heart and this whole season of giving thing? *shakes head* dear uncle, may you be eternally cursed with gastroenteritis. oh, and merry christmas to you too.