The Envelope

I got the envelope and ripped the lace,
Took the paper with such caring grace,

Made a copy of it to save his face,
So he told me that I am his ace,
________________________________________
He later called, "Where's the orginal envelope?"
"You must have the brains of an antelope!"

"What you did was so embarrassing and unwise!"
"I must save myself from your idiocy and improvise!"
________________________________________

All this mockery for the envelope case?!
It must be made of gold with an ivory brace,

If that is the case...
Take that thing and shove it up your base!


Hesham

Fresh Cotton...

It seriously pisses me off when I come across an individual whose position grants him supreme power and control within an organization, and yet he cowers from ever so using it. The list of reasons for this reluctence could go on forever, depending on the position's nature within the company.

Power could be disasterous on both sides of the spectrum: If misused, it could destroy, and if not used it could destroy as well. This reminds me of the last Abbasid caliph who could not grasp the power which he was supposed to have. Instead, the country's fate was in the hands of the Persian Barmakids who were pulling the Empire's strings from the "back office" until their power came into full realization during his rule. They misused the power they had, so the Empire felt monotinous surges and breakups across its domain. The last Abbasid caliph cowered from using the power he inhereted from his vicious and glorious ancestors and lost his throne (and the whole empire) to the Mongols.

If you suddenly were granted immense power which you could have only dreamed of at one time, the fear of not knowing how to use it could be great. But, time and experience sculpts the clear-minded, focused and couragous individual to shift this power to his favor. But some people are idiots and no matter how much time you give them they won't learn. So here are The Seven Effective Tips of Leadership:

1. Relax. This is the first thing you should do once you hold that cool, expensive leather chair. Take a deep breath and clear up your mind.
2. Keep the Cotton Fresh. Your personality must be strong and imposing so that you don't get shit from your underlings or become an office joke.
3. Check out the Power Manual and memorize it. It usually contains useful informaton on what you are actually authorized to do in your new position. Trust me, there's ALWAYS a Power Manual lying around somewhere. In case you can't find it, then make one up! :P
4. Seek expert advice, but don't depend on it entirely. This could lead to serious problems, because you as Mr. Power must ultimately take the clear-cut decisions regarding your situations.
5. Don't hesitate when taking a decision. Since you have received expert advice and developed a clear picture on what do, then just do it! Take a fall or shine...It's how life teaches you from your own mistakes.
6. Stay away from trivial matters. You are Mr. Power now, so be serious about it and make life easier for your subordinates.
7. Delegate, but do not exasperate. Knowing who should get authority to act on your behalf is essential, but don't drain your own power in the process lest you become a trivial item.

That's all I've got to say, so keep that cotton fresh and good luck with your power!

Cheers,

Hesham :)

World of Warcraft: Virtual Real Life

World of Warcraft has taken the whole world by storm ever since its official debut on November 2004. It is by no near competition the biggest MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) ever made. Close to a population of 4 million members (this number could be outdated by the time I post this), WoW developed a culture of its own. Warriors, Paladins, Rogues, Druids, Hunters, Shamans, Mages, Warlocks and Priests play head to head or together to attain the most powerful weapons and armor in this virtual world. They also make up guilds of various policies and regulations, which constitute mini communities in their own right.

As with every society in real life, these guilds provide an effective means of interaction whether through text or voice chat. Interection causes activity, and activity provides ground for feedback. It is this feedback which is the subject of this post.

So as I mentioned before, the whole idea of the game is to possess incredible items of extreme power, and this is attainable through doing quests and mainly by going in large groups (20-man and 40-man raids) into dangerous dungeons. Powerful guilds with well-equipped players can perform a scheduled system of raids with ease, while the smaller guilds tend to focus on character development with this goal in mind for the long-term.

I used to lead a small guild called The Lightforge Army, focusing on developing my main character (which is a Paladin), as well as lending a generous hand to my fellow "guildies" in their questing adventures. The problem here lies in the fact that some players are power-levelers who reach the level-cap (currently at 60) in a considerably short time -- the fastest being a claimed 21 days! My Guild Officers had the fervor to reach the level cap in order to venture into the big-time dungeons. They did not like the fact that the guild comprised mainly of casual, young players who only had so much time to play every week, thus slowing their progress. So they decided to leave my guild and join a bigger one. When that happened, amusingly I went into a raging fit and disbanded the whole guild! I kid you not, I was very upset as I was spending a lot of quality time questing with those guys in order to help them develop their characters to the level I was.

But after a short while I accepted the fact that it is their right to look after their interests due to the main reason, which is to benefit from their subscription fee. It is a game anyway. However, it is a real problem when you see some great people transform into cocky, arrogant prats who rarely "give face" because they now possess great power which "resonates" from their epic armor and swords, all thanks to the bigger guilds they joined. Well, I've got news for you: IT IS A GAME, OK?! So get over it already! Nothing is worth sacrificing the "real" relationships which you have developed with others through this great game over the past year. Not even The Judgment Set! :P

And to those of you who claim that WoW is your life now, I suggest you do something more useful, like reading a book or studying, or visit an exotic destination and learn about other cultures in real life. Trust me, it's great!

Cheers,

Hesham :)