CHRISTMAS AT WORK

            As I remove the holiday décor on my office door to welcome the New Year, I realize how important Christmas is in the workplace.

Contest for the Best Decorated Office Door

   Celebrating Christmas in the various offices in the Philippines is like attending an adult version of a “kiddie party.” There are rowdy games, delicious food, loud singing, and upbeat dancing. This is the event when adults become children, especially when forced to join parlor games during the party. This is the time when office workers become like students, especially when ordered by management to prepare song and dance numbers or to organize a beauty pageant.  

       The best part of it is that office Christmas parties can reveal the wacky side of everyone who are supposed to be serious at work. Having an office Christmas Party in this country means having the janitors, employees, and management come together and have fun. Everyone gets the license to present another side of themselves through the “entertaining games” that they have to participate and through the “mandatory programs” (song, dance, skit, or whatever) that they have to present. If you are lucky enough to have a cool boss in the office willing to sing, dance, or join a game, then you might get a rare chance to see your manager make a fool of himself.

        It is usually during Christmas when employees get to be more creative. Organizing holiday activities in the office generally brings out the creative geniuses in us. For Christmas 2013, our boss organized a contest for the best decorated office doors. The past year, the head of our agency asked us to have a Broadway show featuring all the famous musical plays and made an office-wide competition out of it. In another year, our supervisor wanted an environment-themed Christmas party and required us to have a fashion show of clothes and accessories personally made out of recycled materials.

"Christmas Party" Photo from FSI

         It is also during Christmas when employees get to be more generous. People just GIVE (willingly or unwillingly) to officemates and bosses. Even janitors in the offices, whom people sometimes do not take notice of, are given something. There are actually various ways people in the workplace give:

1. Raffle Prizes: usually highly-paid, high-ranking bosses are solicited to “donate” something generic and of higher value (like gift certificate, electric appliances, food baskets, wine etc)   

2. Kris Kringle: requires certain gift description that people should follow when buying gifts (something soft and small, something cute and fussy). Essentially nobody really checks if people are strictly following the gift descriptions. And if someone does not, the receiver cannot return it anyway…   

3. Monito-Monita: can be related to kris kringle or can simply be an exchange gift. There are several variations of this. Some people make a wish list so that their prospective “sponsor” or “parent” have an idea what they want to have. But essentially, people set a price for the gifts to be given (maybe at least 300 pesos). Then one draws the name of the person whom you will give a gift.

 

         Essentially, giving for Filipinos during the holidays is their expression of sharing their blessings to the people around them and of appreciating the people who have helped them in their daily work in the office.

"Exchange Gift" Photo by BryMac

            It is also during Christmas when employees tend to be more reflective of the year that is coming to an end. This is when people assess their productivity in the office and evaluate their relationships at work. It is when people pat each other’s backs or feel disappointed for goals unmet (which is quite unlikely but still unfortunate). It is when officemates express appreciation of each other. It is also the most fitting time and the most convenient reason to approach and talk to colleagues whom one has an issue with in the past. Indeed, Christmas brings an air of reflection, sentimentality and hopefully, forgiveness. 

     I like spending Christmas in the Philippines and celebrating it in the various companies and offices in the country. After all, it is only in the workplace and only during the holidays when the adults are allowed or even forced, to become kids again. But hopefully without their children knowing about it. (sshhh…) 

          I am certain that no Filipino working adult can escape playing, singing, and dancing in the workplace during Christmas. Admit it! You have done it! After all, Christmas in the Philippines are supposed to be “more fun.”

THE HEADACHE THAT WAS "MY LITTLE BOSSINGS"

I thought this was something really fun and funny, but I ended up with a serious headache. And for me, this was no laughing matter. 

I watched “My Little Bossings” expecting to have a good time and a good laugh. After all, who would not have a pleasant time seeing Ryzza Mae Dizon and her funny antics?  She was actually the main reason why I convinced myself to pay money and watch a movie. I thought that seeing that little girl beyond “Eat Bulaga” and her self-titled show would be all worth it. But I ended up feeling disappointed. 

Here are the reasons why that movie gave me a headache:

1.  The Gimik: It may seem to be a novel idea to have Bimby (a “sosyal” English-speaking kiddo) and Ryzza ( a “masang-masa” batang kanto) together in the big screen, but the novelty of it was not highlighted in the whole narration of the movie. The title “My Little Bossings” was supposed to refer to the kids as the film’s main attractions, but they were relegated merely as the supporting casts. Or better yet, they were used as “baits” to attract people’s attention and entice them to watch the movie. Unfortunately, the movie’s producers succeeded in that regarded. 

     2. The Story:  I was not anticipating anything “logical” or “deep” from the movie, but I at least expected an uncomplicated story telling.  The narration had several gaps and did not have a good “flow.”Moreover, contrary to assumptions of a kid-friendly movie, its themes tackled more adult issues such as pyramid scams, homosexuality, unwanted pregnancy, child labor, among others.  I am certain that kids below seven who watched the movie did not understand the underlying issues in the story--- like how Aiza Seguerra and Ryzza Mae Dizon were related. And the background story of the pyramid scam that haunted Kris Aquino’s character and made a villain out of Jaclyn Jose was really a huge turn off for what was supposed to be a family-oriented movie.     

3. The Characters:  The good news is that the main characters Kris Aquino, Vic Sotto, Bimby and Ryzza gave natural performances. They just played their usual selves and their real personalities reflected in the film. Jaclyn Jose and Aiza Seguerra seemed to have taken their roles seriously, being the professional actresses that they are. I am very much irritated with the roles of Jose Manalo and Paolo Ballesteros in the movie.  I guess they were supposed to serve as comic reliefs, but they failed to sustain any fun and laughter from the movie crowd.   

    4. The Advertisements: I have never seen so many instances of in-your-face product advertisements in a movie, except this one. It really was a “commercial movie,” with too many products endorsed. Perhaps the producers were playing it safe and wanted to make sure that they get back the money they invested in the movie. Well, just in case they did not get enough box-office revenues during the film festival, which everyone knows is highly unlikely given the huge public interest.  Earning money from movie goers is understandable; raking in money from companies through product advertisements incorporated in the film is being opportunistic. I am certain that Procter and Gamble’s money for advertising and promotions was very well spent in that movie.     

Overall, there were only two scenes that I enjoyed the most in the film. The first one was Ryzza showing Bimby how to take a bath with just a “tabo-ful” of water. And the other one was Ryzza shedding tears for having a spoonful of wasabi paste in her mouth. I saw these scenes as TV promos for the movie, which convinced me to watch the film in the first place and expecting some more funny moments.  In the end, I regret shelling out money to watch this movie for just two witty scenes that I could have watched in TV commercials for free.

I sincerely thought that this movie is really promising. After all, having Ryzza and Bimby together in a movie is expected to be a crowd drawer. And having that huge interest is a nice opportunity, not only to make money out of the public, but to also offer some positive lessons and insights as comedic as possible. If the director and producers can make blatant insertions for paid advertisements in the movie, then why not conspicously advocate for Filipino family and social values?  I then realize that the film was truly a wasted opportunity to be more than just a “blockbuster movie.”  

 I have to admit that it was really a bright idea to pit two kids who represent the opposite sides of our society, and bring them together in a movie. I thought that it can be a good chance to promote understanding among Filipinos from all walks of life through the eyes of these children.  The movie has so much potential to influence the youth and to remind them that, despite social inequality, they share the joy of being children and the importance of family in their lives.  It certainly has the right characters to deliver just that, but the story failed to maximize their potential to be role models among our young generation.   

In the end, the “little bossings” were merely reduced to being eye candies and crowd drawers meant to just create fuss and excitement for the movie. There was just nothing meaningful and memorable that moviegoers can take away from.  

Perhaps I may be asking too much from a comedy flick. Maybe… But since the Metro Manila Film Festival is an annual event held during the holidays when families tend to gather, it should strive to offer something fun and insightful for the children. And not the mediocre types that only want to draw crowds and top the box office.  After all, the masses are paying hard-earned money to even go to a theater and watch a movie.