Secret Santa ... Why Me ??
Ah, At times I feel it’s actually not good to be popular at your work place. Since you are a guy with a "Don’t care" attitude, it does not mean that I don’t care for anything that needs some "care". There is this very funny game that is being played at my work place called "Secret Santa", where you would be asked to pick up a paper from a box which would have the name of another employee (male or female) and you have to get them a GIFT, this is what they call a "game". Getting gift from my money to some unknown is a "game", thanks for this new definition of "game"...
The best part is, that "unknown" employee will not be from your team, he or she will be sitting somewhere inside that 35000 sq.ft office and you have to trace them with their employee number. Me being a relatively new comer to this office, I have no clue of where the one I picked sits and unfortunately I picked up a "female" name and there started this "pulling the legs" saga. It’s also difficult to be single at an age where you are no more interested in playing those petty thrills. I have no other choice other than giving my legs for them to pull, so I was waiting for each and every one to finish their "punch line" comment and I headed straight to the HR to figure out which team she belongs to, and as you all know HR is one of the worst department in any company, as expected they said "they have no clue".
Though I was a bit reluctant to proceed in this matter, I also thought "what’s wrong" in meeting that person, of course that’s the aim of this whole "game" na. I then took trust on our outlook and searched for her full name and there I found out the information about the team she works with and her manager's name as well, what a surprise I know her manager very well as we both are at the same grade, we have attended lots of meetings together, though I am not into managerial cadre, I too participate in some meetings related to management. Well, coming back to the "game", I called that guy and just for the sake of initiating a conversation, I asked him something common for our team and slowly asked him if there is anyone by "that" name in his team. I dunno what he would have thought about me, since this is a "Secret Santa" game, I should not reveal the real reason for me asking about her.
He told me that she is working for him and sits in 3rd floor and also he gave me a clue of where that location would be. I rushed to nearby gift shop and pulled a very generic gift and made sure that it does not contain any words that would put me in soup or a heart symbol or an image which shows as if two people are clinging on to each other. After gift wrapping that stuff, I went to 3rd floor and checked her location from a distance, what a surprise no one was in that seat, also there were none at her cubicle as well, so this is the right time to go and keep that gift on the table and rush back to my desk. Sounds like a perfect plan is it ?? I too thought so, but fate had different plans.
I inched towards that "unknown" friends seat, while walking I cursed myself for so many reasons, Why the hell I picked up that paper, Why the hell I decided to take this chance and Why the hell you have grown old, with these cursing thoughts flooding my mind and I am almost there at "her" desk and I carefully placed that plastic cover and turned back in a flash, the speed at which I turned and walked back was such that, I had my shoes getting under a wire which was connected to a monitor diagonally opposite to "her" cubicle and I pulled that monitor down and as a chain reaction the keyboard pullout fell apart, the CPU got twisted and tangled with the rotating chair's arm and all these cannot happen in "mute" in real-time, there came the entire team which I have never seen before along with that manager whom I know.
The good thing I did was, while I was reacting to all these mess, I took possession of the "gift" I placed on her desk and projected the scene as if I was walking across that cubicle and accidently I stepped over that cable and created this mess. With some initial questioning and enquiries they let me go and I sneaked my way back to my desk with that gift. This "Secret Santa" would always remain a "Secret" forever, as I have decided not to give that gift to that "unknown" person. I am still wondering who that person would be, and thank god I did not see her, because my friend who is heading that team has 6 direct reports and all were above 45 yrs of age (average).
The best part is, that "unknown" employee will not be from your team, he or she will be sitting somewhere inside that 35000 sq.ft office and you have to trace them with their employee number. Me being a relatively new comer to this office, I have no clue of where the one I picked sits and unfortunately I picked up a "female" name and there started this "pulling the legs" saga. It’s also difficult to be single at an age where you are no more interested in playing those petty thrills. I have no other choice other than giving my legs for them to pull, so I was waiting for each and every one to finish their "punch line" comment and I headed straight to the HR to figure out which team she belongs to, and as you all know HR is one of the worst department in any company, as expected they said "they have no clue".
Though I was a bit reluctant to proceed in this matter, I also thought "what’s wrong" in meeting that person, of course that’s the aim of this whole "game" na. I then took trust on our outlook and searched for her full name and there I found out the information about the team she works with and her manager's name as well, what a surprise I know her manager very well as we both are at the same grade, we have attended lots of meetings together, though I am not into managerial cadre, I too participate in some meetings related to management. Well, coming back to the "game", I called that guy and just for the sake of initiating a conversation, I asked him something common for our team and slowly asked him if there is anyone by "that" name in his team. I dunno what he would have thought about me, since this is a "Secret Santa" game, I should not reveal the real reason for me asking about her.
He told me that she is working for him and sits in 3rd floor and also he gave me a clue of where that location would be. I rushed to nearby gift shop and pulled a very generic gift and made sure that it does not contain any words that would put me in soup or a heart symbol or an image which shows as if two people are clinging on to each other. After gift wrapping that stuff, I went to 3rd floor and checked her location from a distance, what a surprise no one was in that seat, also there were none at her cubicle as well, so this is the right time to go and keep that gift on the table and rush back to my desk. Sounds like a perfect plan is it ?? I too thought so, but fate had different plans.
I inched towards that "unknown" friends seat, while walking I cursed myself for so many reasons, Why the hell I picked up that paper, Why the hell I decided to take this chance and Why the hell you have grown old, with these cursing thoughts flooding my mind and I am almost there at "her" desk and I carefully placed that plastic cover and turned back in a flash, the speed at which I turned and walked back was such that, I had my shoes getting under a wire which was connected to a monitor diagonally opposite to "her" cubicle and I pulled that monitor down and as a chain reaction the keyboard pullout fell apart, the CPU got twisted and tangled with the rotating chair's arm and all these cannot happen in "mute" in real-time, there came the entire team which I have never seen before along with that manager whom I know.
The good thing I did was, while I was reacting to all these mess, I took possession of the "gift" I placed on her desk and projected the scene as if I was walking across that cubicle and accidently I stepped over that cable and created this mess. With some initial questioning and enquiries they let me go and I sneaked my way back to my desk with that gift. This "Secret Santa" would always remain a "Secret" forever, as I have decided not to give that gift to that "unknown" person. I am still wondering who that person would be, and thank god I did not see her, because my friend who is heading that team has 6 direct reports and all were above 45 yrs of age (average).
oye hoye u shd hav jus kept it thr.... hope u can use the gift u got..
ReplyDeletebut this post was veryyy comical
i literally laughed out :D
No one gifted me, or I dunno yet, coz I came on vacation na :) Hope its not anyone from that 45+ team ;-)
ReplyDeleteHahaha..The scene was literally playing in my head as i was reading the post.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you give the gift to the person...it is a game after-all. why is that 45+ coming into picture..
ReplyDeleteCan imagine u standing tangled in a great mess of wires!!!! A great Christmas memory.....:-)
@shylu - ah, actuallu I thot of giving that gift, but since I am the secret santa, I cannot give that gift, as they all have seen me. Second point is, though it was a game, my expectation was damaged to a great extent when I saw those 45+ :)
ReplyDeleteSecret Santa 2009 fun - are you ready to get entanged with wires?? *chuckle*
ReplyDelete