Quality vs Quantity

Otherwise known as the 1800 Abs, 300 is a movie that not only shows the battle of Sparta vs Persia but also of Quality vs Quantity—a battle that transcends time and that now exists in almost every office in the world.

I had a long weekend. A minor rebellion on my part because the boss spoiled my once-a-week off with one of his last minute symposium. Just imagine a Friday in Doha—lazy, like the typical Sunday in other places, quiet, save for speakers everywhere blasting once in a while reminding every Muslim that it's Al Juma'a—then all of a sudden, the boss drives me to the office and tells me that in two hours, at least 30 guests will arrive to attend a presentation.

I had to help set up everything from preparing the Powerpoint and moving furniture to preparing snacks and drinks. Not quite the rigorous training of a Spartan warrior but nonetheless a task that demanded every bit of skill I had to offer.

Work claimed my afternoon holiday so before it owned my evening as well, I decided to escape the boss' clutches. Only a handful people showed up, mainly because of short notice. I got my release on the grounds that I don't understand Arabic and the whole presentation would not make sense to me.

I rushed to the mall and watched Letters from Iwo Jima, a film that featured bad Japanese acting, predictable musical scoring and cliché staging of scenes. I normally adore Clint Eastwood but this one is easily not his best. I'm beginning to think that Marty deserved the Oscar after all even though The Departed wasn’t his best work either.

Anyway, I went home (to my boss' house) at around 1AM and was glad to find out that he wasn't home still. The next morning, when I was supposed to go back to the office, I stayed in bed and took the day off, hence the long weekend. In the evening, I went back to the office only to drop off my bag and headed to the mall again to watch 300.

It blew me away—the abs, the texture, splendid cinematography, heart thumping editing and superb yet subtle special effects—it was almost immaculate…until Xerxes showed up. He looked like an S&M drag queen without a wig. RuPaul could easily play the part and with more spunk and pizzazz too! 300 was a bit like Letters from Iwo Jima in the sense that both films narrated the struggles of a small army. The scene where Persian ships docked by the thousands was similar to the invading battleships of the US Navy reaching the shores of Iwo Jima. But that's the only similarity. Iwo Jima bored me a bit, 300 kicked ass, Persian ass.

So essentially, 300 is a battle of Quality vs Quantity. The same battle I face in the office. My boss would get pissed if I sometimes report at 10AM because he expects me to be in as early as eight. I work for 16 hours on most days and it's safe to say that I average at 12 hours a day. He'd get angry if I'm late. He's counting the hours and not the quality of work I put in.

Well he can complain all he wants. As far as I know, and I'm making this a semi-official announcement, my days here in Qatar are numbered. I believe six months is a long enough show of patience and resilience. I don’t aspire to become a millionaire but I only want what is fair. Like Spartans, I have my pride. And it doesn't matter if I lose this battle, what matters is how I fought it.

I'm moving out on May 27th, unless a tasty offer miraculously comes up. I will probably try it out in Hong Kong before going home to Davao. It's still a long way back but my spear is sharp and my shield is strong. Damn right I don't wear armor because I have immaculate abs. OK, I'm dreaming.