Great People, Great Place, Great Work

The Crossroads to Destiny.

Deep beneath the walled kingdom of Ba Sing Se, within the Crystal Catacombs -- remnants of the old Earth Kingdom -- an epic battle for the fate of the world is under way. At one side is Azula, the clever and calculating princess of the Fire Nation. On the other, the Avatar Aang, the living embodiment of the Spirit of the Earth, and with him, Katara, the emphatic water-bender of the Southern Water Tribe; the last of her kind. The outcome of the battle would decide whether the Earth Kingdom would rise or fall, after resisting a hundred years of war.

Prince Zuko, younger brother to Azula, is tasked to choose a side. Will he choose Friends or Family; Honor or Redemption? Ultimately, he has to decide, and his decision will have a great impact on the fate of Ba Sing Se, and of the world.

Like Prince Zuko, I feel the urgency to choose a side, but unlike him, my choice would not alter the course of history, or make an empire fall to its knees. I do not presume that my decision would have that much effect on the world. At the start of the year, the decision to act has been set by me. For months, I have been brewing it, tasting it at the tip of my tongue, and only letting a select few be privvy to it.

I have decided to resign.

A few coleagues have, for the past year, been urging me to it, scolding me for my indecision, and lamenting on the perceived opportunities lost to me for opting to stay with my company. But then again, some people (from outside of work, mostly) are telling me to forestall this decision, warning me of the difficulties of finding new work, especially with the looming financial crisis.

At the heart of my decision is this falling out of love with my work. I still find what I do to be infinitely interesting and mentally stimulating, but I have lost the drive and the sense of fulfillment that I feel should come along with the work that I do.

My Superior is no neophyte, however. A year ago, she has warned my then manager to take care of me, as I may be a possible resignee. Said manager, by the way, has already resigned, lasting only half a year with the company. A month ago, my Superior has confronted me, one on one, and asked me where in her division I would like to work; where my talents would be better suited; if I am no longer happy with the current work I do. She is offering me a new post; a new job; a new line of work related to my old one. I feel as if she is pre-empting me from my decision, stating further that we are better off where we are than any place else. I still haven't gone back to her with an answer.

Like Zuko being urged by Azula to join her and bring glory to the Fire Nation -- and restore his lost honor in the process -- do I choose to side with her, or do I choose to fight a seemingly lost cause and join Aang and Katara in the unknown?

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Another One Bites the Dust.

Yesterday, an accounting manager just resigned, effective immediately. Another accounting manager has also tendered her resignation, stating her intention to study and to perform private practice. Upon her exodus, it would leave the population of titled employees (that is, CPA) to two: an accounting manager (the last) and myself.

I am not privvy into the details of why her resignation was effected as abrupt as it did, but still, her leaving was shocking enough to make us all stop what we were doing and start to wonder. The office grapevine thick as it is, I have surmised that it could have been forced. Still, I am choosing to be neutral about this issue as it doesn't really concern me at all. It shouldn't.

It is just rattling to be told farewell to by a coleague fighting back the flow of tears, stating that "she couldn't take it anymore". It is more unsettling to recieve a parting note stating "you can still handle it, right?" I don't know how to answer that, or if I should even try to, when I myself have made up my mind, and am just waiting for the proper time to act.

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Avatar Aang, Katara, Zuko and Azula are not figments of my imagination. They are characters on the critically acclaimed animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender.
I can only wish to be even half as creative as the writers of this show.