Two weeks ago, our [ex-]manager took us all out to dinner. We thought that it was just one of his innocent, out-of-the-blue dinner blowouts but it turned out to be one shocking supper for all us. After we’ve polished off our plates he situated himself in front of all of us and told us a very bad news. We were caught off guard when we heard him admit that he already turned in his resignation and he’s gonna be leaving the company sooner than we expected. He told us to wait two weeks before we talk or blog about his leaving, so now it’s two weeks later, and I’m blogging about it.
You see, our manager was no ordinary boss. If it’s safe to say this, then allow me to say that he’s the best boss we (or at least, I) ever had. I even received a forwarded e-mail a few minutes ago about a joke centered around hating work and wittingly suggesting that we “kill the boss”, and I immediately thought of Sir Joel and how that e-mail was, in no way, applicable to him. I got very sad again, even more when I read her post about him.
Sir Joel was the kind of boss who believed in all of us, who had a habit of saying “kaya nyo yan!“, even though we always complained that we can’t do it. He seldom acts like a “boss” since he’s more like a friend to all of us. He’s down-to-earth and very generous.. and because of that God is blessing him more and more each month (in the form of Google Adsense checks. LOL). He’s also a great PHP programmer, yet you won’t find a trace of pride in him. I don’t know how he managed to create those scripts, programs and tools. All I know is that he works like magic. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him someday more successful that he is now.
The repercussions of his leaving our team are catastrophic, if you can believe that. Okay, I may just be exaggerating. Hehe.
Last Friday was his last day. We gave him a greeting card and a customized purple t-shirt. I’m not sure if he liked it though coz I was busy playing with his adorable son, Janssen, when they handed it to him. It was the first and last time he brought his son to the office. I think it was a good thing that we were all enticed with Janssen’s cuteness that we got distracted from feeling sorrowful that day. Even so, the final goodbye at the elevator lobby broke our hearts a little.
Today, we no longer see him walking and/or joking around the office. We don’t openly talk about his absence but I know it will be a while before we can finally get over this “tragedy” and accept that this is just the way it’s supposed to be. We’re definitely gonna miss our Barney.. :(
Sir Joel, if you’re reading this, I hate you for leaving! Hmp! Hehe, joke lng po. :P
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