Awesomesauce

Several psychology professionals will tell you that working a high-stress job in a milieu like the IT Industry makes one prone to burn out faster.

So what do we do? In this fast-paced life of codes and tickets and issues and troubleshoots, we are just about thisclose to combusting. So we cool off in the coolest ways possible.

1) We go crazy a little bit.

It is rather pointless to resist the urge, so we give in to it. One minute you're coding in peace, the next minute, you're laughing by yourself at absolutely nothing. Cray, but hey, whatever keeps you on your rocker for the long haul.

But you need not enjoy it alone. Just look around for the nearest friend and you may bawl your eyes out, freak out a little bit, and talk shiz about absolutely anything. Let it all out. Chances are, somebody around may know the solution to your problem so don't hesitate to share.

2) We take power naps.

Obviously, it is our preferred drug of choice. No matter the time or place, as long as there's a comfortable nook or cranny we can rest our tired, sleepy souls in, we carpe diem the hells outta it. Forty winks, and bam! Good as new.

3) We play.

This is our newest toy. Random pingpong games in between coding sprints are always happening, eliciting weird screams and tennis grunts the likes never heard from a human mouth before. 

The games aren't always friendly, as ninjas are rarely peaceful creatures; but you can bet they are always funny if only for the weird sounds emanating from them. Sharapova's grunts have nothing on theirs. (This is especially true if any of the testers are in on the game.)

Any game will do, as long as it's fun...and screaming and laughter are requisites.

And oh, did we also tell you our office comes equipped with an Xbox? Now, who is up for a game or two of Tekken?! :D

4) We hangout.

After marathons, at the beach, in the office, out for dinner, the movies. We hang out a lot to blow off steam. We are no longer just "co-workers" or merely "officemates" here. We have forged friendships, become each others' support systems. To put it more succintly, we are like a family. (John's our dad coz he always pays for stuff.)

When you look at the people you work with with the same fondness as you do with family, chances are the work environment becomes like home --- a place where we all feel warm, safe, and comfortable. It gives us a sense of well-being that gives us confidence in our work, making us energized and more productive.

Hmmm, I think we are on to something here.

5) When the going gets tough, the tough eat...and drink...and be merry!

There is nothing so comforting in this world as a bottle of below zero beer and a plate of hot, sizzling pork innards, sauteed in a sweet-spicy mixture of good stuff shared with fun people.

Sure, booze could make you do crazy things, (right, Bash?) but more importantly, they could make you forget about that roadblock you encountered in your project, that nagging girlfriend, that weird shyness you feel when you're sober. It makes honest people out of all of us; the butt of all jokes the morning after.

Food also make great, fun memories.

For example, ice cream and pizza will no longer be looked upon as just random junk food. To us, they are the happy, welcome punctuations on an otherwise code-heavy training session.

And lechon would mean a reminiscing of moments of birthdays and beach outings.

So we stuff our faces, justifying that that extra cup of rice would contribute to more fond memories, nevermind what it contributes to our waistlines.

6) We sing our hearts out.

Rather that go all batshit crazy and scare strangers witless, we prefer to bust out the moves on the microphone. Bring it the shizzle on!

7) We have crushes...

...because we love that ticklish feeling of random romantic cheap thrills.

8) But ultimately, we still end up doing what we do best.

To keep at it even when it's a deluge outside and you're stuck in a cafe with all possibilities of being flooded in is a fat chance.

To keep at it even when you just feel like chillaxing the whole day.

To keep at it even when you had to sleep on the floor in the office just so you could work the whole night then wake up in time for stand-ups in the morning.

To keep at it even when you don't know no jack about what you're doing.

And to keep at it even when the odds are great and challenges keep popping up.

Coz we are rockstars and we kick ass like duttt. ;)