📓 MNC Diary — Episode 5

Late Alarms & Missed Calls

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Good Morning?

Dear Diary,

Finally, a fresh new morning.

…Is it a good morning though?

Well, it was — until I checked my phone.

10 missed calls from my team.

I quickly checked the time — ahh, very good, 11:00 AM.

And why all those missed calls? Because apparently, I had a training meeting to attend.

At 10:00 AM. 😅

So yeah… my “fresh new morning” turned into a “late morning panic” in less than 10 seconds.


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Brunch Like a Boss

Well, I knew… even if I ran without taking a bath, the training would still be missed. No magic time machine here.

So instead, I slowed down, got freshened up properly, and decided to eat.

Not breakfast. Not lunch.

Brunch.

And wow… for some reason, eating brunch in a hotel gave me a weird feeling — like I was some rich person living a luxury life. 😅

Just me, my plate, and that “yeah, I’ve made it” vibe.


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Still a Good Guy

But don’t worry, dear diary. I’m still a good guy.

Not like those backbenchers who do rowdy stuff just to skip training.

I missed it honestly — by oversleeping. Big difference! 😅

And anyway, my official office timing is 1:30 PM.

So technically… I still had time.


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Office Early, Good Boy Badge

I reached the office at 12:55 PM.

Yes, before time. See — I told you, I’m a good boy. 😇

Swiped in, settled down, and immediately got into the usual routine: stand-up calls, team updates, the whole cycle.

And just when I thought I’d finally catch up on some real work… guess what HR decided?

Apparently, they thought I came all the way traveling from another state… to play games.

Yep. They scheduled a Tambola game.

For one full hour.
With the entire company’s employees.

Seriously, HR??


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Fancy Words, Simple Game

I don’t understand why these games always come with such extra-fancy announcements.

For those who don’t know — Tambola is nothing but a game of numbers and luck.

The host calls out numbers. You get different tickets with random numbers printed on them.

As the host says the numbers, you need to mark them on your ticket.

And once a round completes, you win if you’ve marked off a specific part of the ticket — like a line, four corners, or full house.

That’s it. Simple game, nothing extraordinary.

But HR? They’ll hype it up like it’s the Olympics.


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Game Starts

The host’s voice boomed with excitement:
“Sweet 16!”

Then, a few numbers later:
“A jumpy 41!”

I was like… why not just say 16 or 41?

Why do numbers suddenly need personalities? 🤷‍♂️

Never mind. This was my first time ever playing Tambola, so I decided to just go with the flow.


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First-Time Luck

And guess what?

I actually won one round.

First-time player and already a winner — wow.

They called my name and I had to go on stage. I stood up, and suddenly I could feel every pair of eyes on me.

And just like that, my walk changed.

Ever dreamed of walking through the middle while everyone’s watching you, and your subconscious mind automatically gives you background music?

Yeah, I felt exactly that. 🎶

Of course, even when you say, “I got all the numbers,” nobody trusts you immediately. They double-check your ticket against the numbers called.

And then — they handed me a prize.

Guess what it was?

A glass.

Wowww. 🎉

First time playing, first time winning, and this is what I got.

A glass. To drink water. To maybe stare at my own reflection if I’m that bored.

Seriously, HR… you hype it up like an Oscar ceremony and then give me a glass?


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Small Improvements

And just like that, the day passed.

Meetings, chit-chats, HR drama, and yes — my shiny new glass prize sitting proudly with me.

Finally, I reached my hotel room at 11:45 PM.

Not bad, ha? Improvement. 😅

At least today didn’t end with breakfast at 2 AM.

The good part?

I was in bed by 1:00 AM.

Wow. What a day — winner of Tambola, and finally in bed early enough to actually get ready for the next adventure tomorrow.