Wednesday, August 31, 2005
the chimes of wedding bells
Not mine, to clarify before anyone gets unduly excited.
I've been hearing all about weddings and diamond rings and gowns and hotel banquet dinners so much the last two weeks that I decided it's a scary trend.
There was a mini secondary-school class gathering the other week that I skipped. I had to work, and honestly, I didn't really feel like going. The people on the RSVP list were just, well, not very close to me and I don't figure I would have much in common. Especially after ten years apart.
But anyway my social butterfly of a galfriend went and the next morning, sent me a gossipy email about everyone.
One gal's married. Yes, past tense. Married. To a doctor and living in the opulent Bukit Timah area. Apparently she's a child psychologist now at a non-profit organisation. Sounds just like her. My galfriend insisted that we should start subscribing to The Peak and Tatler because it won't be long before we see this ideal couple featured at some charity gala ball. You know, the type where you donate $5,000 for a seat.
Another gal's engaged and lugging a mother-sized diamond ring on her finger now.
And last night I met with a close galfriend of mine and she and her boyfriend are talking marriage lately too.
What on earth!
We (me and the abovementioned and all my galfriends, actually) are barely a quarter of a century old! I still find that really way to young to be getting married, or engaged for that matter.
I don't buy the they-found-the-one romanticism. Because even if you have, you can't get married unless you want to.
But we're so young (yes I know I'm repeating myself; it's for emphasis)! There's still so much to do: so much reckless partying, impulse shopping, late-night suppering, cute-guy ogling! All the irresponsible fun that only the unburdened can indulge in. I definitely cannot see myself getting married in the near future.
But of course I'm certain that they're happy where they are in life too. It's a different sort of happiness that a happy marriage brings. Different from my misspent youth.
Well, I guess I'll just have to start saving up for all the dinner ang baos. If I'm invited.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
i went hungry last night
And I am deliriously happy about that. Ha! Don't look at me like I'm some deranged anorectic teenager. I'm not.
I didn't skip dinner on purpose, to begin with. I had a 7pm meeting. At 6.30pm I was convinced to join a couple of colleagues for dinner. I wasn't even hungry! Way too early for dinner. But still I had half a club sandwich.
Which in all honesty is already dinner. But noooo.. by 11pm my tummy was growling. I swear it's a psychological thing. So in a rare show of self-discipline, I refused to eat. Had meself a cuppa milo and went to bed.
As I was lying in bed I had gastric pains. Sharp and pulling and oh-so-familiar. I like.
You see, I'm not trying to starve myself. I'm just trying to tame my overly-pampered (and soon to be bulging) tummy. Really. I believe that one's stomach can be stretched to accomodate different amounts of food. And unfortunately, when the stomach is too used to a certain (large) amount, it gets difficult to the my appetite in.
So see, successful step one in taming of the tummy!
Me - 1; Tummy - 0.
Yay!
Monday, August 22, 2005
there's no looking back
I know. But after you've worked with the best, it's a really painful process to work with second best.
Chucking my dissent with present organisation aside, I must admit that I've worked with some of the finest professionals around.
They're motivated (due to work pride; nothing to do with the organisation), they have initiative and most importantly they have brains and aren't afraid to use it. They also have a good dose of common sense (which helps immensely) and are so confident that they are not afraid to seek clarification when unsure and not afraid to point out inadequacies where necessary. And of course, they have an innate respect for other people's deadlines and do provide input on time.
And then they leave. Well, some of them have and their replacements - to be kind - are nothing to rave about.
It's not that I want to be harsh but some things that they can bring themselves to do... simply amaze me. Really. At that split second, I'm not angry, not pissed off, not frustrated. I just find it amusing.
The most classic example happened quite recently when I conceptualised a mini website within our official website for a programme that was to be launched. And in the tradition of when you want something done right do it yourself, I mindmapped the entire concept onto a sheet of paper, typed out the content as it should be, even named all the secondary webpages and listed all the items in the menu. Hell, I even added in comments (the coding way: /*) to guide workflow.
Because of my wonderful career choice, I didn't have to actually create the webpage. So I passed it on for processing. Five days later I get a live link, saying it's completed.
I click on the URL and looked.
And froze. And was caught between an intense desire to laugh and cry.
Brilliant is as brilliant does. The person copied and pasted the entire content of that Word document I sent over into one html page and lived it. Imagine my horror.
A live webpage on the official website that had content like:
Photos (link to Gallery - the exact page you determine after you've uploaded the photos)
What if I had been in a dark-humour mood and gone:
Photos (link to Hellery - the cemetry of photos stripped of dignity and resolution)
I immediately replied the email with a "please remove from website. need to make adjustments", went out for a fag and after calming myself, sent the link to said person's boss with the caustic question: Anything in this page look wrong to you?
In under a minute my phone rang. Said boss demanded to know if the page was live or just a mock-up. I assured that my instructions are to remove. An audible sigh of relief floats through the receiver. I snigger yet again. Said boss in rather dejected manner promises to explain to his subordinate.
I've never seen that webpage again.
a tad technie
I know I pronounced myself "so not a technie" recently, but I did the techniest, computer-geekest thing just now.
I was trying to enter myself into some NETS contest to win premiere tickets to Cirque du Soleil's Quidam (because I'm a cheapskate with desires).
The online contest form was straightforward (although it did request for my NRIC number) so I filled it in with no problem at all. Then I clicked submit and got javascript-prompted to enter a "valid name".
How odd is that. What's so invalid about my name!
Insulted but undeterred, I tried again this time with my full name as in NRIC (the way all government bodies like it). Still "invalid".
At this point I started thinking I must be an illegal immigrant with a fake BC and fake NRIC and fake CPF account.
I try a few more times.
Last Name First Name
Last Name First Name Middle Name (!)
When finally I could take it no longer, four years of tertiary education kicked in and I decided to view the source code of this lousy contest form.
In 30 seconds, I realised why javascript found my name invalid. It has a hyphen in it. Which the script believes to be an invalid character for a name.
Well, excuse me!
So anyhow, because I have little conviction and a growing desire to watch Quidam, I entered my full name minus the hyphen. Which actually is the lazy way I've been spelling my name.
It still freaks me alittle the way I decided to get round this problem - viewing the source code, not dropping the hyphen. So I guess in little ways, I'm still a tad technie.
of pigeons
A pigeon perched on my windowstill today
It looked at me as if to say,
Home is where your heart stays
I sat on my chair
And at the pigeon I stared
Where is my home, where oh where?
I'm not a homing pigeon
I cannot find my way
My instincts do not guide me home
They have led me astray
***
I watched Valiant, the pigeon movie, over the weekend. What can I say?
such is life
People come. People go.
It's a particularly quiet morning in the office today. My neighbour's gone away.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
a year and a week old
I procrastinated writing this entry for a week. 9 August 2005 (ironically National Day) was my first year anniversary of working life, and of working in this organisation.
It's a freaky feeling, truth be told, to have reached the one year mark here.
I remember the first time I felt like resigning. It was November last year and being the rookie in the Department, I was tasked with the crappiest job. Lets just say it involved getting yelled, screamed, censured and threatened by people every single day.
But that wasn't the last straw. The last straw broke the camel's back that fateful November day when a Higher-Up insuinated that I mishandled the situation (that I was so rudely thrust into, I might add) and hence indirectly contributed to the mega-proportion that the mini crisis had exploded to.
Now was I indignant! I believe, till this day, that I handled it to the best of my abilities. Even my crappy ex-boss agreed. The matter was flawed at a fundamental level, so there is little that may be done to alleviate the situation. But anyway, I digress.
So I went home that day after the daily dose bombardment and topped off with that insult (I have strong work pride - don't mess with that). And I cried. As much as I hate to admit it, I cried. Shed tears of indignance, of rage and of self-pity.
Lets put the whole situation in context. There I was, fresh out of Uni and 4 months into the job, and I was getting slammed for a far-from-wise decision that the Higher-Ups made eons ago?
And in the first place, I didn't (and still don't) fancy the job or the organisation much. It just happened, I guess - me working here. Plus I am much convinced that I am severly underpaid. So how's that for staff morale to begin with?
So I sobbed. My mum was really traumatised by this and all her maternal instincts screamed for action. As she comforted me, she told me it's alright if I want to quit and that perhaps this just isn't the job for me. I nearly smiled. She was so sweet. Until she said:
"Tomorrow you go tell your boss that your mother doesn't think this job suits you and you want to quit."
How embarrassing is that! It was at that very instant that I decided not to quit.
I did however start actively looking for greener pastures. For the last 8 months I've been flipping ST Recruit every Saturday. I'm a tad picky, I confess (no point jumping outta the frying pan and into the fire, I say) and I've had a few near hits, but still no homerun.
But I'll keep looking. That much I can promise myself.
Monday, August 15, 2005
SQ150 preparing for departure
SQ150 heading for greener pastures is leaving from KR Domestic Airport on 19 August 2005 at 6pm. This is the third departing SQ flight since June 2005.
Bon voyage, my friend.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
i am so not a technie
That's right. I should have known, really, from a long time ago. But I'm evidently not too good at taking hints.
***
Four years in University and I barely got IT lingo down. My peers would be in the midst of an animated conversation about the (blackbox) inner workings of some network or system or programme, and I'd be thinking to myself: I know they're speaking English so why don't I understand them?
At that time, I cut myself some slack because after all I was a Communications major (just stuck in the wrong faculty).
***
Today, just a week shy of the first year anniversary in my first job and I have to admit to myself that I'm not getting the publishing lingo down. At all.
Sure I can ramble off the trim size and bleed size requirements for the magazine; sure I can list out the printing specifications off the top of my head; and I sure can relay all the artwork jargon that my Creative guy mumbles off to the advertiser.
The only problem is that I sure can't tell one from the other.
Well (to cut myself more slack) I haven't been in the industry long, right? Feeling a piece of paper, I can probably tell you it's 105 or 128 gsm matt art paper.. or maybe a 270gsm art card. But that's it. I've only leafed through the magazine sufficient times to be able to identify those particular grammage.
Don't even get me started on finishes. And don't look at me funny like my vendors/ printing house reps do. Fine. I admit. I can't tell hotstamping from embossing and debossing (debossing?! I mean, it doesn't even exist in my trusty Colin's Cobuild!) and I can't tell a UV varnish from a gloss laminate.
I guess my next book isn't going to be Harry Potter. It'll be the Dummies' Guide to Printing & Publishing.
Monday, August 01, 2005
how to play the office game
The rules of engagement by learning from (my boss's) hits and (my) misses.
1. Always make small talk
With the direct boss, the boss's boss and everyone is who is anyone who matters. Even if you are sneaking off from a late night event and you meet a Higher-Up on your way out, stop and chat. As long as the event was successful, these Higher-Ups should be in a good mood. Seeing you working late will leave them with a good impression of your work attitude. Apparently it doesn't matter if your bag is slung over your shoulder and you have one foot out the door.
Also, small talk is a brilliant way to impress people with your wit and insightful insights. Beware however of coming across as a dimwit. When in doubt, just nod, smile and laugh.
2. Always grab the chance to lunch together
Now this is one of my biggest misses. I really - just really - can't bring myself to lunch with the boss, or the boss's boss. But you should. As with small talk, lunch is a fabulous opportunity to get yourself noticed, and to fill in the Higher-Ups with information that you can't really share in the office environment.
For example, you can subtlely share with the boss that your oh-so-important work (particularly the ones that he's waiting to see) is being impeded by your retarded computer. It is likely that the boss will be appalled, and ask why the IT department isn't giving you a new machine. At this point, refrain with all your might from bitching. Just shrug helplessly and look pathetic. Apparently this will earn you a new computer within your first week on the job.
Sidenote: Playing the office game is likely to alienate you from the groundstaff. Said computer, for example, may have been meant for an assistant whose computer has been down for 2 days. Seeing said computer in your office will not do much for interpersonal relations. But these don't matter much if you don't intend to forge true friendships in the office.
3. Always work doubly hard for people who matter
There is no such thing as equal effort in all work. There is no such thing as equality in output.
Take, for example, a facing-page interview spread with 1) Higher-Up and 2) important person in Singapore's finance industry. Now, where does your priority lie?
If you said both are equally important, you are as silly as I am. Apparently (1) is about 400% more important than (2), simply because interviewee (1) can directly screw up/ expedite your career development opportunities. Please note however that I am using this example because my work now and in the foreseeable future will have nothing to do with the finance sector.
But in any case, this point seeks to illustrate direct cause and effect. In layman's terms, this refers to: suck-up => promotion.
4. Always build alliances within the office
Alliances being alliances, the crux of the matter is to build one with power, of course. I cannot emphasise more how this has nothing to do with whether you like a person or despise him/her from the bottom of your heart. If a peer wields power in some ways, particularly those in which you lack, you build a complementary alliance.
It helps to be chummy with the boss's pet/ PA, especially if you're a newbie in the environment. These people have access to firsthand work information and can also give you inside information about the big boss.
For example, you learn that the big boss once lived in America for 3 years and that both his kids are currently studying in American universities. At the next small talk (see point 1) or lunch opportunity (see point 2), you casually remark that you once lived in America for 5 years. The big boss will likely be elated to discover that both of you have many things in common. You can then start an extended conversation about living in America - a conversation which is likely to exclude most other people.
5. Keep your friends close and enemies closer
As Confucius, that wise wise man, once said. The working environment is akin to the battlefield. Amble around blissfully unaware of this theory and be prepared to pick daggers and arrows from your back by the end of the day.
To perfectly execute this point, you first need good judgment. Now this is largely a God-given ability but it can also be honed with sufficient (excruciating) experience. I don't intend to stereotype the evil ones amongst us but the most telling sign I've come across is that of all smiles. As the Chinese will tell you, this is called "hiding knives in one's smiles". This is a very two-faced thing to do but also very effective in disarming people.
Now of course I am not saying that those really nice people who are smiley all day as if they're on prozac are vindictive bitches/ bastards. This is where said judgment comes into play. I'm just pointing out that of the varieties of evils amongst us, the All Smiles type is the worst simply because s/he will catch you unawares and may inflict upon you a horrendous death without you even knowing it.
Keep such people close. Make them think that you're on his/her side. While this will not delete the possibility of backstabbing in its entirety, at least you're safer than most other innocents.
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