Long Post..
Much has happened since the last time I blogged. Since this blog is used for complaints, the fact that I haven't written signifies that most things are going on smoothly so far. I have nothing much to whine about in terms of my job and anyway, it's pretty unwise to do so in here. On the whole, there are days where I get upset with a certain group of clients but there are other groups that keep me saint. It's just a matter of balance. I admit I still haven't mastered the art of winning them over but everyday is a learning experience for me.
Six months into joining this company and it's easy to see who are the efficient, kind-hearted, law-abiding, responsible, lazy, bo-chap, MC kings and queens, shrink responsible, all-talk-but-no-action workers. I like the majority of the colleagues who sits in the same office as me. Perhaps it's due to the fact that our age gap is not very big. Eating, mahjong and gossiping sessions help to keep us close and make life less miserable at times. But on the whole, everyone is friendly with one another except at times, a certain someone can be too sociable and irritating which disturbs me from doing my work peacefully.
The past month of so have been spent doing mostly administrative work and attending courses. Most people in my job loathe doing the former but I seem to enjoy it. I only dislike it when my "senior" throws me last minute work to do when he realises he has no time for it. I do not mind doing it if he tells me blatantly right from the start that he doesn't even intend to get started on it. Maybe next time I should just kindly volunteer my services. But then again, in this dog-eat-dog world, most people would only take advantage of your kindness or stupidity and even put the blame on you if something goes wrong. Unfortunately, this happened to a colleague of mine and it was witnessed by many of us. It just taught her and also us a lesson not to be too nice. More importantly, we learnt to be wary of a certain someone.
The deployment schedule is out and I'm surprised that there is no change to my workload. The only adjustment is an additional hour with my favourite class for a new module and I'm working together with my senior mentor. The colleagues that joined in together with me all have increased workloads. Perhaps the time-table committee considered the fact that I have 4 hours per week with the NT stream which is extremely exhausting for a BT. All in all, I'm pleased that I'll still be with the same groups of clients. A new group would mean building rapport and setting rules and regulations all over again.
Before embarking on this journey, the institution gave us a word of advice: Avoid workplace romance. Imagine my surprise when I gradually found out that there are 5 couples in my company. It shouldn't be much of a surprise actually given that 80% of us are aged 35 and below. And the quality in here is definitely much better than SDU (though I've never been to any SDU outings, I'm making this statement based on hearsay). The couples in here are quite compatible but personally, I find it weird if my significant other sits opposite me in the office, and we have to act professional in front of our clients and fellow colleagues. More importantly, I wouldn't be able to concentrate. Anyhow, I'm still making speculations on which couple would get hitched first.
Moving out of the workplace to other matters. The past 9 months have been an enjoyable journey for me. Thanks to my Significant Other, I had the opportunities to experience new stuff: watch Arsenal play, eat at different places ranging from Bedok Market to Morton's, window-shop at heartland malls, hang around Esplanade area, take photos, watch plays/shows, fix jigsaw puzzles, play sudoku (nerds), play playstation (yes, I'm childhood deprived, the closest thing to playstation that I played is Super Mario on the Nintendo donkey years ago), learn new English words, squeeze and jostle with the crowd at PC shows, drive around different parts of Singapore, play racket games and many others.
What I experienced in the past 9 months was probably more than what I experienced in my last 9 years. I never knew certain things existed and I never knew what the typical life of a Singaporean was. I am not lamenting about my family lifestyle or trying to sound like a snob but I remember once asking my parents why they didn't bring my brother and I to eat at hawker centres. Do not get mistaken. This doesn't mean that I dine in posh restaurants everyday. The fact is my family seldom steps out of the house to have our meals, or rather, go out as a family. It's really an eye-opener when I discover how other families eat at hawker centres, what Sengkang flats look like, the fact that many Singaporeans actually go to Sentosa and youths are getting more liberal these days. I finally feel like a normal Singaporean. Of course, it's not just experiencing new things that made my life more interesting. Most importantly, it is the person who goes through all these with me. Even doing mundane things like strolling around the neighbourhood or watching the last episode of a particular Channel 8 show starring Pierre Png can be enjoyable (when we start poking fun and laughing hilariously at the poor guy's acting and his Mandarin slang which is a 100 times worse than mine).
I know you are reading this, you-know-who-you are. I may appear quite unfeeling and expressionless at times but it's really not like that. I really want you to know that I'm appreciative of what you have done for me, especially tolerating my irrational grouchiness. A big Thank You to you : )
Six months into joining this company and it's easy to see who are the efficient, kind-hearted, law-abiding, responsible, lazy, bo-chap, MC kings and queens, shrink responsible, all-talk-but-no-action workers. I like the majority of the colleagues who sits in the same office as me. Perhaps it's due to the fact that our age gap is not very big. Eating, mahjong and gossiping sessions help to keep us close and make life less miserable at times. But on the whole, everyone is friendly with one another except at times, a certain someone can be too sociable and irritating which disturbs me from doing my work peacefully.
The past month of so have been spent doing mostly administrative work and attending courses. Most people in my job loathe doing the former but I seem to enjoy it. I only dislike it when my "senior" throws me last minute work to do when he realises he has no time for it. I do not mind doing it if he tells me blatantly right from the start that he doesn't even intend to get started on it. Maybe next time I should just kindly volunteer my services. But then again, in this dog-eat-dog world, most people would only take advantage of your kindness or stupidity and even put the blame on you if something goes wrong. Unfortunately, this happened to a colleague of mine and it was witnessed by many of us. It just taught her and also us a lesson not to be too nice. More importantly, we learnt to be wary of a certain someone.
The deployment schedule is out and I'm surprised that there is no change to my workload. The only adjustment is an additional hour with my favourite class for a new module and I'm working together with my senior mentor. The colleagues that joined in together with me all have increased workloads. Perhaps the time-table committee considered the fact that I have 4 hours per week with the NT stream which is extremely exhausting for a BT. All in all, I'm pleased that I'll still be with the same groups of clients. A new group would mean building rapport and setting rules and regulations all over again.
Before embarking on this journey, the institution gave us a word of advice: Avoid workplace romance. Imagine my surprise when I gradually found out that there are 5 couples in my company. It shouldn't be much of a surprise actually given that 80% of us are aged 35 and below. And the quality in here is definitely much better than SDU (though I've never been to any SDU outings, I'm making this statement based on hearsay). The couples in here are quite compatible but personally, I find it weird if my significant other sits opposite me in the office, and we have to act professional in front of our clients and fellow colleagues. More importantly, I wouldn't be able to concentrate. Anyhow, I'm still making speculations on which couple would get hitched first.
Moving out of the workplace to other matters. The past 9 months have been an enjoyable journey for me. Thanks to my Significant Other, I had the opportunities to experience new stuff: watch Arsenal play, eat at different places ranging from Bedok Market to Morton's, window-shop at heartland malls, hang around Esplanade area, take photos, watch plays/shows, fix jigsaw puzzles, play sudoku (nerds), play playstation (yes, I'm childhood deprived, the closest thing to playstation that I played is Super Mario on the Nintendo donkey years ago), learn new English words, squeeze and jostle with the crowd at PC shows, drive around different parts of Singapore, play racket games and many others.
What I experienced in the past 9 months was probably more than what I experienced in my last 9 years. I never knew certain things existed and I never knew what the typical life of a Singaporean was. I am not lamenting about my family lifestyle or trying to sound like a snob but I remember once asking my parents why they didn't bring my brother and I to eat at hawker centres. Do not get mistaken. This doesn't mean that I dine in posh restaurants everyday. The fact is my family seldom steps out of the house to have our meals, or rather, go out as a family. It's really an eye-opener when I discover how other families eat at hawker centres, what Sengkang flats look like, the fact that many Singaporeans actually go to Sentosa and youths are getting more liberal these days. I finally feel like a normal Singaporean. Of course, it's not just experiencing new things that made my life more interesting. Most importantly, it is the person who goes through all these with me. Even doing mundane things like strolling around the neighbourhood or watching the last episode of a particular Channel 8 show starring Pierre Png can be enjoyable (when we start poking fun and laughing hilariously at the poor guy's acting and his Mandarin slang which is a 100 times worse than mine).
I know you are reading this, you-know-who-you are. I may appear quite unfeeling and expressionless at times but it's really not like that. I really want you to know that I'm appreciative of what you have done for me, especially tolerating my irrational grouchiness. A big Thank You to you : )
posted by The Aspiring Chef @ 4:50 PM
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