Tired of feeling tired

1 am in the morning. Just returned home from a LAN game session followed by supper consisting of kuay chap. Tired enough to doze off, energetic enough to read a few more pages of the new book that I bought recently, and grimy enough that a bath is in order before touching my bed.

Yet my stomach is too bloated (an exaggeration) with food for me to bathe now, and I somehow don't wish to sleep nor read. Don't feel like doing anything in fact. What can a person do when he/she doesn't feel like doing anything at all?

Blog.

Typing out my whatever thoughts that manifest in my mind while waiting for the food to be digested in my stomach, and for the fatigue to set in and compel me to go to bed.

Suddenly feel that a lot of people around me are not happy with their lives and in need to let out their misery rather badly. I'd gladly lend my ear and offer some advice, though I doubt I'm capable of producing good ones. I'm still not sure why some would always look up to me for advice. Hope I've not misled anyone so far.

Seldom initiate outings, or even chats over MSN, with my friends lately. Mostly let others start the ball rolling. I'm getting comfortable with indulging myself in novels (and losing track of time passing by). Maybe I just don't wish to face the growing realisation of how complicated the world actually is.

Running away like the coward that I've always been.

Borrowing a phrase from Tom Clancy's "Without Remorse", which I finished reading only 2 days ago,

Everyone has their own dragon to face.

When will I ever be strong enough to face mine and slay it?

'Logic' of the day

• The only way to get filing (of documents) done, is to do more filing.
  


• You can't sit in the middle of a cross-fire without being shot at - not even if you're completely neutral.
  

Just to clarify on the first point, to get filing done is to complete the job so that one can stop doing it. But if the way to complete the work is to do more of it, then how can the work ever be completed?

My first OT

That's right. This blog is written while I'm still in the office.

Don't you even - not for a moment - doubt my efficiency at doing simple admin work. I STAYED back to help one of the supervisors finish off her work. If I don't, she'll probably be in hot soup tomorrow.

There's only 4 people (including me) in my department now. Everyone else is still hard at work. For me, I still have a huge pile of documents to file, but that can wait till the next day (or even the next month, just that too many documents make my desk look messy). Being surrounded by moutain loads of documents can be pretty scary, but as long as you don't focus on the sheer volume, but rather, how to complete things in the most efficient manner, things can still be done in time.

Dinner is just biscuits and more biscuits. I'm lucky to have a nice colleague who offered her biscuits upon hearing that I was hungry. Right now, I shall wait for the supervisor to complete her work and get a ride home.

Time for more biscuits and online news.

Sardines with jam for breakfast

I'm not sure what sparked the change, but the frequency of the morning MRT trains seemed to drop suddenly. Since last week, the interval between each train extended to 5 minutes from 2 minutes, almost always causing the crowd to spill over to the next ride. The end result: a never ending cycle of spill overs until majority of the workforce reached their respective destinations.

This morning was another story of logistical inefficiency. Already, the commuters in the MRT train were packed like SARDINES, and yet, more were JAMming their way into the carriages. The presence of inconsiderate passengers only made things worse.

Though SMRT probably has a reason for lowering the train frequency (but halving it is just too much), I hope they will restore it back to what it had previously been. Sardines don't taste good with jam.

Some points I noted

• Engineering courses in the Philippines are 5 years long.


• To think some still complain that the 4 years is already too long.


• NLB (National Library Board) actually deactivated my membership after a period of inactivity.


• There's this colleague who likes to call me "小朋友", just because she's a few years my elder.


• She also insists that there should be flocks of girls chasing me because my height makes me desirable.


• The office PC I'm using doesn't have the Chinese language pack installed so I used an online translator to get words in Chinese.


• Am I a genius or what?


• Planting mirrors on your PC monitors is not an act of vainity, but a means of making sure no one is spying on you from your back.


• Adding on monitor filters that prevent others from looking at your monitor from wider angles is additional protection.


• Something induces static electricity on the edges of the cubicle walls in my office.


• Blogging during office hours is fun!

9/4

The shortest working days per week I've heard of is 4 and a half days per week. I can't recall which company it is, but I vaguely remember it's a US-based MNC.

For me, I work 4 days a week (by the way, 9/4 means I work 9 hours a day and 4 days a week). Why? That's because something always crop up and prevents me from going to the office, one way or another. Things like going for interviews, falling sick, and such.

Last week was the third week since I started my temp job, and also the third time in a row I maintained my 4-working-days-per-week-schedule. I hope no one thinks I'm a skiver...

The colleagues around me are falling ill one by one. Seems that the flu bug is buzzing around the office. Wish everyone will get well soon.

Phone call

Ring ring.

I instinctively picked up the phone after the first ring.

"Hello."

"Hello", came a man's voice over the line, "Is this Carrier?"

"Yes." I thought only colleagues from the company would ever call this line.

"Do you service aircons?"

"Yes we do." Of course we do. Who wouldn't?

"You see, I just bought a new home, but the aircon isn't working. I'd like to find out if you can send someone down to help me fix it." The man on the line inquired.

I double-checked the name of my department. It says, very clearly, "Purchasing and Logistics Department". I double-checked my position. It says, very clearly, "temp admin assistant".

All these while, the guy was waiting for my reply.

"Oh, sure. Please hold on while I redirect you to the service department." And I transferred the line.


******************

for now, whenever I wish to blog, I had to make sure I do it within office hours and at the tremendous risk of being discovered by my manager. Otherwise, I'd have to put it off till the next day, but there would be no point in doing so by then.

If only I knew what's wrong with my PC.

Taking a tour of the (old) neighbourhood

I went walking around my old neighbourhood during lunch time, this time with one other colleague. The walk sent waves of nostalgia each time I noted how a certain nook or cranny had remained unchanged.

Memories of the past - how I used to accompany my mom to the market to buy groceries, the first time my dad brought me for jogging on Pandan Reservoir, my favourite hangouts during my childhood - led my thoughts to the present. I didn't dare to think about the future. I've been thinking too much already.

Reading "The da Vinci Code" reminded me how much I used to love reading, because it teleported me away from the real world right into the story iteslf. Sounds like I'm fond of escapism, but playing computer games is a form of escapism too. Reading is a better alternative when you can't find people to play games with.

For now, my life will be reading "The da Vinci Code" after sunset, and "da Cathode Ray Tube" after sunrise.


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Just received news that my interivew had to be pushed back to the 17th of October because the director of the company wasn't available of the 11th. Plenty of time to read "da Cathode Ray Tube".

My first round 2 of interview

Initially, I had wanted to put the title as "My 1st 2nd interview". Don't laugh at me, I was overjoyed at being called up by Sony to go for the 2nd round of interview. For the very first time in life, I felt I was making some headstart towards my career.

Trying very hard to refrain myself from jumping around, and also trying very hard to wipe that silly smile off my face now, before my colleagues think I'm going bonkers.

I feel as though I was a little kid who just got a reply from Santa Claus, stating that my wishlist has been received. Not that Santa ever replies to kids.

Got to prepare for the second round of interview. It's going to be a whole lot of technical questions. Anyone has tips for me? The job scope is roughly regarding design and improvement of Cathode Ray Tube monitors.


PS: My PC is still acting cranky, I'm unable to go online back at home.

PPS: That's the main reason for all these office hour blogs.

TEOTWAWKI

IQ test: what does the above stand for?

If you don't know the answer.....


Click here to find out.

Sounds a little like teo-tua-ki (Hokkien for facing a big problem) doesn't it? That's not too far from the original meaning, considering what TEOTWAWKI is.

Sidetrack: Do not mistake me for using office hours to skive. One must keep updated with the world around us. Especially since this is a matter that concerns all living forms on earth.

I also find this statement very interesting:

Compare that with the 12 million tonnes of gas emitted by French oil
refineries, demonised by greenies as climate-killers.

For the benefit of those who do not understand, here's an example of "demonising".



Demonises to become.....



(Pictures posted with the generous permission of teacher-to-be Demon in the name of education)


Today, I met a 3 other temp staff (2 guys and a girl) from the adjacent department, all of whom are Philipinos. On one occasion, I was sorting out a huge pile of documents, a process that takes up a lot of space, hence I made use of the empty conference room. It so happened that the girl also had to sort out a huge pile of documents as well, so she sat down opposite me and begun her work.

I'm not sure if Philipinos are friendly by nature, but the girl started talking to me while we redistributed stacks of papers.

"Hi! Are you also working as temp here?"

"Yup." I nodded my head and resumed what I was doing.

The entire conversation was intermittent, partly because I was determined to sort out those papers as soon as possible, and partly because I didn't feel inclined to talk. I'm passive by nature.

"That guy in orange top", she cocked her head towards one of her fellow temp, "He's only 19 years old."

"What?" He certainly looked mature for his age.

"That's right. Have you talked to him before?"

"Nope."

"Hmmm...I think he'll talk to you soon. Maybe tomorrow. He's rather quiet"

"I'm rather quiet too."

"Yeah, I noticed." She smiled, a look of mischief twinkling in her eyes.

There goes my ego. I hurried out of the conference room with my papers.


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This entry is supposed to be posted up last Friday, but my PC was acting cranky again. I can't even start it up now.