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Monday, January 29, 2007
I wrote a post in 05 May 2005, about finding a job is like finding new love, how interviews are like first dates where you impress the gal. For those who did not manage to know me then, heres a link back to refresh the memory...

http://mangodaily.blogspot.com/2005_05_01_mangodaily_archive.html

Well now 1 and half year into the job, I have new inspirations. People around me keep saying they wana change jobs. I myself say I won't change, but somehow at times I am confused, at time I am tempted. Such is a parallel drawn to love, or a relationship you would say.

After you successfully courted the girl/guy(job), you have to maintain a good healthy relationship. No doubt you wana please the girl/guy(boss) and impress in your work. At first things are fine. You don't expect alot, so the first anniversary you get one rose, you say wahh, so sweet. Then the second year, you still get one rose, you say thanks dear... Then third year you get nothing, he say times are hard... pls be understanding. You say its ok, I understand. Yes you understnd, and you remember. For once the economy is good, you remember for three years, you get only 2 roses. And you understand, you don't wan to marry this guy.

And of course as time goes by, things won't be that smooth. There will be quarrels, though in work, they do only end in one directions. Thus employees become Mr nice guy, alway enduring the tormenting relationships. Some nice guy just cant take it anymore one day and shout back! And yes, this often ends up ending the relationship. Some end it subtley and tell the girl he wana break up. He will say lets give each other one month (one month notice) to think about it, and they break up.
Some simply love the girl too much to break up with the girl and bear all the downside of the relationship. Some won't even want to break up when told to break up and will beg the girl not to break up with him. This kind of guys will say "Pls don't break up(sack) with me. I promise I will change. I won't be late again. I will do my best, I will...." Yes, leopards never change its spots, they do still end up getting fired at the end of the day. Simply course boss seen through too much relationships to know this.

Some of us stay in the relationship for something. Be it for money, a rank, or the name. Some just stay employed for a simple reason. They think being single is no good, like very paiseh. Just like being unemployed is no good, not even for a moment. So end up in the working relationship world, a lot of us are rather unfaithful. In the sense when even attached, we look around for prettier girls, or guys who are richer. So that when the other party is also interested in you, you will ditch your current boy or girl friend and sail in the new boat. In this working world, you are always attached, BUT available. It seems, only if you are super lousy, you are single and available. There are also people who are single, but not available. They enjoy freedom, they do what they want and they still survive. These are lucky people. And I am not lucky.

Of course even when opportunity knocks on your door, some are not tempted at all. He feels very loved in his current relationship, and he is committed. He feels very comfortable and put in all his efforts. He work day and night. He is married to the job. But the parallel ends here. In every working relationship, they alway end up in divorce. there's no happily ever after. At most the golden handshake. And she is off with a new guy. A young one. A better looking one. Yes work is like a devil. They never grow old, and they suck you dry. Don't give them your life, only to realize you have gain nothing in return except old age. Remember to take what you need, what you been searching for, in return for your youth and hard work given. Life is about give and take, so is work. You have other life outside, except work. I hope I myself remember this.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Complain Complain Complain... haha thats enough of complaining for a while. Not that those previous issues of pay, increment, job issues are dealt with perfectly, just that maybe life can take a slow lane now and do with less complaining. Afterall, if complaining can't help, why complain? If you still have to live a dae unhappy no matter what, why not live it happyily? If you can't beat them, join them. If you have to do it anyway, why not just do it? Ok the list of stupid enouraging words that equals to "thats life, life sux, live it" goes on and on and on.... just like the energizer battery.

One and a half years into my work, the only obvious thing that came out of it is I am older and richer. Now richer is a subjective word. I am not super rich, and I still don't really like to spend a bomb on anything. I just like to save and to invest, as in I know I have to use that large amount of money to buy something big someday. EXCEPT I have no idea what the hell am I going to spend so much money on when I have to think twice about eating my next meal. Just kidding. I act as if I am so hard up for money sometimes I laugh deep inside.
Richer now means when there is a need for something, I have no problem finding the money. When theres no need for it but I just like it, I still can find that money for it. When theres no need for it and I just don't need it, thats folly. And I can afford to be silly nowadays. Being silly once in a while can be nice.
Ok I can imagine my girlfriend reading this para will really be geefully smilling. I expect a conversation like this.
"Dear don't you think this dress looks nice on me?
Ok, but its expensive and you don't need it. You got lots of them.
But I just like it, and its different from those I own.
Come on dun be silly... Its no different.
But you say silly is nice once in a while!"
Ok, I shot myself in the foot. Take down this para before she sees it? Haha just joking, my girlfriend is understanding. Shes nice.... She don't anyhow buy things... Urmmm lets just move on. No more bout this topic.

Now old.... Thats super subjective. Well I think I can accept the fact that my looks have changed. Growing old is part of life, and when you are still mixing with younger people who are not working, you tend to get remarks that you have grew older. You LOOK old. Gosh, those remarks hurts. Wait till you graduate! haha.
Ok, as you grow older, you realize music tells you the fact. Some music nowadays just don't suit your ears(I am being polite here, they in fact are ****).
Why the hell is the whole world so crazy bout this guy etc. Now I think I still enjoy great music, but well.... Anyway you see those old singing heroes of yours getting older. People like "the 4 heavenly kings of HK", ermm you know them right? Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok etc.. Thankfully I am not that old. Well fact is, people nowdaes dun love them anymore like we used to. They have become lengendary singers. So at the age of 26, you suddenly have your own set of lengendary singers, the same that you used to laugh at your mum's set of Deng Li Jun and Feng Fei Fei. I still have Jacky's song playing on my blog. (He's still good. So good) Opps. Thankfully I still know Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai. I am not that old ok? Just... Just getting older.
Growing older is no big deal it seems. Everyone goes through that. And soon those people saying that you are old catches up with you and grow old themselves. Just that age gap is a gap that cannot be bridged.
Older is wiser. Lets become wiser. Smile guys.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Yesterday when our boss called in for meeting, we guessed it got to do something with our increment and bonus. Unfortuantely, my lips gave me away and my boss spotted that they were white before she said anything.
Well I guessed my lips detected the shocking news before it came. It were so shocking that they turned white before my ears heard it. Global increment for my bank is 2%. Well our response were calm and we had nothing much to say. Using our fingers and surf the web for greener grass elsewhere would be a better choice.

Live reporting from office at 1230PM:
Boss came out from Big boss office, after seeing her increment and bonus script, she do not look very happy. Gosh, rating 2 still not satisfied. Keep punching her calculator... I cant imagine whats ours going to be like.... Well at least I know I do not need a calculator for mine. Like my secondary school Chemistry teacher once scolded me when i punch my calculator when I got back my test script.
"Why? Why keep punching calculator and not listen to me? Not as if you got a lot of marks to count!"
Hmmm I learn that well teacher, so I will not be using my calculator when I get mine later.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Remember when they used to say women can never understand men and men can never understand women as women are from Venus and men are from Mars? Well, apparently Bosses are from Pluto and employees are from Earth.

More often than not, you will have to think ahead and anticipate what your boss will say or react to things you have done, or the half of the time, things you have not done, or done well. Well they expect you to know or read what's on their mind, failing which, only you will suffer the consequences. If you ever gave them the bewildered or blur look, thinking what wrong you did to deserve this, or worse what has this got to do with me, you will be in for a longer "discussion", a discussion that only involves you talking 10 percent of the time. During that 10 percent, you will only say a few simple things which usually sounds like "Yes.... Yes... No, I don't think...... But..... Ok... Ok... Ok..." Bottom line, always end POSITIVE. The longer you drag your NOs and BUTs, the longer you will see the horizon of the conversation. Not that I am saying they are always right, I am saying that in their mind, they ARE right. Theres no always, they are just right. Well to be more sympathetic towards them, every human being begins a conversation thinking they are right including me. Just that as the conversation progresses, the weighing scale seems to tip over to the other side when its between a boss and an employee. For my case, it tips over at a very fast pace. Nowadays, I just say yes 3 times and nod my head 5 times. Trying to look attentive to what they say helps alot.

What I have learn for the past year of what bosses really meant:
1. If its not too much trouble, can you help me to get this done?
This means if it doesnt cost you a trip to the moon and back, get it done.

2. Do you understand what I mean?
This means after explaining to you, they themselves understand 70 percent of what they said. The remaining 30 they expect you to know what they meant or what they are thinking. This often results in "I thought you said that... Did I? I said...." So if you don't understand pls clarify, dun act smart, dun assume.

3. Do you think there is a problem in this?
There is no think. There IS a problem. And what are you waiting for? Waiting for me?Go solve it.

4. " ? "
This universal symbol might only happen in my office emails. Its short and sweet, no extra alphaberts and open to imagination. But please, when your boss forward you an email with only a " ? ", it means trouble. It means all of the above. It doesn't take a trip to the moon to do this, what are you waiting for? Why wasn't this done? Don't you foresee the problem? Why cant you just understand? Pls get it done and revert to me. I mean NOW.

5. If you want, you might want to add...
Its not if you want. Its you must. I just said that in a nice way so you can exercise some thinking power and decision making. Obviously there is only one decision.

Lastly I wana add I did not write this entry coz I am having a bad time at work. I mean work is work. Work is sian for most of us, and we do endure downs period in our work life. We should seek to understand why boss behave in certain ways. They were like us before.... But just like Pluto used to be a planet like Earth, its no longer a planet. So it merely forgot whats a planet's life is like.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Well changed the outlook of my blog a bit but din really change the feel of it I guess. Just wanted to change it coz the old mango of mine is a bit dried up of all the complaining. Life moves on and I guess nothing is perfect. I am apreciative of the ife I am leading actually.
Watched a few VCDs over the weekend, not exactly the most hip thing to do, but I did gain some pretty good morals and thinkings. I watched Singapore Dreaming, a Local production. Surprising its not all bout laughs, and I learn quite a bit from it. Over the Hedge was a stupid cartoon, but like all cartoons, they teach you to be good kids. Well... almost all cartoons. Some just teach you to fight. Last was devil wears Prada. Kinda similar to work life now, well always good to laugh at yourself and learn from it isint it. Still got Cars in the pack. Think it will teach the ignorant me a thing or two.

Ohh just a comment to my title, I "volunteer" in work coz I do not have a choice. I am not self sacrificing to save the team or point scorer. I am not a BSSPer. Oh that meant a person who back stab score point.

Just going to devote myself to studying for the next six months. (keeping my fingers cross)
Friday, January 05, 2007
This time of the year, many company are distributing bonus. Governtment workers are getting 2 months at least, some banks are giving bonus by year and not month. What of my company? If it gives me one month, then I must thank god. If it gives me more than 2 months, then I must thank ET. Well sadly, ET do not exist, so my dream will never come through. So pls God must exist, exist to make my employer appreciate us, sensible enough to see what the market pays and pity on us. What is enough? We at Citi do not ask for alot. We are not asking for what we deserve, we are not asking for what others are getting, we are just asking for a sum that is not embarassing to tell our friends, a sum worthy of what the top bank of the fortune 500 company pays.

Whats worth it for a job to hang on to? So worth it that no matter how many hours you work, how many shit you get you stay with it. Put aside nice colleagues, great laughter, nice pay you need a nice boss? I dun know how good my job is, all I know we face typhoon from 9am to 11am everyday. Then we get sunshine after that till 2pm. Then a tornado will start till 5pm. If I ever make a mistake, we prepare all the materials to arm ourselves for the earthquake. Such are disasters we are use to everyday at work. I guess no one will understand except the lucky 4 of us at Asset servicing Team. From motar mass bombing to silent torpedos with "??" and "done?". Life is not exactly at its best right now. I don't know how to call it that way.

When she sent me to another team to help out and shout out team spirit and at 6 plus she ask how come you all still cannot go back, it was super disheartening. Theres no team spirit in the first place, not even the spirit. It was lost somehow sometime ago, and I do not know how or why. Only consoling fact is to get back home as early as possible, away from the troubles and unhappiness. I do not know why work has turn that way.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Been sometime since I wrote something. The thing is I have nothing much to write. Well lets sum up 2006 as we celebrate the first dae of 2007. Haha 2006 was pretty simple. I slept about 30 pct of the time, work another 30pct of the time. So I was pretty much left with 40 pct of the year doing nothing much watching TV and playing games, going out with friends, family and my girlfriend of course. Its not too bad if you look back at it. Life is of course full of up and downs. Man I am talking crap again.
Lets stop here. Come to think of it, I think I started my blog on this dae 3 years ago. My blog is 3 yrs old already... How "old"....
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