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Day: 3 October 2002

Quota Filled

Quota Filled

Not bad! 2 long articles at one go! There, I have fulfilled this week’s quota! See you again next week!

Oops! An opening for more hate mails….

Headaches of the Employers (Or is it Employees?)

Headaches of the Employers (Or is it Employees?)

Due to the much talked about topic of uncommitted employees in Singapore, there has been a survey conducted on this issue. “What makes a Singapore Boss ticks?” Interesting, interesting. The article pointed out that this syndrome was caused by bosses with poor people management.

Well, to a certain extent, I agree with this statement, for I have seen too many an example. Brilliant technical people come to a fork in their career paths. In foreign companies, there will be usually 2 options, to become a technical specialist and move up in that aspect, the other, to move in a resource (usually people) management post. Perhaps, due to the limits of the small offices in Singapore, these choices are not usually available. Therefore, you have the scenario of superb engineers thrust into the uncomfortable positions. “Either you become a manager or else, too bad, you will just remain in your current position til you are 60!!” Not much of a choice here, any sane person will pick the former. Therefore, you have on your hands, a very unhappy manager who is a square in a circular hole, with totally undesirable people management, a whole village of dissatisfied employees which results in an unproductive department. That doesn’t sound much like a win-win situation to me. There you have it, a troupe of grasshoppers, jumping to any available, attractive field. I can really empathize with them, for I, myself, have been a scrapegoat of this system as well.

Another great reason, in my opinion, has to do with the culture and environment that we have grown up in. Singapore is a meritocratic society. When you have straight As, you are Mommy’s blue eyed boy, just one F, you will be dropped from grace. The society is just so pragmatic. We have been encouraged to strive for good results, because that is equivalent to good job opportunities, high salary and a promising career. The “I want to be on top and have the best!” mentality has been cultivated since young. This applies to the expectations of a job too. People go from job to job, searching for the best one, chasing after the pot at the end of the rainbow, a fantasy. Employees no longer take crap as they used to, for they think that there is a better job out there. Besides, one day this industry may booming, the next day, totally gone.

“Why should we live for tomorrow? Live for today! Grab the best! Be the best!”

Therefore, once they smell the scent of a greener pasture, they move on.

Society has made us so, why push the total blame onto the bosses? Besides, most of these bosses are Made In Singapore products, nurtured by this very society. Think again!

Obsession…

Obsession…

Darn! Who is the idiot pressing my doorbell as if it is mousey’s left button?? Leaving behind a pot of boiling soup and a pan on fire, I grabbed a coat, struggling with it, as I slipped my stubby feet into the slippers and rolled down the stairs in E=mc2 speed, across the front yard, right to the gate. The postwoman was waving a package excitedly, while I rolled up my sleeves to kill her. “Pooosttt…!!! Unterschreiben Sie hier bitte!” sang the victim. I swung the pot at her puny head and murdered her on the spot!

Well, of course not, being my usual hypocritical self, I plastered an engaging smile on my face, gently took the electronic device from her, signed with a flourish.

“Viele Dank!!!”

I stomped up the stairs, to find my whole kitchen on fire! Oh well, that was an exaggeration. Please ignore me.

I tore the wrapping off and ta da! The long awaited broadband password and software! Deprived for a long time for fast speed internet access, I connected all the hardware in an amazing speed, for a slowpoke like me. As people put it, when they meet the loves of their lives, they have never looked back since. Me too! Now, that was Friday. It is Thursday today.

Since last Friday, I have been obsessed with it. Aha! My Kazaa (the most popular p2p software, ever since my beloved Radiogalaxy was dissected by those hated American copyrights people. R.I.P.) can finally come into play. Download MP3s, movies, animes, whathaveyous… Every minute, every second, I was searching, downloading, watching… And before I know it, it is already Thurday!. Har?! Where has the whole week gone?! No blogs written, emails unread, plates and clothes unwashed, unironed, floor uncleaned, hamster unfed! I just checked it this morning, still alive, just looked a little skinnier though. There is another story to that stupid hamster… next topic.

Basically, there was nothing in my life for the last 1 week, but internet work, eat sleep, internet work eat sleep…. Gosh, I have turned into one of those geeks I despised during my schooldays! No way!

Internet limit per day : 1 hour, hmm.. nope, 2 hours.. ok ok 3 hours ! Last offer, no bargaining! 3 hours then.