Bee Stung Lips

Aha! I didn’t vanish from the face of the Earth nor did I get sucked into an alternate planet/universe ala Avatar. I was simply too drained to do anything else in 2009. Simply unbelieavable, right? Well, believe it!

About a year ago I took the bait to get into something most peers avoided career-wise. I thought it was a good opportunity to widen my horizon. And then I spent the rest of the year gasping for air…  The experience was such an emotional/psychological roller coaster ride that I amaze myself by staying/hanging on that long.

I’m glad to say the nightmare is over!

I’m starting year 2010 with a bang!

I look forward to bring out the best of me with the new ship. After what I went through with the previous vessel, I dare say it’s not the package that counts… I’m looking for happiness. I’m looking to belong somewhere and I think I have found the place.

In the private sector, employment advancement might mean a vertical promotion or lateral transfer to another department. Or an employee seeking greener pasture can resign and join another setup.

What about the public sector? As far as I understand it’s a once-in-a-lifetime employment opportunity. If you join public service and resign later, you can never re-join the public service no matter which sector/department. 

So what does a public servant seeking new challenges do without leaving a comfy job with guaranteed pay every month, year after year? 

I heard an interesting real-life story over lunch today. Mr L has 6 more years to go before retirement. He heads a team and enjoys his challenging job. When a close (& higher positioned) colleague told him about plans to transfer to another state, Mr L applied to fill his colleague’s shoes. Imagine the shock of his life when he’s transferred elsewhere to fill someone else’s shoes… and that his so-called close colleague did not submit his transfer application form in the first place!

Now Mr L is stuck – disillusioned and depressed. He’s got to uproot and move across Sarawak, leaving his wife and kids behind in their hometown.

Moral of the story? Don’t count your chickens before the eggs hatch.

Part of my job consists of writing reports. In fact, half of my working hours (and overtime) are spent writing reports. This is because the #1 law in my line of work states that:

“If it’s not documented, it’s not done”

Can you imagine writing everything down, including phone conversations? It is so tedious!

And then there are deadlines… non-negotiable deadlines. I used to meet them, even submitted my work before deadlines. But now I’m swamped & overwhelmed & have been behind time so many times. I don’t know if my bosses will close one eye on this… since deadlines are non-negotiable in the first place.

Sigh…

I have come to notice, year after year, the pace of normal daily activities slows down tremendously during a certain month of the year. This slowing down of activities is very marked especially in the non-private sector of the economy.  

Just imagine a normal working day:

Clock in & start work:   7.30/8.00 am

Tea break:   10.30 am

Lunch:   12.00 to 2.00 pm non-stop

Tea break:   3.15 pm

Clock out & go home: 4.30/5.00 pm

Now, during the special month, a normal working day becomes:

Clock in & start work: 7.30/8.00 am

Tea break/lunch/tea break: 10.30 am to 2.30 pm non-stop

Clock out & go home: 4.30/5.00 pm

Why am I making a fuss about others’ working hours? Well it directly affects my work and I’m not happy about it… and I’m even more unhappy when I can’t do anything about it…!!! I don’t care if you don’t feel up to it coz you haven’t eaten since day break, I expect you to fulfil your duties and work responsibilities.

I didn’t travel across the South China Sea to sit around and wait for you to complete your part of the bargain.

I didn’t leave the comfort of my own home to live in a hotel room for a week and not get everything done at the end of my trip.

Don’t tell me it’s a sensitive issue. You chose to be who you are, but it’s not good enough an excuse to live the easy life and makan gaji buta. Come to think of it, maybe Uncle Lah knows and that’s why you’re not getting any bonus this year. Hah!

[To the tune of Mr Lonely by Bobby Vinton] 

Working 24hrs non-stop with NJAPF in Raffles The Plaza, Singapore:

Crazy, I’m going crazy

Somebody help me, all on my owwwwnnnnnn…

I’m so busy I’m going crazy

Wish I had someone to call on the phone…

Now I’m a zombie, a crazy zombie

Away from home attending meetings

It’s so hectic, I’m going crazy

I wish that I could skip ‘em all

Emails, don’t send me emails

I get too many in my mailbox

All of ‘em urgent, yes very urgent

Oh how I wonder, how to clear ‘em all?

Now I’m a zombie, a crazy zombie

Away from home attending meetings

It’s so hectic I’m going crazy

I wish I could skip ‘em allllllll………

According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the word “MIND” can mean:

1 to pay attention especially through the act of hearing <I’ll assign you extra homework if you don’t straighten up and mind>

2 chiefly dialect
to bring back to mind <I seemed to mind such a tale from way back>

3 to act according to the commands of <mind your teachers and you just may turn out all right>

4 to be cautious of or on guard against <mind the slippery steps>

5 to have an interest or concern for <he didn’t mind the cold weather>

6 to take charge of especially on behalf of another <the babysitter will mind the children while the parents are away>

7 to take notice of and be guided by <mind the instructions that appear at the top of the first page of the exam>

8 the part of a person that feels, thinks, perceives, wills, and especially reasons <scientists still disagree about exactly where the mind is located>

9 the normal or healthy condition of the mental abilities <everyone used to tease him and tell him he was out of his mind when he swore he’d seen a flying saucer>

10 an idea that is believed to be true or valid without positive knowledge <please speak your mind on the matter>

11 the power or process of recalling what has been previously learned or experienced <call to mind the events of last year>

This post is not about defining the word “MIND”, it’s about being mindful. I am a spontaneous and impulsive person, and sometimes this has gotten me into hotsoup. When it happens I always recall dhamma teachings on being mindful – to be aware of every thought, every action and every outcome. Henceforth I will need to think and consider which outcome I want to have before saying & doing what I wanted to say & do earlier on.

How many of you have encountered situation where snap decisions need to be made, but once made you wish you didn’t make it? I made one such decision yesterday… sigh!

Here I am again, a few thousand miles away from home, working non-stop from sunrise to sunset (and blogging in between!).

I’m so tired I had to buy Tokusen medicated plaster for my neck pain today! And being awake till 3 am every night isn’t helping… I’m dead tired but I can’t fall asleep. I wish I’m in Bangkok where massage parlours open till late at night – quality massages for a fraction of the costs here.

Blame the pc monitor…

And blame the person who called me first thing this morning to ask for my email address. How inconsiderate! Can’t wait till later? I don’t wan’t to  be one of those early birds coz I don’t want them worms.

Oww… my neck hurts