Baywatch 2006

This week has been rather routine. Except for 2 bowls of porridge with an old buddy.
Shall go again for sure. Reminds of the time I was small.
My family was poor when I was smaller. My mum was a hospital "amah" and she had to leave for work everyday while I went to school. That began when I had just started Primary education in Charlton School.

I remember that in the afternoons, after school, I would always have my lunches from a thermos-flask. It was nice to have porridge with "acha" or salted peanuts, or black olives. When we moved to Sim's Avenue and I started my secondary school education, then I could have instant noodles, fried eggs and roti prata. My dad had introduced me to Nasi Bryani and deep fried fish too.

I missed those days when I would cycle to school, especially in the rain. Fun! It's a different feeling, as I travel back from work everyday.

Can you remember what your childhood was like before you first got your car? How was your secondary school like? Or College? Did you have a buddy when you were young?

I had a few actually. But there is one since my childhood. We studied at Sennett Estate School together. Then when she went to Cedar, I went to Victoria. We both joined the bands. Somehow we would still be in touch with each other. When she got married, I was still a bumming layliolafer. She went into Financial Planning (Prudential) and now she is already planning for retirement with her hubby and children. How nice it would be to be able to retire so young! She has a different concept about life.

For me, I don't know if I can retire young. Or I suppose I will probably have to "re-tyre" instead. It's been such a long time eversince I had a nice bowl of porridge. I think it was really good therapy just to recall those porridge days.

It is better to serve than to be served.

I heard of someone who had completed his MBA after returning from overseas studies. He got this great job in one of our top companies in Singapore. I understood that he had also been earmarked to be the head of the organisation that he had been tasked to set up. The plans did not materialised unfortunatle due to a series of unfortunate events in the region. He was retrenched. This is very common story it seems.

In the end, the security guards and only 1 clerk got to keep their jobs. I suppose, no matter how bad the times have become, the directors would still be sipping their teas and going around in their shining Lexus. The friend lost not only his dream job, but also all the preparatory work he had put in for his projects. I have heard of supposedly bankrupt directors who continued to party their nights away or going around in their BMWs.

This is a picture of how thin the ice can get for anyone who just wishes to venture into foreign terrain and hopes to reap all those "everything-provided-for" kind of perks from the prospective organisation. One safe bet is to look at the track records and whether the company has any plans for retention at all, just in case they are only paying lip-service.

In the meantime while you wait for that golden opportunity to get that dream job of yours, the Morale of the story:- Learn to do one thing VERY VERY WELL. But I can assure you, it is NOT paperwork.

It was my department's Family Day today at the beach. Fun day; hilarious at times. Except that the evening ended up somewhat with a little bit of disappointment because my section did not clinge the first prize and on top of losing that Challenge Trophy (which had decorated our wall this year), we will not be getting our $200 cash reward too.

Looking back now, I think it is ok because, deep in our hearts, we know we have already put in our hearts and spirits. Winning the trophy has just been a way to help us stay focus on a single goal so that we could get together and work on it single-mindedly. Now that all the intense energy on that focus has just dissipitated together with the trophy, I realise the trophy was just something like an emblem, which never was. Last year, we won by a hair, because we had only few players but some good fortune. This year, some of those good players who played for our side last year, are playing for the others. Next year, it is highly that will change too. Or I may end up having to play for some other teams or cheer for them. So I guess, it is all a self-deluding game. In the end, there will only be two types of people who will win:- The punters or organisers (depending on whether there is illegal betting going on secretly among them) and those playing just for fun and having a good time with fellow team-mates.

I think I finally got the picture:- Enjoying our team isn't about getting one trophy. The trophy may actually break up the team. The real test is whether we will always be able to come back and celebrate the misses just as well as the scores - if any.

It isn't about winning this year's game, or next. It isn't about Man U or Korea winning, or about being part of the winning team. These work great for people placing bets and making tons of money. I feel that the greatest thing in being part of the team and playing games together (without a care who, or how big the challenger is), is this: that for a time, we really have fun together and kick butts.

I think what's most important to me now is that we will always be a fun-loving and close-knitted community. Non-Exclusive and all-inclusive. After we have been "living together" for the last 3 years, I pray that we will go beyond punctuality issues, beyond gossips and backscratchers. While some of the mistakes we commonly do may not still not be acceptable, but I believe the long-term friendships should have some powers to deem them forgiveavable.

Come 2007, I hope we will continue and become a even greater team! If my boss will decide to let me remain and grow old with them ...

The Management Revolution

Back in the early days, the women gathered fruits and the men hunted meat. Some among them became leaders... saving their strengths to fight only the most ferocious preys or to fend off predators ...serfdom and slavery then made it clear that there were some others who deserved to be much lower than everybody else.

Communism tried to rectify that and leveled the playing fields. It was supposedly a good thing, becos during those times, regardless of how much one has studied, or how skilful or talented one was, everyone was contributing to the economy. Since everyone contributed, everyone should have a equal paycheck. Lawyers, doctors, teachers and pilots would be paid the same way the farmers or the acrobats and the good ole village fool was.

Then came Taylorism and the scientific management was invented. Every motion had to be studied and wasteful steps eliminated to enhance efficiency. Soon, everyone had to be efficient and worked to keep their jobs. To ensure that the more efficient workers would be getting paid more, during that time, out of every 10 who had work to do, there would be 6 working and 4 watching.

Then soon entered the auditors. As the world gets smarter in this information age, management also gets re-educated and enlightened. But soon, out of 10 workers in the company, there are only 4 working, 4 watching and 2 getting pensions.

But during economic recessions, many companies will be trying to tighten their budget with what they consider "fats". They will also probably have to send teams of auditors to check on which part of the "fats" they could take off. In the end, I think we may be left with only 4 working, 2 watching and 4 who will also eventually get laid-offs.

I don't know what else will the govt do with 4 laid-offs and 2 supervisors doing all the paperwork and audits all carried out religiously to make sure that these 4 other miserable working bodies will not be able to have too much of a good life at the expense of the company's accounts.

Some bigger companies have also been praised by the government for rehiring some of these "retrenched executives" and gave them jobs to make sure "the girls at the counters" would remember to smile to the customers.

It would have been a rather bad day today had it not been for an old friend who suddenly showed up to visit me.

Anyway, today ended - 8.15pm! But it isn't unusual. Who cares?

My friends at the department will probably not be able to appreciate how much I've wished for the kind of working hours they are having - 5Days a week.

I think I could give myself a pat on my back for having made life pretty ok for cosy for everyone now, at what otherwise would have been more emergencies at work than accidents on the road. Yet, I can't be happy after realising that there is someone smart alek out there swiping blunt remarks at those of us who who have at least tried to take care of him/her. Really can't fathom these folks. Just like the saying goes, the best politicians are probably found at the coffeeshops.

There is also another the sub-species - those who probably won't care two hoots either, even if the department falls apart while trying to give them some butter on their bread. They will also probably say that this is our job and that's not something that they should be concerned about since there will always be others waiting to prove themselves ANYWAY.

I think they are probably right. That's our sacred duty to try meet the common needs for higher salaries and lesser duties or better machines. But I wonder whether their eyeballs would roll the moment you ask them "how about a little sacrifice".
I don't know who will fit into this category of staff but pls do not blame pple if you have been been making others put in all the sacrifices more for you and you, hardly any for the others. E.g. MCs, urgent leaves and being unreliable co-worker.

Anyway, my thanks to my angel today who took time to drop by just to say "hi".

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." (Saint Augustine)