work
First day reporting
I met the HR in the morning to discusss the package which they’ve offered me as well as to sign the appointment letter. The rest of the morning was spent shuttling between the different clinics to have my body checkups done.
I first reported to the Staff Clinic and after filling in my particulars, I passed it to the nurse at the counter. She glanced through my details when suddenly, she looked up to me in jest and exclaimed, “You are my neighbor two doors away!”
I was caught by surprise because… I’ve not seen her before though I’ve stayed at my current place for close to 20 years already. Anyway, she was particularly helpful in giving me concise direction to the various clinics where I had to go for the tests.
After I had my blood tests (they collected two test-tubes of my blood!) and x-rays taken, I returned to the Staff Clinic where I continued with my eyesight and urine test. After completing the tests, I had to wait for my test report.
The doctor who saw me was yet another gallant member of the ‘dark force’. Why do I keep running into them wherever I go? Was it really like what Dango has said? That I really have round-shit with them?
Adoi! *slaps forhead*
Anyway, she asks about my medical history and checked my blood pressure. She said my blood level was a little high and I had to bring down my levels by the next appointment if not, she’s not going to give me clearance for my medical. Piang… why do they always make things difficult for me in my career? What exactly do I owe them?
Towards the end of the consultation, she asks me to undress. Then, she told me to lie on the bed. My heart was pounding away nervously as she walks closer and closer to me. I closed my eyes tightly and I felt her hands pressing about on my upper body. She further instructs me to ‘loosen’ my trousers and she started pressing my abdomen as well. Finally, she asks me to turn over, and continued pressing my back.
Oh man, I feel like a prostitute dough…
By lunchtime, my ordeal was finally over. I reported to my department and the number of patients scared me! Colleagues are fine, except that I’m once again the rose among the many, many thorns there in my department. The aunties are fun-loving yet man-hungry (that’s what they claimed themselves to be) at the same time. 
Paperwork was a nightmare. There are lots of medical terms and abbreviations to learn and procedures to follow. I’m a little overwhelmed but I guess I should have no problems learning the ropes. I just need some time to digest.
sayonara oh!
My workstation…
One of the six stupid Orchids…
Yesterday was my last day at work and I was kind of relieved because I’m finding it quite stressful. I’m stressed not because of the work but due to the culture in the office. There are way too many rules to observe and follow. Furthermore, since the Accountant joined us, my superior, the Operations Manager had shifted her desk into the room with me such that I’ll be facing her day in day out.
I’ve discovered that the other temp staff who came in together with me also had his contract terminated today so it’s NOT my problem after all! Initially, I had thought that it was due to my incompetency but now, I can safely conclude that my competency is not to be doubted!
Phew!
Anyway, the boss was in the office and everyone were on their toes because he doesn’t come in everyday. He only come like once or twice a week while the rest of the week would be spent networking with big corporations like AMEX and interviewing candidates for the roles which they are applying for.
In fact, yesterday was only the second time I had ever seen him since joining the company two weeks ago.
I was actually quite free with nothing to do in the morning but I was busy acting busy and it is really tiring in doing so.
In the afternoon, my Operations Manager received a call from China which she couldn’t understand a single word the other party is trying to say so she passed the phone to me. The woman on the other line was desperately trying to hard sell some time-share package. Trying to be polite, I entertained her for a moment before declining her offer.
*XX = blah, blah
(The actual conversation was much longer but that was the whole gist)
Goodness! She spelled my name as R.I.B.B.O.N! Is that funny or what? Was my pronounciation that bad?
Anyway, before she hanged up, she wished me 
It was the first time in my entire life that someone actually wished me
After lunch, work started coming in and I began to get busy. For the past week, I had nothing to do except making some phone calls and running errands. I think they are making me pay by giving me one week’s worth of work to complete in one day before I leave the company!
I left the office late and was quite seh already. The moment I got onto the MRT, I concussed all the way home. After reaching home and a bath, I flopped onto my bed and continued concussing till this morning!
I was so tired, I had clean forgotten my appointment with some friends! Sorry, guys!
Awaiting deliverance
As of today, my Operations Manager still hasn’t breathed a word about the termination of my contract. She might be breaking the news to me tomorrow or maybe even on Friday itself. Should I act surprise and fall to my knees or simply tell her that ‘I knew already?’
Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise for my premature end of contract with the company as working here is alot like being in jail. There is no freedom and everything that we do must be reported.
There is a program installed in our computers whereby the administrator could take screenshots of our screens and spy on what we were doing in the background without us knowing.
We couldn’t use the internet unless it’s for work-related purposes (not even to check our own email!) and though we have MSN and Skype, we aren’t allowed to add any personal friends in except our colleagues both in Singapore as well as in Bangalore.
The MSN was for our boss to spy on contact us anytime and if he sends us a message but we didn’t reply him on time, we would be in trouble. He would question our whereabouts and why were we not at our desk? If we were not around, why is our status set as ‘Online‘ and not changed to ‘Away‘?
Also, the status which we could put for our MSN were restricted. The only three status which we could put was, ‘Online‘, ‘Away‘ and ‘Out for lunch‘. We cannot put ‘Busy‘ or even ‘Be right back‘ as it is against the company’s protocol to do so.
When we report for work and leaving the office at the end of the day, we have to send an email to our Operations Manager (my superior) to ‘clock’ our timing. The same rules apply even when going and returning from lunch.
Before we log off the computer, we have to email a daily checklist to our boss stating what are the tasks we have set out to do at the start of the day and did we manage to complete it at the end of the day? If we didn’t manage to, why?
It’s really horrible because our every move is like being scrutiniesd by someone in the dark!
The cats’ out of the bag…
This morning, my superior got an angry call from the boss and before we knew it, everyone were instructed to switch on their Skype for a mass conference. The whole office was thrown into an uproar because everytime when the boss is angry, everybody would be very kancheong!
We waited for a very long time but the boss didn’t log in at all.
The next thing we knew, there was a mass email circulating around, informing us that one of the staff from the Research team has been fired for dishonesty. Apparently, this staff had commited a mistake but he lied to cover his backside. However, the boss discovered the truth and thus sent hm packing on the spot.
No wonder I saw him talking to my superior teary-eyed earlier because the two of them kawan-kawan one mah…
Anyway, two new staffs joined us yesterday. One was the Accountant and the other was the ‘perm’ Operations Executive Assistant whom I had mentioned in the previous entry. True enough, the moment she came, all my work at hand has been relegated to her. I sat in front of the com all day, with nothing to do except changing toner for the printer, calling the courier and the air-con people to come service the dripping air-con.
I’m basically getting paid for doing nothing. This more or less convinced me that she was here to replace me.
After work, I went to my agent at Toa Payoh and she finally confirmed what I had suspected all along. My superior had called the agency this morning, instructing them that my contract ends this coming Friday. In other words, I’ll be jobless after this Friday.
I was already expecting that so I wasn’t caught by surprise at all. I wasn’t even mad with the new girl for snatching my job because I’m already sick of it. I felt so restricted by the rules and regulations!
My superior hasn’t mention anything to me yet but in the meanwhile, I’ll just shake my legs and wait for Friday to come.
I can smell it in the air…
The boss held an inpromptu meeting with us last Friday just before I was about to knock off from work at 5 pm. (That’s also when the stupid Orchids were delivered)
He went through the company structure, what he expects of us and the goals that he had wanted us to achieve.
He talked about expanding the company and of course, about hiring more staffs.
He also talked about the various departments and when he came to mine, he mentioned about this new Assistant Operations Executive ‘perm’ staff who will be coming in on Monday.
I had a bad premonition about this.
My days at the company might be numbered since a perm one is coming in.
Will they still need me, a contract one?
Frankly, I bear no high hopes of being converted into a perm staff here at this company. There are just way too many rules and regulations to follow here and I find it quite a struggle.
Perhaps it’s time for me to seek greener pastures out there.
The new job…
I had started on a new job this week.
I loved the location as well as the little building where my office is located. I even had my own room and a air-con all to myself!
In a way, I had all the privacy and peace but then, it could get pretty lonely in there because I had no one to talk to. There’s a glass pane in the wall where I could look out to what’s happening outside but somehow, I felt like a goldfish trapped in a bowl and could only watch in envy at all the excitement out there.
That aside, I’m pretty much stressed out by my immediate superior. She would only give me one liner instructions and expects me to know what to do when I’ve not even learnt how to do it. She would sound impatient and irritated when I asks her for more details.
When she gets stressed by the boss, she would start banging on the table and cursing like hell. I think she seriously need anger management!
There’s a few pots of Orchids delivered to our office today at around 4.50 pm. Just when I was about to knock off at 5 pm, she wants me to “by hook or by crook” get the saucers to put under the pots if not, the Orchids will die by tomorrow.
Where got plants die just because there’s no saucer underneath the pots one?
So, off I went in search of the saucers and eventually managed to get a couple (I love Cold Storage!) but when I returned to the office, she isn’t there anymore. She returned shortly, apparently been to the same place where I had gone to earlier, and chewing on the squid head from Old Chang Kee. She actually went to get a snack for herself while I was in search for the stupid saucers!
Chao Papaya! I didn’t know if she’s keeping me back late for three hours on purpose?
Anyway, we had to speak in well structured english sentences in the office. Before I joined this company, my agent showed me their stringent entry requirements. One of them was to be able to speak english as a first language (no singlish) and the other was to have an A1 for ‘O‘ Levels English.
Singlish is forbidden and a taboo in the office! How can like that one?? I ish Singapore lang and Singapore lang speaks Singlish!
When answering calls from our clients, we have to sound professional. There is a script for us to follow and we must follow exactly word-by-word. Sometimes, the boss would pretend to be a client and called to check on us if we are following the script or not!
Even when sending emails, it is a MUST to spell in US English. ‘Color’ cannot be spelled with a ‘U’ and ‘Questionnaire’ is spelled with a single ‘N’ (Questionaire).
Then at the end of the day, we still had to send a checklist to our office in India, detailing what we had done for the day. The format of the email must also strictly follow the template. From the number of spacings right down to the underscores, everything must follow exactly if not, Bangalore side will email you back telling you your format is wrong, etc…
Walan… I don’t even feel so stressed when I was in the army!
Why ish I so pai mia?? Jin cham ahhhh! *Beats chest*
Where is my fairy jie jie?
friday the thirteenth…
wasn’t such a bad day for me.
It’s my first day of work at a Japanese Company dealing with spare parts for enviromental-friendly buses and I was attached to this senior who show me the ropes.
Other than the senior and my immediate head, the rest of the colleagues seemed very unsociable and unhelpful. Perhaps, that’s because I haven’t got to know them yet but based on my observations for the first day, everyone are busy working at their own desks and there isn’t any interaction among them unless it’s related to work.
One probable reason could be because this?is a Japanese Company. Japanese are very serious when it comes to work and they are very particular about punctuality. I gotta be on-the-ball if I were to keep my ricebowl.
Another bad problem is that my desk is situated right in the middle of the office where everyone can see what I’m doing. This simply means no funny ideas like loafing around or surfing of the internet. This is especially so because seated right on the other side of my cubicle is The Japanese.
I’m trying to absorb as much as I can because I will be replacing the senior whom I’m currently attached to and she is leaving next Friday.?Now I feel very stressed because I’m worried that I’ll be unable to learn everything in time.
Sian… It’s only the forst day and I don’t feel like working there already.
The Dead Cockroach 