30 April 2013 - Pre-Labour Day

Training has been very interesting lately. Today's talk was about how to communicate effectively and negotiate successfully. Although it was very informative, we were way way over the 'pang kang' time. For the first time, I left work at around 6.30pm and as I was walking to the LRT station, one of the department head stopped and asked us to join him for a drink. Opppsss... actually I did not notice the department head but one of the girls that was walking with me smiled at him. Obviously people like me very often failed in climbing the corporate ladder. I live in my own little world, walk at the pace of a cheetah, looking down on the floor as I walk... etc, in short, I am IGNORANT!!

Actually, I realised that to be successful in the corporate world, you do not have to be too smart. Qualifications are barely of significance too. You can be a graduate from the 三九流 local university and still be in the same management trainee program, hold important positions as other famous foreign universities graduates. Even if your english is poor (for example, not able to spell explain and unable to speak fluent English), you can still be accepted in a management trainee program (this is from what I observe). It all comes down to whether YOU CAN B.S. and BOOTLICK YOUR SUPERIOR!!

Sometimes, I feel unfair for myself. All the hard work and efforts I put in to even pass the exams when I was in the university (obviously being in a foreign university, we could not copy assignments, no tips from our seniors, higher expectations from the lecturers, higher passing marks etc and for local universities...), those expensive tuition fees and heaps more, are pretty much flushed down the toilets. Just giving an example, as a finance undergraduate student studying overseas, I am totally aware that most of the finance models we are studying now contains errors. Too bad, a local university MASTERS student did not even know or heard about it. They thought all the models such as the CAPM models were perfect. Oh wells, at least when they introduce themselves, they will tell others, 'I HAVE COMPLETED MY MASTERS' and I can only tell them, 'I ONLY HAVE A BACHELORS DEGREE'. About Bachelors, a masters student does not even know how to answer when their superior asked them "what's your bachelors?" >.<

I know if I keep comparing, definitely I will be upset and forever stuck in an angry tornado. All I can do now is strike for the best!! Hurray... tomorrow is Labour Day, it is a public holiday in Malaysia and I am moving house too!! I am getting my own room!! Life is exciting!!

About my attachments, I received bad news today. I will be transferring to a branch that is quite far from my place. The excuse was - the branch which was near to my current place is newly established. They will feel uncomfortable and intimidated if I am around. Hmmm... maybe I shouldn't even be in other branches too because they will feel the same as well. What a ridiculous excuse!! EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!! The reason was the traffic there is high and I get more chance to talk to uncles and aunties if I am attached there. YAY!! Aunties and uncles, watch out for me!! I will be there soon!! Come and find me if you need any help but you guys must tolerate with my lousy Cantonese and Chinese!! =)

29 April 2013 - Personality Development Day

Hurray hurray, guess where is my next attachment? It is at USJ!! Where the hell is USJ?

If I have not mistaken, USJ is around Sunway. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!! Does that mean I am going Sunway Pyramid shopping everyday?

*Claps* *Claps* for such crappy attachments again!!

I think this is another attachment where I have to drag myself out of bed early in the morning, take at least 3 types of public transport to get to work. I am exploring KL more in a risky way!! Damm shit!!

Today, the DISC (personality test) guy came for a talk. I am seriously in the wrong group. My group consist of people who likes meeting and talking to people. Ermm... I like keeping myself to MYSELF most of the time, but I do not deny that SOMETIMES I do enjoy hanging around with people. But the probability of that happening is around 20%. Definitely, I am not an 'influencing' person. I would like to redo my personality test if I have another chance. Of course, in the working world, people are seldom given a second chance. It is either u strike it or you are out of the game. Oh wells, at least now I know there are 4 types of personality at the very general stages.

I would say I am a bit of all 4 types of personality.

I am
DOMINANT - I have a goal and I will do whatever it takes to succeed!!
INFLUENCING - I can be very optimistic and talkative when I choose to =)
STEADY - I can be very laid back at times that I think I deserve a break (in another word - LAZY)
COMPLIANCE - I am an actuarial student, I have to be analytical and loves figures!!

But definitely I know, among which of the four personality, there is something I am better at as compared to others. I am in a transitory stage where everything is still in the process of seeking and forming, and god knows where I will end up in the coming 5 years?

Oh ya, today my friend gave me an otak-otak bun!! She brought it all the way from Muar. OMG, I am so touched!! HAHAHAHA. Thanks, dear friend!! =)

Friday (26 April 2013)

Another weekend with negative productivity!! I am down with flu, cough and slight fever which I never realised. I thought I am strong but obviously I am not. The protection shield in my body has lost its defence towards the extremely powerful viruses!! After being sick for a week, I finally went to visit the doctor. There were quite a few clinics around my working place. As a finance student, I start to think whether it is due to the supply and demand theory. Does that mean workers working around that area fall sick easily, that's why doctors are standby around to 'suck' our money?

There were like 7 people sitting in the clinic waiting for their respective turns when I arrived. Of course, I waited for more than 45 minutes to see the doctor for 3 minutes. In between, the doctor received a call but she told the person who called that 'there is a crowd in the clinic'. This must be the 'peak' for doctors, like auditors have their peak before the closing of the financial year. Before I leave, I took my goody bag with me. Now, I have extra 'food' to be fed on!!

The doctor told me to swallow my cough syrup slowly without mixing water. By that, I beg her to change those irritating, yucky syrup to tablets.  Of course, the beg was of no use. I took home, two but not one cough syrups!! The doctor told me the syrup taste good, like honey!! Sorry, it does not taste like honey. I couldn't describe the taste exactly but all I can say it is salty. Honey is never salty!!

On Friday, we finish an hour earlier than usual. We went for dinner in Tappas and dinner was ok. I ordered some type of spaghetti carbonara, where I replaced the bacons with broccoli and carrots. The price was acceptable given the high living standard here. Our salary is pretty low nevertheless.

Finally it is time for Iron Man III. It was better than I expected!! Great movie!! Heaps of people were there to watch the newly released movie.

Pre-movie photo

Post movie photo

Did you notice the stack of paper on each and everyone's hand? That is the DISC profiling test results. From that result, I am a persuader!! Hmm.. since when I am a persuader? Obviously, there is something wrong going on when I was doing the test, that's why the result does not reflect the true me!! I might be over-excitied that day when I was doing the test. I can't even persuade myself working in that company, how on earth can I persuade others? Things has been so wrong!! If they really place me according to the DISC result, I am going to be suffering at work >.< Can I please please please redo my DISC? 

Work = Death

I made a mistake yesterday in my previous post... The person who got crappy arrangement was from Limbang. Oh wells, Limbang is also in East Malaysia!!

Today, as persuaded by my dear colleague, I went to talk to the head of this program. I told her the situation I am in and asked politely whether is there any way for me to be attached to other branches.

Guess what was her response!!

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!! THE BRANCH IS THERE FOR A REASON!! WE CANNOT MOVE THE BRANCH TO ALLOCATE TO YOUR NEEDS!!

hmmm.... ehhh... ohhhh... urggghhh... What should be a reasonable reason behind it? Did I ask you to move a branch to my front door? What a ridiculous answer given!! I did not want to continue to talk to her and I left.

Ok, so to get to Selayang, I have to take LRT, then train, then bus!! One trip is around RM6-7 at least!! That is for public transport.

What if I take taxi?

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!! - I work to pay for taxi fare, that's why I work!! My Limbang friend works just to pay petrol and tolls!!

OMG, if my mum knows I work just to pay taxi, she would rather me sit at home because taking taxi in Malaysia is extremely dangerous (that's what I guess) =P

I think I won't be taking taxi because I really cannot afford it as the attachment is for a month so I think I'm back to public transport...

I can imagine myself waking up at 5am everyday, leaving home at 6am, walk to LRT station in the dark which is prompt to snatch thieves with sharp knives, head to KL Sentral, then take train to batu caves, looking like a mad person, walking to bus stops and hop on a bus all packed with foreign workers!! My life is getting exciting!! One day, you will probably see me on the obituary in the newspapers or even on the first page of the newspaper, where I am lying in a pool of blood!!

Hmm.. I think I should stop now!! Or else, I will think that go to work = go to die!!

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!! My colleague say this is to train my navigation skills.  Yay, I never know to be successful, it requires good navigation skills!! Maybe a person who has good navigation skills can be the CEO!! HAHAHAHA... I am the future toilet CEO lar!!

The girl from Limbang was joking that our next attachment will be at Johor because they want to train our travelling skills. After thinking for a while, she say maybe not since go to Johor only requires the skill to hop on the express train. This is not challenging enough for both of us!! Maybe our next attachment would require us to row the boat to some other branches because now we have most of the  public transport available!! You are such a joker, Limbang mate!! I will update you guys if I really have to take the boat to work!! Row row row your boat, gently down the stream...

What is working life?

Working life just started more than a week ago. However, I realised that I was not as excited or happy as I expect I would be. I could not recall any moment that really made me smile sincerely or even that made my day perfect.

Today, my anger just blast through my brain and lost its control. Oh wells, as people who know me well enough will know I am a bad tempered person. Actually, I realised that I have better temper in Canberra, but it escalated after I came back. I don't know what's the reason behind but I will try my best to be a patient person!!

I just get to know where my attachment will be for July. It is in Selayang, oh god knows where the heck is Selayang!! I heard it is out of KL!! hurray, that is how my company arrange people for attachment!! Sending a person from Kuching who knows about nothing in KL (except for how to get to work and the way home) to go to outskirts of KL and arrange all other people to go somewhere nearby. 'Thanks for that!!!' The person in charge said he had no choice to put me there!! Nothing can be done to improve the situation!! O.O

The most amusing moment is when he shared the previous batch experiences in attachment. He was telling us how bad one of their team mate had to go to Klang from XXX, another one had to rent a temporary place just to do attachment, bla bla bla. Holy crap, why am I in a company that wants DE-provements rather than IM-provements!! Why compare to the worst while there is a chance we can make things better? Maybe I am at the wrong place at the wrong time!!  

I have a feeling that my company is bias towards people from the other side of the country (as in Sabah and Sarawak because they are always the ones that are regarded as far behind from development, ie, rural area), be it at the senior management level or even junior level. Let me share a bit of my experience from the assessment centre that leads me to the thought that maybe my company is 'looking down' at rural areas. One of the panel judges actually keep repeating that rural areas are inaccessible by internet and they could not afford pricey and classy stuffs, thus ask how we should curb the problems. Of course, I did not give them a second chance to continue to humiliate the people from rural areas that I tell them 'DON'T LOOK DOWN ON PEOPLE FROM RURAL AREAS'.

My friend told me once that when he went on a road trip in Sarawak, there are free wi-fi in a lot of the small villages. Not even in KL, we have free wi-fi, so shut up!! Stop that negative thinking about people from rural areas!! Although after the debate with the panel team, they did clarify that they have no intention to look down on people from rural areas and to prove that, they said they have a lot of branches in Sabah. The truth is actually, they merge with a company from Sabah, that's why they have such big amount of branches in Sabah but there are only 4 branches in the whole Sarawak!! Who is treating me as an idiot or a 3 years old kid now??!!

The other thing was what happened today!! A girl who comes from Bintulu (if I have not mistaken) was assigned to a branch which requires her to drive pass 2 toll stations (imagine how far it can be) and there was a branch nearby where she is staying. So, both of us from the Borneo were the only one that got such crappy attachments!! What does this show? Is this a coincidence? We are the 'lucky' ones that receive the rotten eggs in midst of 29 other good eggs!! What is the probability in getting one out of 29?  Think carefully!! People here is not as simple as you think they are!! A lesson learnt within 2 weeks!!

Basically, life sucks at the moment!!