Team Building - The Aftermath

When I was a high school kid I used to join these school camping trips. When separating us in groups, they usually put students of the same class in different groups so as to encourage us to mix around. I didn't like it at all. I was quite anti-social (still am) and I wasn't good at talking to strangers (still am not).

I recently joined a graduate team building organized by the company that I'm working with. No matter how I detested the idea of re-living my high school life in this form in particular - I felt that I was too old for it - it was compulsory to join.

I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy it at all - in fact, at some time in some way, I actually did. Though I was often mocked of my childish behavior by my colleagues throughout the whole journey. I admit that I may have gotten a little excited sometimes but I'm actually a very matured being especially when it comes to work.

From previous experiences, I knew that my colleagues (of the same department) and I would most probably be in different groups when playing games or other team building activities. But I didn't mind it - I've grown out of it of course. I mean, I have to say that it was a good opportunity to be able to get to know my colleagues from other departments. I know that I'm the reserved type and it'd definitely take some time for me to open up to the others; and others to me. What I didn't expect was that there were still some people with the "high-school-behavior". The team builders would randomize us by asking us to form a circle and call out numbers (for example from 1 to 5) thus all the ones are in a group; twos in a group; threes in a group and so on and so forth. Two girls, I observed, they purposely stand in the positions so that there would be 4 persons in between them, thus they would be in the same group. I was amazed.

I think that since that you're already there, whether you like it or not, you should just play by the rules. Otherwise, what is the point of being there? I'm not saying that I'm doing the socializing thing really well, but at least I'm trying. I don't think that I've bonded with my colleagues and immediately become close friends with them. But at least I know their faces, I've talked to them before, I've did something with them before and hopefully I remember their names.

People, stop working OT!!!

Some people work OT for the extra money. They do not finish their assignments on purpose during the normal working hours thus automatically they're entitled to work overtime to get the job done.

Some people work OT because they really can't finish their work on time. Thus they're forced to work extra hours. These people are classified under "inefficient" and they may or may not charge their OT.

Some people work OT because they have no choice. They're given tonnes of work and their workload is twice that they can handle. These people are most probably in a very high position earning God-knows-how-much - either that, or they're working for a China man company.

Some people work OT out of sincerity and diligence. They not only want to get the job done, but they want them done perfectly. And they want to spend their extra (read: personal) time at work to improve their technical knowledge (read: speed up their climb in the career ladder). These people - to me - they have no life.

In the eyes of an employer / boss, those who work OT are those who possess the potential and who will strive for success, regardless of which category they fall under.

How does one impress the boss? Is working extra time the only way?

I look forward to a work-life balance life. Every working day I reach my office at 8:30 am plus minus and I start work after breakfast. I leave office at 6:00 pm plus minus (occasionally at 7:00 pm if I feel like it). I reach home at 6:30 pm provided if the traffic is clear. After dinner and everything it will be about 7:30 pm. I usually get sleepy starting at 10:00 pm, which means, I would have 2.5 hours (or less) of personal time every day (which explains why I've been blogging of "often" nowadays).

No matter how pathetic it sounds, that's life - life of a working adult.

Downfall

I tripped and fell on my own
There was no one to be blamed but myself
I reminisced and traced my steps
And realized
I could've done something to prevent it
There was no point regretting
As the damage had been done
I was to be responsible for my lost

"What's important is the experience, not the outcome", Mr. Chin said.

Dream No. 2

What lay beneath my feet is a newly-paved tar road. The kind that is smooth with dark, black colour. I'm standing near the bottom of a hill. Not far from where I am, at the foot of the hill, there's a pool of murky water. I must stay far from the water, I think. Thus I begin walking uphill, slowly at first, then faster.

But it's like running up an escalator, only the escalator is moving downwards, bringing me nearer to the pool of murky water. It's as if the ground beneath my feet has a life of its own and it's moving. The faster I run, the nearer I am to the murky water. Panic overtakes me. I can't stop, can't even stop for breathe. But strange enough, I'm not out of breathe at all, not even close.

As I'm about to give up, a person comes to me. Who is he? Do I know him? "Don't run too fast," he says.

I slow down. "Here, walk with me," he says to me again.

So we walk side by side, slowly, consistently. "The faster you walk, the faster you will be downhill," he says.

Before I even know it, we are already at the top of the hill... and I woke up.

Me : That's it. That's all. It's all I can remember. The rest I've forgotten. There's something else before this scene about a singing competition or something. Totally weird.
Chin : This is a very inspiring dream.
Me : Huh? It seems pointless and meaningless to me.
Chin : It's a message about your career path. I know it's been troubling you in some way. See, the faster you want to climb up the hill, the slower your progress. But if you take it slowly and naturally, you'll eventually end up at the top.
Me : Ooooooooooo... Yeah... Now it makes sense.
Chin : And the person who appeared in your dream, that must be me, rescueing you from your misery.
Me : No it's not.
Chin : Yes it must be.
Me : Please be rest assured that it isn't.
Chin : ...

My First Document Submission

After working with my current company for 5 months, I submitted my first document to client today. That's my initials right there, HSL and the P&ID (piping and instrumentation diagram) was issued for client's comments.

Well technically, it's not my P&ID because it is not actually designed by me. All I did was revise the line sizes and piping class, update the design and control logic based on the Engineering Director and the client's requirement etc etc. And yes, I made dozens and dozens of mistakes. =(

A colleague told me that she has been working for 6 months (she came in 1 month earlier than me) and she hasn't even submitted even one single document. Well I guess I'm lucky enough to have at least one project in hand. Anyway I think it would be a good opportunity to introduce my work cubicle.

This is my view sitting on my desk. Every morning the very first thing I do when I reach office is to switch on my PC and check my mail.

This at the dark corner is, obviously, the dustbin.

This is my desk phone and my P&ID corner, where I dump all the A3 size papers.

This is the place where I file up everything. Only the first two files are occupied. The rest are all empty. =P

These are my personal stuffs corner. Oats for breakfasts, lotion for smooth and healthy hands, cup for oats and Nescafe, and drinking bottle to avoid dehydration.

Well that's about it. It's not a bad place to work actually. Except that directly on my left would be my boss' office. And when he look at his computer screen I always feel as if he was looking at me. Haha... But well he's a nice boss. ;)

rules of thumb to avoid being in DEEP SHIT at work

With my 11-month working experience, trust me when I say, the working world is cruel, inhuman, practical, and ferocious. When you're out there, you're on your own. Remember when you were in Standard One your English teacher would make you do corrections for the words that you wrongly spelled in the spelling bee. You would have to rewrite a certain word 10 times, for instance, just so you could remember it and not make the same mistakes. Remember in university/college when you did a calculation for the sizing of a vessel in an assignment and three days later you received it with a big red cross marked over it by your professor, saying that you used the wrong formula. And all you had to lose is a chance of getting an 'A' for this particular assignment and that's it. But when you're working, when you're out there, you're not allowed this kind of luxury. One single tiny mistake, it could make your company lose millions of Ringgits; it could be the end of your career; it could haunt you for the rest of your life.

Thus, it is important to know how not to get yourself into DEEP SHIT as well as how to get yourself out of it. Here are some rules of thumb that I use as my phylosophy while at work. It may not be useful for some, but for people who don't know anybetter, like me, it's a place to start.


Rule 1 : Always consult your direct superior
Do not jump status, i.e. do not directly deal with your boss' boss. Whenever you have questions, or you want to deliver your work, deal with your direct superior first. And whenever there is need to email your colleagues/clients/contractors, always c.c. your superior. This is important so that he keeps track of your progress and so that he can pull or save you out of DEEP SHIT before it's too late, especially if you're a freshie like me.

Rule 2 : Do not simply clear your inbox/outbox
Keep all your corresponding emails with colleagues/clients/contractors/boss. This is so that you can keep a record and also as proof/evidence as to what you were told to do. Also, if your colleague had verbally asked you to make some changes in your work, do insist that he send you an email and c.c. to your boss to make it official.

Rule 3 : Always be in good terms with your colleagues
You're there to work, not to make friends or enemies. Your colleagues, they're neither your friends nor foes. They're just colleagues. Be in good terms with them and it will make your life less miserable. And it wouldn't hurt to go out with them and have some fun once in a while. If there are a group of your colleagues gathering and talking bad behind people's (especially your boss') back, do not join in the conversation, and do not agree or disagree. Just smile and excuse yourself. This may save you from DEEP SHIT.

Rule 4 : Always be busy
Or at least, pretend to be. Your company didn't pay you so that you could chat in MSN, or check your personal emails, or do quizzes in Facebook. If you seriously do not have any work (especially freshies like me), do your own research. You can research about your company, the previous projects, SOP*, and many other technical information. You may not be able to learn up and absorb all of them, but it's at least better than just sitting around and making a bad impression to your boss.
Rule 5 : Ask
Whatever you do not know, ask. This is to avoid making mistakes. If you're told that the questions you ask are stupid or when there is someone refusing to answer your supposingly "stupid" question, do not get upset or put off by these people. Some people may think that they're so smart but no matter, let them think what they want. How they want to think of you is none of your business. So you might as well get on with your life. I'm sure there are other colleagues who are willing to be of help. Go to them instead. In time these people will know that you're not as stupid as they think you are.

Rule 6 : Never reveal about work-related stuff on the Internet
Do not talk about work in your Facebook status, your blog, your MSN status etc. Yes I'm blogging about work, which is why I'm being very careful. Examples of things that you should not mention on the Internet include: colleagues that you hate, bad things about your boss, things that you don't like about the company etc. You'll never know if your boss will be reading it.

There you go. These are what I can think of for the mean time. There are many more things to learn. You are welcome to add any other things or your personal experience in the comments. Good luck!

*SOP - Standard Operating Procedure