Office Politics

Sometimes, the reality bites. Who really believes that the office is a positive place? Who really believes that your fellow colleagues want you to succeed in whatever you do? Who really thinks that there is a workplace without politics? If you say, 'I do.' Boy aren't you in for a shock.

A good boss nowadays is really, really very hard to come by. It's amazing how intimidating that little man who holds the key to your salary increments can be. And it's no part his fault, it's all in the minds of the employees. Of course, a bossy, loud, vulgar and unappreciative deputy boss doesn't help the situation either.

Everyone comes to work neither greeting one another nor acknowledging the presence of others in the office. I suppose they've saw enough of each other throughout the years. The only thing worth talking about is some lame personal tales or traumatic news that came on the papers or TV. A whole lot of mockery and pessimism will ensue, and everyone will shake their heads and get back to work. Negative is indeed automatic. Negative takes little effort and always catches attention. Praises are hard to come by and genuine shows of care and concern are even more rare. Since the office is such an unhappy place, why work? But day after day, the people come to work. They simply cannot imagine a life without that steady inflow of cash on a paycheck. Their very lives depended on it.

That, my friend, is the corporate space; the rat race; the larger society shrunk into a microcosm called 'the office'. Have i spent 12 years, and 4 more years to come, of studies to endure this for the next 40 years? I think not. I've got to retire by the age of 45! I've got to find a nice quiet place where i can write my book in peace. I've got to see the mountains again, scale that height, see the sunrise on the peak among the peaks in Nepal again. I've got to stand on stage once more, acting out the stories of the characters that i've created in my plays. I've got to do what i really really like to do in Life!

Man, i've only worked for 5 weeks!

Just imagine, I've got another 336 more of this 5 week attachments to go in my life, should i work till age 65. I think i might just throw up. In fact, my head's spinning a little now.

The world shouldn't be like this; my life shouldn't be like this. What have i got left at age 65? A little pension, some retirement cards, an ailing body, a semi-senile mind? But what have i done for the past 40 years? Make someone else rich? Restrict my standard of living to the size of my paycheck and lost my drive to achieve my dreams ? Definitely not for me boy.

So, what's the solution? I think Robert Kiyosaki is right to point out that there are 4 ways of earning a living - being employed, self-employed, run a business and invest wisely.

The former two are purely jobs for me. Jobs are to be defined as means of earning a living by trading my time for money.

The latter two are simply businesses. That refers to means of earning a living without me being physically there to work my ass off. But without a start up capital, businesses are hard to begin. Sometimes the barriers to entry are really formidable. The stats are stacked against those who think that conventional businesses cannot fumble financially. Breaking even is so difficult, most shops simply close down after a couple of years in business.

So, i still have to work, at least for a good decade or so, before something can be done about businesses and investments? I don't think so.

There are some businesses that are really easy to startup, but as like all good businesses, they require time and effort initially. A certain degree of investments has to be made in educational materials and programs as well.

Investments are getting cheaper nowadays - just $1000 and you're set for an investment account. Subsequent smaller investments can be made at regular periods to average out the losses, as markets are on a generally rising trend. But if you're a new investor, always do your homework and consult more than 3 professional financial planners first. Don't act smart with your retirement money. Once they are gone, they are GONE! Recuperating what's gone is always an uphill task.

Time is money. Start young and with time on my side, I know success will arrive. It's just a matter of time. The big questions - Who to trust, what to buy, where to get, how to start, when to go in? The last question has one very simple answer - If not now, when?

I believe if you really want it bad enough, you will find out that there are so many avenues of help out there. The question of all questions, 'Do you want it bad enough?' If not me, who?

Some are really just happy sitting at their desks, day after day. Slogging away for that paycheck. That's their personal choice. But i'm telling you, everyone can be wealthy. We can all be much better off in life. It's just a question of choice. We have one gift, and one gift alone. That's the freedom of choice.

Seriously, you have to be in an office to find out how bad the politics can get. If not you'll always have an employee mentality and think that being employed is all fine and dainty. Don't get me wrong, having a decent job is a respectable trade. But people, just think of the kind of prolonged mental, emotional and physical stresses that you have to go through just to make ends meet. I'd rather work smart for a good decade or so, and have money take care of itself.

I want to be chased by money. I think being forced into early retirement is kind of nice. How about you?

The Circle Experience

I arrived at the Federal Carpark, SMU at 0800 on Weds and was looking forward to meeting my Orientation Group Mates. The car park was packed with excited, chatty people. You would have thought that it was easy to lose yourself among the crowd, but my presence was immediately noticed by more than a dozen of old friends - School mates, BMT mates, Army Course Mates etc. Everyone is just so friendly! Small wonder, this is the first day of the camp. Everyone is nice on the first day.

Working through the crowd, i managed to find my Orientation Group. The facilitator is a petite and somewhat quiet lady; way different from the usual infectiously enthusiastic cheerleader that you'll expect. Her name is Stephanie Ng Qi Hui, and over the next three days, she is going to play the devil.

I met the guys, before proceeding to the gals. Shaking everyone's hands and introducing myself, i got so carried away that i introduced myself to the gals of another group! It then struck my mind that we don't have that many gals in the group, and when one of the gals told me that she thinks i'm not in their group, boy didn't i flush. It was so embarassing but i manage to savage the situation by telling them that it was nice meeting them nonetheless.

The guys and the girls stuck to their usual comfort zones throughout the first day though we had a dozen of activities to break the ice. It took a round of peer appraisals to finally get the team building process going. Each one of us finally let down our guard and our grasps of our self images to open up to one another by the second day. But when the engine starts running, boy didn't we perform. Steph was applying constant pressure as she set some ridiculous rules that we had to abide by at all costs. But that didn't stop us from surpassing our own expectations time after time. I like that kind of synergy among a newly formed team, it gave me a high throughout the last day, when we went treasure hunting, dragon boat rowing, raft building and water gun fighting.

But it was a brief camp, and regrettably, i didn't get to know the members of my group in depth due to the lack of quality interactions. They were good people, but they were all holding back a lot, and that i feel, was the reason why we found it so hard to click as a team at the start. But after the second and third day, the synergy surfaced and it was easy to see that we have so much potential yet to be tapped. If only we had one or two sessions of speed dating at the beginning and during the nights before we sleep, things could have been much better.

Nonetheless, i was very impressed by the detailed planning put in by the organisers. The keeping of time was immaculate and we ended a 2 good hours ahead of time. But one thing is for sure, i have now 16 more people on my contact list. Don't belittle the power of networking, alot of good will come out of it. It's always a cause for celebration to have made 16 more friends, not enemies.

The rock off my chest

After 3 and a half long years, Debbie and me have finally met up. I was really excited prior to our meeting at 7pm. All sort of thoughts were running through my mind - How will she look like? Will she still remember me? Will she be able to hold conversations openly? And the most important questions of all - Will that heart thumping feeling return? If it does, what am i going to do about it?

Real dumb questions, if you ask me. But my mind was on auto pilot, and screeching at unimaginable speed. After all, i've waited for 3 and a half long years to close this loop.

Debbie ran a little late, and i swear that the brief 5 mins was equivalent to the longest plunge in my life. I visually searched my immediate surroundings and finally found her down the pedestrain path, heading my direction. Her hair's longer, but it was largely still the Debbie that i used to know.

I stood up and smiled at her. Should i hug her? Nah, not close enough to do that. So i tapped her shoulder and asked her what can i get her. She said barley with a smile. So far so good.

Small talks nowadays are governed by the simple F.O.R - Family, Occupation, Recreation. So it was easy picking up stories from her about her past 3 years. I just simply let go of all inhibitions and talked like i've never talked before in my life, and she was listening in attentively. But she always stop short of talking about her family and her feelings; still that same emotional wall that i cannot penetrate.

I proceeded to show her my photos, to some good laughters. Then we spent a long time talking about how she can help my sis, who's suffering from mild bi-polar [depression - hyperactivity], recover her own self. Debbie's gonna be a Occupational Therapist, so she had tonnes of suggestions on how i can help improve my sis's conditions. It was interesting to know that she had matured so much since the last time that i've talked to her. That's like, December 2001!

Anyway, the conversation ended there and it was time to part our ways again.

I offered to walk her home, but she was rather apprehensive, so i said ok, we shall part here then.

"Shall we meet up again some time soon, like next month?" i prodded.

"We shall see." is the answer.

Alright then, i'm cool. And that's it. The meeting that's 3 and a half year in the making came to an end.

I searched my feelings thereafter and found that there's nothing about her and me anymore. I'm telling you, that's one of the biggest relief in my life. Can you imagine what i have to go through again if there's still something? She's in UK while i'm here in Singapore. And when she's in Singapore, i'll most probably be in the States. That will be the longest drawn out real live soap opera in the world. Thank goodness that the rock is off my chest. Good stuff.

Surprise!

Man, i really have to take my hat off to Azrul. His ploy to surprise his girlfriend for her birthday was so grand and so well lied about, she had simply no idea at all that something special was waiting for her around the corner.

First, it started with the story of Azrul and me going off for a vacation, and that he forgot all about her birthday. It was nonsensical of course, and any girlfriend in this wide world would have blown up instantly, but she was surprisingly cool about it.

Then her girl friends step in to organise a girls' 'night out' for her; brought her on an adventure "no questions asked" tour to Borders and along Orchard, before finally settling into Grand Copthorne Hotel - where Azrul, his younger brother and me have been setting up the room, practising our acoustic performances, and lying in wait.

A couple of her other friends have arrived before hand and we all chose our spots to hide. Azrul was to be seated in the middle of the room with the birthday cake for the initial surprise, and the rest of us on the second round.

The gals came up and opened the door...

'Surprise!' Azrul shouted. From where i am behind the curtains, i could already sense the shock in his girlfriend upon seeing Azrul in the hotel room. Then upon a code word, all of us appeared; to more shocks and laughters. It was such a lovely feeling to be involved in something so exciting.

She was just too lost for words and stood there giggling for a long while. It was difficult for her to even remember that a birthday wish was required before blowing out the candles. The birthday song was brief, so as to make time for the main performance that was coming up.

After all the guests were seated comfortably with their slice of the chocolate brownie cake, the three musketeers picked up their instruments - 2 guitars for the brothers and a Madur [Nepalese Folk Drum] for me. We played and harmonised to the acoustic tunes of 5 of her favourite songs, barely put together an hour ago. The audience and the performers were savouring every bit of the show as we grooved along to the rhythym of the songs.

As the night grew deeper, the skyline was lit by a thousand bright lights, and the party was near its end. For the day's hard work, everyone received a hug from the birthday girl; except me! So unfair! = ( Maybe she was afraid that i'll crush her? Haha.

I really felt happy for Azrul and his girl as they held hands all night long, and for all his efforts, and money, the night was worthed it. I was simply glad to be there to do my small bit. To be honest, i was half worried that we couldn't pull it off. We didn't find a hotel room till 4:30pm, 'cos the original hostel that Azrul fancied charges by head and stictly no visitors were allowed. What nonsense! That restriction alone would simply defeat the purpose of holding a small private party. To top it off, the 3 of us have never rehearsed together and i have no clue what songs were to be played barely 12 hours ago. The party was suppose to begin at 6:30pm and we were running out of time! But that was also part of the excitement - the excitement of unpredictability. In the end, we pulled it off; the show was good and the surprise top class.

I simply have to hijack this idea man, it's too good a plan to go down without an encore. Thanks Azrul!

The Start and End of Monday Blues

Well, it's official. I'm officially part of the morning rush hour; an honourable member of the Nine to Five Club.

My attachment has started, that's why.

First day at work and i was brought into the boardroom for the weekly monday meetings at the Singapore Sales and Marketing Department of Singapore Airlines. Being a wide-eyed kid in an unfamiliar office environment so high up in the sky, all i can do is tell myself: "Whoa! So this is how an office looks like." and "Whoa, this is how a boardroom looks like." I have no idea who i'm going to meet. But whoever they are, they are bound to be someone of significance in this department. I was allowed into the conference room and the first familiar face that caught my eyes was this snowy fair lady with a studious pair of spectacles perched on her nose, with her silky hair tied back. She really reminded me of Lum May Yee - the actress who acted in Chicken Rice War with Pierre Png and 12 Storeys, which is directed by Eric Khoo.

I was instantly captivated by her, so much so that i forgot to introduce myself to her and to the 2 gentlemen besides her. I suppose i should have asked for her name to verify my doubt. But I am new here, and if she indeed turns out to be May Yee, i might just go goo-goo ga-ga, which will not set a good first impression around the office. So i quickly sat down and just let the atmosphere soak in. The staff flocked in eventually, and the boss turned up to begin the meeting.

After a round of introduction, we were down to business. The Airlines industry has tonnes of acronyms to facilitate processes and i was utterly confused mid-way through the session. Fortunately that lady that captivated my imagination was sitting on the same side of the table as me, hence i was not distracted away from the presentations slides.

The meeting was over by 10:00, and everyone went out of the conference room to get busy running around doing follow-up actions to issues raised during the meeting. I was called up into the boss's office to have a nice chit-chat about the Airline Industry, and about SIA in particular.

It was during lunch that my wildest expectation came true. That lady is indeed Lum May Yee! Oh my Goodness me! Chill bro, chill. Don't fluster, don't even get excited. Behave as usual. But i really have some questions for her - Is she still acting? Is she a spokesperson for the company while doing sales and marketing? Is she gonna be my colleague? Man, I have to be honest, i'm so very excited by the fact that i'm working alongside an actress that i really admire since the screening of 12 Storeys. That was what? 7 years ago? Man, who would have thought of that? She was so amazing on screen i thought she was in a league of her own; and now she's here with SIA, in my department! Crazy stuff.

But of course i didn't behave like some nutty wide-eyed movie fans of hers, it would have been quite awkward for May Yee. I figured that she wanted to shed her star image by switching over to an office job, so i should not act in a way that would make her feel uncomfortable. Anyhow, i still asked her my first question. It stopped there i supposed, cos she was not too willing to disclose more. No worries, i'll be seeing her regularly now, so more questions can be reserved for later weeks.

Then i found out that her office is not the same as mine - she is based in Paragon in Orchard Road. What a pity! But i'll be seeing her nonetheless on Mondays, which is tomorrow! Yeah. It really feels good to have pretty faces around man, you feel so hyped up all day long. Nothing kinky about it, just that it's a basic human nature. I think Monday blues just went extinct.