...turns out to be a bit more hectic than I imagined.
For the last couple of weeks (or is it months?), I've been hanging the same To-Do list on my board, and missing all the due dates. Something more urgent keeps popping up, and by the end of the week I'm just too tired to put in any extra days at the office. It got to a point where I just went 'Sod it. They'll be able to manage without me.'
Unfortunately, that's not quite how things worked out. As I mentioned in my earlier post, half of my team were supposed to leave for Bintulu on the 16th. I didn't account for the FAT's in Singapore and US, and also Project Managers bypassing me by giving direct instructions to my team members to go visit vendor factories. So, instead of having one Systems guy and one Field Instruments guy at site to provide me with a buffer from Construction, the Systems guy is all alone having to field queries left, right and centre. And I still have to deal with the spillover.
By Wednesday last week, our network server was disconnected and packed up, all ready to be shipped to Bintulu. Our desktop PC's went along, and so did any documentation bound for the site office. We came in on Thursday morning with not even a telephone left to make any calls, we were basically cut off from the outside world (macam Akedemi Fantasia, Shukor commented). I still had some documents to pack for Dayabumi, and there was a Project Farewell Lunch at Mandarin Oriental that day. For some strange reason we still had an Engineering Meeting on Friday morning, but everyone disappeared after lunch.
I was supposed to check in at Dayabumi on Monday, but I got hit really bad by the flu bug, I was actually wearing thick socks during the day to ward off the cold. By 4 pm my resolve against medical drugs withered and I had to pop a pill to drive away the killer headaches. But now I've got a bad cough from sitting under the AC vent at the new office, it'll probably take another couple of days before my voice goes silky smooth again. Right now gilerr rock.
So now my boxes are unpacked, and all I need to do is get my new company-issued laptop, set up my network connection at the office and I'm ready to serve in my new capacity as Orang Gaji tak bergaji besar who's expected to have the answers to everyone's technical queries.
Hang on, I still have that To Do list to settle. Bleurgh!!!
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Sunday, 8 July 2007
Putting Things Right
My Project Manager had the good grace to hold a meeting with all of us and discuss the merits (or lack of it) of closing our KL office two weeks earlier than everyone expected. So now we've reverted back to the original schedule. Thank you, God. I'm still sending half my team there on the 16th, just so Construction can get off my back and give me some breathing space while we finish up here in KL. Then, come 31st July, it's SAYONARA to KLCC and hello Dayabumi!
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Yesterday has been pretty productive, literally. I'd planned to do a solo marathon run of errands, but as usual my uninvited sidekick Nuaim managed to tag along. Managed to visit my tailor about my wedding clothes (my brother-in-law's, but MIL bought me some fabric so we can all go 'in uniform'), then bought some more lights and new ceiling fan for the house. Oh, and a new wet kitchen is going to cost me close to 20G. This one will have to wait for Sudan money to come in lah.
Mak is off on her European jaunt, and it was a bit of a rush getting her to the airport. She had a wedding to attend in Subang last night, and was taking a 2 a.m. Emirates flight with another friend after the wedding. Nuaim, as usual, was eager to send her off to KLIA, so of course I had to go along. Fortunately he fell asleep on the way and was out cold by the time we reached Sepang, so we said our goodbyes on the tarmac and sped off home to Damansara.
While my mum is taking in the sights in London and Switzerland, I'll be working whatever's left of my behind off back here, and it'll be more late nights for me. Pity my kids, I only have the weekends left with them (and that's if I don't have any weddings to attend). I promise I'll take a few extra days off in August, maybe while Hubby's attending the Forum in KK. Before anyone asks, of course I cannot join him there, for the same reason I can't fly to Bintulu - my growing tummy won't pass the test. And I don't feel like getting on a plane either at this point in my pregnancy.
Oh, by the way,
And I loved how the wedding turned out to be a very intimate affair shared with family and friends, with all those kids running around. I'm still not sorry for not bringing my boys along though. Nu'man would 've been okay - except when faced with the buffet spread, of course - but I could just imagine Nuaim chasing after all the girls and making his special guest appearance on the pelamin!
**************************
Yesterday has been pretty productive, literally. I'd planned to do a solo marathon run of errands, but as usual my uninvited sidekick Nuaim managed to tag along. Managed to visit my tailor about my wedding clothes (my brother-in-law's, but MIL bought me some fabric so we can all go 'in uniform'), then bought some more lights and new ceiling fan for the house. Oh, and a new wet kitchen is going to cost me close to 20G. This one will have to wait for Sudan money to come in lah.
Mak is off on her European jaunt, and it was a bit of a rush getting her to the airport. She had a wedding to attend in Subang last night, and was taking a 2 a.m. Emirates flight with another friend after the wedding. Nuaim, as usual, was eager to send her off to KLIA, so of course I had to go along. Fortunately he fell asleep on the way and was out cold by the time we reached Sepang, so we said our goodbyes on the tarmac and sped off home to Damansara.
While my mum is taking in the sights in London and Switzerland, I'll be working whatever's left of my behind off back here, and it'll be more late nights for me. Pity my kids, I only have the weekends left with them (and that's if I don't have any weddings to attend). I promise I'll take a few extra days off in August, maybe while Hubby's attending the Forum in KK. Before anyone asks, of course I cannot join him there, for the same reason I can't fly to Bintulu - my growing tummy won't pass the test. And I don't feel like getting on a plane either at this point in my pregnancy.
Oh, by the way,
CONGRATULATIONS to NAJMIAH & AKMAL on your wedding!!!Yes, we did grumble when the couple only arrived at 1 pm - 2 hours after the time stated in the invitation card, but the tiramisu was so worth the wait. Ima and I were sitting next to each other, and we both bit into the decadent dessert a the same time, it must have been really funny to see us both looking at each other in such bliss.
And I loved how the wedding turned out to be a very intimate affair shared with family and friends, with all those kids running around. I'm still not sorry for not bringing my boys along though. Nu'man would 've been okay - except when faced with the buffet spread, of course - but I could just imagine Nuaim chasing after all the girls and making his special guest appearance on the pelamin!
Sunday, 1 July 2007
A spanner in the works
Work sucks. BIG TIME!
There must be something wrong with me somewhere. Bad Karma, badi or whatever you'd call it. Except for a couple of projects or so, I don't think I've ever joined a project team where things went on smoothly, but this really takes it to another level.
If we screw up, it's gonna be the biggest screw-up ever, but if we don't - but how can we NOT screw up?! And it's not as if I'm bitching behind my boss's back. I gave him a piece of my mind then and there, in front of everyone in the Engineering meeting, and I do hope it gets recorded in the minutes. I mean, I spent a good part of the week planning everything so I can get it just right, and all of a sudden there's a change in the schedule, and we're expected to readjust without disrupting our already slow progress.
No wonder other people just take it easy. It's no use putting in your heart and soul and sweat and tears into your work when someone else can so easily pull the rug from under your feet, just to score some brownie points that I'm sure contributes nothing to the big picture.
There must be something wrong with me somewhere. Bad Karma, badi or whatever you'd call it. Except for a couple of projects or so, I don't think I've ever joined a project team where things went on smoothly, but this really takes it to another level.
If we screw up, it's gonna be the biggest screw-up ever, but if we don't - but how can we NOT screw up?! And it's not as if I'm bitching behind my boss's back. I gave him a piece of my mind then and there, in front of everyone in the Engineering meeting, and I do hope it gets recorded in the minutes. I mean, I spent a good part of the week planning everything so I can get it just right, and all of a sudden there's a change in the schedule, and we're expected to readjust without disrupting our already slow progress.
No wonder other people just take it easy. It's no use putting in your heart and soul and sweat and tears into your work when someone else can so easily pull the rug from under your feet, just to score some brownie points that I'm sure contributes nothing to the big picture.
