it's all a matter of mindset

rather than talking about my bad back and my extended absence from work due to a malfunctioning immune system..i would like to recall an incident which kind of summarises the things that are still malfunctioning in the gahmen sector...

as my initial profile (see previous entry) was rejected for lacking focus and i fervently rejected the ideas to focus on my 1) poetry writing (because i have not written anything decent in years!) and 2) my knack of wanting things neat and tidy (honestly, it's like boring isn't it?), i settled finally on writing about my collection of over 2000 CDs. even though i was reluctant to write about it initially, i thought i did an ok job of it in the end. i submitted it and my colleague and supervisor liked it. then...

...my supervisor asked me why i was still collecting CDs. i was contemplating between 1) it was a (really bad) habit, 2) CDs come with pretty booklets (which makes my room look impressive..which it does by the way!), 3) i had too much spare cash (which is not true!) or 4) "you might as well ask any girl why does she buy so many pairs of shoes, more than half of which she probably does not wear and has no intention to wear anyway!" in the end i settled on the politically correct answer (or so i thought), which was that i preferred CDs to mp3s for its better sound quality. to which she replied...

..."in that case, why don't you collect records? you know the ones that can play on a gramophone?" i was like "oh my gosh! you dimwitted moron!" (being polite, i did not say it out loud of course..though i hope my facial expression conveyed it clearly enough!) firstly, i said "preferred" in comparison with mp3s (apparently, her english not that powerful for someone working in communications) and secondly, "simi era already, still gramophone, even my grandma watches her dramas on dee wee dee ar!"

well, if the gahmen sector wants to reach out to the new generation but continues to be headed by such "gramophone" thinkers, how do they expect to accomplish it? in my short 2 weeks, i have realised 2 things - the gahmen sector is still headed by lots of people who 1) just "do", don't think so much, just "do" because it is what they (their bosses) want (so they ask you to eat shit you eat shit la?) and 2) are promoted to heads of departments just because "they have been there for quite some time already". the gahmen constantly emphasises the importance of capturing and changing the mindset of the new generation..well i think that maybe the changing of mindset should start first and foremost from within.

my profile

under the company's new initiatives, new staff are to write up a short profile of themselves. this profile will be posted on the intranet, as an introduction to the rest of the staff. so here is what i wrote for myself...
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If you happen to bump into Adrian, chances are you will find him a friendly and chirpy little fellow – always ready with a smile and a helping hand. And if you are lucky, (or unlucky, depending on your taste), you may just get to hear first hand a few of his infamous “really bad jokes”...like really bad!

What most people do not see however, is someone who enjoys his bit of quiet time. During this time, he does all the boring stuff imaginable and unimaginable by humankind – like reading (really bimbotic, himbotic or soapy love novels), arranging and re-arranging (and re-arranging again) his collection of over 2000 CDs, blogging and (when the inspiration comes) writing poems.

Adrian is rather philosophical and likens life experiences to a seriously complex mathematics problem sum, even though he thinks the primary school syllabus these days could possibly be more complex than life itself! Just like a problem sum, life has many “workings” and more than one “solution”. He believes that there is no absolute right or an absolute wrong, it is how one makes sense of it all.

Adrian’s favourite quote - “I may not be humble but at least I am honest” – has not won over many fans but has gotten him quite many friends. So do not ask him how your hair looks like on a bad hair day. But if he tells you that he thinks that he is rather adorable, you better believe it!
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apparently it lacks focus so i need to rewrite it..which i am quite upset about cuz i thought that the profile i wrote is just so "me". oh well, think i will now just make up some story about my collection of dresses or something..that should be focused and interesting enough!

aaaww..

just received my parking fine today for an illegal parking. nothing amusing about that except that the letter does not have the word "fine" or "summon" or any words to that effect attached to that $70 fine i have to pay. rather, they make it sound like they are offering you a chance not to pay - "you are being offered an opportunity to have the offence(s) compounded for $70." (yep, effect completed with the underline too!) so don't say gahmen not fair, they give you chance wan k! so nice of them rite? but then if you don't pay, "a Notice to Attend Court may be issued to you in due course". not "will be issued to you" but "may" only..still giving you chance hor! so don't complain..you don't have to pay if you really really don't want to. if you don't compound the offense, at most just see judge only lor and they will compound you instead (your misery that is!).

ps: addy is taking it that he is making a really meaningful $70 contribution to his own year-end bonus.