Little-Wonder.Net

20 July, 2007

Internship no more.

22:52:41 | Work | writebacks (8)

20th July (today) marks the last official day of my short internship stint here at Singapore Airlines. (Although I’ve offered to go back to work for a couple of days on an ad-hoc basis next week to make up for the sheer number of MCs I’ve taken during my ten weeks here. Boo to illness and depression, BAH.)

All in all, it’s been quite a good one. The only thing that I dreaded about work each day was the part where I have to get up at 6.45a.m. in the morning, with my usual routine of snoozing my alarm clock until 6.52a.m. (Seven minutes of additional sleep is STILL additional sleep!) Otherwise, everything has been smooth sailing.

The only thing that almost marred my whole internship experience was the three weeks where I was down with depression due to anxiety and paranoia, (you may have recalled, several entries back) causing me to be dull, listless and completely unenthusiastic.

Thankfully, my assistant manager was quite supportive throughout the whole thing, and I’m really grateful for that.

Last day in a nutshell
Of all days, they had to deploy a new security guard on duty at the guard post this morning, who gave me a beady eyed look and demanded “WHAT ARE YOU HERE FOR?” like as if I’m some intruder when it is my last day of work after two and a half months.

Gee, the last time I got that from them security guards had been waaaaay back during … my third week at work?

Seriously, this was classic - treated like a newbie on my last day. Hurhurhur.

Brought packets of gourmet chocolate for almost everyone I encounter in the office on a daily basis (except for Mister Security Guard) as a token of appreciation for their guidance and support. Blew a grand total of $30++ in total for them chocolates, but heck about the money - it’s the thought that counts after all.

Everyone was cooing “Oh, so sweeeeeeet!” when I handed the packets of chocolates to them, making me wonder whether they were referring to me, or the chocolates.

Was treated to a full airport tour by my managers, inclusive of the transit, apron and service areas, along with a full access airport pass granted to me for two days. Strolled into the transit area with my pass, feeling queer because this was the absolute first time I’ve managed to step into this area without my passport.

Afterthoughts
Realized that there is going to be several things I’m going to miss once I leave this little building way out in the suburbs, next to the airport runway.

1) The drinks vending machine - from where I purchase my daily dosage of hot chocolate in a last desperate attempt to keep myself awake at work, sometimes up to two cups a day.

2) My secret hiding place - this little corner behind my workplace that offers a full view of the planes taking off and landing - where I head to for walks when I need to escape the cold server room.

3) The sound of telephones ringing off the hook outside the server room, while everyone else is too busy to attend to them. (Uh wait, perhaps this one - I won’t miss that much.)

4) Hearing the same song being played over and over again on the radio station that the office tunes in to. (Especially this particular song by Mika, and that annoying ‘Under my umbrella ella ella eh eh eh‘ song.)

5) Having the telephone in the server room ring up to ten times a day with the person on the other line asking for my assistant manager. It’s become so predictable that I’ve contemplated installing an answering machine with the standard message - “If you’re looking for _____, she is not here.”

6) Being referred to as “the little girl in the office who works damn hard, damn responsible and speaks like an adult“. (Aww.)

7) The nice chats with my assistant manager about anything and everything under the sun, anytime, anywhere.

8) How strange work tasks will suddenly pop up out of the blue - like searching for shortcut keys for a user who has sight difficulty, repairing the printer (?!?) and uh, checking the accuracy of a whole stack of telephone bills from the Finance department.

9) Having been the mastermind of the famous ring prank that almost everyone in the office knows (and was talking) about.

10) The culture of the work environment as a whole. Friendly, approachable colleagues. The relaxed and laid-back work environment where everyone works at their own comfortable pace. The fact that I can wear jeans and t-shirts and be completely myself at work without having to experience the struggle of living each day in stiff shirts, high heeled shoes and a face made up like an opera singer wannabe like how the corporate world entails.

Thank you, Singapore Airlines, for everything.

13 July, 2007

Mystery of the ring

21:01:03 | Random Musing, Work | writebacks (8)

On Wednesday, I happened to bring a packet of cupcakes to work, sealed with a piece of thick golden wire. After finishing the cupcakes, yours truly had twisted said golden wire into a ‘ring’ out of sheer boredom, leaving said ‘ring’ on my desk prior to leaving the workplace that day.

Apparently, two other colleagues had approached me yesterday, informing me that they had seen the ‘ring’ sitting on my desk, one of whom almost wanted to safekeep it for me, whereas the other one panicked - until they discovered that the ‘ring’ was merely a piece of wire.

I laughed at first, until an idea came to mind.

I picked up the above-mentioned ‘ring’ and left it on the ground at the doorway of the server room, with the intention of seeing who else will fall for this prank. My assistant manager saw what I was doing and she too, laughed.

Don’t dismiss this as a mere prank. In fact, there is a rationale for doing so!

1) To test the observancy of the people around. How many people will actually stop and take notice of something gleaming on the ground?

2) Appeal to people’s greed. (Who can resist anything hard, golden and shiny?)

With the ring in full view on the ground, I proceeded to go back to work … until my prank claimed it’s first victim, with every one else (manager included) seated in the server room bursting into loud laughter simultaneously.

Apparently, victim number one seemed to be immensely happy over the fact that he was the first victim, and additionally, proud that he happened to be one of the few observant people around who actually spotted the ‘ring’. (Quite a number simply strolled past without realizing it.)

In fact, he even wanted to stick around in the room to see who else will fall for the prank.

After four, five, six, seven (and counting) people stalked in and out of the room with hardly a glance in the ring’s direction, his expression turned into one of dismay.

“Everyone’s so unobservant!” he exclaimed.

Right at that moment. victim number two appeared. Happily yakking on the phone, he spotted the ‘ring’ at the doorway, strolled over and bent down to pick it up.

My assistant manager was the first one to burst into laughter, before everyone else followed suit.

Wondering if there would be a third victim, I returned the ‘ring’ to it’s original spot on the ground, and resumed my work.

The third victim appeared after almost an hour. (More people walked past without noticing the ring’s presence.) Victim number three came in the form of a middle-aged repair person who worked in the premises, and I was watching him from the corner of my eye, trying my best not to laugh.

Victim three was the ULTIMATE.

I watched silently as he spotted the ‘ring’ and stopped short, glanced left and right suspiciously before bending down to retrieve the ‘ring’, pocketed it, and dashed off.

Initially, I was shocked at the repair person’s blatant dishonestly, before remembering that hey, this was the BEST victim to my prank before I burst into uncontrollable laughter along with the one other person in the room who had witnessed the whole situation.

Oh my goodness golly.

Imagine that repair person’s expression when he realizes that he’s been tricked. Now, that would be priceless.

Remember kids, dishonestly (and greed) gets you nowhere!

15 June, 2007

Too many xenophobics.

21:42:18 | Ranting, Work | writebacks (10)

I’m surrounded by xenophobics - people who just can’t seem to accept other people who are slightly different from them.

As mentioned several entries back, I am often sighted in the computer room in my jacket with the hood pulled over my head - for other health reasons (e.g. weak lungs) as well on top of the most obvious reason being the fact that I am cold.

As such, I am often jeered and sneered at by several individuals around the office. I mean, what’s wrong with trying to keep warm?

A particular situation yesterday afternoon had left me fuming, even until today. Basically, to sum it all up - I’ve been sneered at for wearing the damn hood again and on top of that, practically interrogated about my allergies as if I’m some criminal.

This particular individual who happened to be standing near me at the lobby had the cheek to actually snipe at my face about how he sees me in the room all covered up when it was “only 20 degrees”, and began boasting about how he can survive at 15 degrees and below with no protection.

Furthermore, after this individual, thereafter known as Anon, found out about my allergies and how constant exposure to cold air without proper ‘covering’ (i.e. jackets) will aggravate my allergies - golly gee. The look that he gave me - like as if I was some INVALID.

That was when he started interrogating me. I mean, literally interrogating - firing one question after another. And the expression on his face simply said it all - he was demanding some answers about my so-called ‘invalidness’.

Anon: What are you allergic to? (Sneers.)

Me: Quite a few things. Tea, food colouring, peanut …

Anon: Chocolate? (Cuts me off with another sneer.)

Me: No.

Anon: How can it be? Chocolate is a peanut whaaaat.

Me: (Thinking “WTF?!?”) Chocolate is not a peanut. They are two entirely different things altogether. Chocolate comes from cocoa beans.

Anon: What else? (Demanding tone)

I rattled off a couple more before stopping since I felt he doesn’t have the right to know so much.

Anon: Can’t you just stop it?

Dude, if I can just tell my allergies to ’stop it’, I’d probably be the happiest girl on Planet Earth. Plus, I wouldn’t be suffering here, facing the prospect of having to pop God knows how many million pills for the rest of my life, wouldn’t I?

Anon: (Starts to rattle off about how allergies will eventually disappear upon reaching adulthood before looking at me as if I’m an invalid again before continuing) Wouldn’t yours?

Me: Er, mine just started two years ago.

Anon proceeds to look even more shocked and then begins to probe into my medical history, how many times I’ve fallen sick before and other sensitive information he has no business knowing.

By then, I decided that enough was enough - clammed up and gave him the pissiest glare I could muster, and remained in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

And he gave me all this shit just because he had seen me in the computer room in my jacket with the hood pulled over my head.

I’m utterly disgusted by his behaviour.

And I am fully aware that there has been too much antagonism on this weblog recently. In fact, there is too much angst and whiming even for myself to handle and so, like Huisen, I need to head somewhere to chill.

So I’ll be out of the country for the next couple of days, haunting two of my most favourite places in this world. (No prizes for guessing where.)