Ok. This is a bit of a gripe. And when I think about it....not worth griping over. But it seems to annoy me each time so here is it.
I hate it when the cashier hands me back my receipt, notes and coins stacked in that way. Receipts at the bottom, notes on top of that and then the coins. I have to let the coins fall into the coin compartment in my purse and then put the notes away. On top of that, I usually try to pull the receipt out and put it separately. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't rush to start processing the next customer but doing all this, under pressure, with a baby on one hip is no joke!
The notes and coins I can understand but I prefer to have the receipt put into the bag with my purchases. It used to be that way over here but I guess to make sure all the customers are getting their receipts, the new practice is to give it to you all at once. Next time I'll just have to put on an extra layer of skin and not feel any pressure to get myself out of the way. I'll take my time!
Showing posts with label frustrations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frustrations. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
My 3 col Minima is nearly there
Finally, I have my 3 columns, an image in the header, and the blog description centered. I still need to put all my little icons back but I'm just too sleepy, hot, and itchy from all the mosquito bites to do anymore tonight.
ZZZZzzzzzz.....
ZZZZzzzzzz.....
Monday, July 2, 2007
Blogging .... I'm dizzy
Blogging is turning out to be both a very sociable AND anti-social activity. I've 'met' so many new and helpful people on the internet since starting this blog. At the same time, I've becoming anti-social at home because I spend so much time in front of my laptop! Take today for example, 3 hours ago, I was elated because I found how to increase the template to 3 columns. Yet, I am still here and completely frustrated because I couldn't get my picture back in the header and have had to revert back to my 'June Look'. AND, I've lost all the little icons that I used to have on the right sidebar......ARRRGHHHHH
OK. Got to get back to it. I want it up and running before I go to sleep....
OK. Got to get back to it. I want it up and running before I go to sleep....
Thursday, June 21, 2007
10 month old trampled by AirAsia Stampede
No, it hasn't happened yet but this is a headline waiting to be printed.
AirAsia is a hugely successful low cost carrier started by Tony Fernandes. Perhaps he was inspired by his former boss, Richard Branson but whatever the case, Mr Fernandes needs to re-look the ways he tries to increase revenue just to remain low cost.
His latest, supposedly entrepreneurial, move is to introduce 'Express Boarding' for a fee of RM20. My hypothesis is that this is to deal with the numerous complaints he has received regarding the mad stampede at the boarding gates of Kuala Lumpur's LCCT. AirAsia does not provide allocated seating, as such, passengers make a mad dash for the boarding line when the announcer lifts the mike, even BEFORE the announcement for boarding is even made. Previously, senior citizens and families with young children were allowed to board from a separate lane. That seems pretty normal right? EVERY OTHER AIRLINE in the WORLD does this. So, is AIR ASIA trying to stand out from the crowd by introducing the Express Boarding and leaving the old, infirmed and BABIES to deal with the mad stampede? No more separate boarding for the senior citizens and babies!!
So, how did I deal with this yesterday, on my flight home. I had to opt for boarding the plane LAST! If I were to line up, we would either have been stampeded and trampled, or I would have had to deal with people pressing up against my behind (yes it happens), or Aaron would have to be exposed to all the germ filled exhalations of the other passengers.
Tony Fernandes, please do something about this! Go the way of allocated seating and prioritise boarding for the old, the very young and the infirmed. I am not the only one with complaints. Check out this link.
I particularly like this post by THAILIBAN:
"by the way, there are rumours you can even book the permission to be the first passenger to use the toilet on board (when its still clean) in the future..... 100 Baht, what a lovely bargain for a safe p*e or a decent sh*t"
AirAsia is a hugely successful low cost carrier started by Tony Fernandes. Perhaps he was inspired by his former boss, Richard Branson but whatever the case, Mr Fernandes needs to re-look the ways he tries to increase revenue just to remain low cost.
His latest, supposedly entrepreneurial, move is to introduce 'Express Boarding' for a fee of RM20. My hypothesis is that this is to deal with the numerous complaints he has received regarding the mad stampede at the boarding gates of Kuala Lumpur's LCCT. AirAsia does not provide allocated seating, as such, passengers make a mad dash for the boarding line when the announcer lifts the mike, even BEFORE the announcement for boarding is even made. Previously, senior citizens and families with young children were allowed to board from a separate lane. That seems pretty normal right? EVERY OTHER AIRLINE in the WORLD does this. So, is AIR ASIA trying to stand out from the crowd by introducing the Express Boarding and leaving the old, infirmed and BABIES to deal with the mad stampede? No more separate boarding for the senior citizens and babies!!
So, how did I deal with this yesterday, on my flight home. I had to opt for boarding the plane LAST! If I were to line up, we would either have been stampeded and trampled, or I would have had to deal with people pressing up against my behind (yes it happens), or Aaron would have to be exposed to all the germ filled exhalations of the other passengers.
Tony Fernandes, please do something about this! Go the way of allocated seating and prioritise boarding for the old, the very young and the infirmed. I am not the only one with complaints. Check out this link.
I particularly like this post by THAILIBAN:
"by the way, there are rumours you can even book the permission to be the first passenger to use the toilet on board (when its still clean) in the future..... 100 Baht, what a lovely bargain for a safe p*e or a decent sh*t"
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Guest Writer - My husband
He doesn't have time to maintain his own blog so he wanted to borrow mine. Lets see what he has to say....
***********************************************************************
I have always wondered how to have balanced work/life? Large western style corporations urge employees to have a balanced work/life but I really wonder how many achieve it. I hear most of them are slogging it out at home on their laptops! Well I don't work in on of those corporations and instead spend my days in a sweatshop...I mean Chinaman Company.
Since Aaron was born 10 months ago, my life changed....I have to play 3 different roles, that is being a husband and father at home and a manager at work. Life became more complicated after I accepted a job offer to work in Palembang, Indonesia.
Managing people of a different culture. Learning to nurture a high need baby. Helping my wife adjust to life as a new mom here.
No doubt life is full of stress but 3x the stress might have caused more greys on my head. On top of all that, those Chinamen equate a good employee with one who lives at the workplace. But....we don't give a heck about them ;)
After 5 months of adjustments to parenthood and the new environment, the baby is now giving us blocks of 3hr stretches at night and I've adjusted to the Indonesian work culture. Although working in Indonesia still takes up more than 50 hours a week, I have managed to throw in 2 to 3 hours of workout a week in the gym and at least 6 hours of SLINGING Aaron time for walks around the neighborhood.
GEEZ! I never realised how good it was to vent on a blog!
***********************************************************************
I have always wondered how to have balanced work/life? Large western style corporations urge employees to have a balanced work/life but I really wonder how many achieve it. I hear most of them are slogging it out at home on their laptops! Well I don't work in on of those corporations and instead spend my days in a sweatshop...I mean Chinaman Company.
Since Aaron was born 10 months ago, my life changed....I have to play 3 different roles, that is being a husband and father at home and a manager at work. Life became more complicated after I accepted a job offer to work in Palembang, Indonesia.
Managing people of a different culture. Learning to nurture a high need baby. Helping my wife adjust to life as a new mom here.
No doubt life is full of stress but 3x the stress might have caused more greys on my head. On top of all that, those Chinamen equate a good employee with one who lives at the workplace. But....we don't give a heck about them ;)
After 5 months of adjustments to parenthood and the new environment, the baby is now giving us blocks of 3hr stretches at night and I've adjusted to the Indonesian work culture. Although working in Indonesia still takes up more than 50 hours a week, I have managed to throw in 2 to 3 hours of workout a week in the gym and at least 6 hours of SLINGING Aaron time for walks around the neighborhood.
GEEZ! I never realised how good it was to vent on a blog!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Fried Squid
I guess fried squid can also be thought of as calamari rings. YUM! But thats not the issue today. Fried Squid translated into Cantonese is Chow Yow Yue. To be sacked! Fired! Become Unemployed! Experience loss of income!
So anyway, today I've been wondering whether it is justified to fry an employee's squid if I don't like their attitude. Bad attitude certainly is not good for the work environment but what if this is their natural personality. Then what? Wouldn't it be unfair to them if their natural disposition was to be sour all the time, with no proper manners or ettiquette? Perhaps they weren't taught these things? Maybe the poor village they come from didn't put any value on this. Yet how can it be? Even poor people are taught to greet others, to have respect for people and place.
Bad attitude transcends everything. Interaction with surrounding people. Quality of work.
If you haven't guessed....I'm seriously considering getting my fry pan out. To be fair, I have given the person a talking to. In my mind she is on probabation for the next week. Yet, even the 'talking to' was ineffective because she did not stop what she was doing and half the time did not even respond. That alone pissed me off enough to cut short the talk. Its to her own detriment since now she won't know the extent that she has pushed me to. Why should I feel guilty about it? This is a home environment, not a publicly listed company. I don't need to give 3 warning letters and go through a peer review before I start frying!
So anyway, today I've been wondering whether it is justified to fry an employee's squid if I don't like their attitude. Bad attitude certainly is not good for the work environment but what if this is their natural personality. Then what? Wouldn't it be unfair to them if their natural disposition was to be sour all the time, with no proper manners or ettiquette? Perhaps they weren't taught these things? Maybe the poor village they come from didn't put any value on this. Yet how can it be? Even poor people are taught to greet others, to have respect for people and place.
Bad attitude transcends everything. Interaction with surrounding people. Quality of work.
If you haven't guessed....I'm seriously considering getting my fry pan out. To be fair, I have given the person a talking to. In my mind she is on probabation for the next week. Yet, even the 'talking to' was ineffective because she did not stop what she was doing and half the time did not even respond. That alone pissed me off enough to cut short the talk. Its to her own detriment since now she won't know the extent that she has pushed me to. Why should I feel guilty about it? This is a home environment, not a publicly listed company. I don't need to give 3 warning letters and go through a peer review before I start frying!
Monday, May 21, 2007
A Chinaman Company
1) Interviews you for an overseas posting but assigns you to work locally when you accept the job.
2) Informs you after you have settled into that job that they will post you overseas after all.
3) Convinces you to take the overseas posting by telling you that it comes with
- 4 round trip tickets for you and your family home a year
- 8 days off during each trip....not including your 14 days of annual leave
Then, changes it to
- trips for you but not your family. Although when you try to go on a trip, be prepared to come up with a good explanation. Like your mother died and your father cut of his nose!
- and those 8 days....you can build those up by working 7 days a week. So, in a quarter...thats 13 weeks....you would have made up 13 days but 5 of those are 'freebies' for the chinaman and you can keep the 8.
4) You can of course not work those 7 days a week but watch out for these words of wisdom:
- my wife also complains that we don't spend enough time together....I just drag her and the kids along to the office and put them in the meeting room.
- sure...i have a 10 yr old son who needs me now that he's growing up. but i don't have time for him. yours is just a baby, he won't know the differece.
- don't be so calculating with the company. it will reward you in the end. just work hard, you'll see. stop going home at 5 everyday ok!
5) Has official working hours of 8am-4pm. But thats just on the contract. Its just a piece of paper that doesn't mean anything.
6) Provides an equal opportunity work place for all engineers.....if you are MALE. If you were FEMALE, you would have been screened out when your resume was sent in. There's the pile for MALE applicants and over there, beside the desk, in the TRASH are the female applicants. Its because they'll get married and have babies so....lets spare them the separation anxiety.
The list goes on and on....but I'm a little too riled up to get my thoughts in order. I've always referred to these companies as 'Chinaman Companies' .. but what are they really called. I have no idea.
2) Informs you after you have settled into that job that they will post you overseas after all.
3) Convinces you to take the overseas posting by telling you that it comes with
- 4 round trip tickets for you and your family home a year
- 8 days off during each trip....not including your 14 days of annual leave
Then, changes it to
- trips for you but not your family. Although when you try to go on a trip, be prepared to come up with a good explanation. Like your mother died and your father cut of his nose!
- and those 8 days....you can build those up by working 7 days a week. So, in a quarter...thats 13 weeks....you would have made up 13 days but 5 of those are 'freebies' for the chinaman and you can keep the 8.
4) You can of course not work those 7 days a week but watch out for these words of wisdom:
- my wife also complains that we don't spend enough time together....I just drag her and the kids along to the office and put them in the meeting room.
- sure...i have a 10 yr old son who needs me now that he's growing up. but i don't have time for him. yours is just a baby, he won't know the differece.
- don't be so calculating with the company. it will reward you in the end. just work hard, you'll see. stop going home at 5 everyday ok!
5) Has official working hours of 8am-4pm. But thats just on the contract. Its just a piece of paper that doesn't mean anything.
6) Provides an equal opportunity work place for all engineers.....if you are MALE. If you were FEMALE, you would have been screened out when your resume was sent in. There's the pile for MALE applicants and over there, beside the desk, in the TRASH are the female applicants. Its because they'll get married and have babies so....lets spare them the separation anxiety.
The list goes on and on....but I'm a little too riled up to get my thoughts in order. I've always referred to these companies as 'Chinaman Companies' .. but what are they really called. I have no idea.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
2200W
OK. Its not funny anymore. Its ANNOYING ANNOYING ANNOYING! And it happens every day. Would you believe that we're limited to 2200W in this house? I don't know what our other houses have all been and never realised that there was a limit but this is crazy.
No A/C if you want to use the microwave.
No microwave if you want to use the hot water.
No A/C in the living room if somebody wants to sleep and somebody else wants to iron.
etc
etc
We are constantly needing to remember what appliances are on and what we need to turn off if we want to use something.
Alright, so how much does it cost to upgrade the power? RM450. Not a lot. BUT, it will cause the monthly electricity tariff to fall in a category that is twice as expensive as it is now. SO, even if we upgrade the power, it might mean that we have to pay our own electricity bill. Thats currently being paid by the company.
Just another one of the little quirks we have to get used to living in a less developed country.
No A/C if you want to use the microwave.
No microwave if you want to use the hot water.
No A/C in the living room if somebody wants to sleep and somebody else wants to iron.
etc
etc
We are constantly needing to remember what appliances are on and what we need to turn off if we want to use something.
Alright, so how much does it cost to upgrade the power? RM450. Not a lot. BUT, it will cause the monthly electricity tariff to fall in a category that is twice as expensive as it is now. SO, even if we upgrade the power, it might mean that we have to pay our own electricity bill. Thats currently being paid by the company.
Just another one of the little quirks we have to get used to living in a less developed country.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
I'm so NOT a Tai Tai
On the surface is seems that life here will be the 'Tai Tai Life'. Thats how Evelyn puts it anyway. Tai Tai is cantonese for 'Lady of Leisure'. Sure, we have a maid and a driver but its definitely not a leisurely life. Aaron is still not sitting up yet so we have to carry him most of the time. In this heat and humidity, one is quickly spiralled into a grumpy and impatient mood. Not exactly the best vibe to be sending out to the baby. So, to avoid the worst of the heat, we go out each afternoon to the malls or to the gym. That at least provides some respite from the boredom and heat.
So....do we like it here?
I don't know.
So....do we like it here?
I don't know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)