The attempt ...

Earlier this month, I was complaining that my job has affected my priorities. And I can't find a solution to it yet. I may need to leave the role if it's getting worst. However, I am going to give another push before I switch role. This is what I am going to do :

1. I have to pause my college study for one term.
2. I will work on how to change the process in my current role.
3. I will try to introduce creative ways to increase productivity.
4. Try to change the client's behavior by having a win win situation.
5. Attempt to stop using punishment as a method on our colleagues or client.

I will give myself up to Oct 1, 2011. If these changes do not fall through, then I have tried. It's time to move on.

Shopping online .... forget about the malls!

Lately the Australian dollar has risen so high, that 1AUD = 1.07USD! Not too sure if it's good for the country in long term, as education industry is starting to feel the impact. However, one thing I do find was the clothing and fashion in Australia suddenly has become so expensive.

For example, a wool jacket would cost 200AUD average for a branded one. Instead I went to online store in US, suddenly everything seems so much cheaper! I can get a branded wool jacket for AUD99 at sale price (after conversion from USD)!

In a way, this is not good to the country as well, as the money is flowing out faster than ever. For the meantime, while the AUD is high, I think I need to get a couple of shoes and worry later hehehe.

The shop I have visited or ordered (Free shipping worldwide) :

http://www.revolveclothing.com/Homepage.jsp

http://www.asos.com/

What went wrong with my job?

I took up a new role 2 months ago, and now that I didn't like it. I asked myself why? Is it because it's tedious and I want to run away from it? However, I tried to sit down and think calmly what went wrong.

First, before I took the job I had set my expectations clear to the hiring manager. I need to have personal time to study. However, it turned out the job demanded more and most of the time I didn't have the energy to keep up with my readings. Hence, I started to protest inside me because I have to adjust my priorities.

Second, I like to foresee the outcome. However, this job though I can plan in the beginning but as days go by, I realised a lot of things are beyond my control. I tried very hard to push for completion, however, it's a cycle. It went on and on for few times, same thing same question same answer, but nothing is completed. It became mundane. Every month, the more cases piling in and in the end it became a snowball. I wish I can close some cases before I move on, but not this job. In the end, more personal time needed to follow up.

Third, the leader's style and my style clashes. I like to plan and be consulted before we size up the effort. I see this as fair as our voice is heard. However, the leader is impatience. The preferred method is do it now, and iron it out as we go along. However, with poor planning, more time is consumed and the productivity went down.

Fourth, the job requires a lot of manual calculating on spreadsheet with a very complicated theory. This would take up a few days before I can complete a complete spreadsheet for one case. But on top of the snowball and other ad hoc tasks, the calculation takes longer time. It became tedious and time consuming. I became bored and dislike the task.

I ask myself what can be done to make this job better?

First, I feel we need to look into how to make our task more productive and not mundane.

Second, how can we influence the case to close before the next one role start otherwise the burden became heavier and heavier.

Third, why can't we use a simplified formula and save all the long hours to achieve something which may not be used later.

Fourth, consult the team before making a decision so that we felt we are understood by the management the effort is needed. Committing on our behalf would not help.

Lastly, I feel for my behavior. I need a people manager and not a task master that do not want to come down to our level.

The dateline is always there, but I given a choice, I do not want to torture my own mental.

The Bulat (Round)

Few months ago, a friend told me I am so bulat, to an extend she called me Bulat sometimes. The reason was because she found my tummy is bulging out like a pregnant woman! Well the good news is I am not pregnant I just didn't exercise hard enough!

I started to feel panic when I realised I can't wear most of my pants. The only pant I can fit is the elastic one! I then realised something must be done!

This week, I started my daily regime as below.

6:00am Wake up
7:00am Catch a train to office.
8:00am Start work
4:00pm Leave office
5:00pm Gym
6.30pm Cook
8:00pm Study
11:00pm Sleep

I am trying out the schedule above this week. I just hope I can stick to the gun! So I will determine to be called TAK (NOT) BULAT in few months time.

Stable Unstable

Each phases of life we will go through a period of stable and unstable. Lately, I think I am going through an unstable period. Why? Because I have recently changed my role. I wasn't sure if I like the job. I took the job because there were some traveling involved and I could come back to KL to see my parents. However, what I didn't know, the job involves a lot of snowball effect, meaning, when a few cases hasn't closed, more cases comes rolling in. On top of the cases we do, there were reporting, however, there were various reporting forms though they looked alike. Besides that, while you are on the current cases, you will be either writing reports which already due or planning for next review soon. At the end of the day, I found it's a very demanding job of my personal time. The only freedom I have is when I decided to shut down the work at the end of day and ignoring the piling snowball.

I was wondering if I am trying to justify why I didn't like the job, but I think I was bothered the job didn't give balance to what I want to do outside of office, unless I ignored them. Ignoring is not part of my work attitude, as I prefer to finish off the work before I moved on. However, right now, I am stuck! I need more time to re-strategies what I want to do and eventually some less important stuffs need to be sacrificed.

Jakarta by Transjakarta

Last weekend I have decided to be adventurous. I tried to board the local buses in Jakarta with my colleagues who are kind enough to show me the bus way. The funny looking bus has a door that's 4 feet high from the ground. One must wonder how do we board the bus and why is it made so high? Well to board the bus, you need to walk to an elevated bus station. And why it's so high was because the ticketing control is done at the elevated bus station. Your entry and exit is done through this station, and there is no way you can get in or out unless u drag the door open wide and jumped out of the bus. The cost of the ride was 3500rupiah and you can take the bus around Jakarta as long as you stay within the bus and elevated bus station. You change buses through the elevated stations as well, just like your subway. Kind a interesting. However, be prepared to be in a very packed bus and traffic can be bad in certain sections. Otherwise, the bus has it's own dedicated route which is the best way to beat the traffic (macet!).

Overall experience was rather tiring but good way to see the local and traffics :P

My invention for city of Jakarta

I was caught in a traffic in Jakarta. Inside the car, my colleague was complaining how much time they spent on the road each day trapped in a traffic. They missed the meeting sometimes and have to use phone conference inside the car. Sometimes it takes up to 3-4 hours a day! And also, they need to make sure they are not caught during peak hours where each car must have 3 passengers else face summon.

After listening to their woes, immediately, I told them I thought of 2 inventions. First, I would like to invent a meeting box inside the car. The box, would have visual and audio which they can take their conference calls while driving. However, my colleague said it may be dangerous if they are driving fast. I replied by adding a mechanism to cut down the audio if they exceed 100km/hour. If they slowed down the quality of the conference will improved.

Second, I would invent inflatable human size doll when they need to travel alone. However, this doll would have moving arms, to make sure the traffic police will think the cars are full of human beings!

So now, if I am the inventor, who will be my producer?!