Perspectives

It has been the longest wait in my life for the past week. Checking into the online platform every single day for NUS's acceptance/rejection into the business school has been the norm now.

Aside from the mundane things in life like these, I watched Undercover Boss on channel 5 and it's gotta be the highlight of today's waste-my-life-away day. Basically a high ranking personnel i.e. CEO of a large company heads down to the front line, and works side by side with entry level staff performing job roles like cleaning/store-checking/maintenance/delivery/logistics etc. In Econs, we learnt that with huge companies that reap large economies of scale, the drawback is that the top management level is always very far away from the front line in terms of feedback and support. Half the time, these 2 don't ever associate with each other and have zero idea of what's happening at either side.

In this program, they aim to eliminate that by having the CEO take on the undercover job and it all rolls along. Getting the first hand information and knowledge of what's happening is crucial especially when running a business. Customers' needs are of utmost importance, because they are the ones who drives the business.

Which brings me back to my working experience now. I am very blessed to have been given such opportunities to rotate in various departments to try my hands on things I've never done before. This idea of rotating in various departments is not new, many companies do it for undergrads internships as well as for freshgraduates to give them the big picture of how the company functions. I've had my opportunity coming earlier than usual even before I've started the undergrad experience.

The most recent experience I've had in the past week is running and managing my own project, both in terms of dealing with client's expectations and meeting his needs, while coordinating with suppliers and contractors to perform the job on schedule. After executing this, I have to be there to monitor the job being done. Sounds like much of a work for a 19 year old? It definitely is. I talked to bosses offering their services to me, to workers and their supervisors doing the job itself, and then to my client as well as reporting to my direct supervisor and bosses in the office. Having some responsibilities in accounts side also gave me a better idea of dealing with payments and keeping the project healthy in terms of profit margin.

The most rewarding part of it all, is seeing everything running so smoothly at work and people getting an outright shock expression all over their faces knowing my age. I've never felt so involved and clear about the work that I'm doing, ever. This has really been the most well spent holidays of my life.

Like what Chris Sharma said:

Climbing is this ever evolving thing, and although it really is about the goal and succeeding and getting to the top, at the same time it's a never-ending cycle of finding something that you're really motivated on, obsessing over it, and then once you get to the top, celebrating for a little while and then moving on to the next thing.

And of course, looking forward to lessening the work load once my project is done and moving on to climbing.

It has been such a journey at work. July is coming, making big decisions for entrance to my preferred Uni, and starting on the next thing in life. I wonder where I get all this inspiration from.

Too soon

Guess I couldn't resist the urge to pen down some thoughts till the results from NUS come out. I thought I have seen quite a bit of the ugly side of human, but last night marks a new milestone for me. Snatching for the bill right out of the waitress's hands was polite enough, then the tug of war ensued between 2 parties right in front of the waitress. While I silently watch on, I secretly and invisibly buried my entire body deep into the earth below. How could I have just dined with people like that? And just before that, one party apparently poured beverage for its own consumption, and upon realising it wasn't what it had ordered, proceeded to question the wait staff, then pour it away into the cup that the staff was clearing. How polite and graceful.

I thought there were more etiquette to this world than it is. I guess it takes some getting used to, I just can't believe I have to be associated with such people who put on such disgusting behaviour. It irks me so much, I felt downright embarrassed and sorry both for myself and the disgraceful persons involved.

Why do adults behave like that?

And then, there's also the self-centredness that gladly radiates around in my household. Blatantly just obtaining whatever there is for fulfilling its own desires. Sigh. I really didn't know people like these exist in such a modern century. I would so volunteer to help and assist to the best of my ability, but such things just turn me off completely and I still have to do it because of obligations.

You know, Oscar Wilde sure did sum it up best.

Relations are simply a tedious pack of people who haven't got the remotest knowledge of how to live, nor the smallest instinct about when to die.

And I foresee there's gonna be so much more of such awful situations awaiting to be uncovered in the very near future. I wished I could save myself.

Revived

Working on weekends at the office is absolutely lovely! No need to care about dressing, whatever you do because there's simply no one judging, looking or simply caring. Plus the atmosphere is so nice, no constant ring of the annoying phone.

After going for the Discretionary Admission's Biz interview at NUS, I am leaning towards NUS. See how humans want something that they haven't gotten yet? And take for granted when they have it?? I'm waiting so anxiously... for climbing and for the biz course.

Volunteering at Climb X brings back many memories of last year's climb X when we took part in it and organised it as well. Feelings were definitely different, because I went to school so much more relaxed as compared to a participant's anxious/nervous emotions. I crave for competitions, especially difficult comps, so so much!

In another 2 more weeks, June is gonna arrive. I haven't decided when I should stop work, probably right at my trip to Krabi on 20th June and then come back to SG to PARTY the whole of July. Technically people who knows me well enough, my PARTYING is not the same as your partying terms. Ha ha ha.

Seriously cannot wait for Uni to start, orientation, studying, and feeling young again.

Work, as much as I derive much more satisfaction from, still complicates life quite a bit with all its politics and responsibilities that tie to real money terms. Being a student no doubt may have all these, but definitely on a much smaller scale, or so I hope. At least I now have an advantage of knowing to see things much simpler and caring about things that matter to me only!

Be back soon again with my update on accepting which Uni!!!!