New IT Expert

Last week I moaned about how I felt like a chicken without its head.

.

I had been spending half a day figuring out what was wrong with my computer. Jim finally managed to help me with getting all my documents back. He created a new ID for me and transfered all my data from one profile to the new one.

.

I was estatic.

.

BUT .....

.

I couldn't connect to the system and I couldn't send/receive any emails from my outlook express. I don't really mind not being able to receive/send any emails from my outlook express because over the past few months I told my purchasers to write to me via my gmail address. But there was this other generic email address which comes into my outlook express and most of them are enquiries - this means more business for us. And I know I had to get this outlook express fixed incase someone out there is wanting a house urgently.

.

Also, I really needed the system so that I could do my work.

.

I did a few tests on a few computers and different passwords and finally connected the problem to the "Administrator". I changed certain things in the server and tried logging on to the system from my computer. Voila! I did it!!! I managed to solve the problem. Yeh!

.

My next problem to solve was the outlook express. All I needed were the two passwords which I wasn't privy of previously. Emily (my colleague) helped me a little and I also tried asking the IT people in my HQ. Finally, I called another person (whom I have never spoken to before) and she managed to find out the password for me to retrieve my emails. Phew!!!

.

My computer problems are now solved! Woohoo!!! After almost 1 month of being computer-less. You know, I wonder how people survive without the usage of a computer....

Chicken Without a Head

The past 2 weeks at work had been terrible. The server at the office kept shutting down and it was 2 months before we decided to get a new one.

.

We thought that with a new server, our work problems would be solved. Right?

.

WRONG!

.

When Jim (an external IT "expert") worked on the server, he told us that we would not be able to use the system for a day. Well, it turned out to be 2-3 days for most of us. He was able to get 5 computers linked to the new server within 2 days. Those computers are so ancient, they ought to be in a museum and because of that, he didn't face much problems with the link - except the fact that the 85% of data in one of the computers could not be retrieved. My poor colleague had to redo most of her reports. If you were to wonder why she didn't back up her files, it was because her computer was so old, it didn't have a USB port.

.

Two other computers, one of which was mine, were XPs and Jim ran into some problems. He just couldn't link them to the server. Finally, after two weeks, he sort of gave up and asked us to go local. And because of that, I couldn't access my outlook express PLUS I couldn't edit or do anything at all to the "system". This is sooo frustrating.

.

I really did feel like a chicken without its head for the past two weeks. I couldn't get much work done as I couldn't use the system PLUS, I had to use my personal laptop to get my reports done. I couldn't print my reports and had to email them to someone who could print them out for me. It was really a waste of precious time.

.

These days, when I get to the office, a sense of dread would come upon me as I spend half a day wondering what was wrong with my computer. Most of the time, I would be trying to map the network, or trying to figure out why I couldn't print anything at all, etc.

.

I called my IT people in KL.... somehow I think they can't help me as they sounded blur when I told them my problem.

.

I guess I'll just have to pester "someone" until the problem is solved.

Wrongly Accused

On Monday, three police officers were in my office. They asked us for a copy of our layout plan with all the house addresses, reason being, it would make their job easier should anyone call in for help.

.

We have more than 2000 houses with CF and knowing that would take more than a few minutes to compile everything for them, we asked if they wanted it immdiately. They were kind enough to give us one week to complete the task.

.

After attending to them, my colleague and I went back to our work stations. Not long after that, our dear RE decided to appear and seeing no one attending to them, took an initiative to ask what they were there for.

.

The moment I saw that, I knew that we were in trouble.

.

True enough, the very next day, we were accused of not attending to the police officers' needs. This matter was actually brought up to my big boss' attention and my department was in a hot soup once again. Accodring to him, WE told the officers that we needed two weeks to complete the task.

.

I decided to clarify this matter with my big boss. I had to explain that my colleague and I did attend to their needs and that this dear RE came in AFTER we had spoken to the officers. And yes, it was just like him to assume the worst of us. My exact words were "Don't believe everything he says"

.

I really do not know what he has against us. I'm thinking that maybe he is trying to gain points with my big boss by reporting "untruths".

.

And this has been going on for years!!! Every now and then, we were being wrongly accused behind our backs.

.

And to top it all, he's not even in the same department as me. I get this feeling that he's trying to push his way through until he takes charge of my department because presently, he doesn't have the support of his subordinates and couldn't get anyone to do what he says - simply because he has lost their respect a long time ago.

.

To top it all, everyone else knows that he has done certain things which will definitely not please the management but we did not report any of it, simply because we do not want to play the role of a whistle blower.

.

All we wanted was to work well together. Different departments coming together in unity and understanding. But sad to say, I don't see that happening because of him. Sigh! :(

Alleged

Last week, two government officers came to my office, demanding to see our business license. Not knowing exactly what they wanted, even after showing them certain documents, they went to the next door shop, took the sample for us to see. It was the blue background with a picture of the business owner kind of license. Something which I have never seen in my office in all my 9+ years of working in this company.

.

As far as my immediate boss and I are concerned, all we needed was a developer's license and the Advertising & Permit for the houses (currently under construction) that we are selling.

.

According to the officers, we renewed the said license every year except last year. Puzzled by it, I asked the HR dept to contact our resident engineer (RE), who happened to be on a one year leave last year. I thought that perhaps with his absence, the business license wasn't renewed.

.

Our RE told the HR dept that I (yes, yours truly) have the said license and that it was kept in my safe. I was shocked.

.

We couldn't produce the license and were issued two summonses.

.

The next day, the RE came to see me concerning this matter and once again, I explained that I have no clue whatsoever about this license. I specifically told him NOT to mention my name again, where this license is concerned.

.

I received a phone call from my big boss in the afternoon saying that MY name was mentioned concerning this license. I immediately told her that I knew who that "snitch" was and that I really had no clue concerning it.

.

I called my tax consultant as well as our group secretarial and was informed that as a Pte Ltd company, all we needed was to have a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation to operate our day to day business.

.

I was by then, pretty mad at the RE for accusing me of keeping something which didn't exist in the first place. More so because I specifically told him that I know nothing of it and that he shouldn't say that I know about it at all.

.

I receive NO apology from him todate.... not even after a letter was sent to my big boss explaining the whole situation and that we wanted an explanation from the person who "accused" me of keeping the license.

.

And to top it all, I discovered a few days later, that even though the summonses were wrongly issued out of the ignorance of the government officers, we still had to pay a minimum fine - just to save the faces of the govt officers. Gosh!!! What utter madness. Sometimes, I just shudder at the way things are done here.

Birthday Girls

We had a birthday party last Friday.

A few weeks ago, I was "informed" by my 3 other colleagues that we (yep! including me) will be celebrating our birthday on Jan 30th, 2009. Why January? Because of of our birthdays is in December, another 2 in January and one more in February.

The plan was to get a cake from Secret Recipe, sing the birthday song, cut the cake and share it with everyone. I suggested that we get a few different types to make up one cake.

A day before the birthday do, I told Rajen of our plans and he offered to buy us all lunch. He said that we can't be spending ourselves.

And so, the day finally came. Linda and Ramlah went out early to get the cake AND lunch.

We only got to sing the birthday song at 2.15pm. (Another long story as to why this couldn't be done earlier ... I will skip this part!!!!)

We brought the cake into my room, closed the door and began singing :

Happy Birthday to us

Happy Birthday to us

Happy Birthday to us

Happy Birthday to us

Then we cut the cake and blew out one candle each.

The whole scene makes me laugh - especially when we started singing the birthday song to ourselves. Makes me think that no one loves us enough to celebrate our birthdays and that we had to do it ourselves!

I think this is fun. We should do stuff like this once in a while. Let down our hair and have fun. After all work is not only about working, it is how to have fun at work.

Water Dispenser

This water dispenser has served us hot and chilled water for more than 3 years. Last month, when lightning struck, both the fax and water dispenser were spoilt. Fax was important enough to warrant special and immediate attention. We purchased a new fax (for the 3rd time!!!) almost rightaway - of course, being in this company, red tape was inevitable.

.

A few days ago, my boss noticed that I was always going to her side of the office carrying a thermos flask. I explained that I wasn't feeling too well and needed to drink lots of hot (bordering on warm) water. I added that lightning struck and we have been without hot water for a month now.

.

I told her that I thought of getting the normal hot and warm water dispenser but she said that I could boil the water using the (very old) jug kettle and fill it into a bigger (and better) Thermos flask.

.

WHAT???

.

Who would have the time to do all those? As if reading my mind, she said that the cleaner lady could do it every morning.

.

My question is .... if I had to go get a better Thermos flask which would cost about RM100, it's better that I get a new water dispenser, which would cost less than that amount.

.

It wasn't conclusive and for a moment, I wondered what would happen if the situation was reversed.

.

Anyway, I was about to start looking to buy one when someone gave me this for FREE!!!! I think it must have cost RM140.

.

God is really very good!!!! He knows our needs. But sigh! I'm still pretty mad as my boss' suggestion.

Tedious Job

Last week, I received a very blur site plan with numbers running from Block Nos. 1-3. That was it. Block nos. 4-10 were left empty.

.

Knowing that it would either be difficult or it would take a very long time for the proper site plan (with numbering) to get to me, I asked my project manager for the aproved endorsed plan by the local approving authorities. It was soooo much clearer than the one I got earlier.

.

There was NO numbering at all on this plan.

.

So, what I did was to type out all the numbers, print it, cut it and then paste it. Each piece of numbered paper was only 2mm X 3mm. It was really a tedious job which requires patience and long finger nails.

.

I think I took 2-3 hours to finish it.

.

I know that with modern technology, what I could've done was to scan it and then insert the numbers but I don't have the proper software for it. So I did it the looong and tedious way. When I passed a copy of the finished work to him, he was impressed!!! :-)

Degil

This morning, a man and a lady walked into the sales office. From their body language, my guess is that they are colleagues. One of my sales people needed my help and I walked to the sales area, only to find that the man was busy snapping pictures of the model houses with his handphone. I saw a camera slung over his right shoulder and suspected that my colleague had warned him to quit taking pictures.

.

I was polite with him, first asking him not to take pictures. He pretended not to hear me. I reiterated my request. He paid no attention to me. I was getting quite annoyed with him. I repeated for the third time. Only then did he look at me and said, "I am not taking any pictures" while snapping some more pictures with his handphone. Gosh!!! Did he think that I was born yesterday??? I told him that I am not that stupid and I want him to put away his phone. I was pretty close to confiscating it from him.

.

I think he's such a stubborn man who has no respect whatsoever. Maybe he's just plain stupid and didn't understand what I said.

.

Personally, my opinion is that when you step into other people's territory, you need to "do as the Romans do".

.

SOME people are just so degil!!!! Grrrr!!! I still can't believe he ignored my request. The nerve of him!!!!!!!!!!