Finally I managed to gain access! This was supposed to be updated a couple of days ago, but for some reason, the entire blogger server was down. It had been one tumultuous week, culminating in bad luck and stupidity. Perhaps calling them a series of unfortunate events is a bit too drastic and exaggerated, but it is not denying that I have had a bad week. A busy, stressful, tiring, grueling, unlucky week!
First, due to the upcoming renovations in my office, I realise I have so much more things I was supposed to do, but no one ever updated me on anything, and I had no idea until the file was given to me by someone from another department. Apparently, due to the coming and going of people in the last three or four years or so, certain things were not handed over properly, and now I realise that there is a file that contains the summary of terms of all the documents which my department (or rather, me) was supposed to keep track and update, and that had not been done since May 2003! During that period, at least a few hundred documents have been executed, and some expired, so how am I to trace back everything? That is the problem when people leave and no one else bothers to monitor anything.
Not only that, the new Head of the department wanted me to revamp the entire filing system. Instead of keeping the masterlist of documents according to the name of documents, he wants the documents to be categorised and filed according to project name instead, so all the documents of the various projects will be together in one place instead of being in different places. This is a better idea actually, but for the fact that several others from different departments will access the masterlist and take out documents as well, so if I am to change, how am I to explain to the rest that the documents are no longer at the same place?
I almost got into trouble with one of the secretaries for not updating the list properly when I first joined, resulting in her not being able to find and trace that particular document. This is unfortunate indeed as not only will I get more work (which I do not mind), but I have to end up trying to change people's mindsets into getting used to a new system altogether, and that is something I do not enjoy as once people get used to something for so long, it is rather hard for them to change and I had bad experiences on this before.
First, due to the upcoming renovations in my office, I realise I have so much more things I was supposed to do, but no one ever updated me on anything, and I had no idea until the file was given to me by someone from another department. Apparently, due to the coming and going of people in the last three or four years or so, certain things were not handed over properly, and now I realise that there is a file that contains the summary of terms of all the documents which my department (or rather, me) was supposed to keep track and update, and that had not been done since May 2003! During that period, at least a few hundred documents have been executed, and some expired, so how am I to trace back everything? That is the problem when people leave and no one else bothers to monitor anything.
Not only that, the new Head of the department wanted me to revamp the entire filing system. Instead of keeping the masterlist of documents according to the name of documents, he wants the documents to be categorised and filed according to project name instead, so all the documents of the various projects will be together in one place instead of being in different places. This is a better idea actually, but for the fact that several others from different departments will access the masterlist and take out documents as well, so if I am to change, how am I to explain to the rest that the documents are no longer at the same place?
I almost got into trouble with one of the secretaries for not updating the list properly when I first joined, resulting in her not being able to find and trace that particular document. This is unfortunate indeed as not only will I get more work (which I do not mind), but I have to end up trying to change people's mindsets into getting used to a new system altogether, and that is something I do not enjoy as once people get used to something for so long, it is rather hard for them to change and I had bad experiences on this before.
Secondly, Wednesday evening I went to redeem the free webcam I got for signing up for free wireless access. The picture above shows the webcam, an odd-looking thing if I ever saw one, but it really works! After redeeming it, I went to wander around at the nearby shopping mall, and all of a sudden I realise my phone was lost. I was positive I had my phone with me when I left the office, but in the interim of redeeming the webcam and wandering at the shopping mall, my phone went missing.
The new red Motorola which I got just a few weeks back! I panicked and quickly went to a public phone booth and called my number, but it was off and it was not a battery problem. I suspected it could have dropped out when I was reaching for my wallet, and someone picked it up and probably removed my SIM card and kept the phone for him / herself. I immediately contacted my mobile service provider and had the card cancelled, and got a new replacement card instantly.
Two consolations though. One, I backed up my entire address book in my old phone before I started using the new one. Two, my youngest brother got a new phone for renewing his contract with his mobile service provider, and he thought the new phone too small for his liking, so offered it to me. Even though I still have the spare Motorola, nevertheless I accepted his gracious offer, so now I am using the Samsung SGH-E900! Sleek and cool-looking! For once I am using a slider, after all the years of using a normal mobile and the clamshell. The best thing is I only needed to copy the address book into my new card and everything is intact! Oh I am so glad I backed up all my data! Never again will I be so stupid and careless to lose my phone again! It is real heartbreaking indeed!
Another piece of bad news. It seems that our upcoming trip may not be feasible after all. My cousin requested for us to be in Malta from the 5th to 10th July, but before that, the trip to Spain may be shelved. The flight we booked, Emirates, stopped going to Spain for some reason or another, and the alternative flight is a direct flight from Singapore Airlines which my mum is reluctant as she finds it overpriced. Ironically for a born and bred local, I have never taken Singapore Airlines before, despite the almost yearly trips overseas! So we are now seeing if the less expensive KLM goes to Spain at the right time, if not then our plans have to be shelved, and if we are not going, the trip will either be changed to somewhere else, or cancelled altogether, which means we will not even go to Malta for the wedding! :-(
As if all these are not enough, I realise I am not able to use my laptop for the time being, because the wireless access is not available to my house, either that, the signal is too weak around my area. Even though I signed up for an inexpensive broadband connection that comes with a portable USB modem, it turns out that the modem can only be used on Windows XP, and not the new Vista which my laptop is equipped with. Now what possessed me to get something so advanced that most other programs are not compatible with it? I love my new laptop, but it will be a white elephant if I am not able to use it! Then the huge amount I spent on it will come to nought!
Sometimes my own stupidity disgusts me. Hopefully, this will be a much better week ahead.
The new red Motorola which I got just a few weeks back! I panicked and quickly went to a public phone booth and called my number, but it was off and it was not a battery problem. I suspected it could have dropped out when I was reaching for my wallet, and someone picked it up and probably removed my SIM card and kept the phone for him / herself. I immediately contacted my mobile service provider and had the card cancelled, and got a new replacement card instantly.
Two consolations though. One, I backed up my entire address book in my old phone before I started using the new one. Two, my youngest brother got a new phone for renewing his contract with his mobile service provider, and he thought the new phone too small for his liking, so offered it to me. Even though I still have the spare Motorola, nevertheless I accepted his gracious offer, so now I am using the Samsung SGH-E900! Sleek and cool-looking! For once I am using a slider, after all the years of using a normal mobile and the clamshell. The best thing is I only needed to copy the address book into my new card and everything is intact! Oh I am so glad I backed up all my data! Never again will I be so stupid and careless to lose my phone again! It is real heartbreaking indeed!
Another piece of bad news. It seems that our upcoming trip may not be feasible after all. My cousin requested for us to be in Malta from the 5th to 10th July, but before that, the trip to Spain may be shelved. The flight we booked, Emirates, stopped going to Spain for some reason or another, and the alternative flight is a direct flight from Singapore Airlines which my mum is reluctant as she finds it overpriced. Ironically for a born and bred local, I have never taken Singapore Airlines before, despite the almost yearly trips overseas! So we are now seeing if the less expensive KLM goes to Spain at the right time, if not then our plans have to be shelved, and if we are not going, the trip will either be changed to somewhere else, or cancelled altogether, which means we will not even go to Malta for the wedding! :-(
As if all these are not enough, I realise I am not able to use my laptop for the time being, because the wireless access is not available to my house, either that, the signal is too weak around my area. Even though I signed up for an inexpensive broadband connection that comes with a portable USB modem, it turns out that the modem can only be used on Windows XP, and not the new Vista which my laptop is equipped with. Now what possessed me to get something so advanced that most other programs are not compatible with it? I love my new laptop, but it will be a white elephant if I am not able to use it! Then the huge amount I spent on it will come to nought!
Sometimes my own stupidity disgusts me. Hopefully, this will be a much better week ahead.
0 comments:
Post a Comment