After punching (more like… beeping) out of my workplace yesterday, I went back home to rest for a while (and wrote a short blog entry) before heading to the gym. I was a little sleepy but after working out, I felt good. I slept very well last night! To be frank, I didn’t think I’d sit in front of the computer and write an entry today because I told myself I wanted to do something else. Like watching the TV (or some DVDs I borrowed - there’re 3 more I haven’t watched) or something. Alas, I succumbed to the blogging temptation, hence this entry. (Of course, also thanks to your encouragements… :p)
So what happened yesterday? I shook hands with everyone in the building - there were at least a hundred people altogether. Apparently that’s what happens in the company; every newcomer will be paraded introduced to all the employees on both floors, including the top management staff. The induction programme ended today with a briefing on quality assurance and the company’s efforts in keeping to the ISO standards. During my free time, I read. No kidding. I don’t think I’ll even finish that book by this week. The book provides technical and operating info about a certain system that the company does. Then it occurred to me that that’s what most newcomers in technical positions do - read. LW has been doing a lot of reading too in her company since she started working.
My seniors are really nice and friendly. I’ve been having lunch with the same people who interviewed me - the seniors (including the head) in my department. Luckily I didn’t bullshit my way through the interview. Don’t be surprised, some people do go the ‘extra mile’ to make them sound more ‘competent’ during interviews - especially if they know that the interviewer is from the HR department. I realized that in terms of communication and language, I fit in well too. Everyone quickly switched to Canto during lunch, albeit with some English thrown in. I’m also amazed by one particular senior, who is a Japanese. His conversations with our Japanese counterparts (on telephone, in Nihongo) have always been very loud, but interesting.
I look forward to joining the company’s sports and recreational club, where apparently there’re lotsa active members who play badminton. The company pays for the courts. There’s also an annual dinner coming up, during which outstanding employees will be given awards, and every department will have to come up with a stage performance. I heard that the new staff are always the popular ‘victims’. I hope that that’s not true. And company trips? I was told that there’ll be one, but the place hasn’t been confirmed. All these, plus the fact that we’ll be shifting to a new building early next year (where we’ll be joined by our affiliate company currently based in Shah Alam), have been a great source of excitement. Of course, I also can’t wait to get my hands dirty working on the real stuff (projects currently ongoing).
Despite spending most of my time reading, I’ve had good time chatting and laughing with my colleagues. The HR lady once told me that this company is a place where everyone works as a team, and that our performance - whether good or bad - will be obvious for all to see, especially the boss. That’s actually a very good thing. Transparency. I’ve seen the flowchart on how the company handles a project - almost all the departments have a role to play. On a smaller scale, we have meetings among ourselves every morning - something not uncommon in all ISO9001-compliant companies, I understand. I was amazed at how friendly everyone is to each other regardless of their departments, ethnicity and seniority. Having met (during the newcomer-introduction ‘parade’) almost everyone, I found myself smiling and acknowledging my colleagues even when I take a short walk to the washroom.
Although I don’t know how long will such practice last, I can safely say I feel right at home with these people. Okay now enough with my ramblings about my new workplace.
I got lost while trying to use a shortcut to avoid paying a toll this morning. Somehow I just felt a little adventurous la, can or not? Luckily I still managed to arrive on time. Actually I wanted to try this popular route that everyone uses to bypass that toll - and Google Earth has not been helpful enough to update its maps. By the way, I met a fellow coursemate during lunch today. We were never close, and I don’t even know her name. There was a brief eye-contact which was electrifying and it was nice to recognize an acquaintance from university. She is probably working in a nearby company. After work today I had dinner with LW and EJ, where we caught up on things and stuff going on in our workplaces - which was really nice.
Ok, I didn’t expect to write this much this time around. But then I guess my fingers somehow had their way with the keyboard. Oh by the by… halfway through this entry, I unplugged my AC adapter and went to the toilet, where I unloaded some ‘files’ off my A:\ drive and continued typing. No prize for guessing what ‘A’ stands for. If you must know, no, I didn’t dirty or wet my computer.
How’s that for a little bit more update? *Yawns…*
Every year, there are two TLI trainings specially conducted for Club Officers - or executive committee (exco) members - of all Toastmasters Clubs in District 51. FYI, District 51 covers three countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. This year, the theme for our District has been chosen to be “Shaping Our Aspirations and Results”, or S.O.A.R. for short. To gauge the performance and success of each club, we have something called the Distinguished Club Program (DCP). In this program, each club is challenged to achieve 10 DCP points in a term - where each point awarded corresponds to one type of achievement. For example, if a club has two members attaining the Competent Communicator (CC) award, that club earns 1 DCP point. Exco members play an important role, where the entire club’s direction, environment and success lie in their hands. This is where the TLI comes into picture. It is meant to train and equip the exco members with the skills and knowledge required to steer their clubs to greater success.
