Earlier this year, we won a lucky draw prize at one of the weddings fairs we attended, entitling us to a free pre-wedding photography service from one of the supposedly well-known photography studios in town.

I guess we should’ve seen the signs at the beginning. Which genuine free voucher have you seen that doesn’t contain a list of T&Cs and at the very least, the contact details of the vendor providing the voucher? The only thing it stated on the voucher was that we were entitled to a free pre-wedding photography session, under the artistic direction of the photographer and we would get 20 softcopies of the photos.

So anyway, fast forward to last month. First, Babe had to go around looking for the studio’s contact no. Then, he tried to contact the photog studio but no answer. Tried a few times, still no answer. Then he managed to get the mobile no. of the photog. Then followed up with an email. And then, that’s when this hotshot photog started stating the T&Cs, adding one each time we sent a reply.

First, when we gave him the dates when we were free. Naturally, they were all weekend dates since we both have day jobs. Mr. Hotshot Photog came back to say that the voucher is only valid for weekday shoots.

Fine. We were gonna check out the venue on a Monday so why not have them come and shoot at the same time? We’ll just do a casual shoot in our casual clothes. But no. Mr. Hotshot Photog replied that it was too short notice (it was about 1.5 weeks before) and that it has to be a proper shoot with wedding gown and the works.

At this point, I was like “WTF?!” If you have all these terms and conditions, then state it in black and white on the voucher, up-front, so people will know and decide if it’s worth the trouble to get your free service! Just stating “under the photographer’s artistic direction” is like saying “oh, I have a solution” to a problem. What solution to which problem, we don’t know.

This is why I prefer not to go with these so-called well-known service providers. Their product might turn out good but their service sucks big time. I don’t understand how they work. Just because they make it big, they think it gives them the right to act like morons?

Even my boss, who used Mr. Hotshot Photog’s services for his wedding doesn’t recommend him because he is too well-known, although his photos turned out fine. Boss had a friend who also booked Mr. Hotshot Photog’s services for his wedding and Mr. Hotshot Photog himself was supposed to shoot Boss’ friend’s wedding. But 2 weeks before the wedding, Mr. Hotshot Photog informed that he has another engagement and will be sending another photog instead.

OMG! Where are their principles?! Do keeping your word and integrity mean nothing these days?!

So my policy from now on is, I don’t care if you’re the grandmaster of your field. If you can’t be a decent person and treat people with respect and HONOR your promises, then you are NOT having my business. Pay me also I don’t want to use you because then I’d have to put up with your shitty attitude.

OMG. Such kind of person also got?!

What a monster!

It never fails to stun me whenever I come across stories like these. I just cannot accept that there are people who behave so outrageously!

Check this out.

I was shocked to find out today that there are some people who have a misconception that registration of marriage equates engagement!!

At the gas station, I saw a man in his late 40s to early 50s dressed in his underwear, putting gas in his car!

Pagoda singlet and boxers, and not the nice plaid type of boxers.

Yucks! Do men have any modesty/dignity at all or they just do not care?

I detest rudeness.

Some may confuse bluntness with rudeness. My two cents is if you can’t decide which is which, just don’t say anything at all till you can figure it out. And don’t expect everyone to put up with it if you decide to go ahead and open your mouth.

I get very irritated when people don’t know how to keep public restrooms clean.

You’d think corporate people would be more civic-minded but no, they are not.

I am especially annoyed when they don’t clean up their mess after they use the toilet because I have to clean it up so that the next person who uses it after me (when there’s a queue) doesn’t think that I am the one who made the mess.

Maybe some people need a crash course on how to use public toilets.

1. Pee in the correct hole.
2. Flush the toilet when you are done.
3. Clean/wipe the toilet seat if you had any mis-aims or accidents.
4. Throw tissues into the dustbin provided or flush them down the toilet.
5. Use the bidet properly i.e. don’t wet the entire stall.
6. Throw sanity napkins into the disposal provided and make sure it’s gone down completely. Don’t just leave it on TOP of the lid.
7. When the restroom is crowded, don’t flick your hands to shake of water after you’re done washing your hands. People do not appreciate being sprayed with water on their legs and/or pants.

Seriously, how difficult is it to clean up after yourself after using the washroom and apply the fundamentals??

Project A : 4000+ mandays
Team size : 50 at peak
Duration : 1 year

Project B : 80,000+ mandays
Team size : An army
Duration : Across several years

Scope : Similar for both.

If this is not a recipe for failure for Project A, I don’t know what is.

~~~~~

On the other hand, it feels good to be recognized and appreciated by my peers.

I did a series of .ppt decks in preparation for a project which never took off. When it did finally take off, I was unfortunately assigned to this current hellhole of a project. But my colleague who was in the same team at that time managed to get back to that project and on two occasions, she MSN-ed me :

“Your decks are really useful!”
“AI LING!!! I miss you!! Please come back!!!!!!!”

Even my peers can show some appreciation. But I guess the big bosses think it’s too generous to give a word of praise now and again.

Had a short powwow over cake and coffee, with the app manager after our gruelling full-day session with the client.

He is from the London office and he shared the differences between his office and the KL office.

The stark differences between how the London office values their staff vs. the KL office is quite appalling.

It seems that the London office sincerely cares about things like their employees career path, interests, work/life balance and they actually take the time to listen to their employees. They structure the teams based on the people, not the work. Whether they do this just to keep people happy or they sincerely do care about their staffs’ interests and welfare, I don’t know. But the end result is, people are happy with their work, people are happy to work for the firm, which ultimately leads to people being loyal to the company –> lower attrition rate.

Here, out of all the crappy things happening, the most insulting and demotivating thing I have heard coming from someone up there is that they (the bosses) will not hesitate to remove anyone who doesn’t perform, from the project. And I have also heard of one of them (the bosses), coming to check on my team at 10pm because he doesn’t think we are working hard enough.

What a way to motivate your staff! Already we are given an impossible timeline to meet and an equally ridiculous scope to deliver, and we are already working our butts off to deliver the work (I have colleagues who work till the wee hours and also weekends to get the work done, every single day and weekend), now they threaten to remove us from the project if we don’t deliver?!

You know, I am not surprised at all when people decide to resign. Not at all surprised.

You would think a large multinational firm like this who claims to have every benefit in the working world, would have proper policies and procedures to ensure their staffs’ welfare but in the end, they are just like any other chinapek company out there. Well, the KL arm, that is.

People tell me to detach myself from work and just do what I can but I find it difficult to do so because I must do my best because that is my nature. I cannot deliver something substandard. And because of this, I will get affected by all this nonsense because crap, my contribution is not being appreciated! How can one not be angry and demotivated?!

Being very emo at the moment because I am feeling very shitty. And I don’t need anyone to tell me to (1) quit my job and find another one, or (2) deal with it coz this is how every organization works, because that is not the point.

Seriously. I will bite.

The Home Minister said, in defence of the cow-head incident :

“I have it in my records to show there were cases where a pig-head was used by irresponsible parties including leaving the head in front of an Umno building covered by an Umno flag,” he said in a press conference after coming out of a dialogue session with leaders of the committee who organised the protest but offered no further details of such an act.

I don’t even understand what is the purpose of the pig-head remark. So just because of the pig-head incident (I don’t remember reading about it in the news), it’s ok for those hooligans to pull the cow-head stunt, is it?

What is wrong with people? Who ever said that 2 wrongs make a right? Let’s not even talk about something that is blatantly wrong. Just because someone does something that is not right in your eyes/opinion, doesn’t mean that it is ok for you to pull a ‘tit for tat’. That just shows your immaturity in handling these situations. Exactly like how those knuckleheads behaved in the recent dialogue on the temple issue in Shah Alam.

Grow up, will you!