Of customers, inspiration & NCG on a cruise

so i was working late again today coz head office wanted some extra info on a company im recommending..at least the requests sound like the person had a good look at my proposal & i actually feel more knowledgeable after being pointed out on some points i've missed or analysis that was lacking...

sometimes, they refer back cases for stupid things which is merely a process to buy themselves some time to clear up their own pile of back-logs, sometimes they ask for things that are already clearly there...sometimes they just tease u by giving partial approval or rejecting straight away for some dumb reasons, so that you appeal and waste more time..

well, as much as i can, i'll try to channel those frustration into positive thoughts like "i shouldve done this or that better"..or give people the benefit of doubt..but sometimes, u can't help but think that they are also human like u n me who will do mistakes, who will slack, who will be selfish, & who simply won't know (ie stupid)..

so, back to my earlier story..this request was urgent n i only received the requests from HQ about 6 ish...then at the botton there's a line that sounds like this:"pls revert back by 23/12/09 as processing officer will be on leave"..

crap..

but its urgent anyway, so there u go...bank was empty & i was working my socks off again alone..i had to call up the customer at about 8-ish and the lady sounded like she was in cheerful mood..we chat a bit (build rapport mah!) n she said why i worked so late bla bla bla being the caring auntie she was..in my heart, well, "coz we have too many customers like you who want everything urgent.."

sometimes customers are unreasonable..well,too many a times for my own loving actually..

some people are just too rich to care, in their third world mentalities us bankers work for them & thus must do as they say..some are stupid but think they aren't, usually these are educated ones in someother unrelated field than banking/finance & think they read enough to know about what we deal with day in day out..these are the hardest to reason with..

i mean, a lecturer came in and questioned our instalment calculation..he was a lecturer in physics, quite senior it seems..it just wasnt his day as he met me..in his head, all we wanted to do was rip him off...heck, i play with these speadsheets for fun & could even explain to him each formula if he wanted...he sat there quietly as i went on..then rambles some shit about banking, thanked me n left..

at least he thanked me..but it wudve been less embarassing for him if he was more courteous & less berlagak, and asked for a clarification instead of trying to prove something...

customers forget that many actually want to work hard to help them...all they have to do is be nice, courteous, & reasonable..we'll go the extra mile for them instead of going the extra mile while cursing them each second...like that auntie i spoke of earlier, her being nice made me felt better and i felt the extra hours was worth it...

of course, i cant deny that slackers are there & i dont know why they became like that, in my heart i believe these people once was just like that fresh grad who just started working..enthusiastic & hard working...probably the system got the better of them...probably its the lack of inspiration..probably its the dark side yoda's been talking about..

well, thats a lil dip into the pool of situations i encounter week in week out..i guess its part of being in the service sector...sometimes u feel like shit, sometimes u feel great coz you've helped made a difference in someone's life...on a random note, i want to tell all my friends who are teachers that they should be very proud that they have a chance to inspire kids to a better life..i know my teacher inspired me well..and some of yours probably did the same too..

on a side note, i always envision myself being in the customers shoes..being that rich bank customer..what sort of rich guy would i be? everyday i tell myself, "the cool one"..ohyeaaa..i still have that dream of fully sponsoring NCG on a cruise...

difference between celcom & maxis mobile internet

now, i am not a tech geek nor do i know much about fancy telecommunication mambo jumbo..but, after experiencing both celcom & maxis mobile internet, i do think this much i can say about their big difference on a mobile platform...

i use a htc and have always subscribed to data plans from my mobile provider (used to be celcom, now maxis) to make full use of the wonderful device i have..htc tytn II is capable of HSDPA or 3.5G as some would call it..

there's this little logo on my phone screen that shows whether i'm in GPRS coverage area, or EDGE, or 3G or HSDPA, marked by G, E, 3G, and H. i'm sure most people would also have this little indicator on their phone, where the signal strength is usually shown...

when i was with celcom, that little logo was constantly H whenever im in HSDPA area, which is where i would be most of the time..but with maxis, it will only show 3G..and only when the phone is transferring data over mobile net (ie downloading or uploading), will the symbol change to H..when its done, symbol will go back to 3G..

here's an easy way to see what is happening...imagine i have a ferrari and im on a two lane highway...what celcom allows me to do is use the overtaking lane as long as the lane is there...but maxis restricts me to the left lane while driving, and only allow me to use the right lane when overtaking..

Visual representation of my awesome deduction

meh...so its not too bad...fair enough maxis is probably trying to manage the bandwidth usage due to their inferior resources compared to celcom..but here's the problem i often encounter due to the limiting structure...

if i load a huge page, or if i use a program that donw&uploads data bit by bit, it becomes really frustrating as i have to see the connection move up and down many times, effecting the speed im enjoying..

its like overtaking many cars..maxis wont allow me to overtake too many cars using the right lane for too long..im forced to go back to the left lane, then move back right...if the fast lane is pretty empty, then fine..but shitty thing is when there are many fast cars simultaneously wanting to overtake..i would be forced to wait until it is safe to shift lanes...

so between celcom & maxis (in terms of mobile internet), i'd recommend celcom for dependability .. the only reason im using maxis is that the monthly usage commitment includes international calls & smses..while celcom charges me on top of the usage commitment for international calls & smses..

anyway, this whole explanation is pretty much what i've deduced from my own experience..while i feel that its a fairly accurate account, i am not an expert, so do correct me if im wrong and confirm with me if im right..but i really don't think there's any other way to explain the difference in mobile internet behaviours on my phone..

what happens when you can't sleep...

so...i've found some time to do something about this place here...no wonder time is so hard to find...it only comes out at about 430am and only when a certain 'football manager' isn't on the agenda...well...better late then never...

what to expect from this blog? well...2 important things came with this update...

1) i found out i can send a simple email to a certain address and it will be posted straight away here. considering 'send a simple email' can be easily done using my htc...u guys can expect more frequent updates..probably from once every 6 months to, say, once every 2 months?

2) i've added the twitter updates gadget at the side of this page...and since i update random thoughts on twitter more frequently.. (i started twitter on 30/06/09, posted 611 tweets..divided by 173 days...about 3-4 times a day)...you can be more updated with my random thoughts..then again, its pointless being updated with random thoughts coz..erm..they're random...ah well, you'll at least know what's recently up in my life then =)

to sum it up, im still at public bank (!) .. still a man utd die hard .. still weigh more than 100kg .. still love the friends that i've made during any part of my life (Q: awww) eventhough not much effort had been made to keep in touch .. still loves karaoke .. still loving youuuuuuuuuuu ~ (Q: scorpion song)

to you reading this, yes you, a friend, a workmate, my bos, a bot..take it easy and keep it real yo!

Twins?

Chang Chang Changitty Chang She-Bop!

probably the only 1 thing about public bank that triggers good memories of uni life is the regional annual dinner...its gonna be my 2nd time now as a public bank staff but more importantly, its the first time i will experience the full-force furnace of the madness that accompanies it simply because our tan sri teh is coming to town...



it is a big thing - the annual dinner (when tan sri is attending)...it would be really really grand and each region will always try to do better than the region before it...how extravagant is it? well, i dont know yet coz i havent experienced it...but judging from some pics, videos, & what i saw last year..i'd say its gonna be huge...to the extent of 'lebey' level..



the staff (almost 200 altogether) are putting up a grand performance and are practicing like tirelessly to be perfect for the dinner...its like a circus really...



i've decided to take part in the acapella performance (again????...no...this time its pro!) and also to be elton john impersonator for this dance segment called 'the wax museum'...well, basically i dress up like him, and konon2 performing this cool song 'crocodile rock' with dancers and all...



and then there's acapella! the organizing committee called a few of us to form this group as they thought that last year (when me n some other jbu peepz did acapella for the first time in public bank annual dinner) was a pretty awesome concept! =P well...things didnt go smoothly at first, but after a successfull revamp headed by our taiko nizam, it picked up well...


we had been doing studio recording for the past 2 days and since the few of us from the group were around..we helped record a few other songs to be used for the performances...well u c, with the songs, the lyrics would usually be changed to be talking about public bank and we would have to record the new versions...this studio recording thingy...maaan, first time =P

with a team of really talented staff (i mean, seriously, some could steal your heart (n some probably had!) using just their voices!), together we chilled around the office-cum-recording studio either practising or recording or just lepaking with the cool sound engineer for the past 2 days...and at the end of it all...it was all damn satisfying...for our final recording, we recorded this medley of 'grease is the word', 'grease lightning', & 'we go together'...and how technology made us sound awesome was...erm...awesome...of course...garbage in-garbage out...input mesti qualitas! =P

seriously reminded me of the glory days of anas & the producers (haha!)...faisal, zek, anas...wish u guys were there...it would be awesome! how crazy was practice and 'recording' back then???haha! and =and hey, this circus that is the preparation for the dinner sure brings back memories of my mfest days...still among the happiest moments in my life...

well...this pleasant distraction from work at least helped me forget how stressful work can be nowadays...its a long story if i even start talking about it...reality is...i am still at public bank, but i dont really know why...i keep asking myself why i do this when im pretty sure i can afford to choose not to do so...maybe its the challenge of achieving things here thats keeping me here...maybe its my natural desire to reach that position in this organization when i can tell myself (n be proud) that i've made it, before i could finally decide im going...

but its a dangerous trap that could eventually see me spending my entire life here...hmm, nothing wrong with that...as long as i can find the passion...for now...the reason to spark that passion is pretty much non existent..

the road not usually taken...

heheheheyyy! (Krusty-like 'hey')



i was juz chilling, waiting for someone..and i was thinking about work and all..and i cant deny that despite the shittyness that comes with it, im one darn lucky employee within the workforce..



one of the things my colleagues just tak boleh tahan about me is that i dont need to put much effort into my daily travelling to work...



consider this...on a normal day, from my house to my desk would take about..erm..15 minutes..and most people i know travel from almost an hour to more than that to reach office!



the only real threat of a traffic jam is this 250 meter stretch road exiting my taman into the tebrau highway...i take this opportunity to curse OMEGA TUITION CENTER for posing this threat of jam to me...when kids finish tuition...that's when the traffic builds up..2 lane rd bcome 1 lane due to stupid parents parking in one lane waiting for their kids...i mean, dude...there's this decent parking lot juz behind the center where they could put some effort turning into to wait for the kids...sigh...



fact- this jam would delay travel time to between 20-30 minutes...



anyway...the coolest fact of the day is...i actually have an option to travel to work...without actually waiting for any traffic lights, and almost no chance of traffic jam...the only reason i would take this route tho, is when that friggin jam happens...this bcoz this trafficlightless route takes about 5 minutes longer to navigate compared the usual route on a normal day...and more turns are involved...



so...i conclude, that i am too spoilt in terms of the above bcoz not many actually enjoy this sorta convenience...and bcoz i took half a blog post to complain about the insignificant traffic jam that i have to endure once in awhile (well, actually no...i escape via the trafficlightless route when signs of jam surface)..



and why do i choose to arrive at office at 845 sharp (start of office hour)...not earlier??i cant figure that part out..

Map1: a cool map

three cheers for the malaysian workforce who make it to work everyday!

the monster 6 feet under ate the rock

Hello world ^_^

Whoah..look at this place..pretty much dead..hehe..well, i've concluded that this is a side effect of the transition from being a full-time student to your friendly neighbourhood working malaysian...

not only that, life had also changed in terms of the setting it takes place in...very different place & environment the past & the present are...

do i hope that i will be reviving this blog?yes, i hope..but am i confident i will be posting more often?nahh...my next post will probably be in about 2 months time...or maaaaybe...next week?!hehe..i do hope that this post would take the burden of making a first post after many months off myself so that my next post wont look like a daunting task...

but then, why wud writing after so long become daunting?it shudnt be..unless there is some sort of pressure to deliver...pressure to deliver?heck..i write what i feel like writing, whenever i feel like writing it...perasan gila gua kalau rasa ade some sort of expectation out there about my writings! =P

anyway, im currently doing analysis of commercial & consumer credit proposal for public bank...in short, i process loans...yes, i work in a bank...i dont know what's up with some ppl that i've met...when they ask me where i work at..and after i've answered their question...they'd give that ''im surprised,i expected more from someone like you'' look (or most of the times, that short 'oh').

whateverlah..

so, a huge chunk of my life since my last post was work..work..and work...aside from that..i watched almost all man utd matches on weekends...i spend weekends either clearing up work at office and/or spending time with family...then there's the girlfriend time..hehe..before you know it...im almost 11 months in public bank already!(increment! increment! increment! increment!)

dudes, back then in uni, if i focused half as hard as how i do now at work...i'd probably be valedictorian...

every now & then, i think about random ideas that wud b cool if could be tried out...they range from cool restaurant concepts to great agenda for the nation!they are all inspired by the ongoing issues everywhere...from our own laughable political scene, to the economic crisis...to malaysian football..

take this for example, it was inspired during one of those days i cudnt stop cursing malaysian drivers (singaporean drivers included)...

i think we shud start a campaign encouraging people to honk or shout or, if you're driving a hummer, hentam saja those reckless drivers or those ignorant fools who, for example, stop at no stopping zones, troubling everyone else. or just ram into motorcycles who think we care for them soo much & wont dare hit them that they could ride dangerously.

i mean, of course we must be courteous & all...but hey, shit drivers deserve shit...these days, people who do the wrong thing are the ones scolding people who do the right thing on the road..wtf?salah ni beb...orang buat salah mesti ar tau malu...it's time we restore order!

ah well, i guess that is all for now...heck, i dont know why, but i still cant get over sydney & d memories there...to all my mates everywhere...miss u all!