SiMpLe Or CoMpLiCaTeD

100 days of working life. Sometimes when you’re just too free, you begin to think a lot…

I remember when I was in uni life. How do people define achievement? Dean’s list? Getting ‘A’ for integrated projects? Or an ‘A’ for thesis? Well…Does it matter? I got into Dean’s List once, just once…. with a surprising 3.9….That was only enough for me to syok for maybe 1 month? What happens after that? I got an ‘A’ for my final IP4, so what? I guess the happiest ones are my two ‘A-‘s in IP2 and IP3? When when I look back….does it matter? When I come here, some people and even some Malaysians, have not even heard of UM.... MU only larh.....

Similarly, people always questioned me about the bachelor degree that I got. Building Surveying….what the hell? Yes…thank God you don’t know, because I don’t even want you to know. I still remember during my first year, I got so worried, went to look for the Head of Department. The QS HOD agreed to take me in, was really excited! What happen to my own BS HOD. She said there’s no excuse I can quit this course unless I really cannot perform, then only she’ll release. I tell you… that was a great disappointment! But when I look back, does it matter?

Glad I’ve studied something people don’t know. In Malaysia I guess its just so common. Courses like mine are created to ‘answer the market needs’, but there’s no effort to make the public known for our expertise. Anyway, that’s very good! Looking at the diversified career that my coursemates and I started, damn! So unbelievable...You cannot even find more than 30% in one similar profession. Certain courses, I wont say all of them, but MAJORITY….Engineers are engineers because they are trained to be engineers. Architects are architects because they are trained to be architects. QSes are QSes because they are trained to be QSes. BS? We are *whatever you like* because…..because people don’t know what we were trained as. People might think we are 半桶水. But then isn’t Neslo as good as or even better than Nescafe and Milo? But I wont say everything is smooth for us, but once u get a desired job or once there is this opportunity…ho seh liaw lo. In my opinion, for courses like mine, it depends a lot on the performance during interview. A friend told me once, it is very important 'how to you package yourself'... Yes indeed, how you package and of course there are consequences after you got the job (because you said you can do this and that). But at least...we're given more space to package ourselves, because people dont know who we are...But if our mindset is ‘Que sera, sera, What will be, will be…’, jia lat liaw…

So if you ask me, is it important for us to get our BS ACT, which rumours since 3 years ago says its real soon, is it important? I’ll tell u I’m so glad that the Act has NOT approved when I was looking for job, because once it is approved, people will know us and our expertise, the diversified market will be very limited. Just like.... you wont ask a person to sell insurance if you know he's a fishmonger... But for the coming batch(es)… Approve larh....hahaha. Some people will still ask, maybe for now I said so, its really disastrous of not having a professional board… For me very simple, professional board are useful for consultant firms. I don’t need to work for consultant firms, why? You know I know…But for contractor, oh man… everyone can be a hero…. Even if you’re only SPM standard…

My question ---> For all that I’ve said, does it matter?

Very simple ---> whatever it is, it still depends on whether you chiong or not after that... If you never chiong and your mindset is wrong, for example…. ‘I cant because I think cannot la’ or ‘They say cannot like that one’ or maybe ‘I’ll stay at my comfort zone, I just want a simple life’, then jia lat liaw lo.....Again, it reminds me of the issue I posted few weeks ago, ‘obligation or destination’… I think…. If you go and do something because ‘you have to’ not because ‘you would like to’....

Wrong direction, please U-turn!

I started my permanent job on the first day, seventh month of the Chinese calendar, steady right? So far so good, not much work yet since the project is still not officially awarded to us except the demolition works. Currently working together with a workaholic Senior QS... Working life here very interesting. Next week onwards really jia lat... Senior Project Manager asked me to follow the Senior Engineer to site to do morning exercise everyday, 750 am, great... Anyway very thankful it’s a 5 working day job...especially when I woke up at 8am this morning, sibeh shuang leh... But definitely not wise to waste 2 beautiful days. I’m still thinking doing something interesting yet can generate some extra income. My second job still not confirmed, too lazy to take the tests! But one of these days I shall start. I have to.

Japanese company and Japanese bosses are very different, how different? Very different lar.... But I love Japanese souvenirs... already got 3 since my first day of work. By December maybe already collected a box?

Project Director asked me a very simple yet important question the other day when we went to Starbucks. “What is your plan?”

Of course I answered him something simple like my target to be promoted to be ....within.... years. I knew he’s not expecting this kind of answer but its hard for me to tell, I knew I couldn’t tell him things he cannot understand. He suggested me to go home and take a piece of paper. Write or draw something, he said imagine.... imagination is very important; you are what you want to be. Jia lat.... this kind of teaching method even primary school teacher knows how to teach their student, but the ways he explained really touches me. How successfully he is today is definitely not because he understands simple things like this, but it really depends on whether you really remember what you wrote or drew, are you still holding on or not... Writing something to impress others or to make yourself happy but immediately forget what you wrote is definitely not the correct way. Same thing goes with people who often tell others their big dreams or those whom I always call as people of ‘a lot of cita-cita’, but never do something about it. When you asked them ‘Have you tried?’, they will answer you ‘But then ho....I heard people say.....’ wateva larh....

One thing I’m grateful, everywhere I go, there are always companions. Liverpool says “You will never walk alone”. Finally another good friend of mine is coming here, very soon. A lot more next year, I believe.

Back to the ‘imagination’ issue... Everyday I have something new in mind, something I wish to do. I have plenty of things I wish to achieve, even with the years I think they can be achieved. Everyday when I travel to work, ideas coming in.... Lots of download every morning.....

But when I hold the pencil, none of them can be written down on that piece of paper!