Xx Later, Friend! xXAlright. So some of you have been asking about my enlistment date. It's the 12th of September 2008 alright? It's not something I'm really excited about, so I'd just let it lie, if you will.
Had a lunch treat from a colleague/friend as a form of "farewell" today. He joined Sulzer maybe a week or 2 after I did (when I was an intern). He keeps saying I'm his Senior. Haha. I'm not lo, Gerald. Frankly, I'm just a quotation machine over there. I just help handle inquiries when the other engineers don't have the capacity to. I don't have to specialize in any applications (except Air Separation); don't have to meet with the customer directly; don't have to fly over to other countries (though I half-hope I can); can almost take leave whenever I want to (at my own expense). I do have to say I will need to take quite a few leaves the next week.
Anyway, to be straight forward, I don't think I'm enjoying this job as much as I used to (despite the rather satiating
pay raise). I don't know if it's just this period of time, or the major sales organizational overhaul that's going on. Chemicals Group 1 (the group I work in) is extremely understaffed, to the extent of handing me the Air Separation application (during this "transition" period). New staff are coming in the first week of June, but new staff takes time to train. CG1 is in a big mess right now. Boss doesn't really care about past projects from CG1 (except a few), and isn't really ready (seems to me) to handle his new Biofuels team. It's understandable if he doesn't give a hoot about new CG1 projects, but sometimes it kind of makes my blood boil when he ignores projects he had been handling prior to the "cultural revolution".
Though we are friends on a personal level (I think. Stress the word THINK. There are some things that make me doubt this friendship, but it's not all that important.), I'm in no position to comment on his method of handling things. So I shall keep quiet and just let things go with the flow. I am concerned about his current health situation though. Hey, if any of my friends were sick, I'd be terribly concerned too. I'm not that apathetic or "emotionless". Right Pika? Lol. You didn't tell me you were sick lo! And then say I heartless. Boohoo.
Talked about my plans for the future today, briefly. I really think I am still very much the "engineer", though accountancy may probably line my pockets fuller. I'll try hauling my ass over to Australia someday. Jiaping told me to get a scholarship to Australia first before letting my parents know. The thing is, I may very well not return to Singapore if I do find myself living well there. That's the thing that has been denying the "stamp of approval" from my parents. My folks are conservative people. They don't like the "western" way of living. And I don't know why, they have predetermined me to "take care of them when they're old". Not trying to push responsibility around here, but shouldn't that be the eldest son's job? Take care of my elderly parents? Fine by me. But if I have to exchange what I think will make me happy for that, I'm sorry but I've got to be a little selfish here.
If the solution is to ask them to move over with me, you can forget it 'coz it's not gonna happen (for the reason stated above). It's been bugging me for some time now and I've been pushing it aside hoping it'd all go away. I need to change my approach. I have been doing it the Leo/Dragon/pseudo-Taurus way. I need to change to a soft, persuasive approach to make this happen. Damn. Tactics, I need tactics! Shall start off by applying at the seminar next weekend.
Anyway, that's about all I guess. Next update will probably be a 3 year overview of my life at NP, with "Graduation" as the concluding event. Till next time, Auf wiedersehen!
// Citizen Erased @ 9:57 PM
