Tag: work

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year!  When I walked into the office, some of my clients actually knew that today was the Chinese New Year.  According to them, it was being broadcast on the radio.  I wore red shirt and red tie, just to look very “traditional”.

Today was not so good for Aurore as she had locked herself out.  Lucky her landlord does have the spare key.  As for me, I was such a good day before I received a new SIR from Noubi.  What a bastard!  Usually when a SIR is closed, he would write, “Attn : Wilfrid. This is to inform you that <SIR#> has been successfully tested, and can be closed.”  Being so bored with seeing this all the time, me and Mohamed composed this, “Attn : Noubi. This is to inform you that <SIR#> has been successfully installed, and can be tested.”  And he actually issued a SIR on this Microsoft Mail Message.  The SIR said something like, first the information “Noubi” was duplicated (as it is in the header as well) and said that it should read, “tested successfully” instead.  I was so pissed off that I went straight to Aurore and told her that that guy was crazy and needed some help.  In the end it was supposed to be a joke between Noubi and Mohamed and of course, Mohamed did not appreciate the joke either, and neither did Aurore.  God, that fellow needs some HELP.

And met my Aunt and Uncle for dinner tonight.

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Business Lunch

Nothing can stop me.  My VISION knowledge seems to have increased quite a fair bit and I am afraid on nothing.  Today, I showed Mohamed how to debug one of the SIR and surely he was impressed.

Lunch time, I joined the MUE team (20 people) and had a FF 120 lunch.  Probably one of the best lunch I had so far in Paris.  Opposite me sat Nicolas, who is willing to converse in English.  Beside me were two French ladies, who was also willing to converse in English.  In fact, the one next to me has been to UK (LSE) for 1 year and she loved everything except France.  Weird, isn’t it?  I thought French are always very proud of their culture.

Basically, the MUE team consists of all the technical people on the 7th floor and the “INTL” on the 8th floor.  In fact the funny thing is, INTL dressed a lot smarter and most of them are lady.

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Stressed with Work

Erm, what happened today? Well, I remembered beginning with the day with a very positive attitude and somehow, after lunch, I was very stressed up with the Collateral Module and the Interest Accrued (yes, doesn’t work again) plus the Profitability Programs.  Wow, just all at one go and made me really mad.

And I had to rush off for a hair cut appointment.  Have to say one of the best haircut I ever had. What to say, French are artistic.

And I had to sort out my receipts.  Really painful.  In conclusion, I am not good at accounting at all.

Categories
Diary From the Attic

I Cried Watching Phenomenon

And another down day.  Work was shit.  From knowledge transfer down to ordinary bug fix down to serving the users.  Yesterday I was complaining that someone should help me with all the bug fix as part of the knowledge transfer.  Today I was complaining that I shouldn’t be doing something that what the technical team should be doing.

And guess what?  Yesterday I phoned JP and she was not at home.  Her mum joked to me that she was having “fun” outside.  I phoned her at the office and her colleague told me that “she is meeting someone”.  I phoned her once at home and she was not in at 8 pm.  Then I phoned again at 10 pm and she was not in either.  So what happened to her?  I don’t know.  But one thing for sure is that I am feeling damn shit.

And with all these shit, I decided to quite smoking.  I was a tough experience once again. I was struggling throughout the whole afternoon as I couldn’t find JP.  But I didn’t give in.  It is a tough battle and I am fighting for my life!  I have always a great survivor and I have decided firmly that I have to quit this bad habit once and for all.

Only one thing that made me happy tonight was that they have changed the Pay TV program.  And I watched “Phenomenon”. That made me cried. Remember “George Malley”?

Just a few quotes from the show.

“Would u love me for the rest of my life?
 No, you don’t love me for the rest of mine.”

“U came here to die, didn’t u ?”

“Everything is on its way to somewhere.”

“And you have to listen to me now, it’s happening. It’s gonna be okay .. It’s okay .. Goodbye honey.”

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Nothing Medoc Cannot Fixes

Must be the lack of nicotine nowadays, I became very “bitchy”.  Seen to me everyone began to get scared of me.  I don’t know.  The stress began to build up and when I look at the list of outstanding SIR, I really wonder what am I doing and would I be better off doing something else.  The politics involved in a bank is just, intolerable.

The only thing that made me happy tonight was a very good meal.  French one.  Had the wine “Medoc”, and that is the one I have trying to look for, for so long ! Shell fish soup and rabbit for main course.  Usually I don’t like chocolate moss but I loved the one from this restaurant.  Even the tea was great (Earl Gray).

Last night I was chatting with this lady called “Hope”.  She was kind of popular as all the guys paged for her. But she said I was different as I didn’t talk about sex at all.  Well, I am a very decent boy, am I not ? 

Categories
Diary From the Attic

A Hundred-Dollar Dinner Paid For

Time Report !  Last night I spent hours filling up the time report and this morning, I still found one mistake somewhere.  As usual, I went down to the secretary area to fax my stuffs back to the office.  Somehow I entered the wrong number and didn’t know what to do (French Fax Machine).  The secretary helped me out and according to Claude, he told me that the secretary found me charming.  Charming ?!

Been a very bad day today. Too much work and too much politics. I really want to go home.

In contrast, my dinner was the best.  It cost Societe Generale  SGD 100.00 and I think I well deserve this.  I had my crab as started.  Truly awesome and I loved it.  Then a fish main course.  And that was the best piece of fish I have ever tasted in Paris so far!  Dessert was great as well.

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Useful to Have a Wife and a Mistress

OK, so today was Sunday.  I have only discovered a bottle of Champagne in my the other room this morning and of course, I saved the bottle and the glass for later occasion.

A very gloomy day.  As always, the day passed by fairly fast.  The more I stayed in my new office, the most I missed the old one.  One day I may just tell Aurore that I want to move back to the big old one, with Mohamed, my buddy.

Today we had a meeting.  Indeed a very interest one.  I suppose I have done this against my profession. They were discussing the European Dollar.  During 1999 to 2004, customers can choose to have their transaction in ECC or FF.  Beyond 2004, FF will be replaced by ECC.  I think my company would like to charge them for my advice.  But I just want to learn more.

Today I went off with Mohamed, his friend Philip and Nicolas.  When four men together, what else will it be ? They were very interested in talking about women.  I guess everywhere is always the same.  Mohamed told me that it is very “useful” in France to have two women.  One is wife and the other is mistress.  I was kind of confused as I have never thought this is ever useful.  Maybe pleasurable.  In the end, he meant to say “usual”.

And before we boarded the train, Mohamed told me that VISION is his dream.  Then I replied, “I thought women is your dream.”  He then said, “No, it is VISION.”  And I said, “No, you should dream about women instead”.  In the end, Philip clarified that what Mohamed meant was “nightmare”.

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Bad Day at Work

Today was not my day.  First thing in the morning, my Jaz Drive went dead on me.  Late in the evening, my notebook’s floppy drive went dead on me.  But I have seen it all, been it all.  So no big deal.  Just have to accept that in life, things may not go as smooth as ever.

In terms of work, been a very productive day.  Good news is that I will have no SIR by the 7th August.  They will all belong to the Technical Team.  I really can see the day to get out of the prison. 

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Eating in Paris

It took 4 days for the French Technician to come and fix my network port.  I have been sharing the network port with Aurore.  In terms of work, there has not been anything being done at all.  But I am content.  At least I know that this trip is not chargeable, I do not feel the pressure at all.

Aurore has been quite cold to me nowadays.  I guess she is really busy and has to act like a boss.  Claude was right.  Aurore is young and she may scares that nobody will listen to her.  The office I am now working in is too small.  I do prefer the previous big room with all my good mates.

As for dinner, Claude has once again shown me a very nice restaurant.  I was the first customer and it was an Italian Restaurant.  As usual, my starter was rabbit and this time, as for main course, I tried something different.  Pasta with snails. Italian wine and fresh fruit salad as finale.  The atmosphere was very good. Light orange wall painting, my favorite.

Categories
Diary From the Attic

Feeling the Blahs

Not a very exciting day.  Work was, as usual, boring.  Trying to do some green books, but there are always a lot of disturbance in the office.  People would just ask you some stupid questions or ask you to do some stupid things or ask you to join him or her for a cup of coffee.  I really wish I could be left alone and quietly do the green books.

Funny that I do not wish to do any VISION related jobs later on in my life.  I have this deep feeling that (although I do not want to admit) too many people has gone ahead of me.  At the end of the day, maybe I have been doing VISION for one and a half years and more, I know nothing about Version 5.  And I have to learn all from start.  I just want to get out.  What I scared of is that I will be asked to maintain all the new systems all over the world.

Wanted to join BCM for a show “The Thing You Do” in the new cinema at Shaw Tower.  Sad to say JP was very tired.  So I ended up spending my Friday night with Sam and his wife.  Somehow the bedroom set that Sam ordered was damaged and has to be manufactured again.  Of course, they will not accept a bedroom set after their marriage day hence they have to choose another set.  In the end, they have found one but Sam did not like the handles and his wife did not like the size of the wardrobe.  She said it was too small.  Anyway, we had a dinner somewhere and I accompanied them to buy a wok in NTUC.

Came home for the show, “A Few Good Man”.  And that is it.  Write some mails and go to sleep.