consulting work

When I received this in the mail, I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it.

No wonder we had those late nights at the office, multiple re-do's and inadvertently more white hair, just because of a mismatch in expectations!

rolling off

I've just sent off what should hopefully be the last email with regards to the project I have rolled off from last week. Even though the official roll off date was last Fri, 16 Dec, it sure didn't feel like it was my last day.

Out of the many things on my to-do list, there were still some outstanding. Not very urgent, but mostly last minute requests. The rest were basically administrative like downloading files from the project SharePoint, writing thank you emails, shredding documents and goodbyes+hugs.

Even though we were supposed to be ramping down during the last few weeks, it seemed like one of the busiest periods ever as we rushed to tie up loose ends. With a client that you've been with for just a little over 2 years, it's difficult to handover everything in less than 2 weeks.

Out of all the projects I've been involved for them, this one has definitely left quite an impression, both professionally and personally. Looking back, those late night crunches, learning everything new on the fly, weekend catch up's and figuring our clients out have been a series of learning experiences.

Sometimes it felt like I was about to give up, having had enough of the lack of work life balance. Sometimes I tell myself to just push through a little bit more, I've come so far. It's the li'l thing which we call being responsible.

Being a sanguine, I'm not naturally prone to finishing what I start. In fact, it takes tonnes of discipline for me to even finish a book! Hence, I have many lying around half-read, all started with good intentions; either to arm myself with better financial planning knowledge, learning how to take delight in our Father, or to deal with difficult people.

I'm quite surprised myself at how much I've pushed myself despite all the challenges and difficulties. At least I can say I've given the best given the odds, and have accomplished what I had set out to do.

I may not be able to see the fruits of my labour, but I'm sure those colleagues who are staying on would be able to update me later. Or at least looking at the notes I've been getting, I should take comfort that my work has received recognition and is being appreciated.

Now, if only I could "work" this hard and be more "active" in the works that are more eternal in substance and value. Now that I know I'm capable of "sacrificing" so much for something I may not necessarily believe in, I should feel ashamed for not giving up even more for Him who gave His only begotten Son.

Before I forget and not post up anything before Christmas, here's some themed cupcakes wishing you a Blessed Christmas, Buon Natale, Joyeux Noël, メリークリスマス、สุขสันต์วันคริสมาสต์, Selamat Hari Natal and عيد ميلاد مجيد.

2 years already?

i just celebrated my 2nd anniversary with this client. can't believe i just said that, as if it's like a birthday to look forward to, or a special event that needs to be marked in the calendar.

while a lot of consulting projects end within a few months, it's not unusual for clients to extend the tenure of their consultants. my previous supervisor did say it's a sign of trust. either that, or they're just comfortable with you and makes it easier to continue with the same resources.

i guess it means a little more than just a project because there was quite a bit of effort put into it in the initial stages, and i see the fruits of our labour. we helped set up the shared service centre from scratch with really no background in this sort of work (don't tell that to the client!), and today it's filled up on 2 floors, with IT professionals in niche skills you'd wish you had studied for.

it feels a little like a mum giving birth after those months of care, nourishment and attention. the kids are the new people joining us every month, whom i know better than my own colleagues sometimes! not surprisingly, i identify more with the client and its culture than with my own company.

well, we just had confirmation that i, together with most in the team, will be rolling off in less than a month. i don't know how to feel. i guess it's like giving your kids away to adopted parents after all that months of work and labour.

there's a mix of feelings i suppose. quite delighted that there's a bit of closure to some of the work that i've been doing. abit apprehensive about the next client because as my previous supervisor said "better the devil you know". definitely also sad because i think this is one of the better clients we have.

i shall miss the views i have from my privileged seat - the view of the lake gardens is a sight for sore eyes, and i wished i had done less work and more day dreaming!

i shall miss the people i've come to call my friends - though i've always had this thing about drawing the line between work and personal.

i shall miss the supply of food in the pantry and the occasional treats from the client - they're from a more prosperous industry.

i don't know what the next client will be like, but i hope they be kind to me!

november already?

Can't believe it's November already! I suppose I should be glad that the project is reaching its end, and yet it doesn't feel like it's ramping down. On the contrary, there's still a steady stream of activities to keep my team busy until the very last few days, and I suspect, this may turn into more work as we have yet to find proper owners to handover to.

It's very strange that I'm getting used to working long hours and even on weekends. Though I wish I could go back to those days where I could leave the laptop in the office and switch the mind off work without having to go through a mental list of to-do's all the time.

It's very true then the recent report about Malaysians are too hardworking - I am guilty of being one of them.

I used to agree with people who say there will always be another day to finish up work, and work will always pile up, so no point rushing to finish what you have. Well, now I beg to differ, more so because of the industry I'm in.

Lessons learnt, I hope if I get to be on another client, this should be something I have to change. If not, some thing's gotta give.

For now, let me go get my sleep because accumulated sleep deprivation has proven to be quite disastrous in many ways. I shall not elaborate, because my bed is calling!

Oh, a side note because it is good news after all : The AA cheque finally cleared (after 1 month!) so I hope that kinda covers the astronomical phone bill I had and all the unnecessary expenses for not getting my luggage back on time. It's a small relief, but nevertheless clears that nagging item on the to-do list.

the technical pains

Problem 1:
Keyboard that spews out numbers when characters are typed, and vice versa.

Root Cause :
Water spilt accidentally onto keyboard while trying to work on the floor at my cousin's place in Chicago and trying to grab the water from the table above

Impact :
Many hours wasted trying to delete extra numbers when characters are typed, and vice versa
Unnecessary stress due to loss of productivity and having to catch up with work causing more stress

Solution :
Managed to finally get the Dell technician to come on site to replace with a new keyboard. Now I can bring the laptop to meetings and not be embarrassed when I type with the projector on, and having to explain why I have a keyboard that spews out numbers when characters are typed, and vice versa.


Problem 2 :
Erratic wifi at the client site

Root Cause :
2 wifi devices installed in the company laptop

Impact : 
Many hours wasted trying to copy and paste IM conversations with client and colleagues
Many hours wasted trying to wait for emails to be sent out, giving the impression of lack of timely responses
Unnecessary stress due to loss of productivity and having to introduce other tasks while waiting for wifi to be up again, throwing original schedule off balance causing more stress

Solution :
Managed to get Remote Support from Dalian who speaks with an American accent to take control of my laptop, figured out the root cause, uninstalled the extra wifi device. Now I have almost uninterrupted wifi at the office and don't have to feel frustrated having to explain why I'm offline all the time.


Problem 3 :
Having to plug in all cables (external monitor, external keyboard, power plug and mouse) manually

Root Cause :
Not docking station installed at my cubicle

Impact : 
Many minutes wasted trying to plug and unplug cables when there's up to 6-8 meetings in a day to be attended
Unnecessary stress due to loss of productivity

Solution :
Managed to get approval from the client to get their Helpdesk to install a docking station for me. Now I can easily dock the laptop and get started on work immediately, or vice versa when I need to dash off for meetings with the laptop.



Benefits of solving the above :
I think I can safely say that even though the above seem very minor on their own, they did add considerable stress because when I finally had all of the above sorted out (in various stages throughout the past few weeks), I could breathe a sigh of relief.

Yes I could have thought of those solutions earlier, and made some time to solve them, but just didn't think of them when I'm swamped with work. Note to self : To fix the leaking roof before the roof collapses and cause even worse damage and stress!

starry

If you know me, I don't have sweet tooth. In fact, I count dessert as a rare indulgence. I usually eat it when I'm reminded there's dessert on the menu, or when someone else asks if I'd like to share in a dessert.

However, these stars were too irresistible. Even though they were too sweet for my liking, but because stars are also my fav shapes, I ordered them from the lady who was scooping ice cream for those in the buffet line.

If you are a fan of buffet meals, they say Le Meridien offers one of the better spreads. Plus, you get stars on your ice-cream.

lantern festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival has come and gone, but I still have that lantern we made together with the kids the Friday before the Festival.

I don't even remember the last time I actually "celebrated" the Festival. That's because we stopped playing with lanterns after we grew up! What used to be wire frames covered in glass papers of various colours and lit up by candles have now given way to battery-operated modern contraptions.

Lanterns are not difficult to make. In fact, when you have the right materials coupled with other adults as enthusiastic as making these together with the kids, it brings back glimpses of a childhood filled with simple pleasures.

the intern

Butterfly had to say goodbye to the Intern who had to return to London to finish his studies. He had been a good help, more than what she had expected. Maybe because she didn't have much expectations to begin with, except that the team's load would be better balanced with him in it.

When Butterfly tried to request for a replacement (intern), the Top People told her not to expect anything like the Intern. He was "unique", they said.

Butterfly had to agree. She had prior experiences with a few other interns from The Slick Side, and couldn't help but agree that he was unique.

All Butterfly had to do was just give a single sentence of request, and he would be able to comprehend and digest it almost immediately, and come back with exactly (and sometimes more) than what she had requested. In fact, the Intern had brains of his own, so was able to provide input that was constructive to whatever requests or discussion that were at hand.

Perhaps it was the fact that he had good upbringing, or the fact that he was analytical and intelligent enough for the tasks asked of him. Or perhaps his humility and initiative to learn endeared him to many.

Whatever it was, everyone who worked with the Intern had positive things to say.  Even though he had not yet graduated, but The Slick Side (not the Company that hired him) were prepared to engage him even when he's back in London studying.

As Butterfly flew home that evening after a week (that felt very long) at work without the Intern, she felt grateful that he was around for a bit. She even wished there were more interns like him.

Butterfly started to wish she had been given opportunities such as presented to the Intern. But even if she were, would she be as competent and well-liked as the Intern? Would she have been able to face questions posed by The Slick Side as confident as he did?

This brought Butterfly to memories of her first job. Really, the circumstances were vastly different, and could not even be compared. All that remained in her memory of that first job was how laidback the working environment was, and how dumbed down she felt as she knew she was capable for more.

Indeed, sometimes Butterfly cannot control what environment she ends up in, or what opportunities come her way, but what  Butterfly can do is how she manages her reaction and her next steps. No one said life was fair, but Butterfly makes do and is thankful for what she has.


*Any resemblance to real-life characters is purely coincidental. Excerpts from this story may be reproduced by acknowledging the writer.