Have you noticed that the festivities are rather muted this year? Wonder why that is? To me Raya is all about excess - excess cookies, excess kuihs, excess clothes shopping and loads of open houses to visit - its part of the season and to have that toned down takes the fun out of Raya.
For DD Raya is festive enough coz Mumma and Acha get to stay at home with HER - reason enough for a major celebration - cookies and kuih muih are optional. She was asked at school what her best friend's name was and she said "Mumma" ! ........ those apron strings are never going to be cut at this rate. My dad was telling DD that when she is big she must go to Oxford University (dad hoping granddaughter will be smarter than daughter) and she nodded her head enthusiastically and said "And mumma will come with me isnt it?". I guess she intends for me to go thru life with her. Puh-leese, am sure come her first date she wont be able to get rid of me fast enough....."mumma? mumma who?".
We are checking into The Saujana (Subang) for the long weekend - just for a change of scene - too lazy to drive far away for a holiday as we plan to go to Cameron around Divali....so given mine and DD love for hotels this will be a fun break. DD actually knows the difference between a 5 star and 3 star hotel. When we stayed at Sunway Lagoon Resort she declared it to a "very nice lotel" but the 3 star on at Pangkor was declared "a smelly lotel" - so yes she has standards my girl.
A friend of mine told me her sis-in-laws belief is that you must give your daughters all the best things in life - that way they come to expect only the best and thus will only marry a man who can take care of them well to the standard they've been used to and not some down-on-his-luck sap.......dont know if I agree with that but its an interesting approach.
Happy Raya to All Of You - Good Health and Good Cheer To All.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sandcastles
Took DD to Pangkor two weeks ago - seeing as how she has a passionate interest in working out how much sand she can fill in her swimmers before she sinks - we think we have a physicist in the making here folks. Drove up to Lumut on Friday and took the ferry across to Pangkor and stayed at the Coral Bay Resort Pangkor. So the thing about Coral Bay Resort Pangkor is this - ITS RUBBISH, and if you're thinking of staying there - DONT. There are better ways to spend your RM260 a night.
The rooms were dirty, the food was revolting - creates a new definition for the word revolting, and the facilities were so far removed from the pics in the web-site - it goes to show how little you can rely on websites and advertising. We were thoroughly dissapointed and more than a little pissed off. Further the advertised 100 metres from the beach - while accurate - was not really a beach for swimming - it was where boats were docked for picking up passengers for island boat trips - very inappropriate for swimming as it was too deep. Thankfully Pangkor island in itself is so charming it made up for the the disappointment in the accomodation and we managed to get a cab and go to a "real beach" for the better part of our holiday there. On the plus side we had the best seafood I have ever had in my entire life at Restaurant Yee Lin in Pasir Bogak. The food was so tasty I'm still having spasms thinking about it - if you are ever in Pangkor this place is a must - you will not regret it.
DD has learnt that if you build your sandcastles too near to the shore they get swept away - a lesson for us all I think.
So here's an interesting fact (am reading Crunch Time by Mike Hanley & Adrian Monck and its really scaring me) - apparently if everyone in the world were to have the same standard of living as one enjoys in downtown Europe - the earth's resources as it stands at present can only sustain 2 billion people. The current population of the world stands at 6 billlion.Doesnt that statistic scare the pants off you? We have two choices- the ones who are living it up can tone it down a little to let the 4 billion get a bit of the pie OR we can get the 4 billion to voluntarily jump off a cliff - eliminating the problem. So you gonna tell them or me? At the heart of this lies the idea of sustainability - how can we make sure we have enough to go around - and what is enough for those of us who have enough? Also can we really blame the "have nots" for loathing the "haves"?
Did you know half of the world's population live on less than US$2 a day - US$2 a day. That's less than RM6.80 a day. Now lets see what can that buy you? - A loaf of white bread costs RM1.90, a nasi lemak costs you at best RM1, a bunch of spinach from the wet market would cost you RM1, a fish would cost you (at RM9 per kilo for the cheapest fish) maybe RM3 for one fish - so that's what you'd get a loaf of bread, 1 nasi lemak, 1 fish and 1 bunch of spinach for the day - never mind clothes, rent, amenities, education, medical expenses etc. And this is what half the world's population get to enjoy every day - that's half - ie 50% - ie its just luck of the draw that you and I happen to be on this side of the 50% fence - ie OMIGOD!
Ok we all know there are poor people and we all know we are privileged - but just think about these statistics at this basic level what do we spend a day compared to what The Others get to spend a day. Its hard not to be overwhelmed by the futility of it all - and its hard to know what we can do to make any difference, its hard not to feel like bashing your head against a brick wall. But just to be aware of the statistics in itself is surely a start - a way to shake us out of our stupor - and give us perspective - RM6.80 a day - thats not a life.
"There but for the grace of God go I" - never made more sense than it does now.
The rooms were dirty, the food was revolting - creates a new definition for the word revolting, and the facilities were so far removed from the pics in the web-site - it goes to show how little you can rely on websites and advertising. We were thoroughly dissapointed and more than a little pissed off. Further the advertised 100 metres from the beach - while accurate - was not really a beach for swimming - it was where boats were docked for picking up passengers for island boat trips - very inappropriate for swimming as it was too deep. Thankfully Pangkor island in itself is so charming it made up for the the disappointment in the accomodation and we managed to get a cab and go to a "real beach" for the better part of our holiday there. On the plus side we had the best seafood I have ever had in my entire life at Restaurant Yee Lin in Pasir Bogak. The food was so tasty I'm still having spasms thinking about it - if you are ever in Pangkor this place is a must - you will not regret it.
DD has learnt that if you build your sandcastles too near to the shore they get swept away - a lesson for us all I think.
So here's an interesting fact (am reading Crunch Time by Mike Hanley & Adrian Monck and its really scaring me) - apparently if everyone in the world were to have the same standard of living as one enjoys in downtown Europe - the earth's resources as it stands at present can only sustain 2 billion people. The current population of the world stands at 6 billlion.Doesnt that statistic scare the pants off you? We have two choices- the ones who are living it up can tone it down a little to let the 4 billion get a bit of the pie OR we can get the 4 billion to voluntarily jump off a cliff - eliminating the problem. So you gonna tell them or me? At the heart of this lies the idea of sustainability - how can we make sure we have enough to go around - and what is enough for those of us who have enough? Also can we really blame the "have nots" for loathing the "haves"?
Did you know half of the world's population live on less than US$2 a day - US$2 a day. That's less than RM6.80 a day. Now lets see what can that buy you? - A loaf of white bread costs RM1.90, a nasi lemak costs you at best RM1, a bunch of spinach from the wet market would cost you RM1, a fish would cost you (at RM9 per kilo for the cheapest fish) maybe RM3 for one fish - so that's what you'd get a loaf of bread, 1 nasi lemak, 1 fish and 1 bunch of spinach for the day - never mind clothes, rent, amenities, education, medical expenses etc. And this is what half the world's population get to enjoy every day - that's half - ie 50% - ie its just luck of the draw that you and I happen to be on this side of the 50% fence - ie OMIGOD!
Ok we all know there are poor people and we all know we are privileged - but just think about these statistics at this basic level what do we spend a day compared to what The Others get to spend a day. Its hard not to be overwhelmed by the futility of it all - and its hard to know what we can do to make any difference, its hard not to feel like bashing your head against a brick wall. But just to be aware of the statistics in itself is surely a start - a way to shake us out of our stupor - and give us perspective - RM6.80 a day - thats not a life.
"There but for the grace of God go I" - never made more sense than it does now.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Mum
My mum was the most influential person in my life, every aspect of my life was somehow influenced by mum either in accordance with her wishes or as a direct reaction against what she wanted. Everything I do, say or think is somehow related to mum and my benchmark is still "what will mum say" or "bugger! mum's gonna kill me".
Mum was a strong, feisty, temperamental, beautiful, dramatic and exciting woman. She believed in doing her best, looking her best and being the best and was continually up our backsides to do the same thing. She never accepted mediocre and always wanted to be different from the norm. She lived each day to the fullest and was constantly on the go, she believed in using every moment of the day to the max - and couldnt stand to see anyone relaxing or as she put it "whiling away god given minutes". Her temper was legendary and could strike fear in even the strongest soul - but her temper always blew over and she'd be trying to make it up to the person she yelled at by cooking for them or caring for them in some practical way.
She was a teacher for 30 years and taught in boys' schools for the most part. A lasting memory I have is of her chasing a boy around the table with her slipper and then meeting up with the same boy many years later in a restaurant. The boy is now a successful lawyer and he leapt up to greet her (of course she didnt remember him) but he mentioned the slipper incident and mum said "ah yes you were a devil, good thing I whacked you - see how well you've turned out". The ex-student meekly said "yes teacher".
She would buy breakfast for the poorer boys who came in from the estates in Port Klang too early in morning to have breakfast as she said they couldnt concentrate in her class on an empty stomach. She would buy lice medicine for those with lice and make them use it and check that they wore underpants and socks. I recall going with her to Petaling Street to buy boxes of socks and underpants for her students. Mum wasnt one for "I Love You's" but her actions spoke louder than words.
She was incredibly witty and the hours she and I used to sit at the kitchen table hooting about stuff will always be the lasting memory I have of her. She had a sense of the ridiculous and was a bit of an actress - and she used to mimic people we knew to a tee. Her expressions and turn of phrase were matchless.There was never a dull moment with mum and having her as a mum was a bit like living with a tornado. The problem with living with a tornado is that once it passes you are left with an unnatural quiet which you cant quite get used to.
Mum passed away recently from cancer - a disease that ravaged her. It left her with precious little dignity and robbed her of her greatest love - being in motion and doing things for herself. It took away her looks and her sense of humour, but she never lost her commanding presence. Even in hospital in her last days she was getting me to buy currypuffs and vadais for the nurses as she felt they were too thin. She was always lecturing them on their English and spouting out on ways in which they could better themselves. The sheer force of her will would make the doctors and nurses take direction from her rather than the other way round. She was the driving force in our family - almost like the engine for the vehicle that was our family. We are hard pressed to know how to find our way in the coming weeks, months and years, yet we must and we must do it well as mum would have wanted us to go from strength to strength rather than break down.
I take solace in the fact that her voice is so deeply etched in my mind that she will always still be our reference point. She wanted red roses and white roses at her funeral and she said we should make it a short service and "dont all of you sweat over me and wail like some bad Tamil movie - I wont have it" and "You'd all better dress well and put a smile on your faces- there's no need to look like someone has died". And that was Mum in essence, it was always about pulling yourself together and soldiering on. "Who told you life was easy, get over it and make the best of things, and stop looking like a drowned rat" was one of her favourite phrases.
Mum I love you and I will miss you till the day I die. You are so much a part of me I cant say goodbye. Rest in peace my dearest dramatic, delightful mother until we meet again.
Mum was a strong, feisty, temperamental, beautiful, dramatic and exciting woman. She believed in doing her best, looking her best and being the best and was continually up our backsides to do the same thing. She never accepted mediocre and always wanted to be different from the norm. She lived each day to the fullest and was constantly on the go, she believed in using every moment of the day to the max - and couldnt stand to see anyone relaxing or as she put it "whiling away god given minutes". Her temper was legendary and could strike fear in even the strongest soul - but her temper always blew over and she'd be trying to make it up to the person she yelled at by cooking for them or caring for them in some practical way.
She was a teacher for 30 years and taught in boys' schools for the most part. A lasting memory I have is of her chasing a boy around the table with her slipper and then meeting up with the same boy many years later in a restaurant. The boy is now a successful lawyer and he leapt up to greet her (of course she didnt remember him) but he mentioned the slipper incident and mum said "ah yes you were a devil, good thing I whacked you - see how well you've turned out". The ex-student meekly said "yes teacher".
She would buy breakfast for the poorer boys who came in from the estates in Port Klang too early in morning to have breakfast as she said they couldnt concentrate in her class on an empty stomach. She would buy lice medicine for those with lice and make them use it and check that they wore underpants and socks. I recall going with her to Petaling Street to buy boxes of socks and underpants for her students. Mum wasnt one for "I Love You's" but her actions spoke louder than words.
She was incredibly witty and the hours she and I used to sit at the kitchen table hooting about stuff will always be the lasting memory I have of her. She had a sense of the ridiculous and was a bit of an actress - and she used to mimic people we knew to a tee. Her expressions and turn of phrase were matchless.There was never a dull moment with mum and having her as a mum was a bit like living with a tornado. The problem with living with a tornado is that once it passes you are left with an unnatural quiet which you cant quite get used to.
Mum passed away recently from cancer - a disease that ravaged her. It left her with precious little dignity and robbed her of her greatest love - being in motion and doing things for herself. It took away her looks and her sense of humour, but she never lost her commanding presence. Even in hospital in her last days she was getting me to buy currypuffs and vadais for the nurses as she felt they were too thin. She was always lecturing them on their English and spouting out on ways in which they could better themselves. The sheer force of her will would make the doctors and nurses take direction from her rather than the other way round. She was the driving force in our family - almost like the engine for the vehicle that was our family. We are hard pressed to know how to find our way in the coming weeks, months and years, yet we must and we must do it well as mum would have wanted us to go from strength to strength rather than break down.
I take solace in the fact that her voice is so deeply etched in my mind that she will always still be our reference point. She wanted red roses and white roses at her funeral and she said we should make it a short service and "dont all of you sweat over me and wail like some bad Tamil movie - I wont have it" and "You'd all better dress well and put a smile on your faces- there's no need to look like someone has died". And that was Mum in essence, it was always about pulling yourself together and soldiering on. "Who told you life was easy, get over it and make the best of things, and stop looking like a drowned rat" was one of her favourite phrases.
Mum I love you and I will miss you till the day I die. You are so much a part of me I cant say goodbye. Rest in peace my dearest dramatic, delightful mother until we meet again.
Monday, June 4, 2007
H-A-P-P-Y
A survey has been introduced in UK schools to work out a child's "happiness barometer" by giving them quizzes to ascertain their happiness levels. My only response to this is "bollocks"! Why on earth would you need to set quizzes for 6 year olds who are notoriously mercurial anyway to figure out whether they're happy - what earthly purpose would it serve. We all know kids can be down in the depths of dumps one minute and then be happy as a lark the very next. We also know that too much navel gazing isnt good for the soul - it makes one more anal than necessary. Kids need to learn early on to snap out of it and soldier on, skills that will set them up for life.
"Nobody Knows The Troubles I've Seen. Even fewer people care"
Lets face it when asked how you are - you are expected to give a snappy cheery response not a prolongued litany of your woes because no one really wants to hear it. So too much analysis on whether or not we are happy can only lead to misery. After all happiness is fleeting you only recognise it once its gone and if you overthink whether you are or are not happy at any given moment you're sure to be miserable. Happiness doesnt stand up to scrutiny.
Am sure you'd get answers on these quizzes like "I'm not happy coz mum didnt let me watch TV for 24 hours", or "I'm so happy because I got a nintendo xx".
Can you imagine if you had such quizzes for adults at their workplace? You'd have to reword the test to "Are you feeling happy today? a. Get lost b. What the... c. Give me more money d. Yes (I'm on prozac).
We need to get kids to look outwards rather than inwards surely - the true measure of a life well spent is spending it on something that is bigger than you and will outlast you. The sooner we teach kids this the better.
"Nobody Knows The Troubles I've Seen. Even fewer people care"
Lets face it when asked how you are - you are expected to give a snappy cheery response not a prolongued litany of your woes because no one really wants to hear it. So too much analysis on whether or not we are happy can only lead to misery. After all happiness is fleeting you only recognise it once its gone and if you overthink whether you are or are not happy at any given moment you're sure to be miserable. Happiness doesnt stand up to scrutiny.
Am sure you'd get answers on these quizzes like "I'm not happy coz mum didnt let me watch TV for 24 hours", or "I'm so happy because I got a nintendo xx".
Can you imagine if you had such quizzes for adults at their workplace? You'd have to reword the test to "Are you feeling happy today? a. Get lost b. What the... c. Give me more money d. Yes (I'm on prozac).
We need to get kids to look outwards rather than inwards surely - the true measure of a life well spent is spending it on something that is bigger than you and will outlast you. The sooner we teach kids this the better.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Fussy
DadofFour (btw you're going to have to change the title of your blog soon), usually tags me and I ignore it coz I'm hopeless at that sort of thing, but this tag can lah - the meaning of my child's name. Since I've only got one it makes it easier to respond.
DD - Dhilshara Rao Mathew, is named after Dhilsha a 16th century moghul princess who lived in Bijapur (present day Andhra Pradesh, India). She was left to defend her kingdom after her father the king passed away -when an enemy army approached the gates of her kingdom she rode out at the head of her army and struck the leader of the enemy army right between the eyes with her bow and arrow. The enemy army fled and news of her bravery and prowess spread and no one ever attacked her kingdom again and she reigned over Bijapur bringing prosperity and peace to her kingdom. Cool eh? I read the story somewhere and thought it was a lovely name and DH liked it too because of the archery part and also in sanskrit it means Happy Heart or Happiness of the Heart - so that decided it. We added the -ra at the end to make it tie in with my name. Of course on hindsight naming her after a warrior princess was probably not the wisest thing to do - she is every bit a warrior and has delusions of grandeur and tries to command us her "slaves".
We are hunting for preschools for DD at present - and its soo difficult or are we just too fussy, when I say we I mean me of course. DH and I really believe in not sending children too early to school so we plan to send DD only next year when she turns four to preschool which means she'll get 3 years of preschool/kindy before going to Year 1 which is more than enough surely. However ever since she was 2 she has been going to Lorna Whiston one day a week and she loves that, she also goes to drama class one day a week and music class one day a week which we feel is more than enough. But am not sure if she's too bored at home, can she last another six months without going to formal preschool? What do you think? This morning she woke up and said "I want to go to school mumma" - and I felt bad for her - maybe she's just had enough of being at home while we dash off to work. Wish she could understand that one day years down the line she'll wish she had the whole day to herself to potter around and do as she wished, laze around and just be. Its a thing of the past for us isnt it but these kids still have that luxury for now but as in everything in life you never what you've got till its gone.
DD - Dhilshara Rao Mathew, is named after Dhilsha a 16th century moghul princess who lived in Bijapur (present day Andhra Pradesh, India). She was left to defend her kingdom after her father the king passed away -when an enemy army approached the gates of her kingdom she rode out at the head of her army and struck the leader of the enemy army right between the eyes with her bow and arrow. The enemy army fled and news of her bravery and prowess spread and no one ever attacked her kingdom again and she reigned over Bijapur bringing prosperity and peace to her kingdom. Cool eh? I read the story somewhere and thought it was a lovely name and DH liked it too because of the archery part and also in sanskrit it means Happy Heart or Happiness of the Heart - so that decided it. We added the -ra at the end to make it tie in with my name. Of course on hindsight naming her after a warrior princess was probably not the wisest thing to do - she is every bit a warrior and has delusions of grandeur and tries to command us her "slaves".
We are hunting for preschools for DD at present - and its soo difficult or are we just too fussy, when I say we I mean me of course. DH and I really believe in not sending children too early to school so we plan to send DD only next year when she turns four to preschool which means she'll get 3 years of preschool/kindy before going to Year 1 which is more than enough surely. However ever since she was 2 she has been going to Lorna Whiston one day a week and she loves that, she also goes to drama class one day a week and music class one day a week which we feel is more than enough. But am not sure if she's too bored at home, can she last another six months without going to formal preschool? What do you think? This morning she woke up and said "I want to go to school mumma" - and I felt bad for her - maybe she's just had enough of being at home while we dash off to work. Wish she could understand that one day years down the line she'll wish she had the whole day to herself to potter around and do as she wished, laze around and just be. Its a thing of the past for us isnt it but these kids still have that luxury for now but as in everything in life you never what you've got till its gone.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Info Tech And Other Oxymorons
So I've been trained on everything from risk management to financial project management to how to make a cappucino with the office cappucino machine - tho' I probably need to do a revision tutorial on the cappucino thing as I think I've blown the froth creator pipe (it made the most unusual sound much like a constipated elephant as I finished with it). I'm trained to the max - so much information at my workplace - every slideshow leads to another slideshow and there seems to be no end to it - I'm even scared to click on anything now as it opens up a huge new can of worms. The knowledge managers here sure are doing their work. Every question you have is referred to some portal which has the material for you to read - no "human" actually answers your questions - you either find it in the appropriate portal or the eSupport system or the helpdesk. Woe betide you if you still want to ask a human - they do not exist here - get over it-move on.
So tech is the mantra by which my company lives by - which again brings me back to the irony of my life. I have at every stage in my life resisted tech - I dont like it, I dont trust it yet I end up specializing in information tech law and now working in the mothership for tech based working conditions where everything is on my laptop or burned on a cd (not in my brain sadly) - hard copies are not encouraged even faxes are scanned by reception and sent to you via email. I WANT SOME PAPER PEOPLE!!!!
General point though with all this info available at the click of a tikus-are the info tech generation better informed? No bloody chance - if anything they are the most uninformed bunch of philistines - correction - tech savvy uninformed philistines. They have access to all this information but they have the attention spans of gnats and even before they finish reading one paragraph they are itching to click on another link - why? - because they can. We need to regroup and refocus - is it the mode that is important or the substance - a generation from now the question will be "what substance?" - "why is substance relevant? look at the canggih way we can access the info with version 100.2 and this new tool - surely that is the point" - errrr wrong that is not the point.
You can have the most amazing tools that turn water into wine but if your main aim isnt accessing the actual information then we have completely lost the plot. Every time I see people still in bookshops and buying books I feel exhilarated. The battle is not lost, books still have their place- information still gets tranmitted without "technology", there is hope !
So tech is the mantra by which my company lives by - which again brings me back to the irony of my life. I have at every stage in my life resisted tech - I dont like it, I dont trust it yet I end up specializing in information tech law and now working in the mothership for tech based working conditions where everything is on my laptop or burned on a cd (not in my brain sadly) - hard copies are not encouraged even faxes are scanned by reception and sent to you via email. I WANT SOME PAPER PEOPLE!!!!
General point though with all this info available at the click of a tikus-are the info tech generation better informed? No bloody chance - if anything they are the most uninformed bunch of philistines - correction - tech savvy uninformed philistines. They have access to all this information but they have the attention spans of gnats and even before they finish reading one paragraph they are itching to click on another link - why? - because they can. We need to regroup and refocus - is it the mode that is important or the substance - a generation from now the question will be "what substance?" - "why is substance relevant? look at the canggih way we can access the info with version 100.2 and this new tool - surely that is the point" - errrr wrong that is not the point.
You can have the most amazing tools that turn water into wine but if your main aim isnt accessing the actual information then we have completely lost the plot. Every time I see people still in bookshops and buying books I feel exhilarated. The battle is not lost, books still have their place- information still gets tranmitted without "technology", there is hope !
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Work Wallahs
So here's what I've discovered about the difference between working for a local entity and a multi national type organization - bloody a lot thats what. The international set up is soooo systems orientated and even if you want to sneeze you have to fill in some on-line request and have it circulated worldwide for approval prior to to said sneeze. Whereas at the local shindig you can pretty much sign off on multi-million dollar deals with your own pathetic little know-how and say-so and everyone will accept it. So its a learning curve for sure - am hoping it'll soon be second nature for me.
On the upside its all very organised and you've got orientations, buddy systems and mentor systems and hand-holding and how to use everything from the coffee machine to your lap top but you're expected to digest it all on the first go - and CONCENTRATE or else - they're not repeating themselves. Whereas at most local outfits you can be still prancing around 3 years later claiming you dont know how to use the photocopying machine and some poor clerk will do it for you with a smile.
Further its all work talk only at these multinationals - all very earnest people walking about looking very clever and they dont bother with you or to ask if you're new - its heads down and beavering away and talking exclusively about work work work. So no conversations about Brad and Angie's kids or Tom Cruise's control over Katie here then. They'd probably faint if I asked them if they know whether Julia Roberts has delivered yet.
On the other hand they are very helpful in terms of work - and its a real team effort - no hogging knowledge just to look good in front of the boss. No politics and sucking up to boss etc. - its all work - if you know what you're doing you're fine - if you dont you'd better find out or else you're out - no matter how much you lick the boss. Local companies? - you know the score - the bigger a licker you are the better your chances of promotion.
There's this really cool quote on the one of the walls at my new place of work "The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common" - Thoreau. This is why children are so wise - common things to them are amazing and therein lies their genius and by looking at the world through their eyes we can perhaps also get a little bit of that wisdom.
On the upside its all very organised and you've got orientations, buddy systems and mentor systems and hand-holding and how to use everything from the coffee machine to your lap top but you're expected to digest it all on the first go - and CONCENTRATE or else - they're not repeating themselves. Whereas at most local outfits you can be still prancing around 3 years later claiming you dont know how to use the photocopying machine and some poor clerk will do it for you with a smile.
Further its all work talk only at these multinationals - all very earnest people walking about looking very clever and they dont bother with you or to ask if you're new - its heads down and beavering away and talking exclusively about work work work. So no conversations about Brad and Angie's kids or Tom Cruise's control over Katie here then. They'd probably faint if I asked them if they know whether Julia Roberts has delivered yet.
On the other hand they are very helpful in terms of work - and its a real team effort - no hogging knowledge just to look good in front of the boss. No politics and sucking up to boss etc. - its all work - if you know what you're doing you're fine - if you dont you'd better find out or else you're out - no matter how much you lick the boss. Local companies? - you know the score - the bigger a licker you are the better your chances of promotion.
There's this really cool quote on the one of the walls at my new place of work "The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common" - Thoreau. This is why children are so wise - common things to them are amazing and therein lies their genius and by looking at the world through their eyes we can perhaps also get a little bit of that wisdom.
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