## A TrIBuTe To My cOLLeAgUEs ##


Last Friday was my last day in the office and since I’m on half day leave that particular day, everything was done in a rush that morning. The handing over of my station, the packing up of my stuff, the farewell email to my colleagues and the counterparts from other contracts in this project, the giving out of the cake as a token of my appreciation to everyone. The details of that day was a blur to me as suddenly I have thousand and one things to do and yet half a few hours only.

1st of all, I would like to thank everyone who had given me the parting gifts, you all shouldn’t have gone to the expense, I was really touch your gestures. Thank you all *muackzzz* Thank you Hui Ling, for the shawl, it’s really sweet of you to get it for me and I can use it during my night classes. Thank you Jolene, for the wallet, the colour was really nice and I like it a lot. Thank you Shirley, Stephanie, Li Wen and Hui Ling(again) for the books on beads making, now I need not need to crack my brains for new designs le, I can refer to the book le. Haha. Thank you Robin, for the aroma candles and the burning stand, it’s very unique. Thank you Eric aka my outstanding IC for the forever friend bears cups it’s been nicely wrapped up. I will treasure all your gifts as it reminds me that I once got these wonderful colleagues.

Not to forget those who have given me farewell treats in lapse of 2 days, Thank You Boss, Shirley, Stephanie, Hui Ling, Li Wen, Vestan, Mei Nah, Low KL, Robin, Eric, Richard, Stanley, and Patrick. Thank you all for the treats, it’s sad that we have to have this meal, suddenly makes me very reluctant to leave the company even though the ambience during the meal was cheerful and happy.

A year had passed in a blink of eyes. Thinking back of the day I joined STE, it seems to be just yesterday. I still remembered that at 1st Mr Yeo had only wanted to give me half a year contract and it’s boss who had helped me fight for the one year contract and for the necessary benefits which I dunno that I was entitled to.

For that, I was really very grateful to you Boss, not only you did not just simply bo chap, but you went an extra mile to help me get better terms. I was really thankful to you even though you thought nothing of it. It really makes a difference in my attitude while working in the company, for I will always remember your kind act and remind myself that I need to perform well to make all the fighting for the terms for me worthwhile.

I remember that when I just joined the company back then, a lot of people had been skeptical of me. I understand that it’s usual for everyone to doubt my ability but to hear it with my own ears and get questioned by people why I am back in STE while I can look for better prospects outside was really too much for me to handle. I was at the point of breakdown at one point. Having no station to be in charge, having to do the design on FCDD in the 1st three months was an issue for people to attack on me since I was employed back as a contract assistant engineer instead, I was doing what seems to them as the job I was doing during my attachment.

Everyday was a dread to me when I know I need to face questions from everyone, not all was out of concern for me as I felt. Some was directed at me in a laughingly manner which was meant to get me down. Even minimal things like having no workstation, no direct line, and no proper working place was being discussed like hot topics. My salary for one is a common topic as far as I know for I get feedback from my classmates when I went for a gathering one fine day. Thanks a lot to all these assholes, they really makes me damn famous among my ex classmates for every one thought that STE is ill treating me by giving me this pay and everyone was sympathetic towards me.

I still remembered that it was Hui Ling who have fast become my talking pal who have given me encouragement, urging me to ignore these comments and to just give my best at work and be myself. It was her who have always listen my bitching during lunches and tea breaks which makes me feel better after getting the things off my chest. I was after all a young girl who have just started working in this big society and no matter how matured my thinking was (anyway I don’t think I was matured) I didn’t expect to face all these shits or rather I didn’t expect to face so many shits. I like telling her my problem, for she really give good advices to me for that she is more experienced in life then I was. I think without her, the 1st three months in STE could be more worse for me.

I have no problems in just doing FCDD when I just joined the company as I knew that I was far too inexperienced to be in charge of a station and that I need more time to be trained to be able to take up the position for EIC. But I didn’t know why everyone was expecting me to be Miss Expert and expecting me to handling a station and I told them that I was clearing the FCDD 1st, they always give me funnie looks that I couldn’t put into words.

Boss came to me one fine day for a talk, I think he overheard some of the comments on me and was concern for my well-being. While talking to him, I was trying very hard to control my tears for I think it’s too childish to cry over all these things. Ya, I was successful in holding back those stupid tears which I think was worth dropping for those assholes. What boss said makes me more confident in dealing with them. He told me that if I do my job well within my range, I need not bother with others le. Actually he said a lot more, which I couldn’t recall. Hehe.

Three months after I joined STE, I was assigned to take over Thomson station from Jolene who was handling two stations or rather 2 and half stations at that time. Why Thomson? For one, it’s to ease Jolene of her heavy work load, and secondly Boss thinks that should I will be taking over from Jolene, she can guide me and slowly phase me into the meetings and stuff before fully handing over to me. In this way, I would feel more comfortable and more confidence in handling the station. Should I will be taking over other stations, he believe that this kind of arrangement is difficult to arrange as it’s our style to just hand over the station to the new IC and wash our hands totally off the station. How cork up can things get? Kudos to Boss for making this arrangement for me.

Since my attachment days, I have known Jolene as she is in the comms dept also. But I didn’t talk to her much in my attachment days for she look like those quiet, gentle type, and I was always talking nonsense and not to forget, there’s the bulldog Winston Lim sitting beside her. I dun want to risk getting bite off by him. Bah! Anyway we became fast friends also when I was assigned to take over TSN for she have to work closely with me in getting me phase into the stations and also to help me out should I have any problems in work like commenting the CSD.

It was not long that our rapport built up and I shifted to sit with her at the big table outside VC room. It was there that we have our gossip sessions, makan sessions and not to forget bullying the Sylvia who was the IA then. It’s our biggest past time to piss her off by touching her tummy every other hour. Haha Come to think of it, why I had not been more friendly with her during my attachment days? She’s as nonsensical as me, as bitchy as me and last but not least we have the same frequency! Haha. Guess it’s still not late to hit off with her as we have a wonder time for the past few months.

Besides Hui Ling, Jolene’s is also another one that I would go to if I have problems or things to bitch about. On top of that, we also gossip a bit and we two have a habit of going to the toilet together which I think it’s a bit funnie to do that at our age. With us having the same symbian phones, she is always introducing new games for me and we fighting for the highest score. I know that it’s very rare to find such a click on colleague and I was thankful to have found her and that hope we will remind friends no matter where we are working. I think it doesn’t matter we will not be seeing each other often, I believe that the bond we have will always remind in our minds.


Fast-forward to a few months later, our department under went a revamp or rather a system was drawn out to divide the station among the engineers. As TSN was in C854, my group was the C854 team and along with 2 other stage 3 stations. My OIC, Lew and team member Winston Lim left the company at about the same time thus leaving Richard and me the surviving members in the group. Robin and Eric came in early this year to take over as the EIC for Adam station and EIC for BKB, LRC cum OIC respectively. My group was said to be the most manpower one among the 3 groups in Stage 3, 4 and 5. Having said that, our group is also the most harmony and united de, that is at least in my own opinion.

Richard was an experienced senior and I’ve always respect him. He took care and looked out for me during the transition period when there are only 2 of us in the team. Out of four of us, Eric came in the latest, but as an OIC, he needs to oversees our performance and be responsible for our actions. In comparison to the other OIC, he’s really an outstanding one. He took responsibility as an OIC to look out for his team members, bonded with us and at the same time juggle with the 2 stations that he was assigned to. Although sometimes can see that he’s stress out in all the work load but nevertheless, he was still passion bout what he was doing and strive to do it well.

Robin came in at early Feb taking over Adam station, as he was previously a drafter in our company, he’s more experience then I am when it comes to the cable routings. Also, his good nature makes him a target of Jolene and me. We will always suan and ka jiao him whenever there’s a chance and that we knew that he can take the jokes and not flare up. At 1st, he’s a bit ben ben to be bullied by us, but then recently he had fought back and is more evil in his comments then us. Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt our friendship. Born in different time of the developing Singapore, the age gap didn’t pose as a problem to three of us as we were all of equal bo liao. Haha And I guess he also didn’t treat us like girls from the way he attack his comments at us is really damn hiong (not that we mind). We only fight back in equal evil remarks. Haha

Living near to my home, he sometimes will drive me home after meetings or some times when I stayed back a little later in work (I always leave on the dot de hehe). I really wanna thank him for all the rides home as he needs to do a detour when sending me home when actually he can go home faster if not for me. Thank you Robin, for the petrol you waste while doing the detours and not charging me. Haha

To my C854 team mates, thank you all for the guidance and help that you all have given to me. I know that being the youngest, most inexperienced and the only female in the group, you all have taken extra care and given me extra attention. Hope that I have not been much of a trouble to you all in the past few months and if I have, I hereby sincerely apologized for it and also thanks for tolerating me.

Not forgetting my another 2 lunch kakis, Shirley and Stephanie. They 2 played an important role in my stay in STE also. Being older than me (sorrie huh) and also with more matured thinking, they both serve as a good role model to me. Comforting me when I met with problems, gossiping with me with whatever news we have, talking about every thing under the sun and of course taking good care of me during my stay here.

I was helping Shirley in the cable routing design when I was an IA and much of the knowledge I have came from her when I helped her out at that time. Of course, there are others who had also taught me a lot which I have missed out naming. With her good nature and happy go lucky character, Shirley had taught me how to be more tolerant when it comes to work and not to flare up so much.

Stephanie was more like a motherly figure to me more than a colleague. She will always look out for me and helped me out a lot when it comes to the admin issues. For example, it’s her who went to inform my boss that my contract is due when she realize that no one had remembered. There’s a lot more of examples that I have lost count and I really could not thank her enough. My supply of chocolates were always from her, she replaced my card holder when that old one got too dirty. Little things that she did and little details that she took notice of really touches me. For that, I never got a chance to thank her properly and well enough. It’s kinda a regret for me.

With so many of you to thank, so many things that you all did for me that makes me feel the warmth of working with you all, I really don’t know how to show my appreciation to you all except to pen down these thoughts. Even though by writing, I believe that I had missed out some things or a lot of other colleagues along the way. Sorry to those I’ve missed out, it’s not that I don’t appreciate your doings it’s just that I think I have to write another 100000 words should I named them one by one.

Nevertheless, rest assure that I will not forget the good time I have in the company, the bad ones will be erasered. I know I’m fortunate to have you all as my colleagues once and I hoped that even with me leaving the company, we will still be friends and not stop short at ex colleagues only. Leaving the company was unpreventable for the many factors that I think you all know. A question that was always posted to me is “Did you regret coming back to STE upon graduation?” My answer will always be a NO. For all the memories, experiences, knowledge and friends that I’ve gained make my short stay in STE worthwhile.

I sincerely wish all of you all the best in your future endeavours, take care and keep in touch with me.


Cheers,
Yongle