It's been a long day...and yet it has gone by pretty fast. Hehe...I'm contradicting myself again. I guess what I mean is that I have done a lot today (or perhaps much has taken place in one day), but didn't really feel the time as it flew by.
I'm on a half-day leave today, but even that was no rest. And after lunch, back at work, there was a meeting and then continued by another meeting...and before I knew it, it's already 5pm.
The first meeting was a semi-short one - but that's because it's really a performance review rather than a meeting per se. And it didn't really go too well in my opinion. I would say it was kind of expected but still it doesn't go down well when your manager tells you that on the "Opportunity" side, you need to increase productivity and that your deliverables for the past few months has been low. When he said "Opportunity", it was merely a nice way of saying "weakness" - management talk and all. I know this because a few minutes earlier he just gave me his comments on what he saw as my strengths - always start with the positives, right?
Haha...anyway, I said I expected simply because I was having a hard time ramping up with the feature development I was assigned to work on. Though it's not to say that I have not done anything this year nor does it mean I haven't delivered anything. Just that - at least it seems to me - my manager seems to put more weight on deliverables from solving issues and other technical related stuff. And after speaking to two other colleagues about their performance review, I guess my assumption isn't far off.
Well, to cut a long story short, I kind of gave some reasons (valid ones, of course) for my so-called low deliverables and he seemed to accept it. So I guess I have like 1-2 months to ramp myself up and get better visibility in terms of handing in these "deliverables". And you know the funny thing? I'm going to have a new manager for my next performance review. In total, this is going to be my fourth manager this year alone...brilliant! How the hell do they even keep track of what I have done for the whole year? I guess it'll be down to those quantifiable and visible deliverables again - which means improving my technical competency and resolve issues in a shorter period of time. Boring...
OK, I'm ranting...but the only solution to my problem is to give up on being a development engineer and try moving on to say, something like program/project management. But I hate giving up...though I guess I'm nearing my threshold of being patient...so we'll see when I get my yearly performance rating at the end of this year. Might help me decide better.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Heroes - Season 2: Great start!
I just finished the first episode for Heroes - Season 2. I must say, they managed to made a great start and really kept me intrigued on what's going to happen next. Still lots of mysteries and unknowns. Should finish the episode two tomorrow ;p
Hehe...and I would certainly like to know how the Kensei - who has now turned out to be a 'gaijin' would work out. Oops! Did I drop a spoiler? ;p Anyway, I think a lot of people out there has already watched the first episode, so not much to spoil, right?
Well, for those who has not, what are you waiting for? Oh, and do watch this clip for a bit of inside info on Heroes 2 from the actors.
Hehe...and I would certainly like to know how the Kensei - who has now turned out to be a 'gaijin' would work out. Oops! Did I drop a spoiler? ;p Anyway, I think a lot of people out there has already watched the first episode, so not much to spoil, right?
Well, for those who has not, what are you waiting for? Oh, and do watch this clip for a bit of inside info on Heroes 2 from the actors.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Work...what can I say?
It's been a busy few days. In fact it's been a busy few weeks. And frankly I think I need a break - need to recharge. Haha...a two week break now would be like heaven sent.
Well, maybe work has been...dunno...less than motivating? I recall saying this to a colleague at work and he asked "what kind of motivation do you need?" - in a surprised and kind of disbelief manner.
For me, work should not be just work - unless the pay or benefit is extremely well. I know, most often we do not have much choice. But still, I would like to say that there are three things that matters when it comes to being motivated to go to or be at work.
1) Work environment
- Nice office or work place. Good facilities - perhaps a reading room, games room/area, etc. Anyone seen the clip about the working environment at Google? OK, maybe they can afford it. But the point is the idea of providing fantastic facilities and perks to keep your employees working hard and giving more than they are expected to. It's no surprise why they come out tops in the 100 Best Companies to work for.
2) Working relationship
- One of the top reasons often quoted when people leave a company is not because the pay is bad or the facilities are poor. But it's usually because they cannot get along with their immediate supervisor or manager. This is very true particularly if he/she is giving you a hard time - no visibility, no credits, and yet lots of work piled up for you to finish.
- The other is a good working relationship with team members of a project and other colleagues. If there are a lot of politicking and back stabbing, then there's really no point in staying - unless you are one of those types.
3) Pay
- Money is always a great motivator in today's world. Call me materialistic or whatever. Sometimes, the work environment may not be great - but you can still do your work at peace. And working relationship with your boss and colleagues are...well, just colleagues - you do your job and I'll do mine. At this point, there isn't much motivation really - like I said, work will be just that - work. A lot of managers will tell you that money is not everything and that getting the right job is key. Getting to do the things you want to do is important, they say. Unfortunately, things sometimes doesn't work that way. With the rising cost of living and not forgetting, rising inflation, how much you get paid is equally (if not more) important. If another company is paying more for doing the same amount of work you are currently doing, wouldn't you leave? The last questions is particularly true for those who has a family to support.
My theory is that when it reaches the point where two of the above ingredients are no longer available or satisfactory, it's time to start looking for better opportunities. But this of course, really depends on one's capability and confidence in securing another similarly paid job.
I seem to be rambling a lot about work, huh? Maybe it's stress. Maybe I need a new role at work. Maybe I need some motivation.
Well, maybe work has been...dunno...less than motivating? I recall saying this to a colleague at work and he asked "what kind of motivation do you need?" - in a surprised and kind of disbelief manner.
For me, work should not be just work - unless the pay or benefit is extremely well. I know, most often we do not have much choice. But still, I would like to say that there are three things that matters when it comes to being motivated to go to or be at work.
1) Work environment
- Nice office or work place. Good facilities - perhaps a reading room, games room/area, etc. Anyone seen the clip about the working environment at Google? OK, maybe they can afford it. But the point is the idea of providing fantastic facilities and perks to keep your employees working hard and giving more than they are expected to. It's no surprise why they come out tops in the 100 Best Companies to work for.
2) Working relationship
- One of the top reasons often quoted when people leave a company is not because the pay is bad or the facilities are poor. But it's usually because they cannot get along with their immediate supervisor or manager. This is very true particularly if he/she is giving you a hard time - no visibility, no credits, and yet lots of work piled up for you to finish.
- The other is a good working relationship with team members of a project and other colleagues. If there are a lot of politicking and back stabbing, then there's really no point in staying - unless you are one of those types.
3) Pay
- Money is always a great motivator in today's world. Call me materialistic or whatever. Sometimes, the work environment may not be great - but you can still do your work at peace. And working relationship with your boss and colleagues are...well, just colleagues - you do your job and I'll do mine. At this point, there isn't much motivation really - like I said, work will be just that - work. A lot of managers will tell you that money is not everything and that getting the right job is key. Getting to do the things you want to do is important, they say. Unfortunately, things sometimes doesn't work that way. With the rising cost of living and not forgetting, rising inflation, how much you get paid is equally (if not more) important. If another company is paying more for doing the same amount of work you are currently doing, wouldn't you leave? The last questions is particularly true for those who has a family to support.
My theory is that when it reaches the point where two of the above ingredients are no longer available or satisfactory, it's time to start looking for better opportunities. But this of course, really depends on one's capability and confidence in securing another similarly paid job.
I seem to be rambling a lot about work, huh? Maybe it's stress. Maybe I need a new role at work. Maybe I need some motivation.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Hellgate: London Theme Song
This is nice. Check out the theme song of the soon to be released PC Game, Hellgate: London by Flagship Studios, here. (I tried to upload the mp3 to blogger, but seems to have encountered some problems)
If you have the time, do visit their homepage and watch the cool videos of this upcoming game. Its creators are none other than those that created the award-winning Diablo® series.
You can also pre-order the game now and get it in time for Halloween! Target release date: 31st October 2007.
Anyone in the Beta already? ;p
If you have the time, do visit their homepage and watch the cool videos of this upcoming game. Its creators are none other than those that created the award-winning Diablo® series.You can also pre-order the game now and get it in time for Halloween! Target release date: 31st October 2007.
Anyone in the Beta already? ;p
Monday, October 1, 2007
Beware: Toilet Squads on the Move!
According to this piece of news, apparently the Perak state will be forming what is called the "toilet squad". This is after the recent criticism by the Auditor-General in its latest report,
The original news reporting from NST here.
"which charged that toilets in most recreational parks in the state were deplorable, poorly maintained and dirty, the New Sunday Times said."Not wanting to befoul my blog with any pictures of dirty Malaysian toilets, I leave it to your imagination as to how dirty the toilets are that would have led to these "ingenious" squads to be formed. Truly the Malaysian style of getting the job done. Toilet squads...wow...whoever came up with that idea...just wow.
The original news reporting from NST here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)