Work the Murderer

Ever wonder how long does it take for life to kill a person?
Ever wonder how long does it take for a society to murder one's inner child?

Faster than you could ever imagine.

Thought it is insane enough to be given an entire long-term project on my first day of work.

When today, my supervisor said, 'arrange a brand new vending machine in a local uni campus on the coming Thursday', I know I was wrong--it only gets worse.

To make things much worse, no instruction was given on how to do that. 

Just a pile of contacts and product list and the project is all mine. 

Given that I only work 2 days per week, this means I only have 2 more days to make it happen.

So I spent the day contacting the vending machine company, machine packing and decoration artists, traders, making sales log and stock log templates and arranging logistics.
Still a lot of phone calls, arrangements and co-ordination to be made next Monday.

It's challenging but I love that I'm in charge of this whole thing and it feels good to be in control.

 

See? 

Caution no.1 of how work life destroys a person: turning a woman into a man. 

Being efficient, strong and capable shouldn't mean the loss of femininity--unfortunately many of us got too occupied by work that we suffocate ourselves as women.
And that is absolutely wrong. Big mistake. HUGE mistake.

I'd like to share with all of you my favourite quote which goes like this,
'Nothing is so strong as gentleness and nothing so gentle as real strength.'  

Reminder to self no. 1: A woman who loses her femininity is nothing. 

Strength of a woman comes from the fact that she enjoys being a woman.

Step 2: how a person is silenced by exhaustion.

I hate it when locals make phone calls using a typical 'work voice'.
They all have exact same patterns of pausing, use of same useless words that create this weird 'work tone/accent' that make their voice terribly annoying and fake.

I know we have to sound nice and efficient, but that work voice is so freaking annoying.

And it's even more annoying when once the person gets off the phone, he/she speaks in a whole different voice again!

I hope I don't have a work voice.
And for the first 15 mins my colleagues finishes their calls, I don't wanna talk to them at all.
After making 1-2 dozens of calls, I don't wanna speak anymore.

So exhausted that I kept silent even when I went out for dinner with my bf and have not talked since I got home.

Note to self no. 2: don't let work destroy you so quickly.
Recall your happy, positive times at school, when you are with your family, friends and loved ones.

Even though there are things that you dislike, suck it up and be an adult.
Be mature and nice.

My dear readers who have already started working,

Please forgive me for being rude, but allow me to ask a question?
Have work destroyed you? Or the opposite, that you managed to be yourself under stressful work?
If you belong to the latter, congratulations and please, I beg you, tell us how you did that. 

Lessons to learn for work-life balance (if there is such a thing...):  <--unintentional sad face!

Be yourself.
Strength comes from embracing your femininity, or masculinity.

Be aware of how life could destroy the best of you, never let life murder your inner child.
:)

Love,
N