A: ... Die, she's lookin' at my work.
B: Hahah... have fun! I'll help you here to answer her impromptu questions.
A: Argh, that irritating woman. Hey C, where do you wanna have lunch?
C: Dunno lah. Eh, the tigress can let you go or not?
Reading all this, my heart sank. You see, these were online chats between my colleagues. And the "irritating woman" and "tigress" they talked about were references to me.
Kill me for eavesdropping into their conversations. No, it's not a habit. Still, I never know why I follow my curious intuitions sometimes - I end up with new information that I don't know how to manage.
I'll be lying if I say I'm not a wee bit upset. It takes a heart of steel to ignore this. Mine is no heart of steel; past situations have more-than-adequately testified to that.
Work, to me, is all about giving your best. I am upfront about my expectations from the juniors, and I'm rather vocal when they perform below the line. It's nothing personal, just work-related. I've lost count of the number of times I've asked them to read (to improve their English), check the online dictionary for spelling, read (for more ideas to introduce in their writing), check for reliable sources, read (for greater exposure to differing styles and formats).
I've invested a lot of time just editing their work in the 9-to-6 timeframe (OT is a big no-no), so much so that my own work gets pushed back, and I stay up till early morning to complete it. Plus, my policy is to be in the office early (better still if it's before the boss) so that I settle down faster to start the day. 5-, 6-hour rests are all I get on a normal weekday.
I've swallowed my frustrations on countless ocassions, as I try very hard not to lash out at them. I have a very real fear that all my inward-focused anger will cause an internal implosion (as opposed to an outward verbal explosion). Still, I have to do my job as the senior. I must be loving: patient, kind.
My expectations of them are nothing less than the expectations I have of myself. I demand flawless English (being the daughter of an English teacher), appropriate presentation style suited for the ocassion, new ideas, and on-time delivery - just to meet and exceed clients' demands.
For all that and more, I deserve more credit than being the irritating woman and tigress.
I'll be lying if I say I'm not a wee bit upset. It takes a heart of steel to ignore this. Mine is no heart of steel; this situation more-than-adequately testifies to that.
2 comments:
don't bother about them. mum was called mu lao fu as well. i myself was told that i would never do a good job with such a short timeframe. in the end, both mum and i triumphed and saved them the blushes.. so just masuk telinga or mata kanan, keluar telinga or mata kiri..
p/s: want me to bash them ? hehe ~
jan jan binx
managing expectations eh Jules. Gotta say that perfect people..major oxymoron! Irritating woman and tigress - sounds like a super villain dynamic duo to me! Justice shall prevail =P
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