Nagging

Our trustworthily office administrative assistant left us in the lurch and up the creek after her holiday trip to Korea. She had so many days of leaves to clear that she nonchalantly bided us “Goodbye” after 3 days at work and 2 days on medical leave. There go my expenses claims. I bemoaned her sudden departure and blamed myself for accumulating up to 2 months’ worth of claims on my in-tray, hoping that the fairy godmother can wave her wand so that everything get entered to the SAP.

Anyway, after a week or so, a substitute came in. She is a 50 odd year old frail looking lady, who adopted some sort of weird slang. I figured that she is trying very hard to ‘blend’ in to the expat environment just like many others here, mysteriously contacted the “slang” epidemic. And I tell you, it sounded bad bad bad. She, on the other hand, is very much less trendy than the former one, who usually will take much pain to match her shoes with her handbag and apparels. She was rumoured to be our ex staff who left the company years ago and decided to return to work force for some reasons which I haven’t got wind of.

After a few dealings with her, I realised she is just like my mum, a widely loathed fuddy-duddy old woman who cannot seemed to stop “educating” those whom she thinks are younger than her, forgetting that she is the noob, not us. She and my good friend cum colleague, who happened to be also an admin, are like arch enemies.

Let’s call the fuddy-duddy woman, E.

E likes to shrink from her responsibilities and divert all of them to my friend, who is definitely not a door mat but a fire cracker, of course that results in lots of “tongue-wagging free show” in the office. And E likes to give a standard excuse for the first month of work, “Sorry, but I am new, I don’t know the rules.” Which is a pain in the ass, especially you know that she is lying through her teeth.

E likes to coax to her primary school level children on the phone loudly, and speaking and teaching them all the wrong grammar strange English slang that I really pity them.

E is an “award-winning” actress by the way. My friend told me that during her interview with E. She was told by E that she is a very family pro woman who will not work overtime. And my friend told her, that it is alright because we can always work from home. However, E, being the greatest actress, will always make sure that she stays later than her boss and the moment her boss left the office, she will start demonstrating the legendary 5-second packing skill to us all. “Vrroomm” she is gone with dark smoke.

Anyway, she is not the only best actress in the office, there are plenty of them here who behaved very much like E, afraid of boss for no reason, shrinking from responsibilities, action-packed in office for nothing, some from finance, some from HR. Isn’t it miserable to juggle between work and acting skill and still have to monitor bosses’ locations? I pity these people, living their lives depending on others tremendously; even to the extent of knocking off on time is like a dream to them unless boss is on medical leave.

Sometimes I wonder, since they are willing to spend vast amount of time in the office, then why are they still shrinking from their responsibilities, if so, aren’t they doing nothing in the office while waiting for time to past? Isn’t that more boring than not working?

Sometimes I feel sick of the job, however, at this point of time, many said that you are considered the blessed one with a job right now.

Well, I say, that depends on what kind of job you are having there.