Work...

'O' levels are finally over, and work has began...

Working at Popular is pretty fun even though life in the text books and assessments section can be hectic. I'm doing so much weight lifting almost everyday (those books weigh a ton) I'm developing arm muscles... I have planned to work throughout the holidays till I receive my results, but I have changed my mind. Working leaves me with no time to go out and play with friends, listen to music, use the computer, read books or mangas, or watch anime. I think I will quit by Christmas.

Well, nothing is perfect. There's this girl working in the same department as me and I have to really resist the urge to say "I. Do. Not. Like. You.". First of all, she does not take her work seriously. She will hide in the corner of the room which is not in the view of the camera and use her mobile phone. Mobile phones are not allowed during working hours and although I don't really mind the usage of phones, she uses her phone even when there are customers. Once, I have received two book lists to pack and there were still more people waiting outside, she was fiddling with her phone. "There are customers you know." I said to her nicely, because from where she was sitting, she couldn't see the customers and I thought she was using her phone as she didn't know that more customers have came. "Yes, I know." she replied and she continued to use her phone, not lifting a finger to help. That really pissed me off, but I held my tongue because it wouldn't do to strain the relationship between you and your colleagues. That wasn't the trigger to my dislike to her however. The last straw came yesterday.

There was only her and I helping out because one of the staff was having dinner while the other was outside in the assessment books section. As the stocks were running low, she went to replenish the stocks. We arrange books in the order textbook A and B followed by activity book A and B. That makes up one set. Normally, when we replenish the stocks, we will estimate how many sets we need. But she didn't do it. Brainlessly, she brought in over ten sets and proceeded to stack them up, resulting in a pile over two metres tall. It is common sense that we should not pile the books to high as firstly the books may collapse, and secondly, it will be difficult to take the books. All this while, I was being swamped with book lists. I had seven book lists to pack and I still had to field stupid questions from dumb customers. When I asked for help, she said "Oh no, I'm busy.". For god's sake... The books can wait, the customers can't. The customers will be the ones complaining and grousing of slow service, not the books. Besides, even though the stocks are running low, they are not that low. It can still last until closing time. It's not as though all the customers will be requesting for My Pals Are Here Math textbook and workbook 4A and 4B. And afterwards, I got chided by my senior for not picking up the phone. According to the senior, the counter had paged for someone from the textbook department but since no one came, she called, but no one picked up the phone. Hellooooo... Use your brains. How can I pay attention to the soft voice from the intercom (it's soft because we are in the very corner of Popular) while I have to answer questions, collect book lists, pack books, go through the book lists and go running all over Popular to find the assessment books the customers are asking for? Why was it all my fault anyway? The other girl was outside, she could hear the intercom clearly, but she did not go, and yet, all the blame still falls to me. And the senior was watching me and the other girl from the CCTV in the office and the senior said that the other girl was being very hardworking, packing the books while I was just standing at the counter doing nothing. Hell... She is being hardworking doing unimportant stuff. Can't I catch a breather after attending to the needs of perhaps ten or more customers single-handedly? Furthermore, when I started work, I was told not to pick up the phone because the customers will be angrier if we picked up the phone and couldn't answer their question compared to not picking up the phone. And regarding the very high slanting tower of Pisa of Primary Four Math books, since it was her first time arranging the books, I dismissed her stupidity. I thought that she would learn from that, but noooooo... She proceeded to stack up the Primary Five books till they are as tall as the Primary Four books. After that, she took a step back, surveyed her work, and started to laugh at the tower of books.

The worse thing was that when she stacked the books, she didn't stack them nicely. We are supposed to stack them up neatly so that there will be no corners sticking out to prevent ourselves from receiving paper cuts. The senior didn't say anything, yet I could recall at my second day of work, my first time stacking books, the every same senior had scolded me and another girl doing the stacking for not aligning the books nicely. I guess it's because the girl really knows how to boot-lick people. I know that I work the hardest among all the part timers in the textbook department. I always come to work early, spend only 20 minutes of my one hour lunch break to return to help out even though I won't be paid for the extra work done, I never used my mobile phone during work hours, I started work straight after 'O' levels, not even taking a day to party first. And some silly, up-start, giggly girl who is still wet behind the ears comes along and receive all the praise. One factor was that the senior didn't like me as she realized that I'm much smarter than her during one of our bantering sessions. I let slip some information that I thought everyone knew since my mother was telling me about it since I was in Primary 1, and when she didn't understand, I explained it to her. Well, all her friendliness towards me vanished from that very instant. The only good thing about yesterday was that the senior and giggly girl was scolded by a high ranking auntie working in Popular for laughing very loudly. As I was serving the customers at the counter then, I was naturally not included in the scolding as it was apparent that I was not laughing my head off like a loon. I felt a certain vindictive pleasure when they were chided.

Actually, I won't have grown to dislike the girl, but it so happened that before the 'last straw' incident, somethings have occurred which caused my unhappiness towards the girl to build up and bloom into dislike. I was due to report for work at 2.45, so when I went to work, it was the senior and another colleague's turn to go for lunch. The senior then asked me to continue what she had been doing which was arranging the chinese books. I agreed and off she went. When I was arranging the books to form complete sets, I realized that certain books could not be found, so complete sets could not be formed. Hence, I asked the girl do I continue to form incomplete sets with the remaining books as I thought that the senior may have told her where were the rest of the books kept. Well, she continued to arrange her books, ignoring my question. Even after I asked her the questions a couple of times more, with a decent interval in between each question so that it will not be irritating, she remained silent. How very infuriating! And since she was working near the counter, in full view of the customers (as well as the camera, the pretentious bitch), the customers will try to ask her for help or to pack their book lists. She remained mute, and I had to run out from inside the room to assist the customers. Look, I'm packing books too and I'm further away. Can't you be helpful for just once? That scenario replayed itself many times, hence, when the senior came back, I'm not done with packing the books she asked me to pack. The senior wasn't happy naturally, and it further lowered her opinion of me. After that incident along with the not-picking-up-the-phone incident, when ever I was serving the customers, the senior will talk behind my back along with her. No, I'm not overly suspicious. It's obvious, from how they will hold whispered conversations that begins and stops abruptly when I leave or enter the room to get textbooks.

Well, I don't give a tinker's toot to what they think of me. It's not like I will ever return to work there again. Unlike some people, I'm smart and have a bright future ahead of me. When December comes rolling round, it's adieu forever.