Yesterday was sort of my last day as a temp worker. It was kind of the right timing too actually, since my enrolment package has arrived and I'll be busy with the paperwork and health checkup. Just the thought of the health checkup is enough to terrify me. Blood tests are petrifying.

I was doing just transcribing for the last few days. I think I like it better than making calls to remind people of their surveys and stuff. Maybe it's just that I feel comfortable with words. Although your ears will hurt after a few hours, you can learn a lot just by listening to the recordings. I was initially really confused with the acronyms used for the different institutions and associations. But aside from that, it was interesting to listen to people talking about their businesses and industry. I wonder how they are going to make a report or analysis after reading the transcripts.

I rushed over to ACSI last night after work without dinner. I was hungry for most of the day since I didn't eat breakfast too since I woke up really late. Thank goodness I ate a filling lunch. Funnily, I met Daphne and April on the bus midway and we nearly got lost. We did manage to find our way to the place in the end.

The contestants were all talented and it was more like a concert than a competition actually. Although I was quite distracted throughout the show due to some reasons, but it was still marvelous. Juniper sang really well. It was a waste that they did not include her in the top three just because of the fact that the guys playing the guitar and drums were not studying at ACSI. The group that won was not bad too though.

Indeed, working is like a whole new world to me. Maybe it's because I'm now working in an office, but it's a totally new environment and first time experience for me. 

I must say that I'm really lucky. It was thanks to my second aunt's colleague who recommended me to the company I'm now working for as a temporary worker that I got this job. I met her younger sister on the first day of work and it was quite nerve-wrecking being in a foreign environment with total strangers. I did not know a single person. I guess, I think it has been a great learning experience for me. I seldom step out of my comfort zone previously. But having been cast in an all new surrounding filled with the business jargons, looming deadlines, extensive data, and excel spreadsheets, I think I have learnt a lot just in two weeks. 

I still remember my first task last Wednesday was to label hundreds of completed surveys. It was an easy task and I managed to complete all by lunchtime. I then went on to call the hundreds of survey participants and companies. It was tiring to call so many people on the first day, but I got used to it afterwards. You realise that tact is a really good tool and perseverance works many times better than persistence. Learning things fast is also not only an advantage, but a necessity when faced with a deadline. Most of all, I feel that adaptability is essential in the working world. I guess I managed to adapt to the office life after the first day. Or maybe it's because I've been working daily from nine to six. I got used to it pretty quickly.

I started on coding today and I must say it requires more brainpower as compared to the rest of the tasks given to us temporary workers. It also takes up much more time and my progress was really slow in the beginning, because I was unsure of the code frames. My speed only increased after lunchtime and I actually managed to finish everything by evening. Unfortunately, because the computer met with some problems, I had to redo the last three columns of the codes all over again and that took me another forty-five minutes to settle. twenty minutes to load the file once more and the rest of the time to fill in the codes all over a again. Well, at least this is my first time working overtime. I was supposed to leave one hour after six then. Unfortunately one of the staff gave me additional coding work to do. I managed to finish it all pretty quickly since it was getting pretty late. I felt that it was better to finish everything cleanly since the deadline was today. Thank goodness my mum didn't mind waiting for me to have dinner. 

All in all, I think working beats lazing around at home being a couch potato. At least I am kept busy! The only disadvantage aside from not being able to sleep in, is that the food there is pretty expensive. A simple plate of wanton mee can cost $4. Eateries and hawkers working in the Central Business District really earn a big pile during mealtimes!