An email written to the NUS FASS admin desks and the dean's office which I have been strenuously advised to send only AFTER commencement, in the event of expulsion from university. How are you guys? Still taichi-ing my appeal I see (aka doing nothing at all)? Well done. I didn't expect anything more though. As a parting shot to NUS, let me speak my mind about what I think about your capabilities after 4 years of experiencing constant imbecilic failures from this much vaunted institution.
You are a bunch of effete, incompetent people who only know how to shirk your responsibilities by pushing the blame to other people and are incapable of providing decent service to the people who pay you. No wonder you're working here, because NUS is the only place that will employ such crap.
This is coming from a person who has, along with all her coursemates, gone through an entire series of what can only be described as embarrassingly pathetic coordination and administration failures. I will not list them here for fear of turning this email into the length of a dissertation. Ask any FASS student what they think of the administrative side of NUS. The lack of internal auditing and the atmosphere of complacence amongst the staff is ensuring that the entire NUS system is turning in a cesspool of inefficient and ineffective bureaucracy. Perhaps it would help if the university actually talked to and realised the needs and problems of the students rather than hiding in a temperature-regulated room believing that their unregulated and uncontested services are the 'top 3 in Asia'.
Even more hilarious is the 'good service' awards awarded to administrative staff internally when it is eminently clear for all to see that the system can be compared to a heap of compost. From CORS, to S/U, to receiving examination results, to filing for graduation, collection of graduation gowns, every step of the way has been a massive roadblock with slow, rude and bad help from the paid staff.
I write this in the full knowledge that it could lead to my detriment, for we all know no good deed goes unpunished. Indeed, sending this email will not benefit me in the least. And yet I speak up for many in the hopes that future NUS students will not have to bear the injustice of paying steadily increasing tuition fees against the steadily declining service standards.
Cheerio, Kathleen Tan
Omnia mutantur
12:10 AM
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
I just received word this morning from the great grapevine that is facebook. Today is supposed to be the day that FASS CNM is scheduled to go down to collect their graduation gowns. We were among the last of the batch scheduled to collect it (Law, Medicine, Science, etc were first to get it).
So what I saw on facebook this morning really really annoyed me. NUS WTF?! SERIOUSLY?
"The NUS academic dress collection system doesn't work in favour of the FASS students! If you chose to rent an M-sized dress online and have yet to collect by today, SORRY, you either choose to BUY or 'UPGRADE' to L - cos it is 'out of stock' and you have been scheduled to collect your dress LAST - HEY, then why get people to order online? Isn't that for the institution to meet the demand? Not like we pay a dollar less!"
From someone who went down yesterday to collect his gown:
"so can i order an M size and wait for it to arrive before collecting another day?"
"oh sorry when we say out of stock it means we have no more"
I just find it rather absurd. You make people go through all the hassle of trying out the gown at the co-op, then ordering online, providing all your details, all the way down to the nitty gritties.. and then saying you dont have anymore when they turn up to collect it 3 months later (when that should have been AMPLE TIME for them to prepare to meet the demand).
This is FUCKED UP. Another classic example of how NUS has been continuously failing us (literally and figuratively) throughout the years.
So much for being the top institution, I've been plagued with such spectacular FAILS from them from start to end, from the S/U-ing of my exam results, to my filing for graduation, to this shit.
Perhaps this is a despicable way of boosting sales of gowns, as now instead of renting a gown, my mother will have to head down to NUS tonight to buy it.
Omnia mutantur
10:53 AM
Monday, June 28, 2010
Furryhead's luminous nightvision eyes reflecting all the light from the flash of the camera.
9 days into work!
On saturday I had to attend a group animal meeting to discuss how territory within the hunting grounds and tasks had to be divided. It was a waste of time, really. So I missed piano lessons for that day and had to do make up lessons on sunday. The makeup process has spilled over into Tuesdays thanks to medical certificates and tardy students who forgot about their makeup schedule. Grrr.
I haven't slept more than 6hours for a while now. Man this can't go on for long, especially when I start getting into the swing of things, and arts groups will start offering me tickets to attend their gala nights (as an observer) which will usually fall on saturdays.
Anyway, I am quite enjoying my work, I wish I could take photos to show you my cubicle and the view from my window which overlooks regular art exhibitions in the foyer on level 1 (I'm on level 3). Not to mention that the building houses 5-6 art dealers and galleries. There was a short period of time where a really large (about 2m tall and 2m wide) and gorgeous portrait of Angelina Jolie's face was hanging in the window display where I could see it whenever I looked out of the window.
I guess I'm also very lucky to have had Sparrow as a buddy. Sparrow is very sociable and belongs to the 'popular and young' clique in the Hunting Ground, which ensures me that I'm accepted by all the other nice animals. Provided that I don't act too weirdly. I have quite a few fruitful conversations and gotten some great insights into how to look at visual arts. One of the few places in Singapore where you can actually get that.
And like any place with a lot of girls around, there's a lot of gossiping and complaining about XXX or YYY at lunch. I'm only glad that I've not done anything that'll earn universal dislike like some of the weirder characters have. And the higher ranking staff regularly lunch alone, because no one is comfortable lunching with their direct superiors. Tell me about it.
高处不胜寒
Today I met the Wildebeest and presented the work that I've been doing so far that will require her deliberation and approval before it can be completed. I can only say that I was quavering mentally, because Wildebeest is a know-it-all in every sense of word. I really do think she's one of the most analytical and intelligent women I've ever met. And she would have to be, she's in charge of keeping all different departments of the Arts in the place. I don't know how she keeps it straight in her mind.
Anyway in case anyone starts sniggering now, no I was not trembling or blanking out. My heartbeat was actually quite steady, I was very alert and my head was clear. It's just that the fact of her intelligence, experience and power over me was hovering over me like the Sword of Damocles, knowing that any lack of research, preparation or due diligence will ensure that I get found out in the first instance.
I did manage to present my pieces successfully, with my direct superior Cricket piping up to add in more details to substantiate my case. It's good to have protective bosses hahaha. Wildebeest is essentially a very nice figure, just that she's so high up there being a Director and all and tends to be very firm when it boils down to work.
In any case I guess I will have to get used to presenting in a more to-the-point manner - CNM certainly didn't teach me anything except to smoke. My thoughts became more and more jumbled the longer I stayed in that institution.
Another nice thing about this hunting ground, lots and lots of freebies. Free food in the pantry, free flow of coffee, tea, milo, as long as you bring your own cup. And did I mention free stuff? I've already gotten 5 notepads, 2 sheaves of post-its, 1 management diary, several ring files with the company's insignia on it, and as many plastic folders as I want. Okay now I sound like a cheapo. It's just nice! Coming from teaching at a music school where the only thing provided is plain water. It's just the novelty.
Anyway today Sparrow showed me this when we were talking about cats.
I really like how this cat is so fat that its preferred mode of transport around the house is by swimming around on its back. It really brings laziness to a totally new level.
A random conversation with my sister today.
J: What time do you get off on Friday? K: 6pm? J: Huh? Don't they give you half an hour off for fridays? K: Yes. Usually I get off work at 6.30pm J: Huh... then aren't you usually feeling very peaky by then? Aren't you hungry? K: You think what? I'm not you. J: *spits out all the water she's drinking and starts coughing* THROUGH THE HEART SISTER, THROUGH THE HEART!!!! *a moment's pause* J: Okay actually you're right.
Currently the cubicle I'm in will not be my final resting ground at work, they'll eventually shift me into a room with another newcomer in the following months, so I can't really decorate the place as I wish until then. The portraits of Chopin and Beethoven are still hanging on my bedroom wall... and Waterhouse's Lady of Shalott.
Omnia mutantur
7:39 PM
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Dear All (who haven't abandoned my blog by now from its sheer insipidity and lack of original content),
Due to the fact that I'm working 3 jobs right now, my blog will start to wither away and die over the next few months. I won't be blogging very much also because, as you know, blogging about work is the easiest way to get fired.
Work so far has been fine, it's not fun but it's not torturous either. It will eventually get torturous, judging from my fellow colleagues' tables. I've 2 same-level colleagues for the department of Music. For safety reasons I shall call them the Sparrow and the Pigeon. And 2 underlings, which are 2 friendly NS boys which I shall call the Chinese Puppy and the Japanese Puppy. And my direct superior, a Cricket, and the overall head for all Arts development, a Wildebeest.
As you can see my accounts of worklife are going to sound like something from an edition of My Family and Other Animals.
Sparrow has been very friendly to me from Day 1 and has brought me to many feeding grounds during lunch hour (see what this is beginning to sound like? The joys of self-censorship). A very chirpy and expressive person! We also exchange a good deal of emails about World Cup, especially when Germany lost to Serbia. On the whole she has been extremely helpful to me.
Pigeon tends to keep to herself and tends to ditch stuff on younger staff and expect them to pick it up themselves. So Sparrow has suffered at her hands and has gotten mowered by the Wildebeest at a group meeting before.
Cricket is friendly, but because she's my direct superior I unfortunately cannot feel comfortable in her presence. Maybe in a bit. She's also been very friendly.
Wildebeest is a watchful, peaceful animal who is actually quite sedate usually. Usually. But also a very nice person, but stern and a bit more hardcore about work (she's been working there for years and years).
So that ends today's edition of Kat and Other Animals.
Omnia mutantur
9:40 PM
Friday, June 11, 2010
My trusty watch's straps got replaced today, and the 'collar' bit is now no more, so I shall wax sentimental and just put up these small details about the watch. I got it for christmas from Bat a couple of years back. It's a swatch watch based on the character of a villian's cat, haha! I guess that makes it very endearing to me. I like evil cats.
Popular still among Bond film fans are Blofeld and his fluffy white cat, to which Swatch pays tribute with this classic Gent.
The white synthetic leather strap evokes the cat and her master’s affiliation with the enemy organisation known as “SPECTRE”, represented by the ominous octopus with 8 spiky tentacles.
This menacing beast appears engraved on a shining stainless steel charm dangling, like an ID tag on a collar, from the single stainless steel end piece that joins the six-o’clock side of the strap to the clear plastic case.
The 007 pistol logo is displayed in silver on the white synthetic leather loop.
The dial is a mirror marked at 1 o’clock by a light green cat’s paw print.
All other hours are marked by printed white Arabic numerals. The hour, minute and slim central seconds hands that mark the time feature a sandpaper silver surface.
Omnia mutantur
8:41 PM
Monday, June 7, 2010
I'M HIRED BY THE NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL YES!!!!!!!! YES!!!!! SSO PREPARE TO BE HACKED TO PIECES IF YOU DON'T START WAKING UP YOUR IDEA!!!!!
Omnia mutantur
7:13 PM
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
This is awesome! Hahaha! This guy definitely picked on the wrong girl! The comments on the youtube video are almost as good as the video itself.
