My first week at work

The first week has been really fast and fantastic!! Ppl at the office are really nice to me and the projects that I am working on are all interesting. However, just ask me again in a month time (Humm...that would be the paid day or actually try in 2 months) and don't be surprised that I may give you the totally opposite answer :P

I also have more confidence now in my abilities at workforce after a week. My multi-culture background, board knowledge/interests, variety of life experience and cheerful personalities make it easier than ever to network with all sort of different ppl. I feel very comfortable at work even I know the least of what transportation is all about. I am very satisfied/surprised at myself picking up everything so quickly and methodically. My 6 years E-sci training has been proven to be very handy and relevant at work! It gives me the easy attitude towards any software packages and modelling consideration. On top of that, the Masters training helps me ask the crucial/right questions and allow me to absorb all the concepts at once. To my surprise, my Slovakia project management experience has been also very useful in all the file management and administration stuff!!

Getting up so early and taking the bus to work everyday don't bother me at all. In fact, it has always been my favourite time of the day since my university life. It doesn't matter either I let my thoughts wander around freely or ponder some issues in my life. Most of important thing is, I spend some time with myself alone!! Of course, there are few things that I find very annoying and am still trying to get used to. I don't mind dressing up everyday (I rather enjoy it), but I hate ironing. Actually, I am helpless to do ironing myself! Wearing uncomfy shoes also gets me! Why can't everyday being the Global Casual Dress Day :(

I feel like writing a short update of this significant week, because there were so much happening...

• Monday - First day at work! I love my buddy! She is very sweet (was using 'nice', but apparently, it became too cliche because I describe everyone I liked for first impression 'nice'!) and gave me a super detailed introduction. She is a German! That's probably why she is so nice :P. I also received two txt messages from friends to check on my first day at work. Thank you, guys.

• Tuesday - Learning transportation modelling package was fun! However, I was also feeling very exhausted in that evening already and the week was still not even half way yet!! I blamed the shoes! Actually, the real reason that made me a bit depressed was I found myself got lost in a huge crowd during the company annual function. The feeling of not fitting in a group was back. You thought after so much moving around and changing environments, you will find a better and better way to deal with this feeling, but NO! It was as hard/awkward as my first time of changing school. I escaped from the event and run away clumsily with my buddy. The loneliness made me miss someone so much and that upset me even more. That night, the person unblock me in MSN and said 'hello' to me out of the blue though. It made me feel slightly better.

• Wednesday - Hello! Sunrise! It was a long day as I had to do my first site visit at 7am. I had seen 5000 Aucklander stories at a glance in 6 hours. The traffic survey wasn't a rocket science, but I got to watch the traffic for 6hours. It reminded me the person that I used to watch traffic with. I missed the time we had with some fresh bread from the nearby bakery. It also refreshed my memory of few ppl that I used to watch girls passing by and gave rating out of 10. I missed them. There was no cloud at all and my new sunglasses became very practical indeed. I also learned to appreciate the speed limit sign as it was the only shade that was available for the entire day. I shifted along the shadow playing my own hide (in the shadow) and see (the traffic). The truck drivers liked to say hi to me, which often gave me a fright. Their friendly gestures - honking, made me feel like I am part of transportation, so I kindly waved back to them :) Sitting on the concrete barrier, however, was such a pain in the butt (literally!)
  

• Thursday - Starting my first real modelling project in Tauriko! I run into an old friend outside of my company, who I hadn't seen for a year! He kept asking me what happened to me coz I apparently looked great (I guess, my business woman outlook with my straight hairs can fool so many ppl), then I run through all the possible reasons until he was satisfied. His nearly offensive black-humour personal attack made me so stunned that I didn't know how to reply like always. Hopefully, we can find some other time to have a drink or dinner to have a proper catch up next week. Like a date? You never know ;) I also received an email from Spain who I haven't had a contact with since last May. Today was a lost&found friends day!

• Friday - Yeah, no uncomfy shoes coz it's casual Friday!! I thought I would have to say byebye to all my long breaks and long lunch after I start working, but today we had morning tea which ppl take turns to bring different sweet and savoury food, then I had a 2hours lunch with my new colleagues and there was the Friday drink. However, I worked very hard for the rest of the day at another project and billed them all to our client. My hourly rate isn't cheap!