l| a time to be silent and a time to speak |l

World of Workaholics

Today is like the official day of transition from a student to a working adult. Even my student concession stamp expires after today... I can't treat it like a holiday job (although my fate after the next three months is still not sealed yet) because it is not. The pressure to perform up to standards as well as build up good working relations with colleagues is there.

It went pretty fine on my first day of work. Friendly people, nothing difficult was thrown at me (yet), nice working environment, and time generally ticked by pretty quietly - except for the some few times I looked at the clock. Heh. In fact, there were quite a few interesting discoveries today! Story-telling time :) >>

The 'bible' of editing was thrust at me first thing in the day to keep me occupied while waiting for someone to settle me in rightly. It was T H I C K! Probably the reddest red tape I've seen thus far. There's the organisational goal, creed, chart, details about the house style (spelling, font sizes, etc) which everyone is to follow while producing any book, leave forms... etc. Then i was briefed on the whole process of coming up with a book (textbooks, workbooks, assessment books, reference books) and it was quite overwhelming! A very long and tedious process, especially if it requires M o E's approval. Could take from 3 months to 1 year or slightly more. Sounds like creating a baby from scratch. Imagine if God grants you the (dreadful) task of creating a baby... you'll have to decide its structure (style), character (content), makes no mistake about its DNA (proofread again and again and did i say again?), appearance (colour, pictures), and so on! OH, and not forgetting you have to conceive that baby by a certain time. Hmm. Exciting, eh? :)

In fact, the burnout rate is quite high. The most experienced editor out of the few i've talked to has been there for only 2 years (but according to her, it's "long"), and actually she's leaving end of this month to work at a "slower pace" by freelancing at home because she's expecting a baby... uRm, a real one that is. :P There is another fresh grad who just joined today too... and this other arts grad who has been there for about a month already... and a guy who graduated from Oxford last year and had majored in Astrophysics or sth. Whuo! He's been there for 4 months and is quitting too to go to the meteorological station... which is the next best thing for him besides NASA i guess. They call him the 'weatherman'. haha.

Other cool stuff i saw was a shower cubicle at the ladies'! Weird. But i'll believe readily if someone tells me it's a norm for people to stay overnight to rush out the books. People there don't look pretty like those you see at shenton way or suntec. Light or even no make-up, and no power suits. I even saw a cushion and a blanket! Scary. I like the whole place though... really really big (all of the curriculum division is on the 1st floor) and it smells of books! Like primary school bookshop or secondary school co-op. Nice. :) There's a canned-drinks vending machine too with Georgia COFFEE!! Yeah. And they use Mac over there.. too bad mine was old one... most other people have the new WHITE mac workstation can... I'm illiterate with Apple manz... no right-click one! Haha.

Oh, and i think i'm in the humanities (cos of my geog background) team. ha. But no real projects for me as yet.. Maybe next week i suppose. I'll help the english team to proofread tomorrow first. In fact, i think they stayed back today to rush out the final draft.. Heard them talking about packing dinner. :O

And i've gotta work this saturday! :| Some meet the teachers thingy for a handbook that they are doing. Dun think i can claim anything. Oh well, at least i will sort of "claim" it back on Thursday when we go down to their printers for a mini tour (which will end with tea reception)! Half-day work only 'cos we'll be at the printers from 2-5pm! Means can knock off earlier too! Fun... Hehz, and my sup told me they encourage their execs not to always stay in the office but to go out to the bookshops to check out our competitors' books! Wonderful...

Anyways, I think the biggest challenge i will face is to be really creative and able to work within DEADlines when i do get projects. Ha, and hoping that it'll sell and get some kind of company award at the end of the year. :D Hmmm. So pray that i'll get to stay there and do well so that you can get 15% off when you shop at their bkshop, ok. :)