Lazy Afternoon with a Hot Coffee

I Didn't Tell You To Like Me

Quite some time since I last blogged.

Well, sometimes I feel that my training is quite routine and monotonous, sometimes I do get to experience things that people outside the job/industry will never have a chance to.

Somethings, however, never change, no matter where I am.

-- This Wednesday and Thursday, our batch of trainees were brought to the HQs where we can plug in to listen and watch the realtime air traffic going on. We won't be posted there upon our passing out, but this visit was to make us more familiar and comfortable with the pace and environment of 'live' traffic.

We would take turns to sit at various positions and learn from the controllers what they do there. Some are rather friendly while some just can't be bothered to say hi even though you've been seated beside him for like... long enough.

Every controller that I sat with, asked the same question-- Is this your first job? What did you do previously? And there they have it-- an 'interesting' newbie who was a cabin crew before.

When I left my cabin crew job, I was prepared that wherever I go next, new colleagues there will be interested or rather, nosy about my previous work experience. I am aware of the general impression and stereotype people have when they hear the job title.

My strategy? Very simple-- simply behave in my normal behaviour== a crazy girl who has a weird sense of fashion who can take almost all kinds of jokes. I'm not going to be some high-maintenance chick who frowns and scowls when others burp or tell silly jokes in front of her.

Maybe it's due to my cabin crew experience and training-- I try to maintain a 'healthy and cheerful' air around so that people won't feel so awkward. Glad to say, there's a couple of chaps in my class that are 'in charge' of that and seldom fail.

I do realise one thing-- and this was also pointed out by someone I know from the previous batch. Let's call him C.

When my batch met the 'seniors' from the previous batch, I believe I was the first one to greet them Good Morning (very good habit brought over from airline). After I got to know them better, they told me that some of my classmates basically ignored them and they thought it wasn't necessary.

To me, it's all damn simple-- if successful, we'll most probably be in this job/organisation/environment for the rest of our working life. Singapore's small; and our job circle is damn small. If you're thinking of ignoring the others and just be on your own island while working, this is not the place for you. I was in a very similar situation when I was in the airline training. I might not like certain people in the class, but the fact is right there-- we are going to be colleagues for some time in the future. It won't do anybody any good to be on hostile terms.

Make someone your friend before they make you their enemy.

I had something very simple and clear in my mind-- I can be real friendly, talk to them, and who knows, I can dig out some important information from them. True enough, when it comes to exam time, they're always more than willing to help in telling me which areas to concentrate in. Can just sense my classmates' eyes shooting daggers at me.

And Thursday afternoon, we got back to the academy where the HR department came down to give a talk about the new staff appraisal thingy. Whatever. HR people. Total corporate sell-outs. Yuck.

During the tea break, I offered a seat at our table for C and we just started chatting. Part of me was really hoping that my class people can join in, and not just me and him talking. We'll all be colleagues in the near future, so it doesn't hurt to start to be friendly a little early. As expected, they continued with their own conversations and didn't bother to acknowledge C.

Later in the evening, C send me a message advicing/warning/telling me about what he noticed-- when I was making stupid jokes, the 2 girls in my class showed a face that's not very accomodating. Fine. So now I'm the girl with a whiny voice and too many guy friends in the academy for their comfort level.

I got myself out of an environment that's sometimes suffocating because of how people look at me; and i've thrown myself into yet another damn similar one.

posted by A Lone Fighter @ 9:58 PM