School, flu, school (Shoo fly, Shoo!)

It has been a long and tiring week. School started on Wednesday and I just had another lesson yesterday. All this while having flu and having to conduct lessons is no joke.

I was walking around work like a zombie most of the time, but school was fun though and I am still rearing to go. I am just wondering how I long I can 'tahan' till I burn out. Next week, is the worst. I have 3 days of night classes. I am praying to God that I do not fall sick at all.

I am just amazed at what creatures of habit we are and how we hang on so dearly to our comfort zones. My observation is that most of my classmates have sat back exactly where they sat during Orientaion and we have all quickly made friends with our neighbours as we know that project/group work is coming up and we need to find a 'group' to belong to. It's scary and I am scared. I don't want to be left out and become the lone ranger so the only survival instinct thing to do is to make as many friends as possible.

For once, I think I have some form of order in my life. Hopefully I can maintain it and get through these two years.

Oh yes! Just before school started, there was a little-big hoo-ha about my subsidisation of school fees. Just one day before school started, they called me up to request for my payslip and told me if I did not produce it by the end of the day, I will not get the subsidy.

It was so ridiculous. They called me near mid-day (which I did not pick up coz it was an alien number) and by the time some familiar number showed up, it was nearly 5pm in the evening. First of all, who in the world would bring their payslip around with them?? Secondly, they must realise that not everyone has the privilege of a workstation or computer in front of them. They wanted me to fax or scan it to them there and then. If not, I will not be entitled to the subsidy.

Then I became furious. Give me so little and expect the world out of me and asking the impossible at that! I shot back at the lady from NTUC, "Why did you inform me so late in the first place?"

She told me they tried reaching me in the morning. Even then, I told her it was still very late! I have to work and I cannot afford to go home as and when I like and I sent in my application very early and you are going to penalise me for not being able to provide one small information that you want at the very last minute??

I asked her again why she requested for my information so late when I had submitted the form about two months back? She could only reply that "the system is like that". They cannot do it earlier.

Seriously, I think it was a human error. You may have to key it in only a day before school starts (that's system constraint) but you could have physically checked through the applications first before going through final processing.

This last minute way of doing things made me feel like that they did it on purpose and that they were hoping I would not be able to meet the deadline and then they don't have to give me the subsidy.

Nevertheless, the lady was very nice after the small argument and she helped me the best she could to get my subsidy application going. Thank goodness too, that I have an all in one printer/scanner/copier at home. Wonder what I am going to do if I did not have any of the above!