Tag: t_vague

Re: communications issues

Posted on by tiger40490
(published on my blog) i would put in some sugar coating (“diplomacy”) if i had known such an “implicit custom” about system designs and personal vacations. 
 
I made that mistake because i remembered other experienced GS people did mention personal vacations during other project timeline discussions.
 
An example of insensitivity. Something i do or say has an obviouis connotation but my antenna ignores the signal. What's more interesting is my reasoning — my antenna tunes out because a prior experience steers my perception in another direction. [1] “Perception” is an academic jargon but the most accurate word to describe my problem with my managers. Their perceptions are more in line with other GS people's perceptions; my perceptions are sometimes off. However, my perceptions are never groundless; they are part of my thinking pattern, and hard to change. If i question my logical thinking, then i don't know what reasoning is valid and what needs adjustment.
 
[1] David Thoureau said if a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
 

Hi Victor,  

Your manager is right and I think he is giving you a tip so please take it in a positive way.

When situation like this happens, you need to appear to have the team objective in mind rather than a personal one. What I would have said is that the two weeks detailed design will commit more resources and time and looking at availability of your team, you don’t think there are enough resources time can be allocated to this. A simpler design should still provide the end user similar level of satisfaction therefore the cost of achieving that additional 10% more satisfaction is not justified.

[09]Roland discussion

Posted on by tiger40490

* scrutiny, code review, “change-requests” (below) fall more on non-IC java modules than perl, proc or IC java modules.

* No written warning. No grace period. It’s possible that firm decides to cut head count by a number. They identify the individuals and deliver the decision — no need for warning or grace period.

* decision maker must be M
* All the layoff workers he knows have since found jobs. Many are now consultants.
* Sugg: attend iviews during lunch breaks. I think 90min is ok.
* If you judge a developer’s performance by the project delays, it’s unfair because TL is partly responsible. R’s departure was possibly unfair to some extent. In my case, my design would have lower LOE and perhaps works better in production.
* Given the pressure and distress over his 9 months, his departure from this firm was a good outcome.
* TL sometimes asked R to rework a finished codebase, and gave very little time.

i feel resilient

Posted on by tiger40490

* I didn’t feel as frustrated as before when other guys in the team appear to be stronger and faster
* i didn’t give up exercise even though it became less interesting and my enthusiasm waned
* I dind’t stop learning design patterns even though i tried so many times with less than perfect progress.
* i didn’t stop working long hours even though it often feels embarrassing, frustrating, discouraging. It looks like the best workers work efficiently, not these many hours. That might be true to some extent, but i don’t want to buy it wholesale.
* i didn’t feel embarrassed or inferior.
* i did feel a bit frustrated at times but i know the system is huge and complex.

Re: glad to reconnect #Raja

Posted on by tiger40490

I still have your number. That’s how i ended up calling you at the wee hours one Sep day in 2007, while you were on your Thailand business trip — a fruitful trip?
 
I guess you have stayed with big blue for many years. Boredom? duldrums? i guess the learning keeps your heart young. I’m esp. impressed to read you have role models or peers to learn from. I think that’s a wholesome but not an easy attitude to maintain. I think some people have positive qualities in some ways, perhaps a role model, but with such a role model we may feel there’s not enough chemistry, so in our heart that resonance is not felt as much as we feel with other individuals. In other words, a role model from a different world. Such a relationship takes an open heart, tolerance, color-blindness, honesty (but some diplomacy too?) to embrace.
 
I realized long ago i tend to open up far more with certain individuals than other individuals (Christians, egg heads, book worms, shy people..). It’s almost an unexplained preference. Among the people i bump into on a daily basis, some people i never had a chat with…
 
It’s possible to observe and spot colleagues who seem to know a wide range of different personalities. Perhaps these colleagues should be my role models too. Actually my mentor gave me this suggestion a few times — know a wide range of people in the department, but i had too many fires to fight — somehow no spare capacity for networking.
—– Original Message —–
From: Raja SP
To: Bin TAN (Victor) 
Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2009 12:49 AM
Subject: Re: glad to reconnect

Hi Bin,
 
So thrilled to get this email from you. Congrats on your fatherhood. Very glad for you. Its a boy or a girl?  My family is fine. Daughter is 8 years now.
Job in big blue is still exciting. There are things to learn and people to learn from always. Please let me know if you are visiting Singapore. Hope you have my numbers, but just in case, +65-93855014.
Take care,
Raja
On Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 9:44 AM, Bin TAN (Victor)  <tiger40490@gmail.com> wrote:

LinkedIn

Bin TAN (Victor)  has sent you a message.

Date: 3/29/2009

Subject: glad to reconnect

Hi Raja,

How’s your daughter? I became a father in 2008.

I’m interested to know about your job in big blue. When I eventually return to Singapore i may apply to be a junior consultant under you:)

View/reply to this message

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© 2009, LinkedIn Corporation


material comfort vs simple lifestyle

Posted on by tiger40490

by and large I agree with your view on vacation. Comfort by itself isn’t so dangerous. Somehow, some Muslims, Christians, Hindu and Buddhist disciples/monks and other spiritual people do take an unusual stance on material comfort.

A large percentage of my role models over the years seem to hold similiar views on comfort, therefore my perceptions have been colored. Subconsciously i tend to attach a certain value to a simple, even harsh lifestyle with minimal material comfort and a lot of discpline, resourcefulness, self-reliance and flexibility

Perhaps related to this theme is a habit of working long hours. Now in my new job (i better learn to avoid mentioning it by name) i work 7 days a week, something few colleagues (if any) practise. I have trained myself over the years to adjust my lifestyle for long working hours.

Confucius’ student 颜回 is able to sustain his diligence partly because he is not so attached to comfort. I think for someone like Zi Gui (the rich student of Confucius) to emulate 颜回, the comfort life style would be a hindrince. I am still scratching my head to think of a good role model who enjoys comfort and still maintains a pure, simple heart. In a sense, too much material comfort can weaken and even corrupt the human mind. Human nature.

Look at monasteries and army training camps, including the 1-year military training for many Chinese university students. Some Thai parents want their sons to spend a few years in such a place.

Perhaps the biggest influence is my father’s simple lifestyle, simply because i see so much details of it. Simple food, clothing, simple home, super long working hours, not a lot of comfort for sure.

— You wrote —

R: If you think about it, on the road very likely has less comfort than at home. And you don’t have to spend much for a good vacation. I try to avoid air and try to drive to good places within the reach of a car and save money. Taking a vacation is to relax and do something different than everyday and see and experience a different part of the world, most unlikely for more comfort.
孔子称赞颜回 — 清贫精神.
R: 他赞的是颜回不为清贫所影响的乐观求学精神，而不是清贫本身也。”回也不改其乐”。

advice to new hire

Posted on by tiger40490

Based on http://www.oreillynet.com/onjava/blog/2007/08/leadership_communication_and_a.html:

Be humble. Always first presume that you’re wrong (about your findings). While developers do make mistakes, and as a new hire you should certainly assist others in catching and correcting mistakes, you should try to ensure that you’re certain of your observation before proudly declaring your find. It is enormously damaging to your credibility when you cry wolf. %%Just ask the author why. i think it’s not so damaging.%%.

a small help

Posted on by tiger40490

Hi Siva,

How’s your new project?

Another company received my resume and is going to background-check on it. Since I came to US, you gave me the biggest help, by hiring me, and now, believeit or not, I’m asking for another help.

Basically, background-check may ask about my start date in Verizon. Resume says “March 2007 – present”, while I officially joined Verizon a few days later, on April 2nd. Here’s the reason.

Previous project ended in late March, and H1 sponsor initially asked me to join Verizon in the last week of March, and my family moved to Boston in March. I decided to put March on resume, and has stuck to it since.

March vs April is somewhat borderline. In late March I was preparing for the new project.

FTTP parser has been tested several times. If there’s a replacement developer, handover will be done to my best abilities, with unit test and documentation, and repeated code walk-through with him.

Tan Bin

phone call with cheng.Huang

Posted on by tiger40490

949 689 5228

focus on industry dnlg, not only video technology
sugg: networking in your community. u may get some valuable info
many US engineers are still passionate about their job at age 40 or 50
leadership? comfortable? not only technical strength.
So your career path is technical expert?
leadership? communications skill is the key, esp. in a non-chinese
workplace. Communications skill in not only everyday topics.
sugg: “Don't think too much. Worst come to worst just go back to SG.”

[07] adjustments: living as a couple in U.S.#le2sis

Posted on by tiger40490

Hi Gen,

Thanks for your insights, your questions, your summary of the whole situation … Below is my blog on the adjustments my wife and I are making.

– slow down the plan to find a course for her. Used to be our #1 plan. The research takes considerable time, which we don’t have.

– back to office on Saturdays

– working 10 hours a day Mon-Fri
– put aside our pregnancy plan
– slow down the pace of learning english together. I can no longer help her everyday.
– going out with her? reduced.

Each adjustment can help us cope better, but each adjustment can also add considerable stress towards a breaking point, where “the camel’s back” is finally broken by the last straw.

reply to R.Teo in Apr 2007

Posted on by tiger40490

You hit a home run with the stretch metaphor.

Over the first 2 months, I was tired, anxious, under pressure, occasionally emotional, impatient, irritable .. But not sure if it’s due to “overstretch”.

My father and some other people enjoy hours of concentration each day. 10 hours a day, 7 days a week was enjoyable for him at my age. He had some exercise too. Other people like him work even longer and still have time for rest and exercise.

On the other hand, some people suffer physically when they have to work even 8 hours a day. Consider that I was spending 2 to 3 hours a day on the road.

Maybe i was indeed, as you described, trying to do too many things in too short a time. Many issues have to get resolved in a short time, such as
– looking for accommodation
– looking for phone cards for international and long-distance (domestic)
– buying a cell phone
– paying bills on time
– correcting visa mistakes
– learning online banking
– filling up forms for salary deposit
– applying for bank accounts and credit cards
– looking for a clinic,
– buying a laptop, wireless adapter, headphone (for skype)

I think i have already postponed some low priorities.

Overall, I frequently (perhaps incorrectly) feel life in this country really demands more effort and faster thinking and faster action than in S’pore.

Sometimes I ask myself why clients (be it Citibank or Universal Studio) pays for me 3-10 times higher than they pay an off-shore developer in India or elsewhere. I think the #1 reason is this speed — onsite developers produce much faster.

Thanks again for your insights — enjoying, appreciation, planning,