Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Day 1 of a Little Unknown Dotcom

Today was the first day of work for me. I briefed both our new team mates about the project and what the business was going to be all about.

We met at the office boardroom at 8.45am sharp where they both sat down and listened as I paced around the boardroom explaining every detail to them

I have a bad habit of pacing when I think and it seems to help but it sometimes annoys my girlfriend so much that she tells me "PLEASE STAY STILL WHEN I TALK TO YOU" which translated into proper English means "SIT THE F*RK DOWN NOW".

These days, my baby doesn't even bother turning her head when talking to me. She just slaps her head down like this.
Anyway, back to what I was saying.

Both our new team members are years older than me so I had always feared there would be some issues with 'taking orders' from a young punk.


So the first request I made of them was

"Please don't look at me as your boss.
Look at me as your team mate.

I am too young to be your boss
but I am of the perfect age to be your team mate.
"

Yet, things seemed to be going all wrong on the first day of work.

The first thing that happened in the morning was the near explosion of our brand new 17 inch monitor that we bought and plugged in just last week. It was the computer assigned to Lee, our Head Web Developer.

When we turned on the computer, the monitor gave out loud repeated static sound like it was going to blow up taking all of us with it.

I blame it on Ming and his little smiley face when carrying the monitor around last week.

His boyish little smile was too much for a monitor to take.

Ladies, if you don't want to self-combust, please don't ever let Ming smile at you.


Shortly after we replaced Lee's monitor with an old smaller monitor (so small that I could've sworn it was 2-inch and NOT a 14-inch as claimed by its cover), Lee's computer started reacting funny.

When surfing around "My Computer". Pressing the Left Ctrl button will lead to the entire window being closed and his web browser to pop up (so much for thinking that an Original copy of Windows with its constant updates will never have problems like this).

That I think was my fault.

I should've butt-smacked the damn PC a few times after I plugged it in last week.


Now on top of all these problems there was the mother of all problems.

Halfway working through the day, a power failure decided to find its way into my office building and the bright energetic office halted at a standstill.

So much for a great first day at the office.

But on top of all that, I took our new team mates for a good Japanese lunch hoping to break the ice and welcome them into the little dotcom we have set up.

It was certainly a lot more posh than the lunch the founders themselves normally have.

Take for example last week when Ming, Mohd Zacky and I went for our first dotcom lunch.

We had KFC and we barely talked so there was no bonding there.

Anti-Social Ming would be reading something off a piece of paper when I'm free to talk.
But when he's finally free to talk, I get constantly interrupted by phone calls that sometimes make me wonder sometimes what a man's gotta do these days to EAT HIS CHICKEN IN PEACE.
But at the end of all that of course... Ming and I managed to pose for a little picture with our best smiles.

Anyway, KFC was a luxury.

Normal lunches would have us eating Wan Tan Mee that costs RM2.50 per plate and living on biscuits when the hunger strikes later in the afternoon.

Anyone want to donate lunch money to the "Feed Stewie Foundation"?

Please send your cheques to

The Feed Stewie Foundation
Menara Bagilah Stewie Makan Ayam,
82, Jalan Kalau Boleh Tambah Juga Milo Ais Satu,
Daerah Milo Ais Kurang Manis Ar
12100 Penang,
Malaysia.

51 comments:

Jason Lioh said...

LOL. First day we already saw the boss curi tulang by blogging during office hour.

Boss Stewie said...

SHHhhhhhhhhhhh
NOBODY KNOWS... SHhhhhhhhhhhhh

J said...

Horr horr...
Naughty Boss.
Haha..

I'd choose wan tan mee over KFC any day tho - tastier and (arguably) healthier!
:)

Anyway, best of luck Stewie.
I'm sure thing will pick up from Day 2 onwards.

Anonymous said...

wah sei..boss very hensem ar in office clothes.....................................................................................................................*looks away shyly*

Boss Stewie said...

yes j... wan tan mee is tastier but .... u know... it's like drinking starbucks or kopi peng from a coffee shop. starbucks got more status just like kfc got more status than wan tan mee :P

jayelle: can you not see all the fat beneath that work shirt

Unknown said...

Ooo, lookin' sharp!

Boss Stewie said...

nonnoono.. dun make stewie blush.. no no

Anonymous said...

Eh boss stewie now become real boss ready. Boss Timothy pulak. Wah boss hebatlah u.

Boss Stewie said...

aiyoo... no lar.. not real boss lar... team mate team mate!

Anonymous said...

HEy man,

Good luck in yer dot com business!!Don't worry about the minor glitches, it shows a storming business that is going to storm the town if not,






THE WORLD!!!
GOOD LUCK AND ALL THE BEST!!When u're rich, donate some funds to
MAKE GIN RICH STRAIGHT AWAY!!!thanx..

Anonymous said...

tut tut timmy, Blogging during work. Not like me, i only comment on blog during work.

Hmm, KFC. No better KFC than Bahrain KFC

Kawaras said...

Waa boss can eat KFC today, i had to skip lunch today bcos i forgot my wallet :( KFC is definitely a luxury any lunch that cost more than 5rm is definitely a luxury. Hey Tim can i enquire whats your dot com business about?

aL said...

ooo...you're dining at the 1-Stop's KFC! ha! =p

chocolat-latte' said...

hahahahaha

your office looks luxury enough. it should be, 'donate-lah to chocolat-latte..MmmMmmm..'

Unknown said...

Now that just really inclined me to shower praise.

Oooooh stewiiieeeee, you look so cuuuuute and shaaarrrrppp and snapppyyyy in formal clothes.

Anonymous said...

You can ask them to consider you their teammate all you want but at the end of the month when you're handing out their salaries they'll know who's the boss :P

Relax la boss. It's good to be the boss. Blogging during office hours is one of luxuries u get to enjoy as a boss :P

Hidup Boss Timothy. Donate lah kepada saya. Tarak duit punya budak lah saya. Kesian sikit la tauke :(

Anonymous said...

Btw, you guys look sleek and professional . Hebat hebat thumbsup

Mischique said...

Wow.....your office looks good AND you're your own boss...pretty impressive.

Haha...that's 1-stop's KFC ain't it? LOL
I recognized the hideous green railings.

Boss Stewie said...

wah dammit.. so many comments to reply...

maybe i shouldn't have cockily promise that i would reply every single comment on this small personal blog of mine...

Boss Stewie said...

ok here goes...
ARGH!

gin: don't need to reply to you right? i'll just talk to you in person

hasan: no no no... no better kfc than malaysian kfc.. we have spicy flavoured chicken that has the 'crispiest' skin you'll ever chew on

kawaras: we're quite secretive about the business we're going into because it's not something that's ever been done before in asia. but check back here months from now and you'll probably be able to tell by then.

cal: yes... kfc one stop indeed... a true penangnite you must be.

choc: no no.. it looks nicer in pictures than it really is in real life.

skyyler: ok.. that's it.. i'm changing company policy. everyone's gonna be wearing shorts to work from today onwards ... :P

nicholas: i think the world today is a little different from before. people have to show that they're a bit less boss and a lot more team player... at least that's what i've learned from my previous working experiences.

mischique, it's not impressive if you know that we're still not even generating a cent of revenue yet and won't be until the next 6 months at least.

Boss Stewie said...

whew.. i can't believe i just did that...

Anonymous said...

LOL. Don't have to force yourself to reply all the comments lah.

Jasonmumbles

Boss Stewie said...

well i did make that promise before.. but i didn't expect to be receiving so many comments.. i thought personal blogs normally have like 2 or 3

Anonymous said...

How about repeat audiences who purposely comment again and again on the same topic to see if u'll reply to every comment? :P

Boss I liked the way you asked you're workers to think of you as their teammate/co-worker. It would be nicer to work under/with someone like that. Just kidding oni in my previous post. No offence ah.

Anonymous said...

*initiates a comment flooding campaign*

Anonymous said...

Can I have your contact? I've got a 17" CMV LCD monitor first hand from a contact of mine which I thought you could use. =)

Boss Stewie said...

wahhh lance

yes

email me your contact at lengmoublogs@yahoo.com

i'd love to talk to you especially since you're one of my most loyal readers

nicholas... don't make this a habit!!! but i'll answer you anyway. i guess for me, the best way to tackle the problem and get over the age gap is to acknowledge the obvious to my team mates, that i am too young, too naive, and that i will take very seriously the opinions they come up with which will often be backed up by their experience.

Anonymous said...

Your office looks cool! What's it like being your own boss?

Boss Stewie said...

neo.. it doesn't feel so good yet.. they say the hardest boss to work for is yourself

Anonymous said...

Alrites, now read Mr. Spambox. =)

Anonymous said...

err... I meant Spamboard.

こうゆうけん said...

Don't try to be so humble la! Super famous celebrity blogger Handsome look Boss Stewie!!! Sigh... dunno this boss stewie will friend with me or not!!! So popular and famous.... me just small potato... sigh

Boss Stewie said...

aihh koyuuken

ok lance i got it

Lance de'Cypher said...

I knew there'd be a conspiracy... T_T

Jason Lioh said...

2 or 3 comments? Friend, you are Boss Stewie that blogged behind Leng Mou, k? By the way, why still use lengmoublog@yahoo.com? Time to change loh. :P

Anonymous said...

hey

i think for now your two teammates can think of you as a fellow teammate lah but when your company grow bigger and you have employ more young buggers, make sure that they know their places so that you wont be taken advantage of lah. on my first day of work, i saw my boss coming into the office in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and sandals with his dog. that gave me the impression that its pretty relaxed. needless to say, i too became relaxed. and even more needless to say, i was screwed for being too relaxed. the lesson? dont screw around too much. its good to screw though...

Anonymous said...

hey

i think for now your two teammates can think of you as a fellow teammate lah but when your company grow bigger and you have employ more young buggers, make sure that they know their places so that you wont be taken advantage of lah. on my first day of work, i saw my boss coming into the office in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and sandals with his dog. that gave me the impression that its pretty relaxed. needless to say, i too became relaxed. and even more needless to say, i was screwed for being too relaxed. the lesson? dont screw around too much. its good to screw though...

Anonymous said...

Agreed.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I meant the screwing part only though... =)

Boss Stewie said...

lol adrian.. ok thanks for the advice...

lance.. are u done with ur spamming?

Ianfluenza said...

Boss Stewie, good to see you're getting the ball rolling. All the best. And don't need to reply this comment lah. Use your time to rake in more cash better!

Boss Stewie said...

ian.. cannot lor not reply... a promise is a promise... haihhh

Anonymous said...

hehe...my boss always look so entau in formal clothes.
dun worry,this is a good start so jia you o!!!!!!!
bless u

Jason Lioh said...

Wah, endauuuuuuu nyaaaaaaaaaaaa

Boss Stewie said...

thank u baby hehehe

jason.. dun lar perli meee

Anonymous said...

Sorry...

*Ties hands up*

Boss Stewie said...

thanks lance.. you're a great help

Daphne Maia said...

can hire me too? im good at admin, communications, customer service, bla bla bla, n im doing my part-time degree in HR. bla bla bla. if u need me, come find me haha. i'm jobless! :( well if u cant hire me, can add my name to ur 'feed stewie foundation' as a beneficiary? :)

Boss Stewie said...

hahah daphne.. you're not from penang are you...

Gwendolynne said...

Your phone ... there's this button horr ... it has probably a red mark on it horr ... you press that button with your pointy finger. That's right ... hold it ... longer a bit. The phone lcd go black yet? Not yet? Hold longer. Ok now? Release your finger.

Eat chicken. Rejoice for I have come to the rescue!

Daphne Maia said...

haahaa guess what. i AM actually from penang. but i now live in singapore. born in pg, went to indonesia, came back n stayed in melaka, thn JB, thn alor star, thn indo again, thn JB, thn singapore. so.. yea. pt is, i am still from pg. lol.