The Week of 8 March 2014
Site Visit to Punggol East Vehicular Bridge Launching
On Monday morning, we went for a site visit to witness the launching and post-tensioning of a segment of a vehicular bridge across Punggol Waterway. We didn't expect it to be so hot and to stay out so long. I got dehydrated because I didn't bring my bottle with me outdoors.
Yingxuan slipped when she stepped on orange netting while going down a slope. Poor girl had a cut and bled a bit and had dehydration coupled with low BP. She recovered soon enough and didn't need MC.
The tumble skidded a hole in her jeans. Because the hole was too small to access to the wound clearly, Yifan helped to cut the hole bigger. "Designer hole". Then Yingxuan decided to cut the entire leg off that side of the jeans and finally the jeans became denim berms. Amusing.
Next time, I am wearing old jeans and army fatigues to site. Long-sleeved too.
"Engineer as a Business Leader"
On Wednesday night I went to NUS to attend a talk by Prof Er. Liew Mun Leong, the founding and former CEO of Capitaland, who is also the chairman of Surbana, Changi Airport Group and Pavillion Gas. He was a civil engineering graduate from NUS with no scholarship, MBA or even a good school background. But he shared on the attitudes to be a good business leader and his observations of being an engineer and a businessman. An interesting quote he shared: the difference between running and ruining a business is "I". Another thing: a good business needs skills in 3 areas: Entrepreneurship, Management and Technical. Without any of the 3, a business cannot succeed. He also advised to spend time nurturing the technical knowledge at the start of working life before moving on to other aspects, because without that understanding of the operations and things at ground level, the businessman cannot make proper decisions. Like designing a rebar cage without space for the worker to tie the bars together.
During the Q&A I asked if in future would engineering return back to a glorious status. In the past engineering was deemed respectable and had prestige, that PSC scholars were sent to study engineering. However in the current generation, engineering is perceived as something less desirable compared to business, less cool than arts, and worse, some people have no clue what is an engineer's work. Er. Liew's reply didn't address the question exactly. What he said is that I would be appreciated if I joined CAG (irony being that when I went to CAG's booth at career fair 2012, there were openings only for interns and definitely no jobs for engineers).
A small number of CVE alumni attended, as well as current CVE and engin students. I had gotten the flyer from Sim Chuan and I passed it along to my friends who then passed it on, so I recognised a number of people who were there. Some of us had gathered to talk with Dr. Chew Soon Hoe when a man came over to talk to us, to respond to my question. He said that my perception was false and that we should be proud of ourselves as engineers and of the good & skilled professional work we do. We discussed about the industry and of the perceptions that our generation held, things like how we felt consultancies were undercutting each other in their bid prices, how some firms would not offer higher pay. The impression that I left with was that we should hold ourselves up with more respect and command ourselves better when it is our turn to be change makers. And that it is our generation who will be the ones to change the perception of engineering. I think a few of us will be energised enough to take up this challenge. I have a couple of ideas already.
Turns out, that man was an MD of RSP Architects. He took my namecard but I did not take his. My hands were too busy with food.
I got to talk with a few juniors too and shared with them a bit of insight into my working life and referred them to my dept's career talk the next day.
A funny incident to end off: you know I am a buay paiseh kind of a person, right? I saw that 2 lines of the buffet queue were long, but the queue to the VIP's table was empty while the VIPs already took their food and were eating and chatting. So I buay-paiseh asked Dr Chew if he could help us have food from the VIP table. He checked with admin and thus we were allowed to take from the VIP table. Win! BPS attitude. Oh ya, there was free dinner sponsored by Yongnam Engineering (thank you for free food). Also thanks to Prof Phoon KK and team at the admin office for organising a talk and inviting the alumni back.
Unsaturated Soil Mechanics Lecture
The next morning, I attended a technical talk at NTU on unsaturated soil mechanics, which featured a segment on HDB's collaboration with NTU to treat the slope failures and slopes at risk as part of managing the hundred or so slopes near HDB buildings. There have been now zero failures for the past 2 years. I had heard during uni days that what we studied was only saturated soil mechanics and that there was a whole field of study called unsaturated soil mechanics that was a lot more complicated to analyse. That made me curious and hence I wanted to listen.
I did attain an appreciation into the matter, though I am definitely no expert on it. It is necessary to use a computer to analyse because iterative converging trial-and-error computations were needed unlike the closed form direct calculations of saturated soil mechanics. Also, instead of effective stress, the key variable that affects all behaviour is matrix, um, err, I think it is the difference in negative pore pressure across depth. Once there is no more negative soil pressure, i.e. Suction, and worse, if it becomes positive pore pressure, then there would be failure. Most of the time, the soil in slopes is not fully saturated but is partially saturated or dry. Thus paying attention to unsaturated soil mechanics is important for a better appreciation of the situation. Also, most of the time it is just a top layer of soil sliding off, rather than the slip circle failure we studied in saturated soil mechanics.
Social Club Chairman
I discovered to my "horror" on Thursday that I was going to be the chairman of the group's social/welfare/recreation subcommittee of our BIG Club (yes, that is the name of our staff activities club). Earlier in the week my boss, who was arrowed to be the overall chairman of the club informed me that he would like me to be the chair of the social comm. "Why?" I asked, "why not other sub-comms? This sub-comm's nature of work is not exactly my background or aptitude." Boss thinks I am rah-rah and can rally people to attend. He also thinks I am creative enough to come up with some new appealing activities. I negotiated with him to swap me to be the cochair = vice chair and let Ricky be the chair instead. (That way I can avoid sending email blasts, and I think that he is more of a leader and more influential sociable character than I anytime.) So I got away feeling placated but then discovered my horror on Thursday. Boss told me that if I really wanted to swap I could go negotiate with Ricky but he cajoled me by telling me that the work is not too difficult and I would have the former chairman sitting nearby to advise me.
I decided to take a straw and suck it up. Burp.
If you know me, I am rah-rah only because I am BPS and crazy. If I do not agree to something I cannot be made to do it or to show any enthusiasm for it. You would also know that I am socially-awkward and do not know anything better than to remember my JC classmate's birthdays to sing birthday song for them. That is it. I find it hard to understand people often and I do exhibit some of the traits of autism, so WHY PICK ME?? I am no fit for the job.
But possibly this is no mere consequence of a casual decision but part of a greater scheme of plans for me. Maybe God wants to push me into new territory, after my non-participation in any BIG Club activity thus far (I didn't join sports because it clashes with my regular fencing trainings). Maybe God and boss wants to give me an opportunity to shine in a way I never could perceive.
Honestly speaking, I received my employee rating on Thursday/Friday too. I was disappointed to hear I was a 4/8. I mean, JUST 4 = competent? I work so hard, and the qualitative feedback was that I was managing things under my charge well, so that just means I am competent and not above average? For a competitive person like me, to hear that I am "average" was disappointing. But, I took a straw and sucked it up. I heard from seniors most of the time they get 4, and they are smart fellas too. I felt that another glass ceiling formed above me. Worse is that I know a junior of mine outperformed me, but I don't hate him in any way; he deserves it. The inferiority complex wanted to rise up and swallow me, but I stopped it with a firm NO. An employee rating does not define my value. I am still capable and can still pull off wonders. I am first and last a child of God, whose value to Him is intrinsic and unchangeable.
In light of the above, maybe this is a chance to take this responsibility as an opportunity to be of service and to try something new and impact my employee rating and beyond. I have already gotten a few more ideas like World Cup watching, charity fruit juice day, cage soccer tournament...
Roses at Gardens by the Bay
Today we went to Gardens by the Bay in the morning to see the roses and enjoy the climate. We wanted to take mama on an outing to see flowers, something she likes, and somewhere that is comfortable and easy to walk. We rented a wheelchair for her and pushed her past the flowers in the cool weather flower dome. Love the weather. Mama found the roses beautiful and took pictures with her granddaughters. She enjoyed herself this morning.
After lunch Daddy and I brought her to church. Nobody wanted to sit in church with her for various reasons. Daddy finds it uninteresting, while I find the cantonese too overwhelming. But I volunteered to sit with mama. The thought had crossed my mind "love is when you put someone else's needs above yours". If mama is able to go church, all the more she should go. Our inconveniences should not inhibit her. Given her dementia, social interaction is good for her to engage her. I am no way saying I am a great person but that I learned a lesson in love. We need a reminder once in a while.
