Tag Archives: annoyances

Hit “like” if you dislike the like button


Posted by Skye

Facebook Really Dislike button

Lately, and from an incredibly subjective place, I’ve been pondering the merits (or lack of merits) of the “like” button. I actually do use the like button. On Facebook, if a friend posts a status which I find is particularly interesting or a photo which I find it really great, I will click “like”. But I don’t always stop at the like button. I also often like to leave a comment, just to show I don’t just “like” something, I actually care. On the other side, I admit to being a bit of a comment whore. I get a buzz when people “like” and comment on my posts/statuses/photos. There’s just something about being commented on or “liked” which puffs up my ego a little bit and makes me feel like I’m a slightly more important cog in the world, because someone took the time to notice me. Lame, I know :)

But recently I’ve come to the point where I hate the like button. It’s impersonal and too easily there. There are times when I don’t understand why someone likes my post/status/photo and I darned well want to. I’ve really come to loathe those people that just click “like” to everything. Seriously folks! Do you actually like it, or is it some kind of weird competition to see who hit “like” first? Stop being a drive-by liker! And I really hate it when people click “like” obsessively, as though they’re completely involved in your life, when they don’t really give a toss about you. And don’t even get me started about those negative posts which people “like”. Nothing online drives me more nuts than seeing someone click “like” to “I’ve got a horrible case of diarrhea and my guts feel like they’re going to spill out onto the floor”. What on earth is wrong with you people??

The irony of this post? I decided to take a semi hiatus from Facebook all because of this bizarre dislike which has been brewing in me, and I moved some stuff that I still wanted to share with close friends/family to a wordpress.com blog. And what do I see when I post? A freaking “like” button. LOL. It took me two days to work out how to turn the damned thing off.

Image from Disocciated Press (link)


Ring! Ring! Ring! Argh!!


Posted by Skye

If my home phone doesn’t stop ringing, I am marching over to the PLDT office and hitting someone on the head. Seriously. When we moved to KL, I used to get the odd few direct marketing phone calls, the odd few wrong number calls, and so on. Oddly, I never actually had a legitimate phone call (why give a landline when your mobile number will do?), but I needed the phone line for the Internet. But the phone calls never really bothered me. They were few and far between, and usually more amusing than anything else.

But since we got our landline in The Philippines, aside from being a cost I wish we didn’t need to have (annoyingly Sky Broadband isn’t available in this building), you get the most ridiculous pre-recorded phone calls, the odd “we’re currently testing the phone line” call, and a ton of hang ups. I don’t think I need to explain to anyone how annoying a “Happy New Year” pre-recorded phone call is, first thing in the morning on January 1st… Or how much it makes my blood pressure rise when the phone starts ringing pointlessly when Nicholas is down for a nap (like now). And today there have been about a half a dozen phone calls in the last 2 hours! I don’t even know what my landline number is, so it’s not like I’m expecting any urgent phone calls…

So is it possible for someone to explain to me why my phone keeps ringing, and when I answer it, there is noone there? I don’t think they’re prank calls, I think that they’re line testing. But goodness only knows why they are repeatedly testing the line.

I really need to move on with my life (although if the phone rings again, my next blog post might be from a cell, and not a cell of the smart phone variety). Could this be a sign I need to get out of the house more??

 


Disaster has struck!


Posted by Skye

I went to load up my laptop yesterday, and to my horror it won’t boot. I was concerned the other day about a small ticking sound from the hard disk drive, and decided that I should back up my files again, as it has been a while since I’d done it (there hasn’t been a need until just recently when I started working on the prints for Nicholas’ bedroom). I’m hoping that the files are all recoverable, but will be extremely sad if they’re not. And fingers crossed that my HDD is not at the point where I need to call someone to fix it for me. Sigh. There go my plans to have the prints made for Christmas… And I guess it also means that there will be no new design for this website any time soon.

The silver lining of this disaster though, is that if my laptop ceases to work properly I will most likely invest in a new one, or in a new computer + netbook. Yay! Any suggestions on a new laptop?

In other news, I’m planning on returning to work earlier than expected. I’m kind of looking forward to it. I’ll miss the time I spend with Nicholas each day but I’m only committing to three days a week until March and I will be working from home. At this point I need to send out massive good karma vibes to my awesome manager. She has been so wonderful and flexible, allowing me to set my own schedule for when I come back to work and not pressuring me at all. I really feel bad for people whose managers aren’t so “new mum” accommodating as I don’t know what I would do if she was so strict about following the standard maternity leave agreement here. There is a definite benefit to working for a European company, with a European manager.

I’ve also found a hilarious website, which I’ve been using to amuse myself today, while Nicholas naps and while I don’t have access to Photoshop/Illustrator/etc (as they’re all on my dead laptop): How To Be A Dad. Freaking hilarious – particularly for the parents among us!

 


A blending of two cultures


Posted by Skye

Today I had to go to the Malaysian embassy to get a copy of my passport notarised. This is not something that I mind doing because I’m doing it for a specific reason. However today’s experience has been food for thought for me!

First the consulate staff responded to my initial query about their notarisation service promptly, informing me of the fact that they can provide this service and that it costs 150 PHP per signature. Sounds easy right? But they forget to tell me that you can only submit your documents between 9-12, and that I need to bring a letter of request along with my documents stating why I need a notarised copy. And they definitely didn’t inform me that the simple task of citing and signing a copy of a document would take three working days… Hmm…

Lucky I rang this morning to check if I needed to make an appointment (at the Australian embassy an appointment is a must) and the girl on the phone advised me that while I don’t need to make an appointment, the submission hours were between 9-12 only.

So I turned up, was greeted and shown to the correct location by a very helpful security guard, waited in line, was informed that I hadn’t followed the correct process (I didn’t have a letter of request) and turned away! So rather than walking off, I insisted I was sure I could write a letter then and there, so I hand wrote my note at the consulate. Of course, the mean secretary wouldn’t loan me a pen so I had to go ask elsewhere. Then the mean secretary wouldn’t let me write my letter on her desk. Then out of the lack of kindness in her heart she forced the heavily pregnant woman (me…) to write my letter on this teeny little coffee table type thing, which forced me to have to squat and bend over uncomfortably (attractive no?) and get jabbed by one annoyed and uncomfortably squashed baby. Then I got to line up, submit my documents, and pay over 2,000 PHP for this amazing lack of service which will take a further three days to complete…

However, despite being out of pocket and needing to complain to someone, I left the embassy feeling more amused (tinged with disappointment) than frustrated. Why? I have to admit that when I think about Malaysia, good and friendly service is not something that readily springs to mind (my fond memories on Malaysia are more around food and bargain shopping :) ). And when I think of the Philippines I know you can get exceptional yet utterly unhelpful service here. The experience today simply failed to surprise me because I got to experience the worst of customer service from both Malaysia and the Philippines. People eager to help but who don’t quite tell you everything you need to know. More people who are eager to push you away when your problem becomes their problem, complete indifference to your discomforts, a request for an outrageous sum of money, and a cheerful and really helpful security guard :)

Talk about the blending of two cultures…


My name is Skye. Not Skpe.


Posted by Skye

Something has been really irritating me for the last few days at work. One of my colleagues (who works in a different country to me) is continuously spelling my name “Skpe” in emails. And to top it off, today he called me “Skype” on the phone.

So the reason why this irritates me is two-fold. First of all, my name is clearly “Skye”. I don’t see or hear a “P” anywhere!

Secondly (and this is why this is one of my biggest office pet peeves), I think it’s the absolute height of unprofessionalism and disrespect to spell someones name incorrectly in correspondence. Particularly when their email (which you have) and email signature (which you also have) and business card (which again, you also have) and all other instances of their name (available to you) are clearly spelled in a different way. To me, a mistake such as spelling someone’s name incorrectly shows that you don’t care about the impression you make and leave on other people – and the service driven world that I work in, this is an absolute no.

Now I concede that occasionally there are genuine mistakes. I’ve seen a colleague email another colleague using a completely different name, and I’ve had the odd email where people have genuinely made a typo because they have been in a rush (or emailing from their Blackberry). But when you have the extra 5 seconds that it takes to check your email for spelling errors, and you have a nice, clear monitor in front of you… And again I return to how unprofessional I think it is.

I will call out my team members if I see them doing this to other people, and if need be, I will lecture them because I want my team to be seen as a highly professional, service driven team.

Am I being too harsh?