When the carrot follow serial sticks....

WHAT a pretty day is it for everyone when they know their salary have been up. It's meaning rewarding to one's contribution to company as well as recognizing to his/her hard working. To me, how much increase is really doesn't matter because feeling some good feeling makes him/her already a winner. But sometime, unfortunately, our salary can be dragged through difficult and poor economic period, for instance recent recession. To be fair, how can we expect a better pay during a bad time and even we should have thanked to our employers for keeping alive our hope and not letting us down. We are going on the same boat and we are fully responsible for the outcome of company or firm. On the other hand we deserve to get some carrots like annual bonus or a raise when economy are booming.

I have a lot personal experience and understand that I have no favorable luck once it come to reward or pay rise. Since 1998 January, I have been in this industry and worked in 3 different countries including native land and never ever get such a reward. So I am not dare to expect such a kind of opportunity once it come the right time. Because it's so hurt once we are left despite I believe I am not type of lazy worker and try to work my job to the best of my effort always. But sometime working hard alone is not good enough to enjoy such a kind of rewarding.

Since all the superiors are also human being, they can make some favorable decision when they will have to make some list. I sincerely believe myself that work hard will make the rest in order and actually it's hard to be like that in real life. Sometime we need to have some close relationship with superior and also good luck play a part. I thought this kind of circumstance is just only happening in my own country because of corruption habit. After I was working in oversea job, I realized that it's not happening in my country alone.

I had worked in Malaysia for exactly 3 years with the constant salary. I gave my best whenever I am assigned in prospect of some benefit. But the reward for my hard working habit is getting bulliness by lazy locals. All PM & MD know what I can do and they always asked me to do and I happily support their daily process. The strange is they will shut their mouth once the opportunity come out and also refuse to recognize me. Surprisingly one of my fellow citizen who usually take light duties got a rise. So I understood this kind of thing is much related with luck and deliberately efforts that are non-related jobs. I mean you sometime don't need to be so mart at job to grab a pay rise. Other things are necessarily needed to fulfill it.

Today, I am usually enjoy my lunch at the office and HR manager approached to me and told that "you can check your salary tomorrow and enjoy to see a rise". I was of course surprised to know that and happy. This is first ever I receive my salary rise in my life and really thanks to my company. I was recently upset to learn my salary have been constant for almost two years and even thought to change job after current course. I don't know how much increase, but as I mentioned above, I have to be positive since it is rewarding to my contribution to company. Hopefully I can serve my company as long as possible togetherness attempting to achieve our main goal.

Know your breadwinner

The service in our Embassy is appalling. Our people are growing up amid fearness and even don't want to consider what is right and wrong when something come across to them. Our education is lack of innovative and creativity. We are not taught how to deal with people around and how to survive in a difficult environment. Anyway we try to grow up by learning from our personal experiences. But it's not success rate to everybody I think. We cannot measure our standard with a handful amount of creamers.

On friday, I went our embassy for my income tax. As soon as I arrive, I was looking for a registration book for my Q number. But I found nothing similar that kind and ask people around if they know where is it. They replied me, they also don't know. So I move forward infront of counter and I saw one lady inside the office room was talking to my fellow citizens aggressively. What she told them is office is going to open on 9:00am and go away from there where they are standing with the purpose of asking some staff for their query.

The lady is talking by English and I realize she must be one local whom is hired by our embassy. Nobody is taking action to her suggestion despite keep quiet. After considering this lady might have known where is the registration paper that I want, and approached to her closer by passing people who are infront of me and asked

me: excuse me, hello
lady: hello, what
me: do u know where can we take Q number? I am looking for a registration paper.
lady: you haven't lah.
me: yes, I couldn't find it once I arrive here.
lady: wait....
she was going inside the room and come back few min later.
lady: sorry, I cannot make it.
me: what do you mean? then where can I get that number?
lady: one guy will come here after 9:00am, only he can tell u.
me: do u mean we don't need to give registration no like before?
lady: yes, he'll give u token once he come.
me: okay, thanks

She straight away go in without pushing people to move back.I misunderstood what she explained and happy for a while. Later I noticed that the lady who scored for standing infront of counters was just a cleaner because I saw her sweeping and rubbing some funiture inside the room. I was smiled to learn that and talked to people around me.
What a disappointing matter like this?
We are coming to our own embassy with full of worry & fearness. We don't know who is the person in charge for our document. We don't know who is responsible for this. For sure is we need to afraid everybody we see around the office including a cleaner, later watchman. I noticed that an indian old watch man is shouting people around if he assume is improper rather than dealing politely. If the people around are not considered considerate, he has no right to shout/score/show bad manner because his duty is just watch the gate and clean rubbish within a compound. Plus open the car door of myr officials when they come to work. Nothing more than that. But he might think he is a real boss to us and simply score us. What a hilarious manner. In this case who is breadwinner?
We are coming to pay tax to our embassy.
They are hired by our embassy.
We are the source of revenue of our embassy in fact.
If one party deserve a right, then it should be our side, nobody else.
But in real stage, sadly, we are always becoming underdog even to a cleaner/ watchman whom were hired by our money. We are educated people but we felt inferior once we are concerning with our embassy matter. The question to be raised are:
What makes us to fear like that once we reach our land?
What's wrong with it then?
How do we get back our right properly?
The authority will have an answer for this.

Obligation

Everybody is obliged to comply their respective government's law, we understood like that. Being a migrant worker, I am obliged to comply not only working country's law but my native. In this point I noticed the important of service vs customer satisfaction. Most of migrant workers were coming from the poorer countries and they are working in a low paid job or a tough job that are shy from locals. We cannot expect so much and demand for everything while we are working under tight pressure jobs. We are struggling to cope with our daily routines and try to save our tiny wages in order to minimize our times staying away from our families and loved ones. Who wants to stay away from their families and loved one if it is possible to avoid? I don't think we are exception from that. We are feeling to be treated as 2nd or 3rd class citizen here and we are discomfort by the air of our environment as there are so many voice out to show local's dislike. Anyway we have to handle it whatever block on our way since we already chosen this way to take.

As a human, on the other hand, we hope for a better life for our risk full routine to oversea job. Main ambition of coming is to gain some experience and capital within a short time. In fact it's far away from our secrete dream to fulfil. In brief we, migrant workers, are swallowing a lot of pressures to survive here. We can't find a room to be relax or ease our daily pressures and hectic life style. No matter there is less or more benefit, we will have to pay our income tax to both countries and everybody knows that well. It is obligation to do and we can't afford to avoid it. We have to make sure some amount of income put aside for that. Still there, it's still OK, the problem comes out once I try to pay my tax to our side.

Last week, I was informed for my workpass renewal by controller and I prepare to make it in time. At the same time, I received a notification letter by IRAS. As you all know, now is time for paying tax for all adult workers. I never paid income tax to IRAS as I am fresher here. I thought it'ld be difficult to pay my income tax to process. Actually I found it quite easy and it is just click away to be done. I am given a pin and what I need to do is just follow instruction via online. Very convenient and time saving. I appreciate that. I make it done and focus on another one that is renewal pass. But I found out my passport expire date is less than 1 year and I am supposed to make renewal before I can submit my workpass renewal. So I plan to pay my tax and extend my passport at our Embassy.

Amazingly I have failed to make it successfully. I thought paying money to my Embassy is not really problem before. I have taken 2 days on leave on different days for this purpose. One on Tuesday and another on Friday. Both time, my attempt had been failed by a poor service. First time arose from my carelessness as that day was Myanmar's peasant's day that our Embassy is closed. I knew that after one of my friend told me because there is no notice sticked at the Embassy by the time I reach there. I was puzzled to see close gate and return frustratedly. Again I took another leave 3 days later and found out a poor service.

I can't imagine things happen as I desire I understand. But what I think is we deserve to be taken care by our authority as they represent our powerful shelter in oversea. They are obliged to help us all the way as they are paid for that. We are working here and sometime we probably don't understand their rules & regulation that is changed frequently. But what we get is a bad service. I reached there on about 8:00am today and I can't find a registration letter that is not supposed to be an official letter. So I asked nearby fellow citizen who are also coming to pay tax just like me. They replied they also don't know where is it. So I waited until the stuff start work. According to working hour schedule, the working time is supposed to be start 9:00am, but I needed to wait 9:15am to see them around their desks. As soon as I saw staff, I approached them and asked:

me: hello, can i get a registration no please?
staff: sorry cannot
me : why? I arrived here on 8:00am and this letter was already disappeared.
staff: we have received 130 over now and we intend to do 80 persons per day.
me : then can I give you for next working day no?
staff: angrily "NO" while shouting at tax payer's name.

I helplessly moved backward and see around to understand more. Some people are also asking regarding about the registration no just like me. They also got the same answer "NO" and "Don't know". We are disappointing with the outcome. We came here to pay tax and we are treated like their debtors. Do we really deserve to get a poor service for our attempt of paying income tax to our country. We understand that they are human and human can make mistakes sometime. But they should have sympathize our side as well because it is not easy to apply leave and it can even cost us losing our jobs. Then who'll take responsible, we, ourselves to blame.

Briefly I can't find any mercy for our cases. I heard some stories from my fellow citizens that there are agents that can do this difficult processing for me. I immediately understood the reason why it become so difficult to us. Nothing is free in Singapore and we are not getting our wages easily. Is it worthy to pay extra ($50 per service)? Some will say yes while other say no. To me is "No" because it'll lead to more difficult in future and we shouldn't encourage such a kind of manner within our society. Meanwhile we need our authority to review this kind of situation in favor of its people's benefit. I don't expect my embassy to make e-appointment or putting Queue machine at the counter. I just demand a fair service for our dutiful manner. One more thing is it'ld be better to teach our staffs how to smile and how to serve our people in another country as they are paying their salary. I hope our authority can see a bigger and better image far away than what I can imagine herewith.

Save Irrawaddy

IT'S not strange to read about global warming is happening all over the world and some leading countries are trying to save our world at a healthy level. Scientists are highlighting the emission of carbon from a factory prone countries especially from developing countries. Some research charts are showing that China is the most carbon emitting state and suggested to practice in reducing the current rate. Recent meeting in Norway, this global warming is top agenda among others. The rich and leading countries were gathering and tried to find out a best solution in healing the already flawed earth. I don't know if they had produced some good solution from that meeting. But for sure is they are willing to cure our world by collecting funds from all attending states and found a firm to pay attention this particular matter.

Of course, our country is one of world community and we can't afford to neglect this global concerning problem. We have to do our part in saving world if not we can't afford to donate or suggest in world's community. Nowadays, we cannot ignore the matters out of our boulder line because it can be affected vicariously within our territory. So we may need to look at around with a wider view for long term benefit. Probably to control out of our territory is impossible for a poor country. But we, at least, can do someway in practicing to save our world. We are solely responsible for this global warming as we, people, are badly cutting our forest and failed to replace it within a short time. To do so, we all must have to take responsibility and willing to cooperate with the government. On the other hand, our govt must have a proper plan/ scheme for forthcoming time.

Without a proper plan, uneducated people will take no action upon losing our trees as they are struggling to survive from their daily life's expenses. We cannot afford to see short term profit if we are really appreciate in our future's safe. Just ignore about things that we can't control and already existed. We shouldn't do any project that against our natural resource's balance. These days, rivers in the world are facing severe shortage of source/supply of water to continue it's normal function. Just look at our neighbouring countries, Mekong, Ginga, Yanzi are already under threat and their respective country's authority are trying to save them. How about our country's life blood river, Irrawaddy?

Of course she also cannot be exception, and started to suffer side affects. I read some articles from online journal and see her unwell. She is not look like a river and probably degrading to a stream or creek. What a poor once a powerful river? I remember my younger days I spent with her as a boy. We are happy when it raise and close to our town as we don't need to go far to collect water and there would be more place to play during a bath time. She used to hug my home town once/twice a year. We are happy despite our parents are busy with shifting their properties to protect from deterioration. Once it go back after few days or weeks, we are missing her and we'ld find it hard to play around.

At winter and summer, she'll flow silently and her complexion is blue and clear at most time. We are happy to play on the bank and sometime try to catch fishes. Now she is not like before and had changed a lot in appearance and function. Last time most of the people are relying on her in water transportation for goods and passenger. Now she seems helpless to its community and people are pity seeing her become thin and weak. She is no longer powerful like before and never roar as before. Within my generation, she's changed a lot and I am missing her so much since I left my home town for education following working. I rarely went back my home town since then and now I'm temporarily stay and working in oversea.

Once I read about the drought of other's main river in the world, I was worried about our Irrawaddy. Now time come for her and how do we avoid and protect it to save her recovery. What I think is not because of global warming alone but artificial mistake. We tried to build a lot of dams to create a reservoir all over the country and it affectively stop water resource to main river. As we all known, river got its water from its related stream and creeks. So it is obvious to understand, when its source are halted, river would be affected as a result. Another one reason is speedy cutting of our forest and losing trees for eco cycle. Since rivers get water from raining, she'll be crying when rain are never come during rainy season. Do you know why? Most likely we have lost our forest to maintain our weather in perfect.

I learnt this year summer is hottest in decade and it's really alarming to us. Our farms are now lack of water irrigation due to lack of supply water. There is no rain, where come water for Dam's reservoir? There is less water flow in river, where come water from river water raising project? These day, our govt is trying to generate electricity from hydro power project. To the best of my knowledge, these kind of project are halting water flow of entire steam or small river. What shall we do with them? For sure is our main river is cut for its water supply and become slimmer. I don't know what are consequent in detail as I am not an environmentalist. But it'ld be better if we made a proper survey before we plan to do any future project in order to prevent adverse affect by doing them.

We cannot buy our natural resource, we cannot get back our beauty land, if we don't know how to maintain them properly and we don't consider deeply. What kind of future do we want to hand over to our next generation? Greener or Plainer? It's up to us. Our future would be black and white if we don't do our part in practicing to save our rivers and natural resources. I hope we still got time to do it now. Never think late if you are going to do good things especially something special for the sake of our people's benefit. Wish our people possess the best environment in this poor world. One picture can tell a lot words, they said. I herewith attached a picture from eleven website to witness. Hope you all unhappy to see her like this as well if you are my fellow citizen.

Save rivers, Save ourselves.