Musical journey (136)

I'm still slowly recovering from COVID symptoms with the main killer being the total loss smell and taste. You can't taste anything you eat or drink, not even smell perfume sprayed directly at you! Although it feels very strange, it's a really great chance to lose weight. Once recovered, I need to resume gym and cardio straightaway as I can feel my strength and fitness quickly withering away.

As of midnight last night, the Victorian rules for COVID-positive cases have changed i.e. the isolation requirement has been reduced from 10 to 7 days, which means that I'm now out of isolation, 2 days after Ision. I'm still not feeling fully together so I'm definitely not venturing out of home other than to buy groceries. The nastily-hot and draining weather these few days doesn't help either (today is 39ºC!).

The handover meeting for my next work hitch has been postponed for a few days as I'm not 100% well-enough for work yet (my manager has just approved the medical leave application). My departure for PNG has also been delayed by a week. Apparently, people who have recovered but are still shedding the virus (resulting in a positive COVID test) have been denied boarding flights for PNG as it's up to the discretion of the check-in staff (crazy, I know). Hence, the company's latest travel advice is to get both a negative pre-departure PCR test and an all-clear-from-COVID medical certificate (I guess in case I test positive for some reason at the Port Moresby airport). This means that my flight to PNG will be delayed by a week at a time until I get a negative PCR test i.e. there's a chance that I won't ever get to PNG this hitch (shedding can persist like for 80 days!), not that I'm complaining.

I was told the all-clear certificate is no longer issued by the Department of Health and can only be provided by a GP i.e. the you-are-now-released-from-isolation SMS I got last night is the "certificate". For fear that PNG wouldn't recognise something this unofficial, I've booked an appointment with a GP next week to get an official letter. THIS IS ALL SO PAINFUL!

Last but not least, here's my musical sharing for this month. It's a cover of my idol Faye Wong's "传奇" when I was busking with my sister in Singapore's Chinatown before COVID changed the world (other posts in this busking series are here: 1 2). Even though this rendition is a little pitchy at certain points, the important thing is I had great fun doing it. The adrenaline rush I get from performing is like nothing else in this world and I so wish there were a drug that can replicate that sensation. I look forward to a future existence when I can do this again.

Oh, I almost forgot. Happy New Year everyone! I sincerely hope 2022 doesn't suck as much as 2021!!!

Goodbye 2021 and hello COVID

I must admit I'm quite a lazy person and added to that, I'm a hermit and a home-body, so I'm no stranger to vegetating at home but I never thought I could experience a whole new level of lethargy, both physically and mentally, all gifted to me and Ision during this festive season in a nice little package.

 

A package called COVID-19

Ision got it from work and naturally I got it too as we live together. Honestly, seeing that he works in one of the riskiest settings i.e. a supermarket, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten it sooner. There's currently a backlog in testing due to the holiday season and travel requirements and that's why I got my results 4 days after my test (usually it takes only 1). Below is the screenshot of the SMS bearing the news.

 

Because we're both double-vaxxed, we're only experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but the Department of Health does call you and check on you to make sure you're not dead and breaking the rules. They are more concerned that you're not off to places with vulnerable people than anything else.

What I'm going through now include body aches, sore throat, fever, dry cough, phlegm, runny nose, loss of smell and taste, grogginess, fatigue and lethargy. It's actually not much different compared to other colds I've had other than perhaps this being slightly more protracted.

Because it's not serious, I'm recuperating at home and don't see the need to visit a doctor. I only informed my siblings and asked them not to inform my mum so that she'll not get overly-worried (she always does). However, it looks like gym would have to wait till I feel better (perhaps this is a blessing in disguise?).

I now have to isolate for 10 days and can only be out after 02/01/2022 (Ision gets out of isolation a few days before me). My flight back to PNG is a day after that so this doesn't affect my departure but I'll need to consult with work on how I can satisfy the negative pre-departure testing requirement as I'll continue to test positive for the next few months.

Getting sick always sucks regardless of whether or not it's the holiday season and you just want to cut yourself off from the rest of the world and retreat into your own little hole. I simply spend my time watching YouTube clips on my computer or Facebook videos on my phone in bed while waiting for meal times. I'm so glad I'm facing this together with Ision, otherwise it'd be MUCH more unbearable.

I have not been to any public places or social gatherings since I was symptomatic. With Omicron in the air, I'm sure no place is safe (just look at the crazy numbers in New South Wales). I'd advise everyone to stay at home if there's no reason to be out. Though my COVID strain is not known to me, I'm pretty sure it's Omicron, not that it makes me feel any different.

Australia has recently changed its laws to allow booster shots 4 months (first it was 6 then down to 5) after the second dose but only from 04/01/2022 so I'll miss my chance before I'm due in PNG. My second jab was in September so I can only take my booster when I'm back in Australia after Valentine's Day in the new year.

I don't exactly celebrate Christmas or New Year's so getting COVID during this period is sort of a "positive". I always try to see things from a positive angle as things can always be worse. Now that we've got it, there's a lower chance of us contracting it again in the coming few months, which can only be a good thing. You always hear and read about COVID but you kind of never expect it to happen to yourself but here we are.

So this ends my quick update to let all of you know how I'm tracking. With the nightmare year almost behind now, 2022 can only be better right?

Musical journey (135)

Now back in Melbourne post-lockdown, I finally get to taste freedom out of the COVID-infested camp in PNG and it's been great! I'm slowly getting my strength back now that I've regained full regular access to the gym after months of relying only on exercise bands for my weights training. Back home we're free because we've reached the 90% vaccination milestone but with the Omicron strain, I'm pretty sure 14-day quarantine will be back up and running soon now that positive cases with that strain have been detected in Australia. It's perhaps the most depressing groundhog day ever but I guess that's the new normal.

Although there's "freedom" to travel to and from Singapore right now without quarantine, it's precisely this constant uncertainty that's preventing myself and many others from travelling. We all know that the best defence to date is still vaccination but alas PNG is stuck way below the 10% mark. Hence, it's of no surprise that there are constant positive cases that require close contacts to be isolated and this severely impacts operations.

As key production personnel, we're crucial to the business as my particular facility is the one that makes money for the company. You'd think that we'd be given priority in basic stuff like meals right? But no, every time there's a lockdown, we're isolated from everyone else as we're not allowed to mingle with the rest in the mess (and gym for that matter) and get given really atrocious packed meals which always come late. And if any person in my team gets infected, the company will lock in the production bubble and we're to continue working till someone gets really ill!

I've heard stories of how badly positive cases have been treated (i.e. neglected) on site which calls into question how the duty of care owed to us by the company would be given should we unfortunately need it in those circumstances. The contact-tracing devices given to us not only don't get replaced when they become faulty (as they didn't stock enough of it), many were assigned to the wrong people and as a result the entire camp was locked down and manual door-to-door swabbing had to be done for every single resident, including myself. It was pure craziness.

To make matters worse, the company in doing the right thing by ending the employment all anti-vaxxers (judging by this article which also gives an interesting insight into why vaccine-hesitation is so intense in PNG, there would be a LOT terminated), has created a shortage of staff. Although hiring is taking place, there would be a lag and many would have to do overtime (we call it overcycle) which will make the late overcycle payment issues that were already plaguing the company messier.

Hiring amidst emergency conditions are never good because you'd just absorb non-quality "strays" into the organisation. The effects will not be apparent immediately but poor hiring is sure to haunt us further down the road. All in all, conditions on site are quite adverse and people are getting increasingly unhappy and they've already went on strike once! If the next strike happens, all PNG facilities will very likely be shut down.

The company's roadmap back to normal will be announced shortly which includes the scrapping of quarantine in PNG i.e. rotations will gradually be shortened. However, judging by how terrible things are right now which will be MUCH worsened by Omicron, I really don't think this roadmap (however long it takes) can be successfully executed. Let's see how things unfold in the next few weeks while I enjoy my break which includes a healthy mix of catching up with friends, gaming, song-writing, and of course good old fun (if you know what I mean)!

This month's musical post is something I wrote a few weeks ago on my off day in PNG and it's about how we all need to unite to use the vaccine to fight against the deadly virus that changed the entire world. It's also a tribute to all our healthcare workers without which the planet would have gone extinct by now. It's the first time I've written in both English and Chinese within a single piece each with the same tune and meaning. As I write a lot, I need to try new things to keep it fresh. Also, the melody was written in one sitting without any fine-tuning which was yet another challenge I gave myself for this composition. Hope you like it.

[在掌握里  /  Crushing It]

脱掉口罩深深呼吸
闻闻风中的气息
差一点点就忘记
自由是什么东西
永远保持亲密距离
对寂寞产生了抗体
不让自己被它侵袭

人与人之间的联系
化成无形的空气
就连简单的拥抱
肩膀的依靠都遥不可及
你还有多少意志力
坚强多久不放弃
精疲力尽的心灵让它休息

Take a minute let yourself breathe
Take it off and face the breeze
Let it remind us
How the feeling is to be free
I've built up an immunity
Against loneliness and misery
Distancing from everybody

Seems like a faded memory
When we were skin to skin
I want a hug and kiss
It's so simple yet not at all easy
Please give me the energy
And arms to wage a war on this
Old and tired body
Needs a good rest so let me go back to sleep

朝朝暮暮    辛辛苦苦    忙忙碌碌
没有一分钟能卸下防疫繁重的包袱
你我不能认输
要继续振作    继续沉着地
脚踏一步就算一步

反反复复    起起伏伏    进进出出
隔离封锁不住炙热的火焰日渐麻木
但却不被屈服
绝不能退缩    不能示弱
不让病毒摆布

别放弃    一切都在掌握里
别忘记    疫苗里蕴藏的奇迹
We will win
Don't you give in
Crushing it with the vaccine

Day after day, night after night, we're working
Not gonna stop, 'cos that's how it'll try to break in
If you don't wanna be shut-in
Let's roll our sleeves up
Time to get tough
And make quarantine a has-been

In and out and out and in, shit's stuck on repeat
Keep up the fight within
'Cos you're a lean and mean machine
But we gotta be in unity
We're well on the road to victory
COVID-19 make it history

Musical journey (134)

Hello from the Southern Highlands of PNG on my day off which means I finally have time to post something.

From the start of next month, all unvaccinated people will not be allowed on site (i.e. all anti-vaxxers fired) and this marks the start of the return to pre-COVID rotations from the current 8/8 to say 6/6 then finally to 4/4. When I was in PNG back in 2014, I thought 4 weeks away was hell and never did I expect myself to get used to twice that time not being able to hug my boo. Like I always say, human beings are very tough and adaptable creatures.

PNG quarantine is also planned to be scrapped from 01/01/2022 and fingers crossed the process will go smoothly. This is a special company exemption and doesn't apply to the general population. Delta is seriously infecting and killing the rest of PNG right now and I'm glad the company took a tough stance on vaccination.

My home state Victoria has finally eased its lockdown after reaching the 70% fully-vaccinated objective last week but sadly I can't enjoy that. However, I'll definitely get to enjoy an even greater level of freedom when the 80% goal is reached. Dining out and partying here I come!

On the work front, I'm starting to get better at my job and hence given more responsibilities as well as recognition and authority. I've never experienced this "power" before in my previous job of 12 years (when I was constantly demoralised and dead inside) so this feeling is really refreshing.

As the international borders open up for Australia, the home-coming quarantine requirement will also be gone for the fully-vaccinated from 01/11/2021. The company travel department has yet to advise flight changes due to the easing of this restriction but whatever happens, it does look like the first day of next month is truly a time to celebrate! Oh, that's also my birthday by the way 😊! All in all, I'm quite contented with my life right now.

Now that you've caught up with my life, here's this month's musical post, which is another installment of my topless KTV series (the previous posts are here: 1 2 3 4 5). This time, I'm covering Taiwanese singer 徐佳瑩 (Lala Hsu)'s "言不由衷" which means "disingenuous". As a song-writer myself, I gravitate towards singers who write their own material and she's a talented one. Enjoy the falsetto and toplessness and I'll see you all soon!

Musical journey (133)

I'm still very much in lockdown from the second night since I started my break when it was supposed to be a snap 7-day thing. With so much time on my hands and not able to do much outside, I can't imagine saying this but I'm kind of looking forward to going back to work at least to break up the monotony. I depart for my next rotation in three days and will be back home 24th November if all is well. This means that I'll have summer, Christmas and hopefully a non-locked down Melbourne to come home to.

Since my last post, I've been fully-vaccinated which is also now a job requirement. There are many anti-vaxxers at work based on what they post on LinkedIn and I hope they all get fired soon. I'm glad the increasing daily case numbers are no longer the focus and the percentage of the eligible population that's fully-jabbed is now the key. This is a rare occurrence when I'm glad to be a statistic as lockdown will start to ease once the figure hits 70% and will be further eased at 80%. I just hope they don't move the goalpost.

Throughout this never-ending lockdown, song-writing has been number one pastime, even more so than gaming. This is because it not only burns time while keeping your brain active, you end up with a product that can give you endless hours of enjoyment with repeated listening. At one point, it was as if I was addicted to this creative process and had to force myself to rest for a day!

One of the other joys of being a song-writer is you get to live a different life and explore various realities. I've always wanted to write a song about dementia and the associated emotional complexities. After watching the movie "Supernova" and loving every minute of it, I knew I had to pen something and consequently this song was born.

This new composition is a duet between the lead characters designated "A" and "B" as Stanley Tucci's and Colin Firth's characters respectively. "A" is slowly losing his memory from the ailment and although he's getting increasingly scared, he constantly assures "B" that he's fine with going through it alone. "B" refuses to leave him and promises to stay by his side till the very end. It's an extremely moving story that progresses just like "Supernova" except the song doesn't deal with death itself.

"Where You Are There I Will Be" is to-date my best attempt at writing a duet and is a piece I'm really happy with and proud of. Let me know what you think. And oh, Stanley Tucci is SO freaking sexy.

[Where You Are There I Will Be]

Inspired By : Supernova

A: Hold me close, look at me, what do you see
This is how I'll always be
Hush love, close your eyes now, what do you see
That's how I'll forever be

B: I see your laughter, I see all your tears
I see your strength within me
I will not let go so please have no fear
Where you are, there I will be

A: Will I forget your smell
B: That scent you know so well
A: It's getting harder to tell / B: Be stronger for you, I shall
A: Baby
B: Stay with me
A: For as long as it may be
B: Here I will always be

A: You can still say farewell
B: I'll be with you through hell
A: I can do this by myself / B: You can't do this to yourself
B: Baby
A: Stay with me
A/B: For as long as it may be
A: Here you will always be / B: Here I will always be

A: Memories fade, the pain cuts like a blade
As days pass, I get more afraid
B: To keep you safe, that's the vow I'll never break
On my shoulder's where you'll lay

A: Don't wanna lose myself
B: Your flame cannot be quelled
A: Let me go, can't you hear me yell / B: Hold you even tighter, I shall
A: Baby
B: Stay with me
A: For as long as it may be
B: Here I will always be

A: Why do I deserve you
B: You're joy I never knew
A: But I can't remember you / B: I can never forget you
B: Baby
A: Stay with me
A/B: For as long as it may be
A: Here you will always be / B: Here I will always be

A: Hush love, close your eyes now, what do you see
That's how I'll forever be
B: I will not let go so please have no fear
Where you are, there I will be
A/B: Where you are, there I will be

Quarantine woes (part 3)

I started my 8-week break on 4th August and frustratingly, Victoria was locked down from 6th August and we're STILL in that lockdown which has just been extended with no end date. I don't think it'll be eased before I head back to PNG on 29th September. The health authorities are starting to believe that those underestimating the Delta strain who are flouting the rules are only part of the cause of the stubbornly high daily case numbers (less than 100, compared to close to 1200 in New South Wales today). Honestly I'm finding it increasingly hard to blame these rule-breakers as lockdown-fatigue weighs people down more and more.

As you know, Ision works in a supermarket which in my opinion is a location with the highest COVID risk of all places (hence I don't understand why supermarket staff don't get priority in the vaccination queue), and his work location has been an exposure site five times in two weeks. He's been on leave for two months and managed to avoid all that but he went back to work last week and sure enough, he struck the "Tier 2" exposure site lottery. Consequently he had to go for his first-ever COVID swab yesterday (he's been lucky to have escaped the unpleasant swabs until now, more than a year-and-a-half since the pandemic began) and thankfully he's negative.

There's other good news too—I've had my first Pfizer vaccination and have my next booked. The first Pfizer dose is usually associated with milder side effects compared to the second but I already got a sore arm and even muscle aches, chills and fever from the first, so I'm a little worried about my next jab. I guess I'd have to clear my schedule for those few days after that to recover, not that there's much to do in lockdown anyway! My company will soon be firing people who choose not to be vaccinated so this is good timing. By the way, Ision's having his first AstraZeneca dose three days before my second so we're both on the right track.

To complete my quarantine series (previous posts in the series are here: part 1 part 2), this post documents in pictures my first Australian quarantine experience at the end of last month at The Westin in Brisbane.

After much waiting without food in the hot and humid open for my negative PCR test at the Port Moresby airport (we were told 45 minutes but it was more than 2 hours), we were greeted with more waiting when we landed in Brisbane. We were stuck in the airport for more than 3 hours after we landed because of a quarantine processing "backlog". At the point of departing the airport, it was like the Hunger Games where everyone rushed forward jumping queues to get on the buses that were sending us to the hotels as people were only dispatched in batches (the years of polishing my kiasu skills were certainly put to good use). I was hoping not to get a Gold Coast hotel as that would mean a long bus ride although I was told the hotel there had balconies which I personally don't need. I reached the hotel and checked in close to 10pm and took this picture. Fortunately we were given dinner in those paper bags on the left side of the picture as we headed up to the room. There was NO food or water provided regardless of how long the processing time took at the airport, which was really unacceptable.

Well, at least my room was great and I got to snap a series of "before-I-trash-this-room" pictures. In a parallel universe, the stay at The Westin would have been a really great one. Funny how hotels are no longer synonymous with fun in this new world we live in. In its place are a loss of freedom and COVID swabs. Talking about swabs which ALWAYS come at the most inappropriate times, I had one during lunch and I had to suffer a very gross nasal swab after it went down my throat still coated with all the food!

The view from my room was a gloomy one. This picture was taken the day when Brisbane went into a snap lockdown which explains why the streets were empty (NB: To Victoria, if you're coming straight from hotel quarantine, you're deemed to be coming from a green zone regardless of the actual conditions on the ground and hence I only had to apply for a green zone permit without the need for any COVID test upon arrival in Melbourne. I believe the rule has changed and now we're required to have one test on the 17th day). I've lived in Brisbane for a few months before and know that even if I were free to move around, I'll not be missing much during a Brisbane lockdown. The times when I wasn't working in my room were spent recording and editing the songs I wrote when I was on rotation in PNG.

To claim additional quarantine work allowance, we had to work for at least 6 hours per day which was easily achieved as I had several training sessions lined up. The table in my room was a tad small to fit in my personal, work and training laptops (from left to right). Thankfully the WiFi was holding up albeit not being activated till the second day and my calls to reception to express my irritation didn't help at all. The plant in PNG underwent a total power outage a few days after I left site and they took weeks to restart. Thank goodness for not being subjected to all that stress! That being said, I know I'll have my own share of troubles during my next hitch, not least all the things that I have to fix as found from the power failure investigations—it's always fun and games there.

One of the most important things when in quarantine is the food as that's the only variable thing that one can look forward to. This is a sample of the food we got at The Westin (there's also a Menu B that's not shown). I must say they actually adhere strictly to the menu which was excellent because then you'll know which meals need to be supplemented by Uber Eats. I told them "no lamb" upfront and wasn't expecting there to be any in the menu as it's usually only beef but was glad that I made that request as lamb was indeed featured (in Menu B).

One most common gripe about quarantining at The Westin was that the food portions were really small and this picture clearly shows that. Luckily the company provides a $350/week allowance for us to order supplementary food and most would choose Uber Eats although some would have groceries delivered (which doesn't make too much sense as there were no cooking facilities). Another grumble I have about the food is it always came at least an hour later than the scheduled time. Once, I was already in bed ready to sleep when it arrived!

 

Compared to hotel quarantine food, the above meal from Uber Eats sure looks different eh? I even ordered lobster for one of my dinners! I've never ordered Uber Eats before as I find it EXTREMELY expensive and honestly can't understand how people can be so lazy that they're willing to fork out the price markups. I hope the novelty wears off by my next Australian quarantine as I was clearly getting fat from overeating. Sometimes I couldn't finish and had to store the leftovers in the fridge to be had when the quarantine meal was especially bad. It was frustrating not to have a microwave in the room (honestly how hard is it to have one in each room?!) and I had to soak the takeaway box in hot water in the toilet sink to warm it up. I must pack Ziplock bags in my luggage next time to warm food better. Too bad Uber Eats restaurants don't include alcohol in their menu (which is really strange—does anyone know why?), otherwise that'd be a good way to use up the credits and yet not overeat!

 

Supplies were topped up every 4 days which included bed linen which I believe no one bothers to change. What was important were the essentials like coffee, toothpaste, body wash, etc. and I was unpleasantly surprised the quarantine staff was not smart enough (i.e. as dumb as PNG's) to supply 14 days worth of supplies at one go which means we had to open the door unnecessarily for piecemeal requests. They were also not intelligent enough to place those discrete items in a bag and instead laid them all out on the floor! I had to tell them how to do their job and fortunately they understood my instructions. Perhaps this is a universal thing all hotels do but for the life of me, I can't figure out why they do it other than the potential little bit of savings they can make in case people don't use up those supplies. Another complaint was that the hotel no longer provided free transport back to the airport and although they said that was due to a change in Queensland government rules, I somehow feel that cost-saving was the real reason behind that. I'm glad the company pays for such trips back to the airport, if not I'd be pissed!

I've stopped taking PrEP when I left for PNG as there's no need for it based on my previous experience (I'd gladly be proven wrong but alas I remain right). As I was going back into civilisation, I restarted taking it. The anticipation of resuming sexual life was one of the things I relied upon to tide me through hotel quarantine. That being said, I'm actually a little too involved in gaming to care about sex (I got a call in my hotel room that my pre-ordered PlayStation 5 was ready for collection). Gaming is a GREAT cure for lockdown. Another thing to "look forward" to was my next hitch and I got my itinerary for that confirmed. From the departure dates, it was evident that the 8-week on/off rotation (i.e. 1 week quarantine in PNG + 5 weeks on site + 2 weeks quarantine in Brisbane) has been approved. I hope now that the Delta strain has reached PNG, they'll not go back on their word and lengthen the rotation back to 10-week on/6-week off again!

There was a warning that laundry could take up to 3 days and I was foolish enough not to take it seriously. I sent them my clothes on Friday morning and I only received it on Tuesday night i.e. the last night of my stay, right on the dot after 3 business days! I really have to pack more clothes next time as I was without any for that weekend and then some, and had to wrap myself with towels when the COVID swabbers came knocking. In the above picture, do you see that disposable mask on top of the returned pile of clothes? That was in my hoodie pocket and I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that they didn't throw that away and put it back in the pile freshly-laundered as if they thought it could be reused!

Of course there's always time for selfies whilst in quarantine! The messy hair in this snap was all thanks to 10 weeks without a haircut. I've not had a chance to visit the barber since I left Brisbane due to the Melbourne lockdown and I think I'd have to ask Ision to give me a buzz cut again if shops don't reopen in time before my next hitch. This picture was taken at the end of the quarantine—do you think I've lost definition from all the Uber Eats-associated overeating (compared to this shot at the start of my PNG hotel quarantine) despite keeping up my regimen of exercise band workouts and skipping rope cardio sessions?

Without a doubt, the COVID quarantine measures were very much stricter in Australia compared to PNG but as soon as I stepped out of The Westin at the end of my fortnight sentence, the hotel staff couldn't care less about how socially undistant I was, which in my opinion made all the measures seem a little bullshitty. There was also another cock-up when I reached Melbourne—someone called to inform me that I came from a red zone (as Brisbane was locked down) and so had to undergo another 14-day quarantine. Of course that was later clarified to be an error, if not, I'd have died of anger there and then.

I'm tempted to say now that I've experienced the entire PNG/Australian quarantine process, I'd know what to expect next time but I understand this is all very fluid. Hence the only thing I'm expecting is change, so don't be surprised if there's another series with whole new whinges about this new part of my everyday life called quarantine! In the meantime, on this last day of winter, let's hope we all have a better spring ahead.

Musical journey (132)

We're still knee-deep in lockdown which has just been extended till 2nd September. We also now have a 9pm - 5am curfew effective tonight for 2 weeks, and this is all because of blatant rule-breakers. It looks like most of my 8-week off period will just be lockdowns.

My life goal #1 now is to have a dining out experience before I head back to PNG. And if I'm allowed to be greedy and have another life goal, it would be to attend a dance party prior to returning to celibacy in the remote mountains. Sigh... Such is the new normal unfortunately and sarcasm is not any help at all.

The scary thing is I'm not even sure things will improve once the target vaccination rate is achieved due to the continuous emergence of new variants. Speaking about vaccinations, I'm getting my first Pfizer jab this week and I'll be fully-vaccinated by the start of my next rotation. This is a new requirement for all foreigners entering PNG so I guess the very-hard-to-get Pfizer doses are a great gift indeed.

I really hope a vaccination passport of some sort is set up soon and we can live better than those stubbornly ignorant anti-vaxxers. To prepare for any undesired side effects, I better finish all my home exercises planned for this week before my jab. Of course, gyms remain closed which is yet another bummer.

Well that's enough griping for today as that's not going to change anything. The purpose of this post is to share my cover of 周兴哲 (Eric Chou)'s "受够" which means "Had Enough" (the original version is here). I fell in love with the tune when I first heard it. I couldn't find the song's karaoke online so I sang it against piano accompaniment which in a way is preferred as it accentuates my voice better. Needless to say, only gay romance is featured in my music.

I hope you like this cover, as we all continue to stay COVID-safe and -smart.

Musical journey (131)

I'm currently in day 10 of my quarantine at The Westin in Brisbane CBD as I continue to work albeit in a reduced capacity as my back-to-back is now "in the seat". I'm thankful I'm not on site at the moment as the plant suffered a total power outage a few days ago and has not even started up yet. It's emergencies after emergencies with this new job and apart from the FIFO/quarantine/long periods away from home aspects, it's really not for everyone.

Other than being thankful for not being subjected to this latest plant crisis, I'm also grateful that The Westin being quite a nice hotel to isolate in and had this been another time, it'd be a really great vacation. Funny how hotels are no longer synonymous to fun in this new world we're living in. I'll write more about the experience at The Westin once I've served this 14-day sentence fully in the last post of my "Quarantine woes" series.

This month's musical post is a quarantine-inspired composition. This Chinese song titled "隔离" which translates to "Isolation" writes about someone trying his very best to end a toxic relationship. He finds it really hard to cut all ties because of the addictive dependency that has set in over the years. To sever the connection permanently, the offending party must be treated like a virus. He desperately attempts to isolate himself from the deadly contagion in order to save his own life. Hope you like this new song which features my attempt at "rock falsetto" (whatever that is).

[隔离]

词  /  曲 : 锦泉

你的泪我视若无睹
不想继续为你哭
你的笑藏着见不到底的城府
走开    别挡路

睁开眼看清楚
方向不再模糊
发泄不了愤怒
别毁自己的前途

戒掉你就算苦
我还一样死不服输
你像是个病毒
把你隔离    我才能康复

你的泪曾让我无助
如今我悔不当初
你的笑再也碰不到我心深处
别自取其辱

我不再是你的俘虏
你不再是我的支柱
我们就在这里结束
请你放我一条生路
I beg you

爱情犹如一场赌注
赢的 就只有痛苦
爱情犹如一场赌注
亏的 就只有幸福

睁开眼看清楚
方向不再模糊
为何为你愤怒
God damn you

戒掉你就算苦
我还一样死不服输
隔离你这病毒
自我救赎



[Isolation]

I don't care about your tears
Neither am I willing to cry for you anymore
Your smile hides a deep agenda
Get out of my way

Open your eyes to see clearly
And your road ahead will no longer be blurred
When you fail to vent your anger
Don't forget to not ruin your future

Although it is tough to quit you
I will not accept defeat
You are like a virus
That needs to be isolated so I can get better

Your tears used to make me helpless
How I regret my past mistakes now
Your smile will no longer touch my heart
I will not bring disgrace on myself

I am no longer your prisoner
You are no longer my pillar
Let us just end it here
Please spare me
I beg you

Love is like a gamble
Suffering is the only thing you win
Love is like a gamble
Happiness is the only thing you lose

Open your eyes to see clearly
And your road ahead will no longer be blurred
Why am I getting angry about you
God damn you

Although it is tough to quit you
I will not accept defeat
I need to isolate the virus that is you
In order to save myself

Quarantine woes (part 2)

Hello from Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea, where I'm in my last week on site and knee-deep in doing my handover notes in preparation for the end of my first hitch in my new FIFO role. It's challenging to say the least, much more so than my last stint here from 2014 to 2016 due to the mess created by organisational changes compounded by COVID. This first rotation didn't start on the right foot as I had to undergo 20 days in quarantine (usually only 10 days which is now officially 7 days). A day-by-day rundown of my time holed up in the Holiday Inn Express Hotel in Port Moresby from 27th May to 16th June will help explain why that is so. The two other posts in this series are here: part 1 part 3.

 

Day 1

After a night transiting at the airport hotel in Brisbane, I had to put up with really rude and uncooperative Australian staff for Air Nuigini. Luckily, the company's travel office operates 24/7 and was able to help me out of that bureaucratic mess and I could board the plane for Port Moresby. At the other end, I was able to saunter out of the airport without a temperature check nor COVID swab which was a sign of how lax the health guidelines are in PNG. Also, no one was wearing masks on the streets and there was no segregation between quarantined folk and the general population at the main hotel lobby. The room I got was OK (on the top floor and the end of the corridor). However, I was really dismayed at the cold shower and was starting to dread the coming days.

The last Australian sunrise... until I'm back home again

Day 2

Set up my office which honestly is better than what I had back home and resumed work. The hotel WiFi was putting up fine so I didn't need the SIM network adapter I requested from the company. Thank goodness for my wireless adapter which I could connect to from both my work and personal laptops. This enabled the hotel TV to be used as a second monitor. The menu on rotation looked acceptable although what was served didn't match the menu most of the time so they might as well not provide that. I don't like to cook so I'll never complain when I'm served free food. Lunch was always worse than dinner though but the portion size was reasonable. I also realised the shower worked opposite to normal convention i.e. turn right (or clockwise) for hot water and I got a warm shower tonight and for the rest of my nights here. Major crisis averted!

My hotel office

Day 3

Started my exercise band routine using whatever anchor points that were available. The main door was the only strong one but I needed to open the door as infrequently as possible to minimise the chances of the virus that's lurking in the corridor entering my room. I got my first COVID swab too and the company medical personnel wasn't even in full PPE (she said she was vaccinated and also got COVID before so she's immune!)! The result came back within a few hours and it was negative. Disaster struck during dinner when my bottom-left pre-molar cracked. Although the tooth wasn't "shaky" as the crack wasn't in the middle of it I knew it'll only get worse from here as this was the third time this has happened. And I only started my quarantine! I knew it had to come off but was trying hard not to think about it as I already have one out on that side and another one will make chewing really difficult. MAJOR FUCK!

Day 4

My cracked tooth was slowly worsening and I had to be really careful when chewing i.e. to push all food to the right side and then chew. Loose and crumbly food like rice was particularly bad and there's a LOT of it on the menu! Sundays are good for work as they are quieter and I can get more done. That's if I don't get disturbed by hotel staff constantly showing at my door! The supplies I needed in my room always fell short i.e. they needed to be delivered constantly. Every time the door opened, the virus seal was broken. I put on a mask whenever there's someone at the door to be safe, especially when the hotel staff were not really gowned up in safety gear. The worst was when they repeatedly delivered the wrong thing e.g. decaf instead of non-decaf coffee sachets. Why they couldn't have enough supplies in the room to see a person through the quarantine period (which they are aware of) was beyond me.

Day 5

Contacted the company doctor to ask for options regarding a dental visit. The recommendation was to visit the dentist in Port Moresby after getting approval from my manager and his boss on day 8 of my quarantine as international visitors cannot leave the quarantine facility within the first 7 days. This also meant I'd have to break quarantine and reset the whole process (as I'd have mixed with the locals which were all assumed to be infected) i.e. day 8 would be day 0. I guess I'm not that averse to isolation seeing I'm a home body who lives in a one-room apartment. Also, the extra quarantine days count as work days and working in a hotel as opposed to on site is much more relaxing. So although it sounds bad, a quarantine reset was really not that bad, even when I was in a room without access to fresh air i.e. balcony or a window that can be opened. The decision had to be made by the next day. I also did a video chat with Ision before I slept over Whatsapp and that immediate familiarity when I saw his face felt really nice.

The view through the sealed window

Day 6

Because it'd be disastrous if my tooth were to break apart whilst I'm on site with no dentist, I finally decided to break quarantine and visit the company-recommended one in Port Moresby as there's no guarantee I could leave site in a timely fashion even although I was assured of that. I'd be in immense pain then too (there's no pain at the moment unless I bite down hard). I'm holding on to a faint glimmer of hope that the tooth could be salvaged but I didn't think so as it had cracked. My second swab today came back negative. Work was getting stressful due to an emergency that happened. My manager is new too and his constant questions meant that I had to spend extra time finding out about things that he should know. Thank goodness I'm not on site yet as the work emergency would have been far worse to deal with if I were there.

 

Day 7

The dental visit was approved and the logistics and resultant flight changes were organised. Transport to the clinic was hard to arrange as I wasn't on a roaming mobile plan and I only wanted them to contact me via the hotel staff through my room phone. I was given the choice to change my room upon my return from the dentist but I decided to stay as I was too lazy to pack and then unpack. I was also told the room I was in was the biggest they had. On the one hand it'd be a huge relief to get the tooth out but I was also scared of the anesthetic jabs before extraction. I remembered those were really painful from past experience. On the work front, I managed to clarify with the payroll department salary, leave and time sheet issues around the conversion from my temporary Australian contract to the permanent PNG one. Nothing happens smoothly with this company and you're always faced with obstacles at every level within the organisation.

Day 8

I got my third negative swab results but that's all useless now as I'd have to reset my quarantine after the dental visit. There was some cock-up with transport (as expected) as the hotel isolation staff didn't get the approval from the company doctor for me to leave even though I had it in writing. I left anyway as I couldn't be late for the dental appointment which was close to the end of the business day. I moaned in pain a lot at the dentist and he tried to calm me with jokes. I felt like telling him they were useless but was in too much pain. The extraction was smooth though I was rudely shocked when I had to pay for it myself (I was told it's reimbursable). 400 kina was the damage (around AUD150) so it wasn't too bad. I took Panandols in case the pain came back when the anesthetic wore off. In the end, there was just a general blunt sensation. I felt really sad as I saw in the mirror that huge gaping hole where the tooth used to be. The dentist told me I had other teeth missing and so the remaining ones get more stress and hence they inevitably fracture. The only solution is to get dentures which will be one of the first things I'd have to do when I get home as I can't suffer another tooth-cracking episode (the last time was 3 years ago).

Goodbye, I will miss you

Day 9

I sent my clothes to be laundered and before that, I took pictures of it in case they got lost (I have a trust-no-one approach) but they came back fine. Chewing was seriously impaired with that huge gap on the bottom left side which was something I need to get used to. I hope the hole gets filled up by the time I get fitted for dentures back home as that would surely cause a problem otherwise? I don't know. I learnt that I needed to submit a travel insurance claim to get reimbursed for the extraction procedure. More paperwork and more delays... great. The company psychologist called to check in and I just let it rip with all the complaints regarding how the quarantine was run and the bad experiences I had so far and she said she'd feed them back to upper management.

Pre- and post-laundry

Day 10

I started the handover process with my back-to-back as he stopped working in preparation for his arrival on site. He had it so good i.e. enjoying the foreign service premium whilst not on site all because of a screw-up which had me instead of him departing Australia first. There's really too much rice and carbs and not much other options here and I can tell that I'm slowly losing muscle definition. I thought of ordering room service food with my company credit card but I wasn't sure if that was allowed. I later discovered that it was and the quality was much better i.e. quarantine food and room service food must come from different kitchens! Got another useless courtesy check-in call from the company's medical team. Work was still busy as the problems caused by the previous emergency were still unsolved.

 A sample of the menu

Day 11

Work was quieter today as my boss was on his off day. The rolling power outages were getting worse and this was a city-wide issue i.e. nothing to do with the hotel. The standby generator kicked in but those brief moments of outage were enough to knock out the WiFi and disrupt your work meetings on Microsoft Teams. Now I understand why the SIM network adapter was needed as that unit had a charged battery which continued to provide coverage during power outages. The air-conditioning got knocked out too and it could take 20 to 30 minutes to come back on and that surely wasn't good for proper circulation in a quarantine facility! That being said, the corridors were not air-conditioned anyway so they were a prime spot for the virus to fester. The worst happened at night when the water pump went out too when I wanted to shower. When I called reception to complain, she actually had the gall to ask me "what else"?!!! Fortunately, it came back on within 15 minutes.

Day 12

It was another boring day in quarantine but at least my exercise routines were keeping it "fresh". Apart from my exercise bands, I have my skipping rope which provided me with all the cardio I needed. The one I bought wasn't that good as I needed to hold it in a way so that it didn't entangle and that created blisters with the repeat movements. The gym gloves I had didn't protect so I had to fashion up something out of the delivery bags the hotel staff used. I was slowly improving in the number of skips within the half hour and the count ranged from 2000 to 3000. I skip naked just like the porn clips I have with hot hung men doing the very same thing which is always a pleasure to watch! It's Monday i.e. Ision's day off and it's become a routine to give him a video call on Mondays.

My trusted quarantine companion

Day 13

In preparation for a lack of Equal sugar on site, I've been asking for 10 to 20 sachets every other day and I was glad I did that as there wasn't any supplied on site (it used to be). I also had my first negative swab test since quarantine was reset. Work was still a little crazy and yet another emergency had arisen. If it were this bad when I'm not even on site yet, I shudder at how bad it'd be when I get there. My boss will leave for his break on 2nd July and the deputy comes in as the stand-in boss as the back-to-back of my current boss continues his long break after completing an extended hitch. Managing a single boss was hard enough for most, imagine having three bosses all with different personalities to deal with! Luckily, there was something to make myself feel better not to mention to pass the time and that's taking selfies!

How else does one take selfies if not in the nude?

Day 14

It's been a fortnight in quarantine now. Frustrations at work had boiled up to the surface and as a result, my tone with the boss was getting impatient. I really need to watch that. One thing that helped me unwind at the end of the day was watching National Geographic nature documentaries before I sleep which had become a nightly routine. There were 148 channels of cable TV so I guess there's a never-ending fix for TV addicts. There was a lot of downloaded stuff in my personal laptop but I was always too tired to watch any of those after a long day as they were all full-length shows. I needed things that don't have a plot so I could give my brain a rest.

 

Day 15

I did another load of laundry today and was surprised I was given a bill even though it was supposed to be free. I called reception and got that clarified (it was a mistake on their part, surprise surprise). I had enough mineral water bottles (25x 600ml bottles) to fill them all up with water to create a makeshift dumbbell which provided some variation to my exercise band routine. My phone's screen was acting up and if it were to die, that'd be my perfect excuse to buy a Galaxy Fold 3 (yet to be released) which I had been eyeing for a long time. I got paid early this month (i.e. today) and was pleasantly surprised at the number... I guess the hard work has to be worth it. My travel insurance claim for the dental visit was progressing ever-so-slowly as I continued to smooth out the kinks and knots of all the red tape.

 

Necessity is the mother of invention

Day 16

My second (actually my fifth) negative COVID swab was done. They didn't do the throat swab here as they were not strictly required but they were still being done back home. The swab results came back while I was taking a dump and I had to shout from the toilet and ask her to wait for 10 minutes. You see, they had to give you a wrist bad marked with the day of the negative test and you were supposed to wear it till your next test result but I didn't. My days in quarantine were numbered and I needed to finish the accumulated tea snacks before I go. Poor lean definition.... but those cakes and cookies were what I look forward to between meals when I take a few minutes off work to have them with a cuppa. I was given a warning that water would be turned off as a water pipe burst. Fortunately, I didn't need to shower at that time.

 

Fattening but oh so good

Day 17

When you're on site, you get a day off every week due to the long rotations. Though not strictly allowed to take off days during quarantine, I'm taking it anyway as that's a legitimate coping mechanism especially when I was doing such a LONG one (I had worked enough hours so far to qualify for it too). I chose a Sunday to do this as it's a quiet day with the Sydney office offline. After a happy morning selfie, I recorded a cover version of my new favourite Chinese pop song (動力火車's "我很好骗"). That was a nice relaxing time away from work. That being said, I still had to attend a Zoom meeting where the COO wanted quarantine feedback from all of us. The WiFi went down twice with the power during the meeting and I couldn't be bothered to reconnect after it dropped out the second time.

Morning selfies never looked this good!

Day 18

A very so-so day with work, exercise band routine and skipping rope cardio. My travel insurance claim had hit a further snag as the previous instructions provided to me were wrong! Today's hotel WiFi was quite good so I went to town with the downloading and managed to get the videos that I couldn't for the past many days when the WiFi was intermittent (I couldn't use the company-provided SIM network adapter to download these videos). I took it a little easy work-wise and had time to draft a short musical blog post. It's my second last night in this room and I think I'll kind of miss it. Talk about Stockholm syndrome! Watched a downloaded movie on TV before bed. 

 

Day 19

This was my last full day in quarantine and I started to tidy up the room and pack. I couldn't find my luggage-weighing tool and asked Ision if he could locate it at home but he couldn't. I might have left it in the Brisbane transit hotel. Oh well, I can always buy a new one. I was told the checked-in luggage weight limit for the charter flight was 20kg and that limitation meant that I couldn't bring with me all the toiletries I bought in Australia (they don't sell anything other than bar soap on site). I had my last negative swab and had to wear that negative wrist band on the travelling day, otherwise we wouldn't be allowed to board the plane. I was told another person from the same company would travel with me which is always a good thing. I had a video chat with Ision before sleep-time.

My trophies from quarantine

Day 20

This must be the longest quarantine for any company employee. 20 full days! I woke up at 4am and had my self-prepared breakfast comprising of the leftover tea snacks. I also packed some food to go in case I got hungry before lunch on site as they no longer serve food on charter flights due to COVID but I carelessly left it in the room. The hotel actually prepared a breakfast pack for us to take away so it was all good. I must say that's the nicest thing they had done so far. Just before I left the hotel, I signed on the bill which amounted to about 11300 kina (around AUD4300, which is a lot if we were to pay for quarantine ourselves). I headed for the airport and took the 6.30am flight straight to Moro airport which was a 30-minute drive away from site.

 

So there ends my epic 20-day quarantine. I would only have to do 7 days for my next hitch as the company has relaxed quarantine restrictions after successful negotiations with the PNG government on the basis that the company is doing a great job keeping COVID under control with their own health measures. We know that's not entirely true but at least things are moving in the right direction.

The company's vaccination drive was in full swing a few weeks ago but it has now become an uphill struggle coaxing the national population to get vaccinated due to widespread misinformation and hesitancy. The plan is to do away with quarantine altogether if at least 60% of the workforce were vaccinated. I can't say I like that too much as a week away from site is a week away from stress but I guess for those not as fine with isolation as me wish otherwise.

I'll be writing about my quarantine experience in Australia which I'll soon go into in the next part of this series so stay tuned. In the meantime, I hope the current Melbourne lockdown will be removed by the time I get back though it's looking increasingly unlikely as case numbers are rising (curse the Delta strain). I miss home and my boo SO SO much! Take care and stay safe guys!

Musical journey (130)

Today is my last day quarantining in Port Moresby's Holiday Inn (YAY!) and boy has it been a LONG ride! I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm SO looking forward to travelling to site! I'll talk about the whole experience in part 2 of my "Quarantine woes" series but for now, this is a short musical post featuring my next topless cover of Taiwanese rock band 八三夭's "翻白眼" (the previous posts in this "pink shorts" series are here: 1 2 3 4).

This is me singing in the male register for a change (hehe). Mind you, this isn't an easy song to tackle live as you'll find yourself constantly breathless when attempting it (the band had recorded individual sentences separately). Nonetheless, the challenge was great fun and I think you can tell I was really enjoying myself. Just try to overlook the pitching issues as I was gasping for air throughout!

My next post will be done from site in the "cocoon" and I'll see you all then!

Quarantine woes (part 1)

In a previous post, I described how my recent major career move came into being and in this one, I'll be talking about the complicated quarantine process that I'll soon be subjected to (the next two posts in this series are here: part 2 part 3). As you know this is a fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) role and hence I'll have a back-to-back that does the exact same role so that there's continuous site support. My back-to-back was originally due to fly to Papua New Guinea first but because of an administrative error, I became the first one to travel. This came about after a long period of waiting for the travel exemption to be first negotiated and then granted by the Australian government (the previous exemption granted to FIFO workers was revoked due to the COVID outbreak in PNG).

Even if I were to get on site successfully, there's a non-insignificant risk of catching COVID. One of my colleagues in his early 20s contracted it whilst travelling to the facility but luckily he has since recovered. There had also been reports of people in the "cocoon" (that's what they call the post-quarantine general population area of the camp) testing positive for this dreadful disease. The threat is very real and I can't deny that I'm genuinely worried.

Fortunately FIFO workers are now deemed critical workers and this came at just the right time i.e. we can now register for a COVID vaccine under Phase 1B originally meant for the the elderly and adults with underlying medical conditions. Unfortunately the safer Pfizer vaccine is currently only reserved for healthcare and front-line workers and so even though I'm under 50, I have to get the AstraZeneca jab if I want it now. That being said, I've got a plan to upgrade myself to Phase 1A and score myself a Pfizer vaccine (even though I accept the extremely low blood clot risk). Too bad vaccination couldn't be arranged before I depart but I'll definitely get that sorted when I'm back in Melbourne on my break. Without being vaccinated, I have to be extremely careful on my first rotation. 

Even though I've been there before (see this post) and know what kind of local conditions to expect, this FIFO role has been made infinitely more challenging not least because the logistics with travelling is constantly changing due to the fluid nature of how different regions manage this pandemic. As far as I know, this is what the quarantine process will look like for me:

 

• Departure date confirmed and flights booked. The company has only a quota of 15 a week to send to PNG so only the critical workers are allowed to be there and I'm considered critical.
• Travel approval to PNG to be obtained not later than 21 days before arrival and negative COVID test to be obtained not later than 7 days before arrival.
• Australian travel exemption to be processed on the Monday of the travelling week and needs to be granted before departure.
• Complete a PNG health declaration form a day before landing in PNG.
  
• Flight to Brisbane (overnight transit) then to Port Moresby.
• First part of the quarantine at Port Moresby (whilst working, either at a hotel or at a quarantine facility). I was told the need to quarantine at Port Moresby is due to insufficient beds in the quarantine section of the work camp.
  
• Flight from Port Moresby to work camp.
  
• Second part of the quarantine at the work camp (whilst working) and then a negative COVID test before being allowed to start work in the "cocoon". Upon a positive result, 2 consecutive negative results need to be obtained before being allowed in the "cocoon".
  
• Around 7 weeks of work on site with 1 day of break every week (there's talk that this will increase to 1.5 or even 2 days per week). This used to be 4 weeks work and 4 weeks break but because of quarantine, rotations have been extended significantly and hence these break days are necessary. The exact number of days on site is dependent on flight schedules leaving PNG.
  
• Flight from work camp to Port Moresby (transit) then to Brisbane.
• 14-day quarantine at Brisbane hotel and then a negative COVID test before being allowed to leave quarantine.
• Flight from Brisbane to Melbourne.
• 6 weeks off and then the cycle repeats.

As quarantine takes place in Brisbane on the way back, any outbreaks there will have a definite impact on how the quarantine programme is run but I'll fret over it when it actually happens as there are just too many moving parts in this. The company says it's working hard to make the quarantine process less onerous and it has already reduced 8 weeks of work to 7 by including the arrival quarantine period as work, so fingers crossed it'll get even better. I remember during my last stint there, at the 4th week mark, I was really feeling the need to go home (I wrote a song about it here) so I'm not sure how my mental state would be with 7 to 8 weeks of work, especially when 2 weeks of quarantine actually eats into my 8-week break.

However going back to 4/4 rotation is contingent on mass vaccination in PNG and judging by how slow that's going, I'm not expecting this to happen within this year. This is due to low vaccine supplies and a high level vaccine hesitancy due to misinformation. To give you an idea of how the local population feels about COVID and hence the uphill battle in front of us, here are the amazing results of a company-run survey meant to tell people to get their medical information from authorised sources. I'm not sure if there were prank answers but the fact that those questions needed to be asked in the first place says a lot!

The hardest thing about being in quarantine is that you're not even allowed to open the door and so I'm a little worried that might be too overbearing even though a company-appointed independent psychologist will check in with me at the minimum on days 1 and 7 of the quarantine period. I heard during quarantining in Brisbane, ordering Uber eats is reimbursable seeing that food provided during quarantine can be awful or unhealthy. I'll also have my top-notch exercise bands (in lieu of weights) and skipping rope (for stationary cardio) to ensure I don't get out of shape (a selection of the kit featured below), as well as lots of videos to watch on my Microsoft Surface. Of course there will be lots of song-writing projects to keep me sane. All that is if I don't need to work which I'm sure is rather unlikely judging by the unlimited amount of it I've encountered everyday since I've started.

I've just had lunch with Ision during his break and now checked in at the airport for my flight to Brisbane. I've been warned that there's a chance that Melbourne will be declared a hot spot (seeing that the positive case number has now grown to double digits and counting!) and hence I might be guided to a transit quarantine hotel in Brisbane (i.e. not staying at the one booked by the company). As mentioned earlier, this is the fluid nature of managing this bloody pandemic and I hope I don't go crazy or worse infected—I guess there's only one way to find out. Stay tuned for part two which will detail my actual quarantine experience before I enter the "cocoon".

Musical journey (129)

The acquittal of George Zimmerman after he shot dead African-American teen Trayvon Martin sparked the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in July 2013 and from then the #BLM hashtag became synonymous with the fight against injustice towards black people all over the world. Although the unlawful killings in America never stopped ever since the days of slavery, there was one particular case in recent history that stood out and that was the death of George Floyd. You must be living under a rock in another galaxy if you don't know who he is but here is what you need to know in case that's you.

Blacks and people of colour have faced racial injustice for eons and it's only when you've been in the minority camp will you fully grasp that feeling of helplessness and outrage. It's like bottled-up anger waiting to explode but due to societal pressures, you have to keep it in and hope that it doesn't implode and cause great harm, physically or otherwise. I personally have had my fair share of racist episodes ever since I became the minority after I relocated to Australia. Fortunately with the recent surge in Asian hate borne out of COVID, I haven't experienced any ignorant vitriol so far. Perhaps that's because Melbourne has been locked down for much of the pandemic (I'm a skeptic yes).

Besides being a skeptic, I'm a pessimist too so I truly believe this horrible reality of life will never end and so the fight against it can't cease as well. However there will always be little victories that we can celebrate and triumphs that can give the warriors just a teensy bit more fortitude to carry on. The conviction of George Floyd's killer last month was one of such small wins. To mark this event and also his one-year death anniversary this month, I wrote a song not only to commemorate but to remind myself and everyone else that this is just one battle won. There's still a long war ahead so let's all brace ourselves to right this wrong.

[Right This Wrong]

You, all censored and subdued
A storm waiting to break through
You're still in shackles
In need of hope long overdue

Busted and screwed
Locked up in a déja vu
You should try to take a walk in my shoes

If only you knew
Injustice the way I do
Change may one day come through

How could you
Be so blind and so cruel

I have to stand up and fight
To make the move
Not gonna let you tear me down
I'm ready to battle
No mercy for you

I have to stand up and fight
To make the move
Not gonna let you break me down
I'm ready to battle
Fuck this abuse

So we have to
Rise up, unite, to see it through
Not gonna let you tear us down
So listen to this war cry
It's time to right this wrong
And time to end this abuse

Musical journey (128)

Almost a month into my new job, everything is progressing well including my week-long Sydney on-boarding trip when I had the chance to meet my office-based colleagues as well as to catch up with my old Sydney friends which I've not seen for years (since I left Sydney in 2012). Fortunately there was no sudden outbreak in Sydney like in Brisbane just before Easter and I'm now back in Melbourne. Travelling is so scary now, even if it's just interstate and it felt weird stepping into an airport and aeroplane once again.

This month's musical post features Jay Chou's 菊花台 when I was busking for a night in Singapore more than a year ago before the world was turned upside down by the pandemic (here is another piece I did that night). I wonder when I can do it again—both visiting my home country and performing in front of a non socially-distanced crowd...

PS: I didn't get the words right in some parts as the lyrics I was relying on that night was wrong!

A new beginning

It's done. It's finally done! And because it's really happened, I can at long last tell all of you formally that I've ended my almost 13-year employment with my ex-company and moved on to my new job as a site-based Process Engineer in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on a fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) rotation, a location which I'm very familiar with from my previous 2-year stint there. The current COVID outbreak in PNG and the Brisbane lockdown are factors that will impact when I actually arrive on site but I'll leave that subject for a subsequent post but in this one, I'll detail the timeline of how this major career change came about. Before that, let me first share with you the best error message ever—I've never been more glad to be locked out of the system!

 

 

15/09/2020 - Received a LinkedIn message from a recruiter asking if I was interested in the role. Despite my gripes about LinkedIn, it's really a good way to get noticed.

17/09/2020 - A successful phone interview with the recruiter was conducted and a formal interview with the company was organised. It sure feels good to be "head-hunted" and not having to apply for a job and then wait for a reply that never comes.

30/09/2020 - The panel video interview with the company took place with most of the interviewers known to me due to my previous stint there. Lots of homework and preparation was done because I've been yearning to leave my then company for a long time and since Melbourne-based opportunities were rare, when this FIFO role came up which didn't require me to relocate, I knew I HAD to get it!

07/10/2020 - Provided information and referees as part of pre-employment background checks which were initiated as the job application progressed to the next stage. Background checks typically mean that you've been shortlisted already and will get the role if the checks all turn out fine. My time and performance in PNG from 2014 to 2016 must have contributed to this positive development. Asking my then colleagues to be my referees was awkward but that's a reality of life we all have to face at some point.

26/10/2020 - Received the email from HR that I've been offered the job. HAPPY DAY!!! Signed the site-based employment contract which will only take effect when the PNG visa is granted (visa is valid for 3 years). Think the visa application process is easy especially since I've obtained the visa before? Well think again. The recruiter wasn't aware that this was a 2-year term and I only realised this when I saw the contract. Although that was an unpleasant surprise, this would still be a great career move for me. Based on my previous experience, because getting the visa takes so much effort, it'll likely be at least a 3-year term i.e. until the visa expires. That's if I do a good job of course.

27/10/2020 - Applied for an Australian Federal Police check and obtained a "clean record" outcome on 09/11/2020. This is required for the PNG work permit application.

05/11/2020 - Couriered the completed work permit application forms and documentation to PNG's Department of Labour & Industrial Relations.

10/11/2020 - Commenced application for certification as a Professional Engineer with the Institute of Engineers Papua New Guinea (IEPNG). This is the biggest change since my last application. PNG now requires all practising engineers to obtain this certification to ensure quality in engineering designs. This is an extremely involved process and I was told it's much more onerous than the equivalent Australian certification. 

13/11/2020 - Received the all-clear from the company doctor after the pre-employment medical checks and vaccinations. A subsequent follow-up check was also done on 03/12/2020. This is one of the requirements for the PNG work permit application.

19/11/2020 - Full application and associated documentation were sent to IEPNG which included references from two more then colleagues (i.e. more awkward conversations). The process normally takes 90 business days with the bulk of the time spent by technical assessors to come up with a decision. These assessors are doing this pro-bono and so it all depends on whether they can afford the time. It's beyond 90 business days to date and I still haven't attained the certification. Although this is a work permit requirement, it's not strictly required which will be explained further below. And get this—all visa-related applications were put on pause for the end-of-year period from 20/11/2020 and the office did not re-open till 14/01/2021! This was really bad news for me as I've already moved on mentally from my then company and hence my days there were increasingly tough. The lack of work and job insecurity due to COVID was also making things extra difficult.

25/01/2021 - The work permit support letter was released by IEPNG once they received the application payment from the company. This is a provisional approval for the certification so that the work permit application can progress. Although I'm really thankful they allow this, I'll leave it up to you to interpret how important this certification is to the PNG government. Even people in the know had admitted that routine "rubber-stamping" is definitely happening.

09/02/2021 - Work permit was granted (3-year validity) and this must happen before the PNG visa  (entry permit) application could be lodged (on 15/02/2021).

25/02/2021 - PNG visa (entry permit) status was progressed to "Authorised" which meant that my passport had to be sent to the PNG Consulate in Brisbane for the visa to be affixed. There was a conflict between HR and the Consulate with regards to a negative COVID test result requirement. Although I got a negative result from my first-ever COVID swab on 01/03/2021 less than a day after the test (20 hours to be precise—how efficient is that?) and included that in the documentation pack sent to the Consulate, it was later confirmed that this was not required contrary to what HR initially thought.

07/03/2021 - PNG visa (entry permit) application was approved and is valid till 10/02/2024. This means that the employment contract I previously signed comes into full effect. However, it has been decided that my back-to-back would go on site first and so I'd need to sign an interim maximum 3-month Australia-based contract so that I can start the on-boarding process and be able to hit the ground running once my rotation starts.

17/03/2021 - The Australia-based employment contract was signed. To allow me to work remotely, I was sent my work laptop which I received on 26/03/2021. It's a sleek HP model with Bang & Olufsen speakers, not the run-of-the-mill Dell crap. I love it!

 

29/03/2021 - Officially started my new Process Engineer role. YAY!!!

 

As you can see, I took quite a bit of effort through more than half a year (!) between being contacted for the role and my official start date but I'm very happy that everything progressed in the right direction, including my first three days in my new role notwithstanding typical teething IT issues. However, this is not the end as my actual role is site-based and a lot of factors affect my actual commencement date on site not least because of how quarantine measures keep evolving along with the viral strains. I'll talk about the quarantine requirements for this new role in a subsequent post.