You may not know this, but due to my lack of negotiation skills, I didn't get a very good contract in my current job. I was hired at the height of COVID when industries tightened their purse strings due to global uncertainty. Hence, although I was (and still am) a permanent employee, I got put on a 2-year termed contract. Only when COVID has died down did I start the negotiations (note to self: next time, do this BEFORE you sign on the dotted line, duh). My contract was almost going to be converted to a normal one, but with a stroke of sheer misfortune, the company got bought by a "low-cost producer" i.e. one of the stingiest in the business, and they retained the crappy contract that favoured them.
Because this "low-cost producer" never goes through a single second not cutting corners or shortchanging staff, this contract scam has resulted in me having my job security threatened biennially, and having to explain why I need to continue to be employed in my current capacity. As they don't have offices in Melbourne (and I'm not about to relocate), if my time in PNG ends, that's it.
They are now having a field day with cost-cutting through A.I., and like everyone else, they will eventually learn from their mistakes bitterly. Well, this is not a rant about the evils of A.I., even though that's starting to create real-life issues as rogue agents hack into Australian government systems (see this). I might write more on this topic next time.
All that being said, I've always told myself that should I be made redundant, I'd call chemical engineering a day, and focus instead on my true passions in life. Right now, there's a tussle between being a "digital creator" and "busker (or performer)" as to which I should start first. There's obviously nothing stopping me from doing both simultaneously, but if I had to choose one, I'd pick being a "digital creator" or better known as "porn actor". There are so many platforms to choose from these days, and I'll need to be wise about it. Regardless, I know I need to carve out a niche for myself. As to what that is, I'll leave it for future posts.
In the last few months, the need to re-justify my contractual existence in the company had created some work uncertainties that stopped me from planning for my next trip back to Singapore. Although I can't deny that procrastination also had something to do with it, but hopefully my desire to busk (i.e. crashing my sister's gig) will put that laziness in check. For now, I'll replay the clips I've made from my previous sessions.
This month's musical sharing is a Cantopop oldie released almost 35 years ago called "相思風雨中" by 张学友 (Jacky Cheung) and 汤宝如 (Karen Tong) - find the original here. This duet with my sister was recorded during one of her busking sessions in busy Chinatown. You can also listen to my previous offerings in this series here: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7).
PS: Pardon the annoying QR code watermark and poor video quality!
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