on staying in the staff accommodation...

first of all, i'd just like to note that the staff accommodation is just an apartment building that the company has rented (most of) the units for the staff. there are some other families and non-staff staying in the building, but i dare say about 80% of the units are occupied by my colleagues.


1. fraternity/sorority hall?

contrary to my earlier perception, staying in the staff accommodation is not at all like staying in a university dorm. when we go back to the accommodation, we'll just go into our unit and close the door! no running to each other's units to chat or hang out. maybe it's just me being anti-social, but i also don't see other people running to each other's unit when i'm in the corridor. or maybe i just don't spend enough time in the corridors? hehe...

2. you're being watch!

i was chatting with Lamenting Lynette today and our conversation led to the staff accommodation. she advised me to move out, coz the people staying at the accommodation are real busybodies. apparently they know everything that goes on here, even behind closed doors!

lynette: don't you know the *burmese staff have a weekly gathering in Hanky Howard's apartment?

me: i seldom bump into anyone in the corridors and i'm not burmese! how should i know they have such gatherings?

lynette: you better know, coz they gather there and gossip like a bunch of old ladies, i tell u! so be careful of what you do!

me: aiya, i'm not doing anything illegal or scandalous. dun care lar, what they wanna say. i'm also not so kaypoh (busybody) wanna know what they're up to. they wanna have party ker, gossip sessions ker, sewing sessions ker... i dun care lar.

lynette: u better care. they know everything that goes on in the building, so u should know what they're doing also!

me: =_='''

but hmm... i wonder how can i get myself invited to these gatherings to have access to those juicy gossips. but then i'd have to learn to speak burmese! :P
*don't know why, but my company seems to have an extra high population of burmese compared to other places!

3. just like in school after all!

our hr sent out an e-mail notification that they will be conducting their year end "visits" to the accommodation soon. the objectives of such visits are:

- to ensure that all the employees are complying with the rules and regulations as per the employees handbook.

- equipment and appliances' inventory.

- to avoid having storage of unnecessary items / dangerous goods / alcoholic beverages.

- fire and life safety check.

- maintenance and hygiene check.

- initiating the best room competition and recognize the winner with a valuable award as per the following criteria:

1. cleanliness and orderly room

2. good condition of inventory items

3. overall room hygiene and housekeeping condition 

4. compliance to the rules and regulations of the accommodation

when i read about the "alcoholic beverages" part, i panicked a bit. what, spot check??? in sandland, we'll need a liquor licence to buy alcohol... but i didn't know we'll also need it to have some alcohol in our house! prior to my coming here, a friend just got back from langkawi and gave me a few of those cute little bottles of absolut vodka, as well as some chocolates containing alcohol, which i packed up and brought over here! and there's also that big bottle of benedictine dom that my mom packed for me, to be drank a tiny portion a day to increase alertness and general health and whatnot... which till now, is still in it's "packed" state (in thick layers of newspaper and tape, to withstand being checked into the flight cargo). then i checked with hr ("we can't keep alcohol in our apartment??" *with big innocent eyes* :P) and they said that these visits are only applicable to those of a lower level than me. so i'm safe! hehehe...

i guess there'll be plenty of parties being thrown at the accommodation between now and the date of the visits, as everyone tries to clear off their booze! maybe i should offer some kind of "storage service" for them to stash away their stock at my apartment, and as suggested by kg in fb, i can tax them by the liter! :D

but owh, here i was, thinking i'd surely win the "cleanest apartment" award, seeing that everyone else don't bother to take off their shoes upon entering their unit! :P