Manhattan Sinking
Wow, you turn over to sleep for a few more minutes, and you find that half the month has gone. Not that I have been completely passive thus far this month, but my conscious keeps bothering me about my honours project which I still have to finish (/start again). The final deadline is now within one month minus three days. Its time to put an end to this. And it is time to stop making idle threats.
Now, on to things which I have been doing. On the third of this month, I started doing “real” work for the first time in my life. I have clock in and out times, I earn a salary (of sorts) and I have a company computer on which I do tasks which have been assigned to me. So far its going pretty well. I still feel lost most of the time, however, but I manage to do what I'm assigned (although I have had to deal with many “exceptions” and technical difficulties one wouldn't normally expect – thank you Windows Vista and friends). Its a nice environment to work in. My training is, however, ongoing and not very consistent, but I write it off to the hectic time my mentor is going through (for example, one employee resigned without warning, now people are scrambling to fill the gap).
I work as a tester for a company in Dorp street in Stellenbosch. From the outside it does not seem very impressive where it is nestled in an old building which someone once called home. But, on the inside, one realises that it is larger than it seems and you quickly get a feel for the buzz of business and software development which goes on inside its walls. The company itself is not small, either, with multiple offices overseas (only our office actually develops any software, however, with the other being sales points). The supply is software regarding maritime business planning and the demand comes from people who only do transactions with at least six digits, so I can only imagine what the turnover is. The product itself is something of awesome complexity. As a tester, I'm busy learning how to use it, but with a lack of both a maritime* and financial background, I feel like I'm not understanding as much of the “basic” things as I should. Overall, everything is going well, and I'm eager to see what the near future brings, as we gear up for another major release. Amazingly, I'm coping with working nine to five, however therein also lies my biggest complaint: when I get home, I'm knackered and and can easily sleep for two hours, only to awaken and find that night has engulfed us. And it is still summer, so the sun does not go down early...
Other news has been the relocation to the new apartment. I don't really know what to call it, though; I suppose it is more of a granny flat than anything else, though I don't think I would be able to life with myself if I were to confine my grandmother to this room. Yesterday was my final big haul of stuff. And what stuff it is: I've gotten more in two month's time than perhaps ever before over the same period: a hotplate, a microwave, a mirror etc. etc. While it was nice (and humbling) to be spoiled like this, it posed another problem: how to fit everything into the flat. I still have a couple of boxes left which need emptying, but I believe most of the chaos is under control. The answer was to build higher: everywhere I can stack something, I have done so. While this means that, in the event of an earthquake I'll be crushed to death from five different directions, I think I'll be okay. The major problem now is to attach enough multiplugs to extend my two power outlets to accommodate all my electrical devices (which I might need to use concurrently at any given moment). It is also probable that I shall have to rearrange the furniture, but at the moment all seems to be going well.
Tomorrow is another day. Thankfully I only work two days a week, but this week and the next I also have commitments at the university, so I've temporarily moved back to Stellenbosch, even though I still do not consider my holiday “officially” over.
* My only knowledge of nautical terms comes from watching NCIS, although using that knowledge as the basis of anything will in all likelihood only lead to trouble. For instance, on day two I was introduced to “head fixtures”. I'm still not 100% what this is, but its something like the commitments a vessel has. From NCIS, however, I know that the “head” of a ship is the toilet. So, a head fixture is a toilet bowl ... ?
Now, on to things which I have been doing. On the third of this month, I started doing “real” work for the first time in my life. I have clock in and out times, I earn a salary (of sorts) and I have a company computer on which I do tasks which have been assigned to me. So far its going pretty well. I still feel lost most of the time, however, but I manage to do what I'm assigned (although I have had to deal with many “exceptions” and technical difficulties one wouldn't normally expect – thank you Windows Vista and friends). Its a nice environment to work in. My training is, however, ongoing and not very consistent, but I write it off to the hectic time my mentor is going through (for example, one employee resigned without warning, now people are scrambling to fill the gap).
I work as a tester for a company in Dorp street in Stellenbosch. From the outside it does not seem very impressive where it is nestled in an old building which someone once called home. But, on the inside, one realises that it is larger than it seems and you quickly get a feel for the buzz of business and software development which goes on inside its walls. The company itself is not small, either, with multiple offices overseas (only our office actually develops any software, however, with the other being sales points). The supply is software regarding maritime business planning and the demand comes from people who only do transactions with at least six digits, so I can only imagine what the turnover is. The product itself is something of awesome complexity. As a tester, I'm busy learning how to use it, but with a lack of both a maritime* and financial background, I feel like I'm not understanding as much of the “basic” things as I should. Overall, everything is going well, and I'm eager to see what the near future brings, as we gear up for another major release. Amazingly, I'm coping with working nine to five, however therein also lies my biggest complaint: when I get home, I'm knackered and and can easily sleep for two hours, only to awaken and find that night has engulfed us. And it is still summer, so the sun does not go down early...
Other news has been the relocation to the new apartment. I don't really know what to call it, though; I suppose it is more of a granny flat than anything else, though I don't think I would be able to life with myself if I were to confine my grandmother to this room. Yesterday was my final big haul of stuff. And what stuff it is: I've gotten more in two month's time than perhaps ever before over the same period: a hotplate, a microwave, a mirror etc. etc. While it was nice (and humbling) to be spoiled like this, it posed another problem: how to fit everything into the flat. I still have a couple of boxes left which need emptying, but I believe most of the chaos is under control. The answer was to build higher: everywhere I can stack something, I have done so. While this means that, in the event of an earthquake I'll be crushed to death from five different directions, I think I'll be okay. The major problem now is to attach enough multiplugs to extend my two power outlets to accommodate all my electrical devices (which I might need to use concurrently at any given moment). It is also probable that I shall have to rearrange the furniture, but at the moment all seems to be going well.
Tomorrow is another day. Thankfully I only work two days a week, but this week and the next I also have commitments at the university, so I've temporarily moved back to Stellenbosch, even though I still do not consider my holiday “officially” over.
* My only knowledge of nautical terms comes from watching NCIS, although using that knowledge as the basis of anything will in all likelihood only lead to trouble. For instance, on day two I was introduced to “head fixtures”. I'm still not 100% what this is, but its something like the commitments a vessel has. From NCIS, however, I know that the “head” of a ship is the toilet. So, a head fixture is a toilet bowl ... ?
posted by phantom-99w at 11:07
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