Time = Money

I'd originally made a vow to publish at least ten posts a month (barring terminal illness and broken digits), but it looks like I'll be breaking it this month. I've been swamped with work as my assistant conveniently decided to set up house in Melbourne during induction week.

200 confused and fickle minded students + inexperienced staff + lazy idiots
= me having to redo everything

Yet in spite of how I spend sleepless nights fretting about how things need to be done and how little time we have to do it, it's nothing like audit life back in Malaysia.

Pei and I are having an epic Facebook message conversation at the moment (I get free mobile access to Facebook until end August). She's looking for her first proper job and is disappointed about the salary situation in Malaysia. When I started corporate life 2 years ago, the 4 figures banked into my account every month excited me. I was able to buy things I couldn't before, eat at places I'd always deemed too expensive, fly to exotic locations (albeit on AirAsia) and generally, have a reasonably good life.

Yet I never managed to save any money. I lived with my parents. I contributed virtually nothing - in fact my mother was forever having to pay for household items. I didn't have an asset to my name, not even a hand me down car.

Here, it's a little different. I chip in to pay for day to day things, groceries. I fork out hundreds every month on transport (travelling 200km a day to and fro work involves a lot). I don't have as many friends, so I don't tend to go out as much. I've hit 20% in the tax bracket (hurray for tax refunds!). I don't fly overseas every 2 months or so anymore. Queensland's retail options are piss poor, so I hardly buy stuff (though it's sale season now and I just got the most awesome bodycon dress on sale and green heels that have put identical blisters on my big toes). And X and I just got smacked with the council rates, which at AUD997.00 for 6 months, is pretty darn horrifying. Renting is starting to look like a much better option.

In spite of the outflow, for the first time since I was 19, I'm saving money. Modest amounts really. A recent survey showed that only 40% of Aussies have enough money to survive beyond a month should they lose their regular source of income. True enough, TD expressed absolute horror when told her sick leave was unpaid as she was only a recent addition to the company.

How do Malaysians do it? I'm in absolute awe. I don't know how my parents managed to raise my brother and I, tertiary education and all. Mind you, we both went to semi-private schools too. How on earth does the average Malaysian, on a monthly pay packet of MYR3,000 - 5,000 manage to buy a house, two cars, raise 3 kids and ship them all overseas (with no welfare help too)? Just unbelievable really, considering the outrageous exchange rates.

And another point of contention is OT (I just read Jenny's latest post). I personally believe having to work overtime shows a failure somewhere in the system, be it the company culture, the processes in place, the resources allocated or the workers themselves. When I was in audit, I used to take a lot of shit for leaving "early", which would be 5.30pm, nevermind my employment contract stated 8.30am to 5.30pm as my official working hours. I mean, I always completed my work in time without having to resort to staying late, apart from a few occasions where changes were made last minute, resulting in stuff being reworked.

This whole "working overtime means the boss thinks I'm super hardworking nevermind I came in late and took a tea break, 2 cigarette breaks on top of an extended lunch and am now Facebooking while pretending to be researching stock quotes and then I leave at 8pm after working 5 hours effectively through the day it doesn't matter because I've been here almost 12 hours I hope I get a bonus" (the lack of punctuation is an effect of reading Susan Minot's Evening) concept is complete nonsense and is widely used in all parts of Asia.

At my current workplace, I get in at 8.45am and leave at 4.53pm everyday. My bosses do not admonish me. In fact, I'm appreciated for the effort I put in. I don't take coffee breaks and often am found having lunch hovering over my keyboard, whilst constantly being interrupted by a stream of receptionists and students. My workload is crazy and significantly worse than audit life. Yet I'm happy, because I get to compartmentalise my work and personal lives, 100 km away from each other.

It's a sad fact professionals in Malaysia work ridiculous hours. And it's a fact unlikely to change unless people start becoming more assertive about their (currently non existent) work rights.