Series of Serious Thought

It is for the second time that i am asked about the kind of work i do and the dress i wear at work. Last month  a distant cousin of mine called me to help him at the terminal; it was his first time travelling on a flight; he was going for masters. Along with him was his close uncle who came to see off him. He is a respectable man back at village. we shook our hands and the first question he asked me was what exactly i was doing at the terminal. I told that the terminal wasn't exactly the place i work and that we as an engineering personnel maintains aircraft, to which he wasn't satisfied by the answer i gave. Then he scanned me physically, he was particularly intrigued by the external reflector shirt i wore from the outside. i wasn't surprised when he said: "hangten ya ne zo ra thath pa awa chos ne" [literally, how is that you are adorned with such a shabby dress?] . The general expectation of people like them for every employed individual is seem them dressed handsomely with white collar around a dashing gho and shining shoes with breath taking perfume around; for them employed means that he has to have a office to himself with a desktop in front.

I don't have it all and i did not argue and explain much further, what would i achieve from this? it won't make me small either. I just smiled and said that this is what my work demands. He then asks me about how much pay i get, to which also i was plain. I told that it is just the beginning and is just a hand to mouth. I don't know what message he took back home, i couldn't even buy him a cup of coffee for i had to attend the aircraft that very instant, but i did not care! This is me, this path is what i chose and i am happy with it, It hardly matters what other people say.

Then today again, i went inside the terminal to help my cousin brother, a teacher who was going Delhi again to do master to Indian college. He was accompanied by his wife to see off again. this time again, i was wearing the same dress.
"You are graduate and you have to wear like this like any other people around mo?" she says as soon as we greeted each other.
"yea and is it not OK?" i reiterated with a smile on my face.
"Just asking!"

I don't know but yes, i gave a serious thought about these all and ultimately my conscience tells me that it is completely fine! just because one have a degree certificate doesn't deserve all that some office goers have. I think work is something that interests you, that satisfies you and something that makes you happy and suits you well, never something that suits others around you.
Yes there are people who underestimates engineers and especially in aviation, hardly do people realize the work that is undertaken by engineers back under the closed hangar. Hardly do people realize the grease stained hands that makes the aircraft fly in to air of clouds; pilots are highly respected and recognized and in fact they should be and they does deserve, for they are but the very actors,but behind them is also an engineer, who strives hard and who does all the back ground scores. well, i am too young  for now to even say this, i am just the beginner and i am still learning, but yes sometimes i feel that it is too much when people without even thinking blames, underestimates and underscores engineers.

So next time you come across any one trying to judge you by the external attire, don't give shit damn, its OK as long long as you are fine yourself!

STORY OF MY JOB HUNT

Every one of us have stories to tell about how we landed into the kind of job we are doing right now and for those of you whose turn hasn’t come yet, be prepared to make one. Some are sad, pity and encouraging while others are just plain and normal. I have my own story.

After graduation the word “JOB” was only my word and mantra. I walked with it, slept with it and dream about it. I really needed to find job, not because I wanted a lavish life or were jealous about other’s life or not because I had the certificate of bachelor’s degree. Those were just the requirements. First I had huge responsibility as the only first member of family to have studied thus far. I have so many siblings to look after, expense and educate them besides my aged parents. I could never keep the yoke of burdens on my uneducated parents. They already have had enough with educating me. I have given them experience all the pain, all the torture, frustrations and all the form of struggles. I needed to share their burdens, their worries, and getting job was the only option I had then.

The second reason I needed to get job was more of a personal thing. I am very reserved and small-minded introvert kind of person. I needed to settle myself. I tell you if you don’t have close siblings of your own at Thimphu or anywhere, it is very difficult to survive. It is so uncomfortable to live and stay with so-called relatives. You are their guest perhaps for just the first week at the maximum, then you are but a liability. They may not tell you in person, perhaps it’s beyond their courtesy as relative, as a person, but it is for sure that so many things are said behind your back.  But then what choice do we have? I had to bear, bear with all the courage which was but the combination of shame, guilt, sadness and frustrations. Luckily I have had very understanding cousins who understood all the nitty-gritty of life as a jobless, homeless and penniless fellow and I would like to believe that what they did and said were all from their heart. They have never frown at me or showed displeasing face. They have helped me with everything they could even financially. Perhaps they were pretending in front of me? Well, I don’t care, I am so much thankful and I owe them a lot.So I needed to be independent, free of all those insecurities and I needed job!

Most people (including you) would say that you study to learn, to educate yourself, expand one’s horizon of knowledge, to help others (for some); but for me there was one more genuine reason that I studied so hard.  I needed to help myself first! I needed to get Job and the main driving force was this three letter word: J-O-B. I studied because I needed to get job. “Only after I get job, will I decide what is next” was my only mantra, a constant thought and a firm reminder. I was never choosy in hunting for jobs. Soon after the college, there was a vacation for Huawei company in collaboration with TashiInfocomm Ltd in which I fulfilled the criteria I applied, wrote the written exam which was like what the hell? The questions were not related to my subjects and I was rejected. Then series of organizations announced vacancy announcement (BPC, BBS and Drukair). It wasn’t waste trying and each time I submitted my documents, it was with prayer that I be the one who is selected. I wrote exams in all of it and Drukair Corporation Ltd was the first to shortlist their candidates for interview in which I was one. After my first interview in life, I was selected.

And now here I am as a Trainee Engineer thinking about the mantra. Although it is just the beginning and that there are still so long a journey, everything has been going pretty well.

Come 19 and it will be my first anniversary as being employed, as being independent (my own definition)but I tell that getting job isn’t the ultimate solution to every problems!Also not every career you choose is ideal; there are friends who have joined various company some of which are so lucrative and they still complain about not being sufficient and it seems the world now is driven by money. Everywhere it’s only about money, money and money. And I think it is perfectly normal; that is how life is perhaps?

Anyway one thing I have learned throughout is yes it does make a huge difference especially in Bhutan where nepotism is so very existent. We hear about the recruitment process being jeopardized and interfered by the big hands and for less fortunate People like us where we are nobody in the arena, where we have nothing to lean and nothing to push us up but just our own strength and fortune to pull, We ought to believe in our self, have faith in almighty and work hard. We ought to make it happen our self and these are only our options. And at the end no matter what kinda discouraging rumors we hear, we still have our reward returned which is all that matters! The best is to do our own home work and be prepared! What’s your story?

Who cares after all?

The stars that twinkles and dances merrily in the middle of sky, who have had the leisure to watch and enjoy that lights the darkest night? That silent and serene moon which brightens the tiring day (of work) and make one smile; who would have appreciated for being able to see and feel?  Who would have felt gratified by the gentle drops of shower that drains all the sad and bad emotions? Who have not cursed the summer rain that sometimes gets lippy? Who have all the time in this so-called modern world to see the beauty of all these wonders? The music that enthralls and soothes ones deranged soul and crippled body, who even cares when all is well and everything, is alright?  Unless we feel alone, lonely and estranged, we hardly have time to acknowledge these small beauties that enriches our life though in very little way. We tend to enjoy music when we are happy while the lyric touches us when sad.

The closest neighbor who lives just a step away; did you even greet and exchanged hi and hello? We have ample of time to chat and flirt with strangers on the social networking sites but hardly a second to greet a neighbor whom we share a lot of resembles. We (and them in return) hear loud noises from the blasting woofers, the cute baby cries and laughter in the late evenings, but the irony is that we can‘t even tell from where our neighbor hails! The long gone friends, whom you shared same clothes once, whom you have had same meals from the same plate, do you even care to call them and say “hi dude, I missed you, how have you been?”

Well, very rare and very few of us do these. I in particular can’t really take all these into consideration because once you are apart, taking your own path, you get sucked by the silly things, you are drenched in the rain of clumsiness, you are busy of your won and sometimes lost in the world of nowhere. That is sad though!

But then, who cares after all?