My work has been very pleasant so far. There were challenges that I face from time to time, but they didn't make me as irritated as the challenge that I faced today.
A few days back, I had some problems coordinating a programme because of some misunderstandings and silly assumptions. Received some suan-ings as well, but I could push it aside as I thought the person was just trying to be funny, and the important thing is, I didn't feel threatened.
Today, Freak whom I had dealings with (due to another programme) actually blamed me for poor coordination. Let me explain. I need to cancel that particular session today, as another person (A) told me to cancel it because of a certain reason. How I wish I can decide whether to go on with the programme or not. I tried to persuade A to go on with the programme but failed. In any case, A only told me about the cancellation two days before the programme date.
So I've to do the sai gang- call up Freak and tell Freak that the school wants to cancel the session. I couldn't reach Freak on Freak's handphone, for two to three times, mind you. And as I was caught up in my work (I don't shake legs in office okay), I thought I'll just sms Freak, since Freak sms-ed me previously about an earlier freaking session. The message was two-messages long, as I thought Freak might not understand our shorthand. And I hate to type long smses, mind you. So as I said, I was busy and tired and I didn't bother to check if Freak received my sms.
So after a rough morning today, I recalled that Freak did not reply my sms, so I smsed Freak. Freak called almost immediately after I sent my sms. With a booming voice, Freak demanded that I explain to her why I did not tell her about the cancellation earlier. I stayed very calm and explained that I did try to call her, but couldn't get her, thus resorting to sms. With that, she retorted with an irritating accent saying,
"I did not receive your sms. You could have left me a voice mail. You are an adult, and I believe..." and she went on and on and on. She dismissed everything that I said. I hate her accent and tone of voice- sounds like she's the goddess of the world. Freak.
Firstly, it's not as if I did not try getting her. In fact, I tried calling her. And she blamed it totally on me when she in the first place did not pick up my call? She claimed that she was teaching her students. So what? Does it justify that you don't have to check your phone after your lesson?
And so (when I was not so pissed off) I apologised and said it's perhaps due to miscommunication. She pushed the blame totally to me by saying, "even if it's miscommunication, it's miscommunication on YOUR side, not my side!" She stressed the word "your" with her irritating accent.
So you didn't receive my sms. Is your handphone older than mine? If my 3 years old handphone can still function relatively well, I don't see why your handphone can't receive my sms.
"Or you could have emailed me!"
She came up with all sorts of reasons to blame me totally. And she was rude. Really rude. I do agree that I was in the wrong- but definitely I am not the only one at fault. It's actually an event between Freak and A's workplace, so why am I doing the coordination sai gang for them? Why don't they just inform each other and leave me out of this shit?
Anyway, Freak ended her blaming conversation by saying a totally kiam pa statement. "I'm sorry that I'm very rude. Yeah, but I AM rude." Like huh? You've already been rude to me, and you're trying to be defensive now... so what are you trying to do? What's your objective of saying that?
In any case, why would a sane human being take the risk to spoil a proper working relationship by being so rude and angry over a small matter? Everything's done already, so why cry over spilled milk?
I shouldn't have attended to her. It was a waste of my time to talk with such a person.
