No One

The thing about advertising is really funny, no matter how much I write and talk about it one can’t really understand the scope and the power of the profession unless you are in it. To the people who are in it (long enough anyway), we bitched about how hard life is but fundamentally speaking, we are a bunch of people who are passionate about the things that we do. No where else or anything else can come closer to that. But what happens if you are in it for the ride? Or just glam? Most of them doesn’t last long and if they are – a pain in the ass to work with.

I am not about to say that I am the perfect worker or the most hardworking around and in fact I considered myself as lazy but like how my Traffic (coordinator for work flow) put it – everyone is born lazy and wants to be lazy but we have no choice but to do. However there are some people who are willing to just be lazy and do not care. And that person is my immediate manager. I know that I have been complaining about her in the past but I think I have come to my breaking point.

SPOILER WARNING – CONTAIN BORING DETAILS ABOUT WORK. BE WARNED.

This morning as I came into work, trying to compile things to run off to a meeting I was greeted by a shocking email. It turned out that our producer has scheduled a radio ad recording for the day and no one was informed. Not even the Client. It was just yesterday that the Chinese script got rejected and they are still working on it. Made a call to THAT WOMAN and she didn’t know either. As usual she was late, still at home, didn’t pick up the phone at first and was the first to left the office yesterday. Obviously didn’t read her email.

So have to scamper and scrap and find out that the BM script has not been approved as well. Quickly got it send and approved and then ask THAT WOMAN to call Client to inform them on the recording. In our business we are faced with many crisis and last minute problems, we learnt how to handle them and manage Client’s expectations. Luckily that got settled and then I just remember that we still need to get them approved by the radio stations. Snap snap and managed to get everything rolled out but THAT WOMAN has to skip the meeting. During the meeting I presented some work and found that this bloody job which started since day one I joined still have MISTAKE. Luckily Client didn’t notice and complain. And then another piece of HER work is wrong as well. Nevermind I told myself.

Off I drove over for the recording, stayed awhile and went back to office to finish off the work and follow up on things. Turned out the cost of the radio production has not really been approved. Just great, called THAT WOMAN and get her to sort it and then in the evening I found out that the BM script was rejected by radio station for the implication and certain words which we used. Rush rush rush, scrap scrap scrap and got that settled. Thank god the voice talents are still around else if you want to recall them for recording, that’s extra charge for you.

So I thought the day will be over when everyone was back including the producer and copywriter but THAT WOMAN, don’t know where she lepak to. Then got an email from Client that says they haven’t approved the script yet. I was like WTF and got her to settle it. How and what, I don’t care already. And then when I heard the finished radio commercials I was like…wtf, it was half baked and sounded totally crap. Argued with her but at the end, I left her to it as it was so called her project. Got the BM writer to help salvage it and then send over to Client. Didn’t even bother to ask my boss to listen to it. Just send straight to Client.

The thing is, everything that happened was so unnecessary. We know shit happens but this is beyond anything that I can bear. I was tired, disappointed and very very angry. We are a team and what happened actually had the potential to blow up at us. We are in the service industry and there’s s saying that we are only as a good as our last job. No one remembers all the good that you did if you screw up the latest job. We are expected to deliver. And most importantly, we have the nicest boss that anyone could have ask for. It was just the other day that I was telling myself how happy and lucky to have joined this place and under the nicest boss on earth. How can you let him down?

I was tired, disappointed, very angry and wanted to rant. I nearly called my boss and rant but decided otherwise. Had dinner – pork noodles with liver and calmed down. Hopefully a nice long slumber will do the trick. Thanks for listening. I can’t really tell anyone all these and burden them.