Tuesday, 21 July 2015

My Mentors

(seen here with my 3rd Mentor, a well-mannered Senior BC, Sifu SS Wong)



It is a baptism of fire for me, for the 1st time, I am now all on my mark, get set and Go, solo…..to do revenue-able service for my Employer.
  

Before I can go solo, and become “Hans Solo”, I needed to be mentored. The night before, I just could not get to sleep. Worry for this and worry for that, the whole night. When there is pax or commuter on board the bus; the whole ball game of driving a public bus is changed and different from just driving around “makan angin” Or literally “eating wind”, with your fellow trainee and trainer.

Mentors play a very important role in providing practical guidance to newly minted BC. Mentor themselves are senior or chief BC with many years of driving experience under their belt. Each time a BC undertakes a new route revenue-able service; an experience senior will served as mentor and will be attached to him or her for a day or two.

As for me, I did appreciate what my 1st Mentor (a Senior II BC) thought me; however, I was taken aback and startled by the remarks from the 2nd Mentor (a Chief Bus Captain); having him looked straight into my eyes, he said “you will not last more than 3months, here !!”. OMG, at first, I am discouraged and sadden by his words. Nevertheless, after reflecting on his words, I think, he is correct because of my previous office sedentary work lifestyle background. The lifestyle of a BC is beyond any office norm and environmental condition! I will review much more in days to come..stay tuned, ya.

To illustrate this point further, let takes an example of Farmer John; whom has been toiling the land for many years with his bare hands, with his back bend forward, and been exposing himself to the harsh elements, day in day out; and suddenly, found himself working and sitting in an office air-con environment with not much sweating to do. Do you think, he will stay long and survive in his new office career? Vice versa, let take an example of Procurement Officer Joe; who has been clicking away computer keyboard and playing with the mouse with his index finger, in a well-controlled office temperature environment; will he be able to do the farming and cultivating the land for long? Will he survive in this new career role, I doubt so.

I persevered till to date, to challenge myself daily and stay the course. I need to prove my worth as a public bus BC to the 2nd Mentor. Till to date whenever, we cross each other path, I will always be the 1st person to greet and address him as “sifu”.

The mentoring period ended after 4 days. Now, I am truly on my own. Many of my senior colleagues, those older and much experienced BC, watches me daily on how I fair. But behind my back, they actually bet with each other that, I will quit any time soon ! So almost every day, they will ask me, literally translated from Cantonese, “can or cannot lah”. I choose to strive on with dignity and due diligent, and all of them are utterly wrong about me till to date.

After 3months of probation as BC, I now a confirmed staff; and all the hype and betting on me stopped suddenly. One year later, I met up again, with this 2nd Mentor of mine; he was a little “pei sei” as we speak to each other. I guess, deep inside him, he is still wandering, how come this office orientated professional can last that long time in this environment, spontaneously, another colleague standing nearby also chipped in and asked, “so now, how long already you working here?".I think they now started to accept me as one of them as equal from now on.

Least to say, for anyone wishes to take on any new career path like this public profession; you certainly need to prepare yourself  both psychically and mentally for it as you may not know, what will come your way, and what type of people or colleague you will be facing. To me this make me more humble in my continual approach to pre-retirement life.

“If you have the will, you will have the way”….this is an old Saying, that my dearest Mother always reminded me of whenever I encountered hardship or difficulties in life.


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