Monday, February 05, 2007
"So What Are You Doing Now?"
"I'm working as an assistant t0 photographer."
"Wah! That's cool
lah."
No, not really. I've never really gotten down to telling people exactly what I do and for starters, no, I DO NOT help take photos. The only time I get to even touch the camera is when I'm supposed to be carrying it for the photographer. Maybe touch is an overstatement seeing that even then, the bloody thing is still in its bag so technically, I'm not even touching the camera.
What I really do is this:
Say you're the 146723648590th person to be taking your photo, I will call your name and then if there's a reply, which would normally be very idiotic, I will write 146723648590 beside your name on the class list.
Then there will be people who ask what's the number for. The numbers are known as digital film numbers. See, unlike ordinary cameras, the cameras we use can take up to err...err...Okay, so I don't know how much's the limit but as far as I'm concerned, they can hold wayyyyy more photos then normal cameras. Unless, of course, yours is abnormal.
Them numbers come into use when the photos are brought back to the main office, which coincidentally is where this entry is coming from, where they are stored in the company's servers. After which, we, Yuyan and I, would have to painstakingly (Yannie says "Hi!") rename ALL the 146723648590 photos; and to add Polo Black cologne to a papercut, there are times, which are not all that uncommon, that there are jumps in numbers. It'll be like, 2...3 ...4...5...6...7..10938474... 8...9...10...236448..182174... 794873...11..34... 57...89...108...67... 58..274..56126...
More complications arise when teachers get their photos taken. For every one teacher, we have to skip a number cause it's theirs, which will be recorded on another piece of paper. And they ain't exactly easy to work with.
It's really typical of Singaporeans. I know I'm one too but hey, I try my best not to complain when it's well you know, F-R-E-E.
But I digress.
They get their pictures taken for free, take their own sweet time, ironically, to tidy their hair etc while complaining about us working slow. Hey, I know you are busy teachers and all but we have a schedule to follow too. Right, of course you wouldn't have noticed seeing how you are all extremely
beeeee-seh. Even robots need breaks and time to oil their gears. Having the photographer go for a toilet break is akin to having stabbed them with forks. Which is really ironic cause their pictures come at a special price of no-price-at-all!
We get paid 6 dollars an hour or a dollar per class renamed which is really good, but the working hours are really short, like 4 to 6 hours a day. If it weren't for the kind of [
expletive deleted] we have to put up with, it'd be a great job.
Okay, not really.
BLAHHHHHH
12:30 pm