Looking forward to November

Because it's my self-proclaimed slacker month, with only four blog entries to upload. May write more, but will only post four entries. That is just how it is, for years now.

Yes, I am a slacker, used to call myself the slacker extraordinaire, something that I cannot crown myself with anymore since I joined the department that changed me from 'cheap labour' to 'cheap labour with no life'... =(

Looking forward to Movember too, something that I support since I was made aware of it.

Gender equality is all good and well, I wholeheartedly support equal rights and opportunities, but in my humble opinion, majority of the initiatives are for the betterment of female. Don't forget about the male side of things, if it's really equality that we are after. So ya, I support Movember and will do my part.

To be honest I am also hoping a new month will bring some positive changes. Would be fantastic without the hectic work.

Here's hoping I will regain some slacker points in November. One can dream.

Other |temperamental thoughts| category entries.

心的频道：第七个

今天收到公司要为最近呈上的发明概念申请专利的通知，嘢！=)

这是我第七个专利申请。^_^

不是躺赢、不是「喷到」，是我费了蛮多功夫尽量优化，和模拟了好多组合来提供最优数据。所以我心安理得、理直气壮的接受。

不应该这么想，但我开始有点希望可以在接下来的半年内再多两个，那就会达到另一个里程碑：十二个月里五个（或更多）。

不希望就不会失望，但心里还真的是冒起了这念头…

怎么都好，第七个。我开心，我感恩。

心的频道 |系列|

W.A.(2)

Workaholics Anonymous entry #114:

I am on leave today and I did not work overtime. Win.

Went out for car maintenance, sent the car to the service centre, came home, then picked up the car in the afternoon. Their inefficiency and slowness in service, coupled with the bad traffic on the way back, led to truncated, not so long stretches of time at home.

A lot of unnecessary wasted time, yes, but also in a twisted way less time for me to be tempted to work overtime.

Did feel a bit guilty knowing a certain colleague would most likely be looking for me to help on his Computational Fluid Dynamics issues, but I resisted that moment of weakness.

I have done well today.

Other |nutty nuts| category entries.

三天长周末

为了不让年假超额作废，明天星期一拿一天假，凑成三天长周末。

过去两天，星期六和星期日，都有加时工作。是的，就是这么贱。

除了对项目管理失望，也对自己失望。

原本打算就只是星期六加班而已的，但今天星期天醒来后才突然想到昨天那热流模型漏了些东西没有改上。唉，所以昨天跑的模拟，原本以为已经完事，待星期二复工时才善后，变成需要修改然后再跑多一次。

所以今天又加时工作。早上修改了模型后开始跑模拟，晚餐后模拟完成了便做善后的工作，然后因为觉得结果不够好又修改了些些，然后又跑多一轮模拟。

我就是那么贱。

但我真的是打算星期二复工时才看这最新模拟的数据的，明天拿假真的打算不工作的。

希望自己可以坚强守着这信念。

随兴随想 |系列|

就知道

一开始就是说什么:不用那么精准的模型的，快快跑个模拟给个大概的估计，看这样的厚度、这样的设计，是不是能解（都不知道他们哪里生出来的）目标功率？

但我知道，一旦我报告了热流模拟的数据，就会被当成是一定可以做到的事。会突然间忘了那只是个粗略、少了细节的模型，是为了快速有个粗略估计的模型。

会忘了这热流模型不精准，是因为其他功能小组的东西还没完成，我没有那些资料来建精准的模型。我只是那位非常不愿意，但每次都被你们推去跑在前面的、无奈的散热工程师。

然后还会冲着那些，我在没资料的情况下，自己估计来见模型的部分，说不是这样的，要改成这样或那样，然后再跑多一、两、三、四、五轮模拟…

相信我，我也很想一开始就建精准的模型，给高置信度的模拟数据。我也很想等其他的功能小组先做了他们的部分来减少我需要建的热流模型的版本，和每个版本要跑的模拟数量的。

我也不想当其他功能小组有些更近时，我就得一改再改我的热流模型，然后跑模拟跑到天荒地老。

要我赶工来完成的模拟数据报告发出去后，一个接一个的细节质疑和更改要求，我回那只是个用来快速粗略估计、看大方向的模型就重复了三次。那位叫我赶工做这样一份数据的领导一声都不出…

我也知道，以后其他人的部分完成了，我把那些细节都建进模型里，然后新的模拟数据没有达到这粗略模型的功率的话，我也是会被摆上台，怎么都要我死出可以达到那粗略估计的功率的散热设计来。

不然就是，精准模型达到了目标功率，就突然要提高目标功率了，或要降低成本但一样要达到功率，或又提高功率又降低成本…

我就知道，因为总是这样。

随兴随想 |系列|

无难事

在还没放弃越来越不好看，变得纯粹要搞吓出演者的〈密室大逃脱〉前，有看到过大张伟一句歪理金句：

“天下无难事，只要肯放弃。”

今天继续加时工作赶工，希望可以完成热流模型，然后隔夜跑模拟，一切顺利的话，明天有第一组模拟数据来给那荒谬的数据需求期限。

希望和现实是有差距的，果然现实比较靠近我预估需要的时间，而不是那荒唐的要求时间。

偏偏我还是命贱的承受高压赶工了几天，但现实很残酷，没有奇迹。

今晚做到十一点多时，看看进展和剩下的工作量，我突然想起大张伟那歪理金句。真是的，我为何要为了那不合理的要求折腾自己？把自己逼得这么辛苦？

真的给我赶出来了，反而会变成新的期望值吧？以后都会认为这么短的时间有第一组模拟数据是正常的，根本不知道背后的压力、付出、痛苦、牺牲。

所以我选择了放弃。我不继续赶工到三更半夜。

明天星期一是屠妖节，是个公假，命贱的我还是会加时工作。我的长周末都给了加时工作…

希望我会尽量控制自己啦。适可而止，应该放弃时就应该放弃。

随兴随想 |系列|

不谢·凋谢

今年不再加时工作，来保住少过一百个加时工作天的数量，那希望已经破灭。

在加时工作九十九天后坚持了五天，第六天就已破功。是个星期六，加时工作了七个小时…

那天，我心想，希望现在这份工会让我不必加时工作是不可能的。毕竟是个用人不用本钱、用到尽，超卷的一个团队。

所以我就只希望可以在今年剩下的工作天期间，每星期只需要加时工作一天，那样的话我至少还可以保住今年加时工作天数量少过去年的目标。

不能好好策划项目的领导层很失败的把一个项目蜕变成五个项目，做一个项目的团队人数当然承受不了，所以领导层把其他项目给暂停，调动员工来援助。

我就是其中一位被拉进这异变项目的员工，只是我在做着的另一个项目没有被暂停，依旧催命似的要模拟数据和报告…

我一星期只加时工作一天的计划被不会计划的领导层给完美破坏，不谢哦。

我真的会凋谢。

心语细述 |系列|

An unusual chore, part four

Aching all over today, no thanks to the unergonomic working condition yesterday. Let's not forget it's also rather stressful, what with being on the tiny ledge eighteen stories from ground.

Yes, I am out on that bloody ledge again, way too soon since the previous excursion, no thanks to the darn pigeons hell-bent on making their nest there.

Goodness knows how they got through the net, our best guess is the tiny gap on one side of the wall, which we think they could squeeze through if they are really determined.

Regardless of whether it's determination or pigheadedness, two pigeons got themselves trapped on the wrong side of the net on the eighteen floor ledge, unable to get back out because the curvature of the net we put up makes the gap behaves like a one way trap.

Last thing we need is two pigheaded pigeon starved to death leaving their stinking corpses on the ledge. No thank you.

Wifey and neighbour caught and released the pigeons while I was at work. I probably would have tried to open up the net to let them out instead of trying to catch them. No complaints though, gone is gone.

Anyway, went out onto the ledge with additional net to patch up the gap. Nailed the net to the wall on the side as well so even if the pigeons are still pigheaded enough to try the stunt again, the net should not open a gap like a one way trap anymore.

Took me around 45 minutes, but I am thoroughly drained after that. Some serious exhaustion kicked in, mentally and physically. So ya, I am aching all over today.

I said this less than two months ago: let's hope I don't have to do this again anytime soon.

Other |sane side| category entries.

Plaques

After an invention idea got approved by the company patent committee and has been filed, it can take many years for the filed patent to be granted.

I have two patents filed about five years ago that finally being granted in USA, and for that I was offered a plaque each to commemorate the occasion.

While I appreciate the reward money for giving the company worthwhile invention ideas, honestly the plaque is a lot more meaningful to me. The award money is long gone and I have goldfish memory, so hopefully the plaques will last longer.

Took the trouble to go to office to collect the plaques today, at the cost of 2.5 extended working hours to compensate for the time lost. Worth it, especially since wifey agreed to tag along the journey.

I now have three plaques at home, starting to look more like a collection than just an out of place ornament when I just had that one.

I know many colleagues with double and even triple digits patent in their bag, I salute them, but these three plaques are mine, and I am proud of my achievement.

Hope my other three patents will get granted in USA in the coming years, and hope I will have more invention ideas being approved for filing.

Other |enjoyable events| category entries.

W.A.

Workaholics Anonymous entry #108:

Three days free of working overtime. Cautiously optimistic. Celebrating small wins.

Random break out in sweat, but wifey said that's most likely andropause. No involuntary twitching, or other withdrawal symptoms.

There was a moment of weakness yesterday, in the last few minutes of working hours, when saving the progress on the thermal model, thought of probably just need another hour to complete the model and almost acted on it.

Successfully resisted the temptation, and ended the work day within the fifteen minutes grace period not considered as overtime.

On a positive note, made good progress on Diablo IV latest season with the gaming time now made available staying away from working overtime.

Other |nutty nuts| category entries.

Threshold

Today's Sunday, just finished my overtime work about half and hour ago.

It's actually a comparatively short one today, just 1 hour 37 minutes. It was 7 hours 36 minutes yesterday (Saturday), so...

But working overtime today marks the threshold between two digits and three digits, for today's the 99th overtime for 2025.

Looks like my target of less than 100 overtime this year is not going to happen, what with one more quarter to go.

I actually did pretty well earlier in the year, by the end of June my running total was 42 overtime, still good for the less than 100 target.

Actually by the end of August it was still okay, with a running total of 69 overtime, but September broke everything. Eight months of effort destroyed in a month.

I worked overtime 25 days out of the 30 days in September, really easier to count how many days I did not worked overtime...

Today's overtime is also the 11th consecutive day of working overtime. Before this stretch was a 3 days break after a 9 days stretch of working overtime.

As of today: a running total of 99 days of working overtime, 303 hours 53 minutes clocked, which is an average of 3 hours 34 minutes and 30 seconds per day of overtime.

If I do not work anymore overtime for the rest of 2025, I can still achieve my target of less than 100 days this year.

Ya, right.

Let's hope I can at least work less overtime than previous year. *fingers crossed*

Other |wretched workaholic| category entries.