Tap dancing to work

My internship ended last friday after 14 weeks at the tax department of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

I felt quite weird last friday as i felt almost nonchalant after the end of 3 months spent on the joy. I simply packed up, cleared all my stuff, seek clearance and went Esplanade lib to borrow Season 4 of Fraisers and later had dinner with my mom.

My job consists of essentially preparing tax return for corporate clients for submission to IRAS. (THE tax authority in Singapore). I learnt that my tax related education in SMU prepared me well for the knowledge and skill required. However, i was not suitable for the job due the sheer amount of meticulous work related filling in of forms and drafting letters to clients. Being a careless person means i have check and re-check my work a few times before handing it to my manager for checks. There will inadvertly have a few 'errors' here and there, e.g. extra spacing at the bottom of the page, indent of the para not consistent,etc. I spent less than of my time doing the tax, and the rest on preparing and rectifying such matters....its rather frustrating.

Some of the days while walking in the morning rush hours, i really feel like standing in the Raffles Place MRT underground passage and sing my lungs out - wonder how will others react. I guess most will just spare you a glance (if you are lucky) and carry on walking.

We are like ants that walks round and round an ant circle wondering why we are so exhuasted yet we can't stop cuz we've not found our pot of gold. Not realising that following the lost ant infront of us does not know where he's going either.

I think i need a job that engages me more intellectually and work with people i can admire. I really hope that when i work, i'll be like Buffett who said that he tap dances to work because it is so much fun. He also gave students this advice "You ought to have a good time all the time as you go along. If you say 'I'm taking this job - I don't really like this job but in three years it will lead to this,' forget it. Find one you like right now."


I want to tap dance to work!!!

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The march of death...circular mill.

View video of ants trapped in a circular mill

"Beebe (1921) described a circular mill he witnessed in Guyana. It measured 1200 feet in circumference and had a 2.5 hour circuit time per ant. The mill persisted for two days, "with ever increasing numbers of dead bodies littering the route as exhaustion took its toll, but eventually a few workers straggled from the trail thus breaking the cycle, and the raid marched off into the forest."

Army Ants Trapped by Their Evolutionary History
Republican Ants March in "Circular Mill" of Death
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