'easy' job?

Last week's experiments and papers had me drained and the fact that I have no big experiments schedule for this week is making me restless. Experiments were initially planned but unfortunately our lab tech had came down with some virus and stuff I need was not ordered. That's the problem with having bureaucracy - having to wait for the person with the designated job to get the job done. If the stuff is still not ordered by later today I think I should just go ahead and get it myself. Sometimes all these kuai los can be too relaxing with their task and coming from M'sia where we only have limited sick leave, the amount of days they work here can be a favorable factor. Unfortunately, when one become too responsible on their job, the expectations increase and that's how we end up having to work round-the-clock to continuously provide the data that we've once provided in record time. Even then, I still prefer the working ethics in the States than in M'sia. When they're at work, they get stuff done and not talk about the latest 'feng shui' discovery that was made by Lillian Too. Despite the bureaucracy, the flow is always there and nothing is left stagnant. The most impressive work ethics I have seen is when applying for the Michigan ID. It takes less than 15 minutes to get the card in your hands and never have to go back to the Secretary of State again. Applying for IC in M'sia takes almost half a day and that is only if you wakes up early and get to the office by 7am. Then three months later, we have to wait for another 1-2 hours just to collect the IC. I wonder if their computer system is obsolete or they just love to 'dilly-dally'. I am pretty sure that the job they do here and in M'sia is not very much different but here they have a very positive attitude and keeps the flow going unlike back in M'sia, all the government staff you meet have a long 'papaya-face' all the time. If only someone could just show them the Fish! Philosophy, maybe it'll improve their work ethics..

While I'm on the topic of 'easy' jobs in the MidWest, can you imagine owning a golf course here in Michigan? You can only open the golf course for 4-5 months, at most 6 months a year. Do you think they make enough money within that 6 months to cover the cost for one year? I have to pass the golf course everyday to get to work and looking at the frozen lake and snow-covered ground of the golf course had me wondering how they make it through yearly with such long winter here. Then I realized that golf course is not the only place but they have zoos and small outdoor theme parks which are closed during the winters too. Are the owners retired but so rich that they have no where else to spend their money so they just open up places like these to provide some entertainment during the summer? I know that if I intend to open any businesses like this, Michigan is definitely not the place or at least not Lansing and anywhere north of it. I wonder if it's an ongoing problem or have the people here 'evolve' to adapt in ways that I have yet to observe. I wonder what all the employees of these places do during the winter..it is possible that they are just students since students can take summer off to work or for vacation but what about the non-student workers? Just 'lepak' for the next 6 months and work for 6 months? Hmmm...

I miss the sun...but I don't like the heat in Penang..so where should I go next? hehe..