The Intern and The Client

I think my blood pressure has shot up 10 notches in the last week or so.

First, I have to deal with The Intern (aged 23) who's rude, obnoxious and lazy. I have never seen anyone who doesn't know his place at work. He talks back at me, thinking he's being really funny, and refuses to take instructions from me.

Incident number 1:
My editor has asked me to coordinate a project on her behalf because she has to attend a course. She specifically told me to watch him closely (cos he's the writer for the project) since she was afraid he wasn't reliable enough to chase the client for info. When I tell him very nicely to chase the similarly unreliable client, he actually tells me in my face that he will check with my editor on whether he needs to chase this client. Even when I tell him very reasonably that I'm acting under this editor's instructions. And he repeats: "I'll check with (the editor) on that."

To say that I'm at my boiling point is an understatement. Anyways, I'm not easy to mess with too, so I give feedback to my editor about his much-to-be-desired enthusiasm. And my editor says: "Well, he's gotta learn that bad attitude doesn't work man!" I seriously hope he fails his internship.

Incident number 2:
When I didn't know he was so unpleasant, I went out for lunch with him once. Never after that.

And he sat down and said: "Eh buy a drink for me leh." No respect, totally. And in THAT tone. My colleague told me that on an assignment with him once, he decided he was hungry and bought something to eat. And he said to her: "Eh, make yourself useful leh. Go and buy a drink for me."
My colleague, who is seven years older than him, retorted: "Why should I? It's so crowded."
And he replied, in a matter-of-fact way: "Precisely, that's why I want you to buy it for me."

Incident number 3:
He sees me eating my cola gummies and stretches out his hand 30cm from me and leaves it there. I glare at him and say NO. And he leaves his hand there for the next five minutes, not even a please, not even a request. Just a demanding gesture.
Finally when he opens his mouth, he says: "Wah lau, selfish man."
My colleague says: "Hey, don't you know how to say please?"
He says: "Will saying please make a difference. Eh gimme leh."
(Yes, until this point, there's no hint of courtesy at all.)

The next day, I turn around and I say: "XXX, do you happen to have change for $10."
Guess what he says?
HE SAYS: "What must you say???"

Incident number 4:
My supervisor tells him to write up something from a travel brochure and he didn't do it cos he claimed it only had Japanese words, so he didn't understand what it was saying. Well, when my supe pointed out to him that there were English words, he actually said: "But it's quite boring leh, nothing much to write."
Oh yes, she got quite mad.

WAH LAU. He's a piece of shit man. I have sworn not to even cast a look on his annoying face.

You know what? He smells too. Of sweat. You can smell his chair even when he's not there.

As for The Client, that's another story. I only have one thing to say. I don't understand how the government can employ idiots like the people I have to deal with. The people can't even be professional enough to carry out a decent conversation with you. What's worse, they don't even listen when you talk. And I have to entertain them. Why? Because they are paying us to do it.

Crap.