Fim Buathong

Being in the graduate program gives me the opportunity to tackle real world problems with the latest technology. The environment is relaxed, supportive, and I never feel out of place.

8.00 AM

First alarm goes off, eyelids heavier than I last remember, I know for a fact I won’t be getting up on this alarm. I press on snooze like 99% of us and hope I make it up for the next alarm.

8.10 AM

Second alarm goes off and this is where I really need to get up. I slowly wake up with a ray of light from my curtain slit beaming across my face as I form a mental-to do list. I usually check up on morning COVID news and browse social media for a bit. Lastly, I make my bed every morning.

8.30 AM

Time to log in and start working! At this time of the day, I am responding to emails and sending out emails that need a response by the end of day. I check in with some of my co-workers on Teams to make sure they are okay for the day or if they need any help. I also take time to study any technical documentation to boost my knowledge.

10.30 AM

Around this time, I get a bit peckish and head downstairs to the kitchen to make myself some tea and nutritious snack – as of late I have been into cashews! I say hi to my housemates as they are also working from home during the COVID restrictions in Victoria. Then it is back to work to set up the rest of my day.

 

11.30 AM

Around this time, I would have had a meeting and have some work to get on with. Outside of project work, I have an internal project with another co-worker to develop an Azure Skills Assessment survey. The purpose is to gauge our Azure Cloud capabilities. Taking on a more functional approach, I am looking after the flow of the survey and building a Power BI report in order to make sense of the data we will collect.

1.00 PM

Favourite time of day, lunch! Depending on how I feel I lean towards a heavier lunch as I still need to power through the rest of the day. As I am WFH, I generally make food – I tend to go with anything high carbohydrates. Quick hotpot is my go-to or/and some bread top. On paydays I will most likely Uber something to celebrate! Oh, I also take at least 15 minutes to find something to watch when I am eating.

 

1.30 PM

Time to head back to the battle station, I have now until 5:00 to finish up the work that I have planned out for myself. I usually listen to lo-fi as it helps me cruise through work, Hardstyle on hump days or throwback RnB on Fridays. I usually have a good mix of meetings and work around this time of the day and it’s also my most productive window, 150% effort!

 

5.00 PM

Now it is time to shut off the laptop and disconnect from work but before that I need to do my timesheets and tidy up loose ends at work to ensure no emails come through during afterhours. Occasionally I get emails, but if they do not require urgent assistance, I tend to read and reply first thing in the morning.

5.30 PM

Dinner time! I eat an early dinner as I have things to do during the night and I feel having to stop what I am doing to eat is… an inconvenience. My dinner won’t be as heavy as lunch but if my housemates decide to eat together, reassure it will be a feast. Otherwise, my go to combo is something light like a sandwich + smoothie.

6.30 PM

Me time! I generally choose to exercise at my local park (be sure to bring an umbrella because Melbourne weather!) or upskill. This is the time I use to improve my work skills  - mainly technical skills. I have spun up an Azure environment and deployed different resources using Azure PowerShell scripting language. I also bought a Udemy course to improve my Python skills too. Although the company does provide free training resources, I like to study using different approaches as this helps. I tend to pick up a skill I am lacking in and focus on that.

8.00 PM

Doing my best to avoid the whole “hey he is a workaholic” title, I take this time to connect with my friends on Discord/Facebook. Most of my close friends are spread out across the nation so the only way we connect during COVID is through some online games, generally we play Valorant (FPS) or League of Legends (MOBA). Despite playing the competitive modes of each, I feel more relaxed as this is my stress-free time.

 

10.30 PM

Around this time, I am getting ready to head into bed. I have custom lights in my room and so I switch it to dimmed red and avoid any blue light. Even my phone has a night mode as blue can disrupt quality of sleep. I take a shower and put on comfy pyjamas to ensure a good sleep. As I get older, I come to realise that sleeping is, matter of fact, underrated.

11.30 PM

I am now in bed but will do one last bit of chatting and talking to friends and reading some reddit on technology or funny discussions. I am not sure why this is a part of my sleep ritual as I do not remember 99% of what I read the next morning, either way it helps me fall asleep easier. Lights off only to realise today is only Monday and I have another four days ahead of me – the grind never stops I guess!!