Boredworkers.com

My new job is more of the same except in a different environment. I used to work in Kuala Lumpur (KL) but now I work in Damansara Uptown (DU). Aside from the location, there are other differences in terms of logistics.

Firstly, the traffic is worse than KL. When I was working in KL, it used took me between 30 to 45 minutes to get to the office. Now it takes me at least 45 minutes. So that’s 15 extra minutes wasted in the car. The time difference is also partially due to the distance. It is slightly further than what I used to travel since I have to cut across Petaling Jaya (PJ) in order to get to my destination.

Parking is also more difficult and expensive to varying degrees. The cheapest available parking in KL and DU (RM0.60 per hour) is RM5.00 per day. However, over here, it is alot more difficult to find a parking spot going for RM5.00 as compared to KL. In terms of shaded carparks, there are plenty in DU but its alot more expensive as the hourly rate is RM1.20 at the common carpark (food court area). Parking inside the office blocks is RM2.00 for the first hour and RM1.60 for subsequent hours.

I parked outside on the first day for RM5.00. My car was a furnace when I got into it after office hours. Finding out that I could claim my parking fees while waiting for my season pass, I decided to park indoors on my second day. That set me back RM13.20! Its a good thing my parking is fully subsidised by the company. I wonder how much is the season parking if I had to pay for it myself. Over in KL, the season pass for a month is RM60.00 at Prince Hotel (RM70.00 for non-Genting staff).

The good thing about the parking in DU though is that it is much closer to the office building. While I used to take a 15 minute walk from my carpark to the office, I now get to park within the same office building. That saves me a lot of time walking between the carpark and work. But I suppose I don’t get as much exercise as I used to.

In terms of food, I have more choice. From coffee shops to restaurants, cafes to roadside stalls, you name it, its here. Cuisines of every sort is all within walking distance from my office. The tradeoff is that the food is more expensive here compared to KL town. Strange but true. The chicken rice at Wisma Genting costs RM3.50. Over here, its RM4.00 and for a lot less chicken too.

My old office used to have free drinks, they came in three varieties, namely 100 Plus, coke light, and (gasp) beer. The vending machine in Wisma Genting sold hot coffee and tea for RM0.40 per pop. My new office has a subsidised vending machine selling a choice of can drinks for RM0.50 per can. There’s definitely alot more variety and RM0.50 is not too bad considering the cost outside.

Additionally, my gym (California Fitness) is also far far away. What used to be across the road is now across town. My gym time might take a hit because of this. There’s a Fitness First outlet downstairs from my office but I’m not a member. On the bright side though, I heard that my current company subsidises gym fees. I wonder how much they cover.

So all in, its a tradeoff. Somethings are better, other things are worse. At the end of the day, they cancel each other out and I wind up with little difference. Probably the worse part in terms of logistics is that I’m now working far away from where WL works. That means I might see her less since I might not pick her up after work as often as I used to (read: everyday). Once again, we’ll just have to wait to see how much the difference in logistics is going to affect my work, budget, and my lifestyle.