Through reading friends' blogs, I have realised that the year-end chaos is not just limited to me or teachers like me but also applies to people from all walks of life.

I have been to gatherings before where either one of two things or even both happens. When someone makes a comment about how busy I am and I reply to the comment, the other comments we get from other people who are listening would be something along the lines of "At least you get holidays. I don't." or "At least you only work 8 hours in a day. I work (insert number of hours which are more than 8) in a day" or "I don't see sunlight/night" or "You have no idea how busy I am too" or "I have to wake up at 4.30 a.m. and I don't get home until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m."

Sometimes I want to smack them and say "Get a life!". How many hours you work is entirely up to the life you choose to have. Just because you work so-and-so hours more than the person next to you does not mean they're inferior or stupider or less hardworking. It just means their job description requires such number of hours from them! Above all, it's not a competition! It never was! If you regard it as a competition, what does that say about your self-esteem?

Just because my job description requires me on site at work for 8 hours does not mean I can go home and relax and play games or watch movies or relax and be lazy the rest of the time. How do you know I don't sit at my computer for the next 6 hours slaving away preparing for the next day's 8 hours? How do you know I have a life and meet friends to relax and remind myself I'm human and not a slave to my job? How do you know I have other commitments that keep me just as busy as if I'm working 14-hour days?

I'm tired of people comparing their jobs to mine. I'm tired of people using their jobs as a way to escape other commitments. Above all, I'm tired of people using their jobs as a way to seek pity or, as the Malays put it, minta kesian.

I like my job. I like what I do. I may tell tons and tons of stories about my students and my colleagues. Some stories are good, some are bad. But I refuse to use it as an excuse to whine and moan and groan. You don't want to meet us, you don't want to attend the meeting, you don't want to go for dinner with us - that's your problem! Say so! Don't say things like "At least you work only 8 hours. I work irregular hours, sometimes 10 hours, sometimes 12, sometimes even 14!"

Have you ever tried to get only 3 hours sleep then go a building where each and every noise is either of a child yelling or a student asking questions constantly? Where you stand up from 8.15 a.m. to 4 p.m. answering questions, explaining historical events and business analysis? Where sometimes you need to explain something 4 or 5 times at once? Where your lunch break is only 40 minutes if you're lucky? Where you have to sit for an extra hour at the end of the day in a meeting with people who are equally tired and there in body but not in spirit? Or have you ever been given a holiday or a weekend knowing you'll spend it working anyway - marking papers, doing research, preparing lessons? Or spent 8 hours exhausting yourself body, mind and soul? I have and I do. But you don't hear me complaining that I'm tired when someone calls me out for a drink or dinner or even make a project speech or even attend a meeting, do you?

You hate your job that much that it gives you reason to complain, bloody hell, freaking quit and put us out of your misery!!

PS: This did not start out as a rant but since it ended that way, I'm leaving it at that!