Arvind Kumar

6.00 AM

I am not a morning person, especially in winter. I don’t want to get up so early. My alarm rings at 6.00 am, but I wake only at 6.45 am after multiple snoozing with all its difficulties. The worst part about getting ready is deciding whether or not to have breakfast, but I'm sure I'll have a cup of coffee to keep me awake. Being the last person to leave the house comes with some additional responsibilities, making sure all doors are closed before leaving. My role is to inspect sites around the city, so I got my own company car to go to the sites.

8.00 AM

Inspections are pre-booked in calendars and usually start at 8.00 am. I am currently hanging out with the senior inspectors so I can get the site details the day before and make sure to reach the site before them, but sometimes I miss it. Then, I carry out the requested inspections on site, take some photos to make the report, and if the work complies with the building consent, it will pass the inspection. If the inspections fail, the builder rectifies the work and rebooks the inspections. I'll keep an eye out for anything unusual and ask my colleague for clarification. More than self-learning, I have learned a lot from my senior inspectors, which helps me to learn things quickly.

The first picture is of a cladding inspection of a garage, and the second one is of the final dwelling inspection.

10.30 AM

After doing a couple of inspections, I take a short break and head to an outdoor coffee shop. I always prefer to have an extra hot mocha with extra sugar till I get diabetic. During this time, the senior inspectors and I discuss a variety of topics, both professionally and personally. I am from a different country, and he is from a different origin. We share things related to our traditions, cultures, histories, food habits, etc. This is the best way to socialise with the different ethnic groups of people. After this, I'll go back to the other inspections booked and continue the same process.

12.00 PM

Time for lunch! Most of the time, I go home for lunch or to a place where I can start preparing reports for the completed inspections. If I prepare my own lunch, and not being a great cook, I prefer to eat less. (If someone cooks good food, it’s very hard to control myself from eating). Then I will start to sync the inspection and make reports ready. Usually, I have an inspectors' meeting from 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm where we discuss the issues at sites and the team lead will come up with information. After this, I go to the booked site and start to do the inspections.

              
5.00 PM

I'm usually back home before 5.00 pm after completing all the inspections and finishing the reports. Sometimes, the days aren’t too long and get late to finish the reports. After completing my tasks, I would have some coffee and snacks to bring back all the energy. I go up to the badminton court at 7:00 p.m. to play. Even though it’s a hard day, I literally forget things while playing badminton. That is the secret to maintaining my physique.

9.30 PM

After an exhausting game, I go home to refresh myself, have a light dinner, and go to bed around 10.30 pm. Notifications from Insta, WhatsApp, and Facebook pop up now and this ends up ruining my schedule and keeping me awake until 11.30 pm. I'm thinking maybe if I sleep early, I could get up early. I tried it, but it didn’t work.

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