...I have NOT yet quit! I don't think I'll allow myself to, either. I did come very close the other day. It was my birthday and my boss phoned me up, moaning about this, that, the other and the other's brother! It was past my finishing time and I just wanted to go and enjoy my evening. He rattled me so much that I was very irate for the next hour or so, eventually calming down and getting on with what was a very good evening (ending with a 200 metre ride on a Rickshaw, which abruptly ended in a puncture: a metaphor for my job I do wonder?)
Before the evening, a colleague gave me a very useful piece of advice which I took and it seems to have changed the way this guy works with me. He said "Just ignore him. You've got him by the ball sacks and he can't afford to lose you." So I did. Just a little. And it seems the message got through.
Before he would get stressed and would use force or pressure to get his own way, often requesting needless 'meetings' where anything but the necessary would be discussed. Since taking this advice, however, he seems to appreciate what I am doing a bit more. He's also remained very calm when talking to me on the phone. Could he be changing for the better? Or is he simply a drug addict?
Monday, 12 May 2008
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
One visa for New Zealand, please...
I put in my Kiwi working holiday application the other day. Basically, because of my relationship with my girlfriend, I can apply to stay and work in New Zealand, but only once we've lived together for more than a year. As we haven't yet co-habited for longer than a year, it was recommended I apply to go out there and work under the working holiday scheme. We can then gather the rest of the evidence of our relationship while we are there, make the immigration officials gasp an almighty 'Ahhhhhhhhhh!' at our affections for one another and live happily ever after. That is, at least, the hope...
I initially applied for a 23 month visa, which allows me to work in NZ for 12 of those 23 months. I paid my £48 application fee and then went on to see the (hidden) cost of the medical examination I will have to go through if I am to head there for that amount of time. Some of them cost literally hundreds of pounds! It's not the blood test, chest x-ray or even the urinanalysisosisasosis that's scaring me, it's the dent in my savings! I have since enquired about the possibility of changing my application (the 12 month working holiday does not require a medical; merely for you to be a nice person in the eyes of the law), but I have to wait three working days for an answer because, strangely, it's not on their list of FAQs. I would have thought the FAQ department would have been flooded from the tears of thousands of 'wannabe adventurous poms' looking for a new thing out in NZ and backing down the minute they hear they have to have a needle stuck in their arm! Still, that's not why I may have changed my mind... Honest.
I initially applied for a 23 month visa, which allows me to work in NZ for 12 of those 23 months. I paid my £48 application fee and then went on to see the (hidden) cost of the medical examination I will have to go through if I am to head there for that amount of time. Some of them cost literally hundreds of pounds! It's not the blood test, chest x-ray or even the urinanalysisosisasosis that's scaring me, it's the dent in my savings! I have since enquired about the possibility of changing my application (the 12 month working holiday does not require a medical; merely for you to be a nice person in the eyes of the law), but I have to wait three working days for an answer because, strangely, it's not on their list of FAQs. I would have thought the FAQ department would have been flooded from the tears of thousands of 'wannabe adventurous poms' looking for a new thing out in NZ and backing down the minute they hear they have to have a needle stuck in their arm! Still, that's not why I may have changed my mind... Honest.
Pop Rivals
I have been really busy these last few weeks. Alongside my (really amazingly fun and enjoyable) work, I have been in talks with people from my local area regarding the set up of a rival company to these idiots. I say rival, but the extent of these guys' moroseness will result in them being squeezed out pretty quickly. Nice eh?
So, I think it's summary time! In short and thus far, the story looks like this:
1. Move to New Zealand and start a new life working on a beach somewhere;
2. String one of my current employers along for as long as possible, ensuring they hold the current job they've offered me for as long as possible;
3. Remain a director of the company which takes away a large part of their future plans.
Great. May the next few months travel swiftly...
So, I think it's summary time! In short and thus far, the story looks like this:
1. Move to New Zealand and start a new life working on a beach somewhere;
2. String one of my current employers along for as long as possible, ensuring they hold the current job they've offered me for as long as possible;
3. Remain a director of the company which takes away a large part of their future plans.
Great. May the next few months travel swiftly...
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
The Top Ten Don'ts of Working at ******** ***********
I can't reveal the company name now, but here are my 'Top Ten Don'ts' if you ever should wind up working with these dozey, moronic gimps:
10. Don't expect *****'s humour to be funny, mildly amusing or even worth paying attention to. He really is a sad, pathetic, power-hungry little man.
9. Don't expect your invoices to not be scrutinised and questioned.
8. Don't expect **** to know what you are talking about, even if the subject is 'Sub-ten integer addition' or 'How to make tea with just hot water and a tea bag'.
7. Don't expect a full week to expire without hearing the word 'meeting'. You will probably have to go to one of these 'meetings'.
6. Don't expect not to feel a slight glint of depression in your heart every time you see *****.
5. Don't expect a thing. Unless it's bad.
4. Don't expect a day away from the company to go by without a string of phone calls from ***** having a ridiculous, stupid panic in his ridiculous, stupid accent. Ear Ache.
3. Don't expect any kind of freelance privacy. Expect to be asked questions like "Where else are you working?", "How much do they pay you there?" on a very regular basis.
2. Don't expect either ***** or **** to understand what freelance actually means. You will be asked to carry out work tasks, unpaid, for free from home. Best advice from me is to say "Yes" and then not do it.
1. Don't ever ever ever expect any praise for any work you carry out, unless:
a) It follows one of their 'pep-talks' (telling offs) so that they can then claim the credit for your improvement;
b) It follows around ten complaints about the quality of your work.
That really is the beginners guide. Believe me, at this point in time, I can't wait to name and shame my personal 'Company of the Year', but I will.
10. Don't expect *****'s humour to be funny, mildly amusing or even worth paying attention to. He really is a sad, pathetic, power-hungry little man.
9. Don't expect your invoices to not be scrutinised and questioned.
8. Don't expect **** to know what you are talking about, even if the subject is 'Sub-ten integer addition' or 'How to make tea with just hot water and a tea bag'.
7. Don't expect a full week to expire without hearing the word 'meeting'. You will probably have to go to one of these 'meetings'.
6. Don't expect not to feel a slight glint of depression in your heart every time you see *****.
5. Don't expect a thing. Unless it's bad.
4. Don't expect a day away from the company to go by without a string of phone calls from ***** having a ridiculous, stupid panic in his ridiculous, stupid accent. Ear Ache.
3. Don't expect any kind of freelance privacy. Expect to be asked questions like "Where else are you working?", "How much do they pay you there?" on a very regular basis.
2. Don't expect either ***** or **** to understand what freelance actually means. You will be asked to carry out work tasks, unpaid, for free from home. Best advice from me is to say "Yes" and then not do it.
1. Don't ever ever ever expect any praise for any work you carry out, unless:
a) It follows one of their 'pep-talks' (telling offs) so that they can then claim the credit for your improvement;
b) It follows around ten complaints about the quality of your work.
That really is the beginners guide. Believe me, at this point in time, I can't wait to name and shame my personal 'Company of the Year', but I will.
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Big Lakes
The planning of our trip is going very well. We've decided on an itinerary for the (mostly rail) journey to New Zealand:
London-Brussels-Berlin-Warsaw-Moscow-Irkutsk-Ulan Ude-Ulan Bator-Beijing-Shanghai-Auckland.
How fun does that look? We seem to have found a good price for the Moscow-Beijing leg of the journey, first class, through Intourist who specialise in Trans-Siberian journeys, both packages and self-made. We have been dealing by email with them and they seem very good indeed.
My first memory of hearing the name Irkutsk is in the Red Dwarf episode where Rimmer is banging on about a really old game of Risk and, bizarrely, remembers each dice throw he made. Lister queries the interest of each dice throw and he responds with: "Well it was interesting to me, it got me into Irkutsk." (Red Dwarf, Season 4, Episode 6: "Meltdown")
After some research, it seems that Irkutsk is a very interesting place indeed. For one, it is a few kilometres from Lake Baikal (Buy-karl), the world's largest freshwater lake. Having been brought up on many Lake District and North Wales holidays, I naively expected Baikal to be a little bit bigger than, say, Coniston or Bala. No! Lake Baikal's rought dimensions are 40 X 400... Miles! That's the distance from Glasgow to London, long! It is so big it features its own indigenous fish, some of which apparently give birth to their young fully formed and ready to go! Man, I can't wait to 'lout-it-out' around this place in my England shirt...
London-Brussels-Berlin-Warsaw-Moscow-Irkutsk-Ulan Ude-Ulan Bator-Beijing-Shanghai-Auckland.
How fun does that look? We seem to have found a good price for the Moscow-Beijing leg of the journey, first class, through Intourist who specialise in Trans-Siberian journeys, both packages and self-made. We have been dealing by email with them and they seem very good indeed.
My first memory of hearing the name Irkutsk is in the Red Dwarf episode where Rimmer is banging on about a really old game of Risk and, bizarrely, remembers each dice throw he made. Lister queries the interest of each dice throw and he responds with: "Well it was interesting to me, it got me into Irkutsk." (Red Dwarf, Season 4, Episode 6: "Meltdown")
After some research, it seems that Irkutsk is a very interesting place indeed. For one, it is a few kilometres from Lake Baikal (Buy-karl), the world's largest freshwater lake. Having been brought up on many Lake District and North Wales holidays, I naively expected Baikal to be a little bit bigger than, say, Coniston or Bala. No! Lake Baikal's rought dimensions are 40 X 400... Miles! That's the distance from Glasgow to London, long! It is so big it features its own indigenous fish, some of which apparently give birth to their young fully formed and ready to go! Man, I can't wait to 'lout-it-out' around this place in my England shirt...
Back...!
Well, what a fantastic week away that was! The weather was a little colder down there than I would have liked, but an awesome time was had! We even made it on to an old steam railway for a trip, which really started gearing me up for the big journey!
Not a huge amount to report work-wise. I had a ridiculous meeting with my boss the other day. Basically, it involved him complaining about something I had done for a bit and then ending it with a really false-sounding compliment that he may as well have scripted and read off the page to make it sound more convincing! Wally...
I left that day feeling very angry and annoyed with him, but my time away has made me realise actually how little he matters in the grand scheme of things. Also, as I have said before, a lot of people are depending on my work and this means he needs me. A hell of a lot. Being away helped me to separate my work from my life, something which I have always had difficulty with as I love most aspects of my work so much. I agree that it is important to be able to do this, but the industry I am in requires a certain amount of real affection for each individual job. I love my profession and want to go on loving it, but this job at the moment is something I really must keep separate. For my own sanity...
Will update the travel situation very soon...
Not a huge amount to report work-wise. I had a ridiculous meeting with my boss the other day. Basically, it involved him complaining about something I had done for a bit and then ending it with a really false-sounding compliment that he may as well have scripted and read off the page to make it sound more convincing! Wally...
I left that day feeling very angry and annoyed with him, but my time away has made me realise actually how little he matters in the grand scheme of things. Also, as I have said before, a lot of people are depending on my work and this means he needs me. A hell of a lot. Being away helped me to separate my work from my life, something which I have always had difficulty with as I love most aspects of my work so much. I agree that it is important to be able to do this, but the industry I am in requires a certain amount of real affection for each individual job. I love my profession and want to go on loving it, but this job at the moment is something I really must keep separate. For my own sanity...
Will update the travel situation very soon...
Friday, 4 April 2008
Out of Town
I am going out of town for a few days. I need some relaxation and enjoyment. Please feel free to wind up my boss, bug or annoy him while I am gone. Just don't tell him I told you to do it. Thanking you...
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
A new aftershave... It's called 'Ger'...
Since the Trans-Siberian Railway calls at Mongolia, we've been thinking we should get off there and soak up some former-communist-now-US-friendly atmos (not that communism always has problems with the US, but there's been a slight theme). I use the term US-friendly as it is one of the few places so far away from The States that I have come across that welcomes US citizens in without a visa, but no one else. That's right, us English still need one of them!
Ever since Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, I've been fascinated by Genghis Khan and his most excellent lifestyle. So a trip to his home country seems like fun! Pity none of the Genghis Khan exhibits in Mongolia seem to have any rave reviews. Also, I read somewhere recently that a guy recently pitched up in Ulan Bator (Mongolia's capital) claiming to be long-descended from Genghis himself. His claims attracted a fair bit of attention (as would anybody's!), until somebody from the crowd pointed out he couldn't actually speak Mongolian, rendering him as naked as the stupid emperor in his 'new clothes'.
A neat thing Mongolian's seem to do is live in felt tents, called Gers. I want to spend the night in one. That said, if Ewan and Charlie's experience in Long Way Round is anything to go by, I may be taking a packed lunch from King's Cross (Think sheep brain!). Although, a kind Mongolian lady at the recent Destinations Travel Show in Earl's Court did ensure me that Mexican food is available in some parts, so I'm not despairing. I LOVE food that ends in 'os' and 'as'...
Ever since Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, I've been fascinated by Genghis Khan and his most excellent lifestyle. So a trip to his home country seems like fun! Pity none of the Genghis Khan exhibits in Mongolia seem to have any rave reviews. Also, I read somewhere recently that a guy recently pitched up in Ulan Bator (Mongolia's capital) claiming to be long-descended from Genghis himself. His claims attracted a fair bit of attention (as would anybody's!), until somebody from the crowd pointed out he couldn't actually speak Mongolian, rendering him as naked as the stupid emperor in his 'new clothes'.
A neat thing Mongolian's seem to do is live in felt tents, called Gers. I want to spend the night in one. That said, if Ewan and Charlie's experience in Long Way Round is anything to go by, I may be taking a packed lunch from King's Cross (Think sheep brain!). Although, a kind Mongolian lady at the recent Destinations Travel Show in Earl's Court did ensure me that Mexican food is available in some parts, so I'm not despairing. I LOVE food that ends in 'os' and 'as'...
Monday, 31 March 2008
Can it really be done?
I'm really not an expert on these things, but I believe I may have sussed out a way to leave my job when I want to, screw them over by not coming back AND still keep them as a reference! Will elaborate more on this when the time comes!
There is certainly a nice buzz of excitement in our house right now. The Trans-Siberian is really an option, provided our journey doesn't collide with the Beijing Olympics (if anyone's even going??) and my girlfriend and I are really geared up for a change. We're both massively in 'save mode' right now. I can't believe it's taken me the best part of 25 years to figure out the best way to save money is to pocket a lump straight after pay day, and then try and make do with what is left! I've saved thousands already this way!
For help with booking a trip on the Trans Siberian, we've been using this really really great website: The Man in Seat Sixty-One... It's seriously useful and really up to date. It also gives directions on how to organise train travel to Moscow from London ("Flying to Moscow to pick up the Trans-Siberian Railway is like agreeing to run a marathon then accepting a lift in someone's car for the first mile...") and onward once you reach Beijing! Since there are no direct flights from Beijing to Auckland, the plan is to pick up a train to Shanghai and fly from there. All in all, I am now looking forward to a fun-packed few months while we begin to plan our trip!
There is certainly a nice buzz of excitement in our house right now. The Trans-Siberian is really an option, provided our journey doesn't collide with the Beijing Olympics (if anyone's even going??) and my girlfriend and I are really geared up for a change. We're both massively in 'save mode' right now. I can't believe it's taken me the best part of 25 years to figure out the best way to save money is to pocket a lump straight after pay day, and then try and make do with what is left! I've saved thousands already this way!
For help with booking a trip on the Trans Siberian, we've been using this really really great website: The Man in Seat Sixty-One... It's seriously useful and really up to date. It also gives directions on how to organise train travel to Moscow from London ("Flying to Moscow to pick up the Trans-Siberian Railway is like agreeing to run a marathon then accepting a lift in someone's car for the first mile...") and onward once you reach Beijing! Since there are no direct flights from Beijing to Auckland, the plan is to pick up a train to Shanghai and fly from there. All in all, I am now looking forward to a fun-packed few months while we begin to plan our trip!
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