it started on Wednesday, 22 February, my sister (whom I worked with for the last 3 and a half years) sent a memo to the boss' wife saying that she was unhappy in her current role (she'd been working there over 8 years) & was using a couple of day holiday to re-evaluate her future & job satisfaction....she was on holiday Thursday & Friday....
move forward to Thursday, 23 February....I usually carpool with my sister in her car, but I had planned to catch the train to work....however, maybe due to my late dynasty update the night before, I slept through my alarm half an hour & woke up with a splitting headache....I had work key & others relied on me being there, so couldn't take a sickie....realising I wasn't going to get to work on time as I was going to miss the train, I decided to take my car (300ZX) to work even though it chews through the petrol....anyone, I stuck out most of the day, but headache didn't get any better after all the painkillers so I left work for home at around 2pm....on the way home, I didn't notice, but a truck pulled up beside me & slowly veered across the centre line & scraped the side of my car, ripping a 4 inch by 8 inch gash down the front right guard & indenting the driver's door....I pulled away immediately, as if I hadn't, I could have been pulled under the truck & Mr. X would be no more....anyways, I was in a daze so I pulled over & inspected the damage expecting the truck to pull over....unfortunately the truck didn't pull over, I went down the road, trying to find the arsehole but I couldn't, so I resigned to the fact that I would have to pay a big excess of $1,400 as I didn't have the truck details....
fast forward to Monday, 27 February....my sister & I drove to work as per usual, but when we got into work, something was different as someone had arrived before us....my sister went to her room to find that her computer log-in had been changed, some of her personal effects were gone & all the locks had been changed....after over 8 years of loyalty to the one firm, the boss' wife had done this....my sister gave her 4 weeks' notice on the spot & left....
I couldn't believe it, & decided if that's the loyalty the firm had, then I would have to start looking for a new job....well fast forward to about 4.30pm that day & the boss' wife (not the boss, he had already left for the day) called me in, all staff were having performance reviews....anyways, she gave me 3 weeks' notice unless my work improved to an acceptable level....this was highly illegal & I said I would seek legal advice, as I had never received any written or oral warnings, nor had the boss himself ever queried the quality of my work....she reckons my sister & I had been defrauding the company to advance my career, which is a complete load of horse's arse....I told her that I thought it was very convenient that she had given me this notice just after my sister had resigned....she said it had nothing to do with it, which is bullshite....I had to hold back from handing in my resignation on the spot & saying anything too stupid as I have a mortgage to pay & have to be sensible about it....I left work thinking about fighting it legally, but then I resolved not to due to the fact that it would look bad on my resume....I applied for 25 jobs that night, & there were so many out there....
Tuesday, 28 March....my sister comes into work & receives a fax saying that her 4 weeks' pay is going to be paid out & she was to longer be in the office, effective immediately....at about 7.00am I received a call from a recruitment agency who wanted to see me straight away....I saw them at 1.00pm & they were going to get the ball rolling for me & help me find a good job....over the day I must have received almost 10 callbacks on my job applications....I was a wanted commodity apparrantly
over the next week I had to hold off all the idiots who wanted to get some cheap commission off me....
Wednesday, 1 March....I wasn't going to quit but then that bitch, the boss' wife, came into the office....I was still fuming from Monday....the boss himself told me to keep my head down & he would sort it out....but after what happened, my loyalty was gone....I handed in my 2 week's notice....I figured I would get paid out plus get my 2 week's holiday pay, so it gave me a little leeway to get another job....it still took guts though, when you have a 6-figure mortgage hanging over your head, you're not suppose to take risks like these, but I had to do it for myself & for my family....it was both a happy & sad day for me....the weight of the worlds had lifted off my shoulders for at least one day....I skipped bball that night, & drank with my work colleagues to say goodbye....
Thursday, 2 March....pretty uneventful day, had interviews set up for the next few days....
Friday, 3 March....had 4 interviews that day, yes 4....all went well....I found out later that 2 of them were interested & considering making an offer in my requested salary range....
Saturday, 4 March....this was none other than X-Fest4.0 Day (or my 25th b-day party, yes I'm old, but NBA Live & it's forum are a stress reliever for me)....my big themed party....due to my dad being Scottish & my love for Scotland, I went with the Braveheat/William Wallace theme (see pic below)....everyone drank a lot, everyone ate a lot, everyone had a great time....was a great night....
if you're wondering, that's not my real hair
Monday, 6 March....this was my birthday, had 2 interviews that day, with varying success....was informed by recruitment guy that one of the offers on the table had been rescinded as they wanted to fill another position first....didn't bother me, as I would've had to deny the offer anyway as I didn't like the place for my future career development....so still, one contingent offer on the table....bit of drama with afternoon interview for Tuesday, as one recruitment guy had been talking to the firm & passed on my resume before the other one (who set up the interview for me) did....so, legally I had to deal with the one who had his foot in the door first....that guy said the others weren't representing me that well by throwing me from interview to interview etc, which had me worried....
Tuesday, 7 March....2 interviews this day....the one in the morning went pretty horribly, the one in the afternoon went great....I really wanted the latter job as it was only about 10 minutes away from my place & a progressive firm....I was informed that my other offer was contingent on me passing a Psycho-metric Test, but they would give me the money I was requesting....my sister also got offered & accepted a job on this date....I was having such a good day, it translated on the tennis court as I shocked my mate & beat him at tennis for the first time in about half a year....so my spirits were high....
Wednesday, 8 March....free day to arse around & relax....no response yet on the job I wanted....
Thursday, 9 March....had the Psycho-metric Test that went from 8.30am to 1.00pm....nailed the aptitude part of it, piece of piss for me, but was concerned about the personality profiling as there were like 350 questions in just that one part & you never know what these tests will say....problem is that I answered it completely honestly....I know most people answer the way they think the employer wants them to answer, but I thought, f it, I'm going to lay it on the line....if I was to miss out on the job, it would be because I wasn't the right 'fit' for it, not because I had answered some corny questions the way I thought they should be....
On the train ride home, I got a call from the other recruitment guy who said I hadn't got the job that I wanted....they really liked me, but weren't 100% sure....I felt sick to my stomach....all the other jobs I hadn't got didn't matter, but I really wanted this one & felt like I was going to get it....I called my No. 1 recruitment guy who I had dealt with all along & he said that every interview I went to, they all liked me, thought I was a good, smart, genuine guy, but because the place that I had been loyal to me all these years were a bit behind the times in technology & structure, I wasn't getting the jobs....I had him book up some 2nd interviews for this coming Monday, & hoped that my testing went well....was starting to get a little down that I wasn't getting given a chance again (same thing happened when I was a graduate)....
Friday, 10 March....got woken up by my mobile phone....it was the recruitment guy....I got the job, & they were giving me more money than I thought they would....I thought they would lowball me....apparrantly I had absolutely nailed that Psycho-Metric Test the day before & the Psych guy who reviewed the results called the guy & told him that I was a honest, strong-minded person with strong opinions & great aptitude & that he should definitely hire me straight away
so I got the job 
I now get 2 weeks to sit on my arse & relax before I start it I just got a call right now as I write this from another recruitment bird who was trying to get me....
so that was the last couple of weeks....it's been a stressful time, but also an enlightening one....I actually now think I understand NBA players more now & their motives for moving on....if you aren't respected, then you should move on....why should you be loyal, if the loyalty doesn't come both ways....look after yourself & put you & your families' best interests first....that's the world we live in today....I learnt a valuable lesson in that regard....hmmm, the only thing that could spin this out even more is that if my gf was pregnant (unlikely, but possible)
sorry if I bored you guys, although I did warn you at the start....is just self-therapeutic to get the stuff out rather than keep it bottled up....I've been up-and-down for the last few weeks, but hopefully that's all coming to an end now
cheers for reading, I just hope it helps at least one of you guys in the future....keep your head up & believe in your own abilities & eventually others will too....
f-in insane?!? wtf?!? 
