Reflecting back on the last 8 months, I do not remember doing much apart from the usual super-exhausting WORK. When I joined this new job, I spent the first few days learning about the system, I wasn't given much responsibility and it gave me a bit of time for myself. I was on my own in a new country and has some spare time everyday! I made some exciting plans about sports, cooking experiments, hobbies.. GIRLS! ;) and even started working on them...
...but then the workload hit me real hard and all my spare time was gone. Suddenly I was spending almost 12 hours at work everyday and pretty much all other activities stopped. A few team mates left and work became even more stressful.
Finally in the last month or so, workload has started reducing and today, after a really long time, I managed to get away at 5PM. I reached home and suddenly realised that I do not know what to do with all this time :P I spent literally 20 minutes thinking what to do and something reminded me of this blog that I have. I haven't touched it for a long time.. not that many people read it anyway, but thought I'd write down a few things.. and surely it feels good.
Coming back to the point, in the last 8 months I have learnt a lot regarding work, gained some valuable experience.. it's definitely beneficial for my career no doubt.. but I haven't really had a social life as such. Sure, I have made some really good friends at work but outside of it there is hardly a soul in this city that I know well. Up till now this kind of thing had never bothered me but now I have started to think that there is this flaw in me that I need to overcome. I need to make an effort to meet new people and get to know them. Never thought I'd say such a thing but this lack of social interaction has started to get me worried...
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Had to try
Four months into my independent life, I'm enjoying it immensely.. But sometimes it gets a bit lonely. I keep myself busy with squash, tv, cooking, driving and other random stuff but still once in a while it is boring.
There's this girl I know, she works nearby my workplace. Quite good looking and friendly. I've been thinking about asking her out for days.. It's funny, I almost knew what was going to happen but I had to try anyway. So I did it this evening. I just asked if she'd go out with me for a coffee; she seemed kinda shocked to hear that from me.. and then declined..
Oh well... what can I say.. Had to try... ;)
There's this girl I know, she works nearby my workplace. Quite good looking and friendly. I've been thinking about asking her out for days.. It's funny, I almost knew what was going to happen but I had to try anyway. So I did it this evening. I just asked if she'd go out with me for a coffee; she seemed kinda shocked to hear that from me.. and then declined..
Oh well... what can I say.. Had to try... ;)
Saturday, February 13, 2010
First few weeks in Oz
Here I am, all by myself trying to find my way through this city! It is just as exciting as I had thought before.
It has been a pretty smooth move till now. Didn't have any problems bringing my stuff over. Accomodation for the first month and a half was already sorted out. So the initial acclimatisation period has been alright.
It's a shame that I had to come over while my parents were still in Welly and they were there specifically to visit me and my brother. I couldn't help it, work is work. And I doubt if I would have got such a great opportunity again anytime soon.
The new team is nice. This job is a bit more customer facing so everyone is usually on their toes to get the job done as quickly as possible. Quite different from the laid back attitude I'm used to for the last 2 years. I'll get used to it I'm sure.
Team mates are a bit quiet and reserved. Very very different from the crazy ones I had beforehand. I'm going to miss all the crazy talk and laugh. Another difference is here is that most of the guys have been here for quite some time. They are used to the work culture, the people and everything. In my old team there was only one local guy and the rest of them immigrants from various places, pretty new in the country. It was that common thing that helped us all to bond and become quite close friends. I have a nagging feeling that it is not going to happen here. Mind you, this team is also muticultural and they are all friendly, but you can see that they are not close friends. They don't go out for coffee together, don't have lunches together... Spending time outside of work seems like a distant idea. I take a bit more time to make friends as it is. But seems like here it is going to take even longer. But I'm not complaining, I will manage. :)
Very recently I found an apartment and I'll be moving there in the next week. I think I'll spend my next weekend buying stuff for the apartment. Some furniture, whiteware, TV, appliances and stuff. I'll unpack my desktop after going there itself. Should keep me busy for some time.
I also need to start cooking once I move. I haven't been able to do that in this hotel but I will definitely start with my experiments from next week. It's going to b fun! :D
I'll try to keep posting regularly from now on. I don't think many people read it but I like posting here (whenever I do)..
That's all for today. Hopefully I'll drop by again soon..
Labels:
excitement,
nostalgia
Monday, January 4, 2010
Anticipating the change
Posting after a long time, I have a lot of things to share...
Finally, after 10 long months of wait, I have secured a move away from this city. It is going to be a huge change for me and a good one too. I am getting the opportunity to live in the city which they say is one of the best in the world.. Sydney..
I must say I am lucky to get this switch. Everything lined up for me at the right time. I found the vacancy, one of my teammates also informed me about it and said I should try, it looks good. I applied and within 3 weeks I had an interview and got an offer. In this whole process I received tremendous help from my team. I got valuable tips about negotiating the salary, I was given really good reference when the new employer called to check on me and my manager made all this possible.. She allowed them to talk to me about the position, she reviewed my new contract and made suggestions and told me how I should protect my own rights when I ran into a small glitch in this whole process...
I owe my team for this.. Honestly, I could never have asked for a better team and I doubt if I will ever get to work with such fantastic individuals again.. But I have to move on, I have my own goals and it is inevitable to move away from these people. Sooner or later it was going to happen and I am glad that I am doing it on a high note.
Apart from feeling sad about leaving my team, I am excited about the new role. It's a new city, new country and hopefully a lot of new and interesting work. I need to learn how to cook as well.. hehe.. :P
It won't be long before I move. I guess my next post will come from Sydney.. Till then, goodbye :)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Getting there..
I can feel it.. and it makes me excited.. I'm quite close to the point where I'll actually stop caring.. I know it's a weird post, but I just had to write it down.. :D
I want to get on with my life real soon.
A few things are happening on the job front as well.. I'll update when I have something substantial to talk about.
I want to get on with my life real soon.
A few things are happening on the job front as well.. I'll update when I have something substantial to talk about.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Last Three Weeks
It hasn't been too bad for the last three weeks.. surprisingly and seriously.. True, I was kind of pre-occupied with stuff but emotionally I've been stable.
She came here at the start of August and stayed for two weeks. She reached late on Friday night and called me the next day. I was talking to her on phone after whole 2 months. I was not overwhelmed, neither was she. We kept it civil, talked about general stuff.
The next day she asked me out for coffee in the evening. It was nice to see her again.. She hugged me when she saw me.. We talked for a long time. It made me smile to see that her habits are still the same. Her favourite coffee, still the same.. Latte - half strength, decaf, with trimmed milk. And she still remembers my Mocha. Her indecisiveness about all the things.. it's still there.. We kept talking and it was almost dinnertime. She asked me to stay for dinner too. I did and we kept talking.
Somehow both of us followed an unwritten rule of not talking about relationships. We kept that subject out of our conversations.
During those two weeks we kept calling each other frequently and seeing each other whenever we could. I gave her a gift for her birthday in next month, and she was pleasantly, genuinely surprised. She liked it. I was happy.
I was talking to her one day and I told her that I was not feeling like going to work the next day and I might take a sick leave. She unexpectedly asked me to spend the day with her then. So the next day I took a sick leave and went to her place. We took her dog for a walk. Then she cooked lunch for me.. This was something she has wanted to do for a long time, since the time when we were together.. and finally she got a chance to do it now... Then we sat around talking for some time. Went to play tennis in the evening, had a drink after that and then she dropped me home.
We had our biggest fight till date on the next day... It started off with something trivial and it got escalated. Both of us said nasty things to each other. And finally she said, "see.. this is why it is not going to work out between us.." I could not find a proper response to it.. I tried to say that it's not true.. but that was the end of discussion.. I let it go..
She invited me for a dinner with her friends later that week. This is another thing she has wanted to do for quite some time.. introduce me to her close ones.. That she did.. I had to endure a few awkward questions at the time of introduction, like 'oh.. so YOU are the boyfriend!'.. I said no, that's not me.. That night she was wearing a jacket two of us had bought together long back.. and also the scarf.. my gift.. she specifically showed it to me.. Those looked good on her.. Again, it made me smile.. At the end of the night, she gave me a hug and her friends were like "That's a real 'friendly' hug.. we can see that.." Anyway I let it go again.. But I did feel sad to see her leave..
After she went back, she kept to herself for a couple of days but then resumed contact again.. I was alright with this the whole time.. I think I've really gotten over her now.. Probably the worst is over and I can get on with my life again...
She came here at the start of August and stayed for two weeks. She reached late on Friday night and called me the next day. I was talking to her on phone after whole 2 months. I was not overwhelmed, neither was she. We kept it civil, talked about general stuff.
The next day she asked me out for coffee in the evening. It was nice to see her again.. She hugged me when she saw me.. We talked for a long time. It made me smile to see that her habits are still the same. Her favourite coffee, still the same.. Latte - half strength, decaf, with trimmed milk. And she still remembers my Mocha. Her indecisiveness about all the things.. it's still there.. We kept talking and it was almost dinnertime. She asked me to stay for dinner too. I did and we kept talking.
Somehow both of us followed an unwritten rule of not talking about relationships. We kept that subject out of our conversations.
During those two weeks we kept calling each other frequently and seeing each other whenever we could. I gave her a gift for her birthday in next month, and she was pleasantly, genuinely surprised. She liked it. I was happy.
I was talking to her one day and I told her that I was not feeling like going to work the next day and I might take a sick leave. She unexpectedly asked me to spend the day with her then. So the next day I took a sick leave and went to her place. We took her dog for a walk. Then she cooked lunch for me.. This was something she has wanted to do for a long time, since the time when we were together.. and finally she got a chance to do it now... Then we sat around talking for some time. Went to play tennis in the evening, had a drink after that and then she dropped me home.
We had our biggest fight till date on the next day... It started off with something trivial and it got escalated. Both of us said nasty things to each other. And finally she said, "see.. this is why it is not going to work out between us.." I could not find a proper response to it.. I tried to say that it's not true.. but that was the end of discussion.. I let it go..
She invited me for a dinner with her friends later that week. This is another thing she has wanted to do for quite some time.. introduce me to her close ones.. That she did.. I had to endure a few awkward questions at the time of introduction, like 'oh.. so YOU are the boyfriend!'.. I said no, that's not me.. That night she was wearing a jacket two of us had bought together long back.. and also the scarf.. my gift.. she specifically showed it to me.. Those looked good on her.. Again, it made me smile.. At the end of the night, she gave me a hug and her friends were like "That's a real 'friendly' hug.. we can see that.." Anyway I let it go again.. But I did feel sad to see her leave..
After she went back, she kept to herself for a couple of days but then resumed contact again.. I was alright with this the whole time.. I think I've really gotten over her now.. Probably the worst is over and I can get on with my life again...
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Consistency Please
So, after having the previous conversation with her, I start avoiding her. I do not log on to gtalk or windows messenger, and I have long ceased starting up a conversation from my side either on messenger or email. Then I get an email from her the other day, and guess what it says..
"So you are just going to ignore and not talk to me now?"....
This is brilliant. Seems like every single thing going wrong between us is my fault now. This is absolutely brilliant. I seem to be the immature person over here now, sulking and not talking.. irrespective of what was said that day...
Please show some consistency in your behaviour woman! I am not a saint. I can't always just take it and carry on as if nothing happened..
It's good that I don't care that much anymore...
"So you are just going to ignore and not talk to me now?"....
This is brilliant. Seems like every single thing going wrong between us is my fault now. This is absolutely brilliant. I seem to be the immature person over here now, sulking and not talking.. irrespective of what was said that day...
Please show some consistency in your behaviour woman! I am not a saint. I can't always just take it and carry on as if nothing happened..
It's good that I don't care that much anymore...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)