Starting Work Soon And Will Have To Hit The Ground Running

On second thoughts, maybe it's not so great I'm starting work so soon.

Yes I'm now well rested, I have my energy back and my spirit have been lifted.

I've completed about 80% of my To Do List which consisted of about 80 over items.

I am beginning to be slightly bored at times.

And I've been spending way too much money for a person who's not working.

But ... the guy I'm going to replace at my new job just told me to enjoy the rest of my holiday because as soon as I get into work, I'll have to hit the ground running.

I'm grateful for the heads up but I'm already starting to feel stressed!

Losing Track Of Time

I saw John the Chef on MSN and proceeded to send him the following message:

"Hello! What r u doin online? It's Friday. Aren't workin?"

To which he replied:

"Hallo. I've finished work. And it's Sunday"

Whoops! Indeed it is a Sunday night. In fact, it's technically Monday morning now.

Not working and not having a set routine is wrecking havoc on my sense of time.

My time keeping is also often off. Not having deadlines to chase not that many appointments to keep, means I don't apportion sufficient time to get up, get ready, get out of the house and drive to a destination.

Good thing I'm starting work soon!

Lower Back Pains Already?

I know that I'm only 32 and I'm still young but my body is certainly beginning to feel old. Forget the grunting when i sit down in a low seat or getting up after being sated for a long time. That started about 2 years back.

But these days, after seated for a period of time, I actually feel a sharp pain on my lower back when I get up! It lasts about 5 seconds, then slowly goes away.

I was complaining to Fruitcake and she merely said "Oh that's normal" then proceeded to show me how she bends her body with her shoulders hunched and her back pushed forward in order to ease the pain.

We're in our 30s and we're getting all these ailments already? We're growing old right before our eyes.

We now understand why our grandmothers used to stoop forward, and beat their lower backs with a fist after they get up from a sitting position.

RIP MJ

Rest in Peace Michael Jackson!

You were a child star, then rose to be the king of pop. Then you got a pretty weird towards the end.

But still, you once rocked the world! And The world mourns your death.

Rest in peace.

Not Working Is Expensive

I've been back for 2 days and I've spent RM1000!

I can back on Wednesday morning.

A the airport, I spent RM186 at duty free on alcohol, cigarettes and chocolates.

I got back home, showered, and met Michelle Who Stays On The Seashore for lunch. And after that I sent RM218 on DVDs!

Got home, changed, picked Fruitcake up and went to Angle Caster for our meditation class. We went earlier and found that there was going to be a change in manangement and there was a moving out sale. We spent an hour looking at crystals, crystal holders, sun catchers, dream catchers, candles, pendants and more. And i end up spending RM234 on several items!

And on Thursday, I went for lunch with Kit at Ikea Cafe. And after lunch, I was in Curve running errands when I saw that Nichhi City was on sale. There were a few items I liked there which I held off because I was going for the Singapore Sale. Now that Nichhi was on sale too, i went in to pick up the pieces I wanted. Another RM189 there.

For dinner, Paul and I went to Ayam Penyet in The Curve. We wanted to go to Ikea to pick up a floor uplighter but along the way, we passd by Aussino which was on sale. The 600 thread count duvet covers and bedsheets were going at 70% off. And it's 600 thread count too! Apart from luxury hotels, I've never slept on 600 thread countbedding before. So there's another RM212 there.

So I've spent RM1,000 in 36 hours! This is apart from the throusands I spent at the Great Singapore Sale.

What happened? I've never been a shopper. And I loathe shopping. And I always think twice about spending money.

Not working is getting to be really expensive for me!

I'm guessing not being focused on work and career gives me more time and excuse to walk around a mall and be lured by sales, to want to organize the house, to decorate the house, and generally have more time to be ou and spend money.

Back from Singapore

Singapore was great!

The Great Singapore Sale wasn't great, compared to the ones in the years before. Most stores were on 30% discount. But then again, with the minimal discounts, the stuff were still cheaper than what we can usually get in KL.

So in the end I did shop. In Ralph Lauren, Massimo Dutti, Banana Republic, Esprit, URS and more. It's a good thing I brought an almost empty luggage bag.

I don't usually shop and frankly I find it a hassle to look through clothes, get pushed and shoved, look for the right sizes, line up at the changing rooms, change into the clothes, look at it at all angles, bend over and move around to ensure it's a right fit, decide which ones I like, mentally calculate the price after the dicount, decide if the price was worth the item and after all that, move on to the next store and start all over again.

It's so tiring.

But after shoppng and hunting, I did end up with many peices of clothing I really liked.

It comes at a great time too cos many of my old clothes no longer fit or was out of style.

And, I'm starting work soon! This new company seems to be a little dressier than my last few companies. So I'm looking wearing a brand new wardrobe to a brand new job.

It was also great to catch up with my old friends in Singapore. I was great seeing u Gary, Lance, Rina & Yenny!

Off to Singapore!

I'm off to Singapore tomorrow for the Great Singapore Sale and to meet up with friends too.

And I have such a packed holiday ahead!

Better go on holiday before I need to start work again.

I'm leaving in the morning and arriving at lunch time. Banana Gary will pick me up for lunch and a spot of shopping before I head to an aunt's house for dinner.

Maybe will go out for drinks after that if Dawn came come out to meet me.

The full daytime Friday will be dedicated to shopping then it's dinner and drinks with Lance and gang.

On Saturday, I'll meet Yenny and Divemaster Gan to shop for dive gear.

And if weather permits, I'll hang out at Cafe Del Mar in Sentosa.

On Sunday, it's lunch with Jasmine as soon as she touches down in Singapore and that's the end of my Singapore trip!

It feels like it ended even before it began!

No Walk In The Park Tomorrow

I take it back. I'm not going to walk in the park tomorrow.

My calves and thigh muscles really hurt!

I didn't think it'll be this bad till I realized that I walked 8km this morning. Including uphill terrain. And after zero vigorous exercise in more than 6 months.

I'm gonna stay in tomorrow. Possibly in front of the TV with my legs up.

I'll resume the walk in the park next week. And maybe walk 5km only.

So I guess I'll sleep in tomorrow.

One of the many luxuries one doesn't often get.

A Walk in the (Taman Tun) Park

I've tried walking the Taman Tun Hill and each time I trudge up that hill, I'm cursing and out of breath. But once I've completed it, I feel really good!

So when Hosanna told me that she walks in the Taman Tun Park (it's next to the hill and much less challenging) every weekday mornings, I told he I'd join her.

I woke up at 7.30am this morning, donned on my sports gear which hardly sees the light of day, and went to the park. We started walking and chatting and before long, we actually completed one round around the pond, one round uphill round the pond and one more round around the pond. We did so well that we even decided to walk down the road to check out the Hutan Rimba and walked one round there.

We walked a total of 1 1/2 hours non-stop. And it wasn't as hard as I thought it'll be.

I may just walk in the park more mornings of my weekdays. And eventually, maybe tackle The Hill again.

Ikea - No More Plastic Shopping Bags

As of yesterday, 5th June 2009, Ikea will no longer be giving out plastic shopping bags to shoppers. They are doing their bit to reduce the amount of plastic bags which are harmful to our environment. Animal and sea creatures are hurt by them. And it just contributes to more waste.

If shoppers still want a plastic bag, they can have the usual Ikea bags for 10 sen and 20 sen per bag, depending on the size.

Sales from the plastic bags will be donated to the Malaysian Nature Society for the Climate Change Programme which includes planting of mangrove trees at Kuala Selangor Nature Park.

I love that they used actual Ikea products as part of the campaign!

This is great! Ikea bags are durable and biogedradable and with this move, they are taking an even strong stance in protecting our environment. It's geat to see big companies, well loved companies, doing this to encourage individuals to do the same. Small changes in our habits and lifestyles bring about huge positive changes in the world we live in.

And the big blue Ikea carrier bag which usually retails at EM3.90, is now available at RM1.90.

I currently have shopping bags in the car for when I go grocery shopping. I'll now remember to bring a bigger bag for when I'm shopping in kea.

Another reason why Ikea is a brand I love.

More Baby Girls Than Boys

Now that I'm at that age where most of my peers are married and are having babies, I noticed that there seems to be a lot more baby girls.

Fruitcake and Ed has Isabelle.

Twister Gwen & Dason just had Chloe.

Sue Ann has Kay Lee.

Helene & Alex has Gabrielle.

Desmond & Diana has Faith.

Aileen has Kaitlyn.

Kuen has Hannah.

Tamilzchelvi has Apsara.

Wendy and Ee are going to have a girl in September.

The only couple with a boy is Chris A & Eilene. They have Aidan.

Wonder why that's so. Is it a coincidence that most of my friends have girls? Or is it that there really are more girls born into this world than boys these days.

Welcome Chloe Abigail Vela!

Fruitcakes' lil sister, Twister Gwen just delivered a healthy baby girl this morning in Melbourne, Australia.

Welcome to the world, Chloe Abigail Vela!

And congrats Gwen & Dason!

Hugs, love & kisses to the Chua & Vela family.

Vegetarian Wednesday & Meditation Class

Vegetarian Wednesdays are back again!

Not that they ever left but I found it difficult to be vegetarian every Wednesday because its hard sometimes during a business lunch or when I'm eating with a group in a place which does have vegetarian dishes or have crappy ones. In which case, I'll be vegetarian on another occasion or on another day.

But now that I'm not working, I'm going to be vegetarian on Wednesdays as well as any other meal or day I can.

And as an added reason, Fruitcake and I have started meditation classes. It lasts for an hour on Wednesday evenings. It's Meditation for Stress Management. They guy who leads the class, Chi Choong, is not only a psychologist but also a clairvoyant. I never thought that that combination would work. Science is science. And the new age spiritual world is ... well, a completely different work, isn't it?

But now that we got to know him and tried out a few classes, it makes perfect sense. We start the class with an aura reading, go through the theories of the meditation we're about to do, do the meditation, and discuss about it afterwards while looking up and around to see if our spirit guides made an appearance.

So Fruitcake and I now go to class together but with slightly different agendas. She goes to meditate to try and understand and deal with her depression. While I go to develop my psychic abilities. I always felt that i could 'feel' things and I'm not finally ready to take it to the next level. It's been a little scary so far, but it's also been interesting. There are many branches of psychicism but the ones I'm most interested in is clairvoyance and aura reading. I'll update again once I've had some success in 'seeing' things. :)

2 Upcoming Parties

Now that I've time on my hands again, I'm going what comes natural to me. Party planning!

I've 2 up my sleeves already.

The first is an event my American Express. It's called Chocs-2-Die For Soiree. That's the easy one. I just need to see who wants to go, make the reservations, remind people and make sure everyone has a good time. But you'll be surprise how such a simple event can become complicated when there's more than 4 people on the guests lists. Timing, availability, proximity, logistics ... all come into play.

Naked Teoh was online and I was telling him that I want to plan a party and the first thing he asked was "What's the theme". Hahaha! I told him he was smart to know that there was a theme and he replied "With u... a party without a theme is like a diver without their oxygen tank" . So true!

So the second party is going to be a house party and since World Environmental Day, Summer Solstice, Flag Day, Fairy Day and Best Friends Day fall in June, the theme could be one of those. Or it may even be 'Come As Your Past Life Character'.

I'm going as a witch or a fairy naturally.

Less Time, More Money. More Time, Less Money.

Now that I'm not working and have loads of time on my hands, I'm spending more money. I just spent a few hundred bucks buying DVD box sets to catch up on all the TV series I've missed. And having lunches with friends. And since I'm moving around running errands and meeting friends, I'm using a lot more petrol and paying a lot more parking too.

Guess I've to start staying home more often to watch the DVDs I've purchased, have friends over for lunches and coffees and start thinking of businesses I can do online and working from home.

And start using up those prepaid spa, massages and mani & pedi sessions!

Angel Healing - I was a Witch. Now that explains a lot.

I had lunch with Fruitcake at Champs and after she went back to work, I went for an angel healing session at Angel Caster.

I went for an angel reading before over there. It's just like a crystal ball reading or a tarot card reading but the person conducting the session will listen for the angel's message or answer and she'll tell it to you.

The person who does that at Angel Caster is Stephanie van Driesen. It was an interesting session and friends who went for the angel reading often followed up with an angel healing session.

The moment I walked in, Stephanie asked me if I was sure I wanted to do an Angel Healing session because I didn't look like i needed any healing. "That's cos I quit my job!" I told her but wanted to experience it anyway.

So we went into the room, she called upon the angels and started singing in this amazing voice, like a dolphin at times, which surrounded the whole room and lifted me up. Not literally, but there were times I felt I was floating or hanging almost upside down. A few interesting past life experiences surfaced and she 'healed' those experiences. She also mentioned a few past lives I've lived which really explained why I am the way I am now in this life.

She even told me my life's purpose in this life.

For those who believe in past life, there are things which happen and you carry into this life time. And those things effect you but you do not know about it or are unable to do much about it. This healing cuts the cords that bind you to the negative elements in those lifetimes so that the lessons which you're supposed to learn or the bad experiences do not affect you as much in this lifetime.

What I can reveal to you about one of my past lives was that I was a witch in a village in Scotland. That explains why I always look forward to Halloween and can't wait to wear my witch's outfit. Or why I love Harry Potter. Or why I'm always curious about potions and spells. Hahaha. But all of this also goes to a much deeper level of my being in this lifetime.

That's something I should definitely explore further.

Work-Free Day 2

Ah bliss. I woke up, pottered around the house and seeing how gloomy, chilly and windy the morning was, I'm now having a croissant and coffee at the balcony. Worklessness is great!

First Non Working Day

My first work-free day!

And there's so much I want to do like finally file my documents, clean up the house, declutter, clear out the larder, catch up with friends, go to the dentist, sell stuff on e-bay, think of online business ideas, meet my financial planner to consolidate monetary matters, reiew my insurance policy, watch up on TV series, develop photos for PADI Advance Diver card, develop photos from the wedding (I know! That's not fully completed yet), chase the videographer for the wedding video (again, I know!), got for a mani & pedi, go for a spa, start yoga again, learn meditation, sit the by pool and maintain my tan, host a party, think of a theme for that party, post pics up from the Komodo trip, read, blog more and so much more!

These are all the items on my To Do List which were neglected because I was too busy working.

And now that I'm not working, seems like I've loads to do!

I shall start my first official non-working day by having lunch with Michelle, one among several non-working friends. Yay!

Last Day At Work

Today is my last day at Euro. Woo hoo! Freedom!

Don't understand why I didn't quit any earlier.

Now I can look forward to coffees with friends, spas, manis & pedis, catching up with friends, Facebooking more, try and finish reading all the books I've bought and so much more.

To not have anything else waiting for me later on is both scary and liberating.

But I'm going to enjoy what I can while I can.

1 hours 40 mins and I'll officially be work-free!

For now, I'll while away the time at Starbucks with my MD and my ex Account Director.

Yay! I'm outta here!

Komod LOB Dive Trip

The Komodo Live-on-board dive trip was absolutely amazing! Scary but amazing and relaxing and exciting at the same time.

All we did was ......

- wake up when someone bangs on our door and yell "BRIEFING!!!!"

- come out of our rooms, still in our jammies, rub our eyes and listen to the briefing.

- after the briefing, straight away check our equipment and suit up

- jump onto the small boat, head out to the dive site, jump in and do a 45min - 1 hour dive

- get back onto the big boat for breakfast, rest, dive, have lunch, dive, have tea, dive, rest, do a night dive, have dinner & watch a move, sleep

- wait to be awoken by "BRIEFING!!!!" the next morning.

We saw manta rays, black tipped sharks, white tipped sharks, blue spotted ribbon tail eels, barramundi cods, Napolean wrasses, turtles, dolphins, helmut gurnards, moray eels, bob-tailed squids and so much more.

I don't have all the pics with me yet because when we all met up last weekend to exchange pics, we couldn't burn them all cos the photographers among us were shooting in raw so the file sizes were huge!

But I'll post whatever pics I have this weekend or early next week.

Hopefully I'll get every one's pics by then and I can post up the best pics. And some videos too.

For now, here are some of the pics I have.

The little boat which takes us from the LOB boat to the dive sites.

One of the manta rays!

A school of ... err I'm not sure of the name of this fish.

Sea apple.

Pigmy seahorse. It's so tiny and camouflaged.

Orang utan crab. So hairy!

Flying gurnard. It was a pretty big fellow!

Bob-tailed squid. Tiny, hard to find and totally adorable. Yenny & I wanted to bring him home.

The Komodo Dragon!

The crazy divers. We love the fish eye lense!

L - R: Yenny, Paul, Bubbles, Jon & Gan(asai)

Pics on this post curtesy of Yenny, our only underwater photogarpher.

Off to Komodo Tomorrow!

The day has finally arrived!

I'm actually headed to Bali tomorrow and to Komodo the next day for 9 blissful days on a boat without internet connection or phone reception. Just the sun, the sea and some really huge sea creatures.

I promise I'll take loads of pics!

And since I've quit my job and have short notice period and will soon be out of this hell hole, I will have time to post up the pics and blog about the trip.

I love that I've quit my job and am going on holiday!!!!!

3 Days to Komodo. 27 Days Till I'm Out Of The Agency

Today is my first day back at work after throwing in my resignation letter on Friday. I feel like a cloud has been lifted. I'm no longer dragging my feet. I stop holding my breath. I even did a twirl and a dance today. It feels so gooood to know that I'm going to be out of there and won't need to interact and be polite and civil to those who are nasty, rude, annoying and generally bring negativity every time they walk into a room.

1 months notice can seem like a long time when you've officially said you want to leave.

So I'm really glad that we're leaving for Komodo in 3 days. In fact, this time Friday, we'll be on a beach or a bar in Bali having a drink and chilling out after a day of surfing, shopping and tanning.

We'll be in Bali for one night then we'll fly off to Komodo the next day then onto a boat where we'll be living and diving for the next 9 days.

We'll be out at sea or under the sea. It'll just be us, the blue waters and the underwater creatures. There was once in my life where I could not live withoit my mobile phone less I miss a party or event or some hot news. I even brought my phone into the shower with me. On this trip, I can't wait to get away to a place where there is no phone reception and the only thing that's technologocally advanced on the boat is a fish finder. So cuten rigyht? Just like Maxis' Friend Finder.

We get back, I work for 2 weeks then I'm out of there!

(The panic and worry and boredom of not having a job or income will kick in later. But that's later)

Komodo dragon, mantra rays & dugongs .... here we come!

No It Is Not Worth It

A few months ago while I was hating my job, I asked myself if it was all worth it. Is it meant to be this hard? Maybe it, is the higher I climb. Maybe I just need to take it a day at a time. Stress is normal.

But now that a few months have passed and I'm still feeling like crap, I sat myself down and listed down all the reasons why I hated my job and I stopped being myself. I needed to understand what was going on. So I wrote and I wrote and I came up with 40 reasons why I hate it here. 40!

A lot of it has to do with the client. I've already blogged about the long meetings without food or water. I have to say that they're better now and at least do provide water but now very often while we're presenting work which the client rushed us to finish, the client will be passing notes to his colleagues, going through his credit card bills and once even watched a video and laughed out loud. Yes, this is DURING the presentation. To say that he's rude and disrespectful is an understatement.

This agency also doesn't feel like an agency. There's no energy or fun. I feel like it's shrouded in secrecy and I'm constantly walking on eggshells.

Those are just a few out of the 40 reasons.

But the last straw for me was during a meeting last week, the client actually said "You fucking piss me off". Yes. During a meeting. Did my boss defend or say something? Nope. Then again the client once called my boss "My bitch". So my boss isn't going to do anything is he?

Well, he can take his brand and stuff it up his ass cos I'm not going to do this anymore. I'm not going to kill myself for a brand who own brand owner doesn't seem to give a toss about it.

So I threw my resignation letter on Friday and it feels so good!

While I'm still fairly stressed with work, th thought that I'm gonna be outta here soon really lifts my spirits.

So I'm lookin for something else. Despite the economic situation, lots of people are actually hiring!

So I'm hoping for the best.

As least I can now start to rebuild my self confidence.

5 hours Meeting, 5 Hour Report, 2 Hour Debrief

I spent 5 hours yesterday in a meeting with the client which ended at 10pm in their office.

The only consolation this time is that they ordered pizza. Which came with Coke thankfully. Or we'll be starved and parched again.

As soon as the meeting was done, I got into my car and drove home while some stayed on for a few drinks.

As soon as I got into work this morning, I went out for another meeting. And as soon as i got back, I had lunch then spent 5 hours writing out a report for the meeting yesterday.

And there after i spent another 2 hours debriefing the team on the meeting and discussing next steps.

This means I've spent 12 hours in a meeting, reporting on that meeting and debriefing about that meeting.

So where will I find the time to do any work resulting from the meeting?

This is so counter-productive. And totally ridiculous.

And the client asks us why it seems that nothing gets done.

Preparing for Komodo

It's not often I'm excited about a trip. I attribute it to being older, having more experiences in life and and traveling to a fair amount of different destinations.

So a trip is usually just a welcomed getaway or for a specific reason be it visit friends, shopping etc.

But I'm actually excited about Komodo. After the diving re-fresher course yesterday, Jon the Diver, Paul & I headed to Global Scuba in 1U to look at gear.

I don't need a wetsuit since I was so enthusiastic (despite the fear) that I bought it even during my Scuba Discovery Course. And I do have a mask. But they are both black and I'd like to have some distinguishing factor when all suited up under water.

Somehow most dive gear are in black, yellow and sometimes purple. And not very nice shades of those colours either. Boring.

I'm really looking forward to the baby pink fins and mask which I've ordered and should be collecting next week.

Before a trip, I love to prepare for it. Like learning a new language when you're going to a country where English is not the primary language.

So when it comes to diving, I guess it's buying gear since i can't possibly learn to talk Fish.

Tho I'd like to try and swim like a dolphin and talk to them less I get to see one in Komodo.

Bubbles is Going to Komodo!

I know that the economic situation is bad and we should all be bucking down, eating in and spending less but an opportunity has come along that's too good to give up but it will cost RM12,000 (For Paul & I)!

Jon the Diver, Paul & I are going diving in Komodo! Yes, the place with the komodo dragons.

But we'll be living on board a boat so we'll be safe. From the komodo dragons at least.

My last dive trip, which was also my Open Water Certification, was in Redang 2 years ago. So I've forgotten a lot about the technicalities and feel of diving. So yesterday Jon, Paul & I went to the Polo Club in Kota Damansara and did a diving refresher.

I'm actually very freaked out with water. I swim with my head above the water. So diving and being totally submerged in water is really scary for me. Yet it's something I really want to do. Maybe not doing pool sessions and learning everything in the sea during my Open Water added to my fear. But yesterday was great and I re-learnt a lot of the skills and am now a lot more comfortable in the water. At least my bouyancy is under control somewhat.

And I'm ready for Komodo!

Komodo sounds so exotic and it's a place I never thought of going. But Jon the Diver who just came back from Makasar, suggested it and it sounded great!

It was supposed to be just for 6 days, followed by 4 relaxing days in Bali. But we've been told that there are so many dive sites in Komodo that a full 10 days is recommended.

So now I need to go buy my pink fins and pink mask, pack up and go! Komodo!

Recession in Malaysia & China?

Signs of Malaysia being in recession seems to be more apparent now.

Apart from the retrenchment of 5 people in my office, I also read that Dell is offering VSS and will be retrenching 5% of their work force in Malaysia. A friend who works in an electronic manufacturing firm may be out of a job when the company shuts down his division in the second half of this tear.

But we're still doing fairly well comparatively.

And China is still booming despite The Star today reporting massive loss of jobs there.

And I know this because I recently received calls from headhunters regarding jobs in China. These are fairly high level jobs and they're offering expat packages with the pay range of RMB35,000 to RMB60,000.

Here I was thinking the the RMB is a large denomination currency and therefore it does not amount to much.

So I went to my favourite currency converter site, coinmill.com and checked how much is RMB60,000 in RM.

I almost fell off my chair when I found it was in access of RM30,000!

It is a lot of money for me anyway, considering the level I'm at and the exposure I've had so far.

So if China can pay an expat that much (and I have loads of friends who have moved there a few years ago with no signs of coming back), they can't be in recession, can they?

Are We In A Recession?

Given the 2 rounds of retrenchments in my company and news that tens of thousands of people are out of a job in Malaysia, it feels like the bubble finally burst and recession has truly hit our shores.

But I was in Jarrod & Rawlin's in Damanara Heights for dinner and the place was full of large groups of people laughing and having a jolly good time. Dinner and drinks for 5 of us come up to almost RM600. So that place isn't exactly a place for those on a budget.

And recently, I've been getting a few calls regarding jobs within the industry.

Isn't that surprising?

We're in recession, supposedly, but so many agencies are hiring. And hiring pretty aggressively too.

So actually, are we really in a recession?

Retrenchment

For weeks I've been feeling uneasy about work. It's not just about the work itself because that sucks ass big time but hey what can you do ......

I just felt that something is up and that the the energy in the office is dark, very negative, almost oppressive.

But I just couldn't put my finger on it.

There seems to be several management meetings a week and after the meetings in the board room, a couple of the directors will gather in the glass meeting rooms and talk further.

They then have a staff meeting to tell everyone how the agency is moving forwards and how we're in a good place and everything is dandy. Trying to spread a feel good factor.

But we're not buying it. In fact, we all walk out feeling like they're trying to cover up something.

So I've been uneasy all week. Until last Friday that is.

I was stuck in a glass meeting room for almost an entire day for a discussion and brain storm session. When I emerged at 8pm, I saw groups of people huddled around looking shocked and bewildered. Wondering what happened, I walked up to the Creative Group Head.

Me: What happened?

CGH: You didn't hear?

Me: No. What happened?

CHG: 3 people have been retrenched.

Me: What???!!

So i emerge from an 8 hour meeting only to find that 3 of my colleagues were told to pack up and go within 24 hours.

Even better was my manager who asked another colleague of mine today.

Manager: Where's that fella? His desk is so clean.

Other colleague: Oh you didn't hear?

Manager: No, what happened?

Other colleague: He's been retrenched.

Manager: What?!!

And so it goes. Management is not telling the staff whats going on and no announcements have been made that there's been retrenchment. So people walk into the office to find some collegues missing. And even worst, that a new person is sitting in their colleagues place.

I can understand the retrenchment. What I don't understand is they way they go about doing it.

I don't know if there is a right or wrong way to handle retrenchment but I do know that doing it the way they've done it is leaving the remaining staff feeling puzzled, scared and demotivated.

Open Plan Office

Some companies choose an open plan office as they want to have more transparency within it's walls.

My company believes in that. We have rows and rows of work stations and no one gets a room, even the MD or CEO.

But we do have rooms albeit with glass walls. Again, to promote transparency.

But I don't think it works. Sometimes, there are phone calls one needs to make which you don't want the world to know about. Or sometimes a boss needs to reprimand a subordinate and that should be done in private. Or HR needs to have a meeting to talk about salary or n employee's performance.

So now instead of ensuring nothing is hidden, every time someone goes into the glass rooms and especially if they look grim, people start speculating what's going on.

I don't think it works at all.