Wow! This is my first post! I decided not to place an entry last Friday and Saturday because it’d be much better to begin blogging on a Sunday (start of the week)!

Anyway, back on topic…

I’ve just quit my job last November 20. I passed my resignation letter effective December 20 (I’ve asked around and it seems that the SOP in our company is to give a month’s notice).

Well, I have my reasons to quit, but the highest on the list is my desire for growth. True, my previous company has been very gracious to me. If not, I would not have spent three years working for it. It even offered a schedule that would allow me to attend my MA classes while working at the same time (for which I’m very thankful). But I think I’ve done everything I could do. I’ve trained new editors, did a couple of administrative work, and earned the respect of my teammates. I don’t know; I just had this gut feel that it’s time for me to move on. I feel the need to explore a new environment.

I got an invitation to apply for an editing position in another company. And thankfully, I passed the exams (which took me 8 hours by the way) and three interviews. It offered a competitive salary (that I did not negotiate, dang!) and the same pseudo-flexible arrangement that would allow me to study. The project I’ll be assigned to is quite new, so I guess there will be room for innovation, for which I can contribute. To cut the long story short, obviously, I accepted the job offer.

This decision is hard for me — even now. The job I quit is my first job, so this is also my first time to resign. I wasn’t prepared for the consequences.

When I told my teammates my decision, the reaction I got was mixed. There were those who were happy for me, as they know I’ve been searching for other companies for a while. Others were disappointed and wished that I stayed. I am the senior-most editor in my team after all.

I got anxious after speaking with my immediate supervisor and our manager, who both expressed regret and raised a counter-offer.

Knowing how hard and confusing this situation is for people who are experiencing the same dilemma, I’m listing five useful tips to keep in mind as you consider resigning and applying for a new job:

1. Negotiate your salary as necessary. This is something I did not do, and upon further research, I really hated myself for a week or so after realizing that I could have given it a shot. But I guess my case is quite unique (sour graping!). I mentioned an expected salary that was almost 50% more of what I am currently earning, so that’s quite a big leap. The final nail in my salary coffin was that it was the company’s policy that I write my current salary in my application form. So basically, HR knows how much I’m earning and the big difference of my expected salary from it. In the interview, the manager gave me a reasonable increase (a little more than 35%) from my current salary, which I immediately accepted. My logic was maybe the salary I set was too high, and 35% was all the company could give. But I think not saying “yes” right away would be much better. You wouldn’t know if it can budge a few hundred (or a few thousand) pesos up. You have to take a chance, and maybe it would pay off. It wouldn’t hurt to try anyway! But this also entails a bit of a risk: Negotiating for a higher salary and getting it means setting higher expectations for you — which also means there’s a greater chance you won’t meet those expectations. For me, I’d love to think that it’s better that the company offers me a raise when it sees my hard work after I get employed. So it’s all up to you.
2. Do not sign a job offer unless you are completely sure. Signing on something means you are committed to fulfilling it. You may say that it’s just a job offer and not the full contract, but still, if you are in doubt, there’s no harm in postponing the acceptance for a day or two. In my case, there was a clause that stated the offer should be signed within a week, after which it would expire. Spend that time to make sure you look at items such as the offered salary, your employee type, and the confidentiality agreements that are stipulated. Whenever there are items you wish to question, speak with the person in charge right away. For example, if there is a discrepancy between the salary that was mentioned to you during the interview and the salary set in the offer, you may want to clarify and contest. If you feel the benefits offered are not satisfactory, it would be best to decline. So I guess saying you’ll have to think it over and signing within the given time is pretty much acceptable and is a much wiser move.
3. Write a concise but professional resignation letter. Many people leave their work as disgruntled employees with pent-up hate for their supervisors or co-workers. However, in writing a resignation letter, don’t let the bitterness get the better of you. You want to leave the office in a positive light because you really can’t tell if there’s a chance you’ll be working for the same company again. You don’t want to burn a bridge, right? So, to make fewer mistakes, make your resignation letter short but meaningful. It should obviously contain the effectivity date, but after researching the topic, I suggest adding: 1) a dash of thankfulness by saying how the company helped you; 2) a pinch of self-flattery by also indicating what you have contributed to the company; 3) a cup of assurance to the employer that you are going to help in ensuring a smooth transition (in my case, wrapping up the training of the two new editors); and 4) a grain of wishing the company the best. Of course, mentioning the reason of your resignation is completely optional. The No. 1 rule is to make sure you leave the company in good taste!
4. As much as possible, do not accept a counter-offer. I know how tempting it is to accept a counter-offer, especially if you current company can match the salary proposed by your new employer. But all articles I’ve read discourage accepting it. They say sooner or later, most employees who accept the counter-offer leave the company or are fired. There are so many things to take in consideration such as: 1) your now-shaky status with your employer in terms of loyalty — applying for a new company already means your loyalty is tainted, so your company will always consider that whenever there are promotions, when it needs to retrench or reduce the number of employees, etc.; 2) setting a bad precedence for fellow employees to do what you did for them to have the raise they want — not to mention, your relationship with them will change; and of course, 3) burning the bridge with your supposed-to-be new employer, which spent quite a lot of time to accommodate your application and stopped the hiring process, thinking it already got the right person for the job. When in doubt, always go back to why you looked for a new job. If the counter-offer does not address the root of the problem, the monetary adjustment will not be worth it. If your root problem is really the salary, you might reconsider your resignation, but face the consequences.
5. Settle all your responsibilities. This is just about making sure you have accomplished all your liabilities before saying goodbye. It may include completing your last project, training your replacement, and even settling your unpaid loans and canteen meal stubs. Ensure that you get all the documents you need for your next job — TIN ID, PhilHealth forms/number, etc. Work on your exit clearance, and ask your HR for assistance. Also, don’t forget to ask when you will receive your back pay!

I meet all kinds of change with fright. I believe it’s an involuntary reaction I have. This phase in my life is no exception. Leaving my current job would mean I have to start from scratch. All my hard work would be thrown out of the window. I have to re-adjust and make friends again. I have to be open to the idea of someone training me again. All these pressures sometimes make me feel overwhelmed with so much fretfulness. Sometimes I question if I really need to place myself under so much stress.

But I guess all I need is a change of disposition. Why not think of it as exciting instead of frightening? That would make the whole fiasco feel lighter. But of course, this is easier said than done.

My best piece of advice (and my little mental note to myself) is to reflect, reflect, reflect. After all, quitting a job entails a very personal, relative decision. Follow your gut!

(Photo credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Traffic_light.gif)

Here we have yet more proof that the Europeans, whom we once deigned to lecture on the “virtues of democracy”, have long since surpassed us in that.

From Der Spiegel:

Labor Minister Franz Josef Jung resigned from Angela Merkel’s cabinet on Friday. In a brief statement Jung said he was taking “political responsibility” for having misinformed the German public due to, he claims, a lack of knowledge regarding civilian casualties stemming from a Sept. 4 airstrike Afghanistan.

You see, in Germany, when politicians are caught blatantly lying to their constituencies, they do the right thing and step down. The amazing aspect of this is that, by American standards, Josef Jung’s transgression was exceedingly minor – he merely lied about the effects of one airstrike in Afghanistan. Following the strike, Jung claimed that there were no “civilian casualties”, but later it came to light that there were tens or hundreds, many of them children. For that he resigned.

Now can you even imagine something like that happening in America? We have grown so desensitized to the constant stream of mendacity from our leaders that it is difficult to grow angry over any one lie. Warrantless  wiretapping, “We Do Not Torture”, Weapons of Mass Destruction, “existential threats”, secret detentions, the Saddam-Al Qaeda link, and the list goes on and on and on. Yet not only do our leaders routinely inform us that no investigations into these lies will be forthcoming, no popular outrage seems to exist over them.

And Jung isn’t the only one to have been let go:

The debacle has made things difficult for Germany’s new Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. He is reported to have “exploded” when he first learned of the report — when he was contacted by Bild on Wednesday for a comment. He immediately called in the General Inspector Schneidhan to see if he was aware of the report. Once it was clear that he had known about it, there was little choice but for him to resign. Peter Wichert, the deputy defense minister, was also fired.

We in America are a long way off from that kind of democracy.

It’s friday so I thought I’d share this cracking picture with you all! Unfortunately it was part of a showcase on Behance rather than an actual resignation note, but imagining someone leaving it on their computer still makes me chuckle!

I challenge anyone to find a better resignation letter!

A post from another site this morning caught my attention:

Your Attitude is the Key to Success

November 17, 2009

I separated from active service after eight years, 11 months and 14 days back in 1989, then joined the ANG in 1990, and still serve part time.

Transition was very difficult. My list of positions after separation cover the gamet, bread delivery driver, security, construction, Systems Analyst, BioMed, etc.

I couldn’t understand the corporate cultures of the civilian world, the selfishness, and backstabbing. There was not “higher cause or greater good” mentality motivating the mission, so I struggled. [Emphasis by GardenSERF]

….

Recently, I retained the service of a professional career coach, expensive, no ROI [return on investment] yet, but ultimately it was not until I became a member of a professional mentorship organization that things began to really change.

I’ve found that no government provided service helped in anyway. In fact, it wasted time, effort and money –whether it federal or state.

So, unless someone has something to gain by mentoring and helping you succeed, there is no real committment or heart in thier efforts of helping you.

….

“Your attitude is the one thing that plays a role in every single aspect of your life. It either works for you or against you, and you determine which” ~Sam Glenn.

(Submitted by Robert Brotten)

I worked in the civilian world prior to entering the military reserve and did a combat deployment relatively far along in my civilian career life. There is definitely a difference in “attitude” between civilians and military service members. The cultures are very different. Although there can be selfishness and back-stabbing in the military as well, the military still has far more examples of people who stand out for doing the right thing. The stars of these fine examples of humanity outshine the few within the ranks who might have tarnished the image.

Having worked in BOTH worlds, I can say the US military has a higher percentage of people working in it who actually give a crap each day about what they’re doing and the people they’re with. People in the military might complain about the “check the box” attitude, but that is often in reference to that small percentage of people in uniform who they know are only doing the bare minimum to get by. Like anywhere else, though, this can be a problem if those people are in positions of leadership. People who purposely and frequently back-stab in the military often find themselves either put in check or removed by their superiors. I can say with confidence that there is a smaller percentage of people in uniform possessing lazy attitudes or the proclivity to back-stack than either Joe Six-pack or the bipedal lizards in professional suits.

The struggle for many former military people happens when they try to resolve the differences between a former role where duty, honor, and sacrifice were expected and rewarded versus their new role where advancement might mean screwing others or being screwed themselves seems the new norm. Sadly, they know these roles are part of the same world they live in –one which required their earlier oath to defend.

In my opinion the real problem is not with the transitioning military service member, but rather the change of attitude which I’ve seen happen in my lifetime in the civilian business world. I’m pointing my finger right at the civilian corporate culture. Its leaders have completely lost sight of what is important for the long term health of this country. And, by “civilian corporate culture” this also includes government and academia.

It’s not the military which needs an attitude adjustment, but the other professional fields in this nation which have allowed or even encouraged our greater culture to crumble. It wasn’t the military which changed this nation’s socioeconomic landscape from an active citizenry to passive consumers waiting to be sheared by anti-American predators.

I don’t absolve Joe Sixpack from his decreasing involvement in seeking excellence in his home and local community; but the responsibility for civilian leadership rests with the heads of local, state, and federal government and their often incestuous counterparts in business. It has been with those corrupt leaders who made daily deals for personal gain and their colleagues who have time and again failed to put those predators into checkmate, that the negative slide in this country really started. Those leaders are the ones who need the attitude adjustment or someday it will be done for them.

In addition to Tony Abbott resigning, it’s coming out of Canberra that Senators Nick Minchin (leader in the Senate), Eric Abetz (deputy in the Senate) and Stephen Parry have all resigned from their shadow cabinet positions. The three senators have offered to stay on in their roles until the end of the Senate session. In the House, Sophie Mirabella and Tony Smith will resign from the shadow cabinet as well.

News keeps breaking fast. Not even chance to let the dust settle to reflect on it all!

Update: Turnbull will be holding a press address at 7pm.

Thomas.

Abbott is leaving the front bench of the Coalition, it’s reported, so that he can vote against the ETS bill. It’s expected that the shadow cabinet tow the line with the leader. By opting out of the cabinet, Abbott is free to vote how he wants. And he wants the leadership of the Liberals. So, by positioning himself as the opposite of Turnbull and his faction within the party (which I expect Hockey is a part of), he is the clear alternative to that wing.

Turnbull was making a statement at 5:15pm. That was half an hour ago, so I expect the wires to go into meltdown soon.

My post on the reshuffle of the shadow cabinet, written yesterday, still applies. It’s got a new update. Check it out here.

Update: Tony Abbott, it’s just broken into the coverage of the cricket (so it must be important!), has resigned from the front bench. Either word got to him it was resign or be pushed or he’s planning to usurp from the back benches. So much for being the loyal guy that he is.

With this, I expect Nick Minchin will step down as leader in the Senate. If he doesn’t, it will be very interesting to see what happens. If the cabinet is expect to tow the pro-vote line, then he should step down. Or he will be forced out. Abbott has provided a precedence for booting cabinet members who don’t vote for the ETS now.

Turnbull can’t take a break, can he? What else can happen in the next week? Turnbull isn’t budging from his position, and is standing tough. But tough enough? He can’t flip-flop here, otherwise he will (if it’s possible) fall further  into the political abyss. At least if he maintains his position here, he will have some credibility at least among his supporters. If he changes, watch Hockey firm up (though, much like Turnbull, far too early) as the favourite of that faction.

Thomas.

I love the movie, “Sunshine”

In a totally abstract fashion,  the way Cliff Curtis as “Searle”. Is completely blown away by the power of the visual experience looking into the sun,  ”for me”  translates to something like the  ”mystical  experience” that I had while skydiving.

The clip bellow is a trance piece ” Alex M.O.R.P.H. – Sunshine (Nitrous Oxide Mix)” made by djmarkr1972 who does a fantastic job mixing Sunshine imagery with the track. He’s done a great job and brings the thing  together to amplify “Searle’s” experience in a totally hypnotic and powerful way.

Cass Sunstein: Censor Hannity, right-wing rumors!!
If Obama has his way…The First Amendment will be a thing of the past! Yes people, a thing of the past where only politically correct language is
authorized. Everything else will be sanitized to the goverment’s favor, a.k.a. China.
Even after Bo ’s most recent trip to China promoting,(clear throat, cough, ahem)
Free speech..at least on the internet. This evolves! Remember the language/terms used in the movie The Demolition Man? You were fined every time you spoke unfavorably. Yes, BIG BROTHER was LISTENING AT ALL TIMES!
The American People are slowly, I repeat slowly, being conformed to a such
a civilization. No matter how extreme you may think it may be, just remember things,
issues, or circumstances that have come to fruition after seeing them in film or someone idealistic put a plan into action.

This is not a condemnation of films or inventions, but to show if a person put it on film or paper (thought of it)
another can, will or try,to take whatever the issue may be to the next level. But back to the immediate issue at hand. This infringement on the FIRST AMENDMENT must be squelched!

This is an absolute abomination of American Freedoms! We finished this fight over 200 years ago and are doing it again! When you have a President who can tell a CEO of a Major Company to resign, then determines which company will stay in business and which will fail it’s pretty obvious that the micro manager will extend himself elsewhere. This can be seen with threats to those who dislike his policies but extends to ALL Americans, Problem is too many are still ignorant to that fact. We conveniently have a hate crime law now, where you have been muzzled and is the beginning of the end for Freedom of Speech.
Case in point. …You cannot threaten anyone speaking their mind without intention any intention to harm anyone. The President infers through his mouth pieces that issues concerning particular talk shows should be CENSORED, yet it seems that he also has brought back a piece of CHINA’S policies, while including what has rubbed of from his militant friend Rev. Wright. While Rev. Wright is a Marxist by self admission and a racist, he is the one Obama should be censoring!
This Presidency is something Americans would soon hope to forget, but it will take quite awhile considering the damage that has been cause to the American People.

By the way accept Timothy Geitner’s resignation! You set him up to FAIL! So take responsibility and find some one who can do the job while also getting a straight answer from Bernanke about the missing 13 TRILLION DOLLARS!

That is the question that is being batted around Washington these days…the “HE”  is Geithner the Obama Secretary of the Treasury….in recent hearings on Capital Hill…..the following is being reported in The Hill:

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is coming under new pressure from conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats to resign.

Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Kevin Brady (R-Texas) this week joined a small group of lawmakers publicly calling for Geithner to step down. Former Republican Rep. Rob Simmons, who is challenging Sen. Chris Dodd (D) for Senate in Connecticut, has made Geithner’s resignation a campaign issue.

This week’s criticism was sparked by a report from Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general over the $700 billion bailout program. Barofsky concluded that officials at the Federal Reserve, including Geithner, who was head of the New York Fed, made a series of missteps in the bailout of American International Group (AIG).

Barofsky faulted Fed officials, including Geithner, for a negotiating strategy regarding the firm’s complex derivatives that “offered little opportunity for success.” The report said that the Fed paid full value to settle the derivatives contracts, which meant tens of billions of dollars went to the big American and foreign banks that were AIG’s counterparties in the deals.

Maybe these little jerks should read my blog, among others, we brought up all this concern back in March…..we said then that he, Geithner,  should not have been confirmed let alone ever had been nominated…..after he was confirmed we pointed out that he would not be the “savior” he has been portrayed as……we bloggers were truly the visionaries, at least when it comes to Geithner and the economy….but we do not get any of the credit….nope….it will be the “politicians” that saw this coming and that will be a lie…..not misinformation….an out right LIE!

Repubs did not like him….only because he was nominated by Obama…if it had been the nomination by a Repub prez then he would have been eagerly accepted…..bloggers were about the only ones that wrote against his nomination and later confirmation of little Timmy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury……

Since few recognize the contribution and the foresight of bloggers…I feel it necessary to give them an “atta boy”……..it would be nice if people, especially politicians, would read and appreciate the insight us bloggers have at times…..are we always correct….hell no!….but we do have our moments…..and the Geithner situation is one of our finest….

It had been almost over a year since i wrote my article about Hollister, but yet i still had the job.

I did not seem to mind anymore. I continued the tradition of swallowing my pride, but no longer  did I care about my discount, my job became an important social aspect of my life.

Oh yes, this was until we got the new boss.

Everyone knows what it’s like getting a new boss. He or she will either be a pushover or a complete toolbag. For me, it always seems to be the latter.

His name was Derek. He was a large man who barely fit into the company’s clothing. This was because he spent most of his life at the gym. I think by spending so much time sculpting his guns he may have constricted a few too many blood vessels.

He seemed to have been pointing out flaws in everyone’s work and letting us go unappreciated for the hours we were putting in.Luckily for me, he hadn’t found a flaw yet.

I think this panicked him. So for my final month working, he stalked me. Hid behind plants, lurked quietly in the corner, watching, waiting for me to screw up. And then I did.

A woman old enough to George Burn’s mother walked into our store. I was not about to berate this woman with the company’s tagline “Hey, what’ up?” It would have only have confused her, and I did not feel like giving this woman a cerebral aneurysm by explaining it.

"My mother was a saint!"

So I said “Hi, how are you doing today?!”

Big fucking mistake.

According to my manager, being hip and cool out weighs friendly and polite. No more could i work for this man, so I wrote him this letter

“Dear Derek,

If you don’t know by now, I don’t enjoy my job. If you haven’t noticed, it’s because you’re completely devoid of human emotion.

I started this job with high hopes. I thought working here would be a relaxed environment; my oh my how naïve I was.

I soon was whisked into a world of mass consumerism and materialism that I couldn’t have begun to fathom before I started working here. For instance: the company’s idea of model standards.

I’m not an idiot; I can hear your conference calls. I heard Chelsea complaining about our model’s not wearing enough plaid. I heard the other managers talking about their new recruitments. “I think she’s really cute, she’d be great” or “I don’t like him, especially after he shaved his head.”

How about this, who gives a fuck?

It wasn’t until recently that I realized this, I’ve known this forever. If you didn’t know I’ve been with the company longer than you have, so for me to only notice this now would be absurd.

The last string was pulled earlier this week. According to anonymous sources at the manager meeting, the managers, you believe that we are stressed out because of the company’s instance for us to wear plaid.

^Way too stressed out

I’m tired of making witty comments and transfusing them with sarcasm, so I’m just going to be blunt. It’s not the plaid; it’s you.

By hearing this quote I realized there is no getting through to you. You have no idea of how other human beings think or act. It’s the only explanation

You’re like a robot.

But it doesn’t matter, because you don’t. I can think of a long list of things that are more important than Hollister’s and your impact in the world including Atkins, contact lenses, snuggies, antiperspirant deodorant,  Go-gurt, crystal meth, red states, socialism, Hayden Panterrie, that funny asian guy off of Knocked Up, construction paper, Bonanza, barracudas, cheap cologne, and George Clooney.

So I’m going to go back to my life of yager bombs and happiness and you can go back to yours of snorting testosterone and So Cal.

Yours truly,

Mario

PS: PULL UP YOUR FUCKING PANTS!!!!!!! “

I hope I made my point.

New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on AOL’s Politics Daily. Lou Dobbs, We’ll Miss You.

They found Brenda dead, the transexual who was involved in the extortion scandal and the resignation of the Govenor of Lazio, Piero Marazzo. Although they say it was suicide, it really doesn’t seem true. It’s the top story today on Italian newspapers:

- La Repúblicca.

- Corriere della sera.

Resignations day

November 17, 2009

Nov. 6 was a day for Resignations
November 17, 2009 by John Charlton

WASHINGTON PROWLER : OBAMA IS RUNNING SCARED
by John Charlton

(Nov. 17, 2009) — Yesterday, The Post & Email reported that Mr. Paul Tsukiyama, Director of the Office of Information Practices — the very office overseeing public complaints regarding the Hawaii Department of Health’s refusal to release public documents or information regarding Obama’s alleged vital records kept by that department — resigned quietly on Nov. 6th, and that no one knew where he went.

Yesterday, The American Spectator also spoke about resignations, and speculated about their motives, but these regarding a place on the opposite site of the country: Washington, D.C..

In an editorial by The Washington Prowler, “Obama goes to the Matresses”, we are told that Cassandra Butts, “a Harvard classmate of Obama’s and one of the administration’s highest-ranking African Americans . . . quietly resigned on Friday, November 6 . . .” .

This resignation preceded that of her immediate superior, Gregory Craig, who left the position of White House Counsel only days ago.

However, what The Washington Prowler writes is more telling in the intrigue and politics behind the Craig resignation and the ascendency of Robert Bauer, whose appointment to Craig’s old position was made last Friday:

“[Bauer] knows where all the bodies are buried, and this indicates that there is something amiss with this White House, or at least someone is nervous about what is going on,” says a former Obama transition team adviser. “You don’t just make these kinds of changes for the sake of rearranging the deck chairs, and not at this time with at least three legislative and policy decisions looming that the Counsel’s office would have been deeply involved in.”

“This doesn’t come close to the ‘Saturday Night Massacre’ in the Nixon days, but it’s pretty damn weird,” says Washington, D.C.-based Democrat lawyer, who has held counsel positions both in the Senate and in previous presidential administrations. “I’m surprised not only that the press seems to be ignoring the fact that two presidential lawyers have left at about the same time, but that no one seems to care that for the first time, I think ever, we have a President’s personal attorney also serving as White House counsel. I don’t care if Bob [Bauer] recuses himself from future personal legal business, this should be troubling to anyone who cares about the Executive Office of the President.”

The coincidence of all these resignations appears to be part of a grand strategy of Obama to tie up loose ends and prevent the imminent breaking of a dyke of facts and evidence which will indict his claims of transparency, openness and change.

Last night I sent in my letter of resignation, or more; my e-mail of resignation. As of 20100101 I have no job, or more, since I’ve studied for the last year and a half, I have no place of employment (and no place to earn extra money).
So why the resignation? Why give up an employment in these hard times?
Well, the company, my company (soon former company) lost the contract we had, so there is no place for me to work (if I don’t want to change work-place, and perhaps also type of work… which I don’t).
So on December 19 and 20 I do my last shifts.
It’s the end of an era, for me at least.

I started working at this place, or at least at this company, on the 24:th of June 1999.
Man, over 10 years.

Moving on.

I don’t know what I’ll be doing instead, apart from my studies and my music that is. If anyone has any work for a security guard/musician/philosophy student then I’m your man! Send me an e-mail and offer me millions. It could be anything in the lines of guarding a guitar while arguing for it or maybe thinking about writing a song about a guard. I can do it all!

Here’s to letting go of the old, and embracing the new, whatever it may be, and al the time!

It was not meant to be easy.

A job is like a relation. You walk in because you need it, then you leave it when you feel you have better relations at stake. It is not a very great feeling and at heart you feel you could just continue. But there is a well known saying which someone used to say – If you are drinking water from a glass cup and it breaks, there is no use mending the cup. You better throw it away and use a new glass or you get hurt more with time.

I reached office. People around me greeted as usual. I opened my laptop, checked voicemails on my phone. As i screened the emails, i was looking at the PST where I had set rules in Outlook. The folder had 1 unread message and was highlighted in Bold Black. I waited, breathed a deep breath and then clicked open that email.

Nick, we will need to discuss.

I could hear my heartbeat thumping hard. It was the same person who had hired me 7 months back in the midst of recession into a Program Manager role. That time, if he would have asked me to be a developer, i might not have thought again before accepting. But now, things were different. Markets were improving. Atleast it seemed more so, because of the numerous emails I was getting from Monster.com. I went into a state of nostalgia.

I passed out of my B-School in Singapore in the midst of world greatest economic recession. Leave aside campus placements at sky rocketing salaries, even plain vanilla jobs were out of question. I had applied to over 200 consultants in India, UAE and Singapore. Not a buzz. Emails just were sent out from my mailbox and they never returned. When some of them finally did, they would all speak the same tone – Dear Nick, after careful consideration of your profile, we feel that we would not be able to provide you a job which would be in line with your expectations and our needs. We regret to state that we wont be able to provide employment to you right now. However, feel free to browse the site for future openings. Apply, apply, No reply was the message. It was not that jobs had dried up. It was just that the salaries had dried up. And I was not very keen in joining a job at a 50% pay cut to last years salary.

I was in a Navy Blue suit at the company office waiting for an interview with the Chief Technical Officer of the company. The suit had a story as well. It would have wished that I wear it everytime i appeared for an interview but then it had seen only guest lectures and no placements. Hard Luck.

My interview had been great and I was offered to join from the next Monday.

Strange coincidence, today is a Monday. And I have resigned.

After lunch at cafetaria, I saw the email with a calendar invite for my exit interview. How was I to enter into that room? I was feeling guilty as well as I saw it as lack of any other option. I wanted to leave this place. And there was no way I could have left the place without leaving the company. So I entered the room.

There was a cold greeting smile on the lips of my manager, the CTO of the company. What happened after was a nightmare. It seemed like a dream when it started with discussions on what I have done in the company and how the transition would happen and then it shifted gradually to why I wanted to leave. My manager was not at fault. I too was not. Some one else was at fault. But who? Right now, inside the room it was me and my manager and both were trying to find out what went wrong in just 7 months of joining. Somehow the duel ended. I walked out of the room, not satisfied, not happy but not guilty anymore. I heard a lot of things which I wish I never would have heard. But again, to err is human.

The day had already been eventful so I did not ask for more. I packed up for the day.

It was not even twilight when I rode my Pulsar 150 DTSI back home. The speedometer would have read 85 but who cares. I was speeding as if I wanted to escape. I was speeding as if I had to reach destination soon. When i opened up my apartment door, I was wishing it all as a dream and tried to wake up. But it was a reality. I had resigned and was going to be released in 29 more days.

Bigg Boss Season 3 came to rescue in the lone apartment. I looked at the ceiling. The fan kept on dissecting my vision. I grew tired and wanted to sleep. I could not..

“Now, there’s the God they taught me about at school. And there is the God that’s hidden by what surrounds us in this civilization. That’s the God I met.”
Joseph Kittinger.
First Man in Space – Skydiving From The Edge Of The World

Is there anybody in there?

“After 20 years, you analyze a lot. You remember people, heroism. “The Miracle of the Andes”, that’s what they called it. Many people come up to me and say that had they been there, they surely would have died. But it makes no sense, because until you’re in a… situation like that… you… you have no idea… how you’d behave. To be affronted by solitude without decadence or a… single material thing to prostitute it elevates you to a sprititual plane, where I felt the presence of God. Now, there’s the God they taught me about at school. And there is the God that’s hidden by what surrounds us in this civilization. That’s the God I met.
Joseph Kittinger.
First Man in Space – Skydiving From The Edge Of The World

Lyrics to In A State : By Unkle

My mind is in a state
‘Cause all i seem to do is tempt my fate
Well i try every space
But all the while we’re crushing at the gate
This time, this time
Reality struck me between the eyes
My mind is in a state
‘Cause everything i miss it comes too late
So i try and disappear
But there is only one way out of here
This time, this time
Reality struck me between the eyes
My mind is in a state
But all i need to do is change my pace
And i know there’s fear to face
But happiness is firm in its embrace
This time

By: RupeeNews

911: World Trade Centers attacked: Amidst the 1600 degree Fahrenheit flames of plane crash, the death of more than 3000 Americans (including 300 Muslims), and total destruction of several blocks of the Financial district of New York, the US authorities were able to retrieve the only surviving artifact out of the debris—the passport of one of the culprits. This document was retrieved within minutes of the crash and set the stage.

2001: OBL denies any responsibility of the attack. Several tapes later appear that show OBL acknowledging the attacks. Michael Sheuer of the CIA OBL Analysis cell in Afghanistan discusses these at length. Pictures of OBL widely differ in the tapes leading to conspiracy theories and suspicions that some of the tapes might have been engineered by agencies.

2002: Various players of the Bush Administration including Richard Armitage threaten Pakistan “of being bombed into the stone age”. When reminded of the long history of US-Pakistani relations since the 50s, Armitage responds “History begins today”.

US invades Afghanistan to avenge the attack, and eliminate all enemies: Pakistan advised the US, not to attack the country, and had offered 5000 marines to nab the evil guys. Pakistan also advised the US to negotiate with the moderate elements of the “T” and bring about a regime change. The Bush Administration ignores sanity and uses 20,000 pounder Daisy Cutters (one step below a nuclear bomb).

2002: As a result of carpet bombing the entire country a stream of refugees head to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. The very same thin g happened during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. Instead of understanding the consequences of terrorizing the Afghan population with bombs, the US accuses Pakistan of “harboring” terrorists.

2002: The US attacks Iraq allegedly to find WMDs. None are found but 1 million Iraqis die and 20 million are rendered homeless.

2003: Ralph Peter’s egregious map truncating Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to create new smaller states is published by a defense department journal give rise to conspiracy theories about US intentions about West Asia in general and Pakistan in particular.

2003: A drumbeat of Indian propaganda against Pakistan accuses it of interference. The US is fed the WMD type of information from three main spy agnecies, RAW and Mossad and Afghan KHAD.

In 2004, the US begins bombing Pakistani territory-either with the connivance or the knowledge of the compliant Pakistani president. The bombings create a

2005: There is a litany of US demands “to do more”. In response to these incessant demands, the Pakistani military launches several attacks into FATA.

2006: President Hamid Karzai directly threatens Pakistan. More than a dozen “Indian Consulates” are allowed on Afghan soil. The Afghan intelligence agency is patterned on RAW and ominously renamed RAMA.

2007: Reports emerge of massive Indian infiltration into the ranks of the insurgents.

In 2008 a spate of foreign sponsored “reprisal attacks” from foreign armed, foreign trained mercenaries begin in Pakistan.

2008: Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in Liaqat bagh—the 2nd Pakistani leader to be murdered on the same spot. The world suspects Mr. Zardari who in turn blames the TTP for the murder of the politician.

2008: President Musharraf is accused of duplicity by the Americans. US seeks more compliant leadership in Pakistan. Missteps by President Musharraf lead to his resignation and eventual self-exile in London.

2009: Pakistan attacks and successfully retakes Swat which had become a hotbed of Indian sponsored militants. Pictures of uncircumcised men with long beard raise speculation of Indian agents working as mercenaries to destabilize Pakistan.

2009: Pakistan eliminates vestiges of the so called TTP in South Waziristan. The TTP funded and armed from Afghanistan increase their waves of attacks on innocent Pakistani civilians in all areas of Pakistani territory.

November 2009: The language used, restrictions imposed, the tiny amount of “aid” ($6.5 Billion for Pakistan vs. $143 Billion for Afghanistan vs $605 Billion for Iraq) and the accusation listed in the Kerry Lugar Bill “Aid to Pakistan” are severely criticized in Pakistan.

November 2009: Hillary Clinton faces a barrage of belligerent accusations in Pakistan and a lukewarm welcome.

November 2009: The corruption charges against President Asif Zardari stand resurrected as the National Assembly fails to pass the NRO (amnesty for the misdeeds of politicians)

November 2009: US National Security Advisor James Jones tries to smooth over ruffled feathers of Pakistani civilian and military government. He delivers a personal message to President Zardari asking him to continue his offensive against the “Taliban”. Pakistanis suspect, it is part of a US Exit strategy.

November 2009: According to the New York Times “the latest internal government estimates place the cost of adding 40,000 American troops and sharply expanding the Afghan security forces, as favored by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top American and allied commander in Afghanistan, at $40 billion to $54 billion a year, the officials said”. In a front page story, the paper essentially says that the US can no longer afford the war in Afghanistan

Even if fewer troops are sent, or their mission is modified, the rough formula used by the White House, of about $1 million per soldier a year, appears almost constant.

November 2009: Media reports emerge about how the US can no longer afford the 40,000 additional troops request by General McChrystal.

November 2009: A new drumbeat of media and US administration pressure wants Pakistan to invade North Waziristan, which the US claims in the home of the Haqqani Network—much hated by US generals. Will the Pakistani army once again buckle to American pressure, attack North Waziristan and then face more domestic attacks. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says his country will decide on its own, according to its priorities and resources, on how to fight militants. He says the international community recognizes Pakistan’s sacrifices and unity in the face of Islamist extremists. He says his country does not need to do more or less because someone is saying so.

November 2009: The TTP denies role in many of the bombings in Pakistan. Indian arms are discovered in Waziristan. The presence of Blackwater/Xe and Dynacorp, the uniquely unprecedented expansion of the  US Embassy, the maniacal statements of Admiral Mullen about “existential threats to Pakistan”, and Hillary Clinton’s strange rhetoric about Pakistan’s real enemies (India is not an enemy) fuel conspiracy theories about US intentions in Pakistan—and increase Anti-Americanism.

November 2009: Obama Administration announced another new Afghan policy (part of about a dozen re-assessments). A slight troop surge and plans to evacuate most of the country to garrisons seems to be the plan. This is exactly what happened to the British when they were thrown out of Afghanistan and the Russians. The sitting targets will be relentlessly attacked by the insurgents ‘till they eventually evacuate back to the States.

Rupee News has been predicting for about two years that inevitability of a US withdrawal and an end to the Afghan war in 2011, when some of the coalition partners will leave Kabul. More than 70% of the US public now opposes continued occupation of Afghanistan, and this number will grow when the Republicans begin hammering the Dems before the 2012 elections.

Keep a muzzle on your mind
and a leash around your limbs
unless you dare to die
in a battle you can’t win.

Principles have perished
with virtue on their side.
But life cannot be understood.
Greater men have tried.

It’s best you take it lightly
and silence all the sounds.
The best that you can hope for
is just to stick around.

RESIGNATIONS ?

Un courant de la philosophie antique attire ce jour notre attention. Il s’agit du stoïcisme. Le stoïcisme fut-il une pensée de la résignation ? N’est-il pas plutôt porteur de valeur dont la conscience contemporaine pourrait faire son profit ?

Avec ce billet, Mejnour voudrait, cher compagnon, proposer une rencontre avec tous les amis de l’Académos. Ne serait-il pas intéressant qu’au détour de discours sobres sur presque tout, il sache se taire et laisser parler la sagesse de ses compagnons ?

Ne serait-ce pas une occasion formidable que celle-ci ? Parler de philosophies qui se sont attelées à proposer une manière pratique d’affronter le monde sans trahir sa nature. Si les questions qui précèdent trouvent quelques réponses et suscitent quelque engouement, nous nous offrirons probablement, de temps à autre, des débats philosophiques en ligne. Cela te convient-il, compagnon très cher ? Mejnour te salue !

Mejnour ben Hur, mejnourbh@gmail.com

>>>VOIR LE BILLET DE MEJNOUR 43

>>>SOMMAIRE

>>> L’ACADEMOS

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Let’s learn a little bit about Stephen Byers. Stephen Byers has been a Labour MP for North Tyneside since the year I was born. Ignoring my age, that’s fairly impressive. He’s been Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. Wow.

Today he announced that by the next general election, he would’ve served in parliament for 30 years. “For me this is the right moment to move on in order to pursue other interests and look to fresh challenges.” If I’m honest, I agree.

Over his career, he’s ticked all the boxes any self-respecting MP can (an affair with a colleague, claiming over £125,000 in second home allowances, etc.). He has also, typically, put his foot in his mouth several times, most notably in his emails with his advisor Jo Moore which suggested the 11th September was “a good day to bury bad news”.

Most interesting, however, is the difference in opinion between Brown and Byers, and how this has manifested itself. A staunch, card-carrying Blairite, Byers has slagged off Brown on several occasions, most recently for abolishing the 10p income tax. Sadly, he’s not come up with any new material since then (as if it would be difficult to find any). However, it’s not difficult to understand why Byers is so bitter; he hasn’t held a cabinet role since Blair left.

Lastly, here’s a photograph published by the Sun, of Byers before and after his cabinet roles. Note the Trotsky moustache, what a socialist.