I wondered what my change was to be this year. I just realised that every September I have changed jobs/roles for the previous 2 years. Why break the tradition eh? This year will make it year 3 if I change jobs in September. I know what you’re thinking..don’t really look good on the CV does it?

No, I’ve not been offered a new job. I quite like my current job with it’s mix of coding vs. stakeholder management. However, the job don’t really like me very well. That’s right folks, I’ve been made REDUNDANT AGAIN! OMFG right? Yeah. Yeps. I guess in a way I have seen this coming, so I am not suprised really, just annoyed. Working in my field is really not the best in the current economic climate – I can only put myself in a worse position if I worked in manufacturing cars.

What’s really annoying is that we’ve always been given the steer that our department has too many roles available compared to people to fill it. The first sign of trouble was when my boss did not get his job – I could just see the house of cards that we’ve hopefully guarded start to sway. After weeks of being told by the powers that be that we have nothing to worry about, we were given the news yesterday that not only they did not have enough roles to fit us all in, it really does not seem like any of us will be left with a job to do. It’s a proper bunfight, with one role up for grabs between 4 people. 25% chance. And again, I am in the position that I was in last year. I have circa 6 months worth of experience in my new area, having just moved over in January. Other people in my team have been in this area for years and years – some joined straight after school. So yeah, I am in a ‘IM SCREWED’ position, to put it lightly.

And this time around, there are no jobs out there. None. Not even jobs at the supermarket stacking shelves.

---
You might also be interested in these :

• the jobbing blogger
• One more time…we’re gonna fly away
• Sea pass with Herpes and Lope Star
• At the ripe ole age of 31..
• For those who just checked in…

Thought I have let this lapse long enough – but obviously not long enough to forget the unpleasantness of the hotel! On the surface, the people at Hauza beach is nice enough. Stay there for more than 2 hours and it starts to become blatantly obvious that they are really quite unpleasant. Or very poorly trained, depending on how you put it. I went to the front desk to get some change as I only had E£ 500. The front desk refused to provide me with any change, saying that they don’t have any. However, he happily offered to provide change if we were to buy something from them. Not only that, they regularly walk away from me when I am half way through speaking to them. Utterly rude, thoughtless, inconsiderate and totally not fit for purpose to be in the hospitality industry. Hospitality? More like Hospital industry.

And oh, in case you are doubting the fact that you are being ripped off, there are no price tags to anything in the shops. ANYTHING. Nothing has a price tag on it – which basically means that you are charged different prices from the local. On top of that, you can also bargin, from anything from packs of cigarettes to bottles of water and jewelry. The only place with any price tag is McDonalds – and even then it is the same price as McDonalds in the UK charges. I understand that in all touristic areas there are always a premium attached to stuff, but this is just ridicullious. Without any price tags on anything, I only bought a 5 liter bottle of water during my whole time there…and came back with loads of E£ that I could have used in the shops but didn’t. Instead, I am going to exhange them in Malaysia and spend it helping the Malaysian economy instead of the Egyptian one.

View of the main pool

I have not come so close to the ugliness of racism in a very, very long time. All of the staff are only concerned about serving the Russian guests, who form about 90% of the hotel population. Heck, even the radio in the hotel is in RUSSIAN. Table service for drinks are solely reserved for the Russians, the servers do NOT give you any drinks unless you snatch it right off their tray. This may be due to the filthy rich russians who probably tip them a month’s salary every day. What made me feel slightly better was the fact that I was not discriminated against because I’m yellow – I was discriminated against because I was not Russian. Hah.

Their breakfast bacon – sliced salt beef stir fried with peppers and onions. Hmm..

No, it’s not only me that thinks that the hotel discriminates – you can see a queue at the water dispenser lined up with other English guests who are unable to get a drink off the waiters that are supposed to serve you. Even then, when I wanted a coke for breakfast the person at the water fountain would NOT allow me to get one, asking me to walk to the pool bar. This is an all inclusive hotel – which means all food and drinks are included in the price. I bet if I paid that asshole manning the water fountain $1 he would get me two gallons of coke. But hey, if you are going to threaten me with going without coke, I am sure as hell not going to bloody tip you.

Half-filled ditches with stagnant water means that the place has an unpleasant smell about it like a monsoon drain filled with garbage.

And the russians. I am not a racist – but I have never seen a ruder bunch of people. Just as an example, Bacon was getting some potatoes from the buffet table. This russian woman (dressed like a hooker) just literally stood between him and the potatoes as he was scooping them onto his plate. Sure, I’m used to loud and obnoxious people being one myself, but this is really OTT – do these people have no manners at all??

Not only are they rude, I do not understand why do they dress the way the do. I was lying on my sunbed as quiet as a mouse on our last day, enjoying the last of the rays. Two russian women dressed in ass-skimming dresses (with the words Egypt emblazoned all over it) stood next to me, and was ruffling through their bags which they left on the sunbed next to me. One of them bend down to continue searching for whatever she is looking for. And I saw her twat in all their glory. ALL OF IT. Ass up in the skies, going commando, showing off her twat. I felt really….sick. Urgh. SO not a pretty sight.

Obviously this is all just based on my experience with the guests in this particular hotel and is not meant to insult Russians…I am sure they are perfectly nice people like everyone else.

Parts of the hotel looks abandoned…

I had always immersed myself in local cuisines, going far and wide in seeking out local specialties. I remembered climbing on a tree in Ubud, Bali because I was trying to order plates of babi guling and that was apparently the best stall for it. In egypt? I was nothing but disgusted by the food that we were served. It was tasteless, or overly creamy, or too salty. Soaked in oil, or steamed without any flavorings. All seafood was unfresh, even rice had that kept-too-long smell on it. The best food we had in our week there were chips. Yes, as in deep fried potato. I never imagined that I would say that in my lifetime.

When we felt brave, we would chance eating their barbequed or deep fried seafood. Half of it was uncooked, the other half so overly cooked that you could not chew through it. One half of my grilled prawn was cooked, the other one looked like it could’ve been revived by a good vet. And prawns do not even take long to cook!! What is wrong with them people?!?!

Most of my readers have read my posts of lovely local food. Just to demonstrate how bad things were, I was very glad to see a McDonalds. Yes, me. OMG.

Meet the Bonies. He is a resident at the hotel.No, it is not a misspelling on my part.

Believe me now?

Thinking about the quality of the food, it is no wonder that we were sick for most of the holiday. I was so sick one day I just stayed in bed watching TV, luckily they had good english channels. A couple with three kids that sat next to us on xmas eve was so sick that the wife was hooked up to a drip on Christmas day. We heard other guests mentioned that the hotel had been closed down three times in the year for food poisoning.

In case you think its only the hotel, it is NOT. Someone I know had been back to Egypt three times, and she was sick all three times. When we were both still spending time with the toilet bowl 5 days after returning from Egypt, we went to the doctor, convinced that we are down with something dangerous. Doctor said that 90% of the people that visit Egypt gets sick – you should only start to worry if you are still sick 10 days after your return.

I don’t think it’s even just the fresh food. On christmas, we each got a pack of *sealed in the package* mixed nuts, sweets, nougats ect. We ate one there and kept one. I found it last week, and thought I should have another go and ate about half a bag. My fault, really. Guess who spent the weekend with the toilet bowl – again?

The christmas deco

See the pineapples on top of the pile of fruits? Bacon and I were betting that the russians would not kidnap the pineapples – they have been bringing out TO THEIR ROOMS whole uncooked and unsliced vegetables (cucumber,peppers,spring onions) , fruits (whole melons, mangos, lemon) and whole cakes. They have their dinner and then walk back to their room with them. We were thinking there would be no way someone would kidnap a pineapple. But kidnap the pineapple they did.

I would appreciate if someone is able to explain this to me – the russians guests would pile their starter plates mile high with WHOLE cucumbers, carrots, peppers (yes, as in bell peppers that is usually sliced), whole lettuces, whole tomatoes and whole spring onions (scallions) with their roots still attached. They would then sit down, and start eating the whole lot like we would eat an apple. Unwashed and uncut. Even the spring onion.

WHY? WHY WHY WHY?? Is this how it’s usually done? Or just done there?

I can annouce tho, that they left the cauliflower and brocolli alone.I checked, it was still there at the end of the night, but nothing else was left.

Not even the carved butternut squash survived – and it’s really a pumpkin!!

The Good

Okay, so not everything is bad in this hotel. There’s gotta be something good, right?

The sparkling Red Sea.

The sea was lovely. I am a lover of the sea and surf, and this beach does have one of the loveliest water ever. Even though the russian guests insists on stepping on the corals, killing whatever precious little that was actually left. Most of the corals are dead, only those at the edge of the reef remained. Two hotel staff are supposed to act as lifeguards at the end of the jetty that the hotel built for people to access the coral reefs. They spent their day getting sozzled on cheap wine – stopping just for prayer-time, I almost forget this is a muslim country. They say nothing to the russian guests determined to kill the corals by stepping on them (think they’re afraid of the water).

I stood there on the pier, with tears in my eyes, knowing that the Red Sea will no longer be there in five years time. One of the most magnificent coral reef that I have just witnessed will be dead…all gone. Rest assured that whatever corals that are left now will all be killed. Intent on keeping the russian guests happy, there is no education at all. In five years time, none of them will have a job, as the corals will all be dead = no longer a tourist destination.

As close to crystal clear as you can get!

My trademark picture shows how clear the water is. You can compare this to others taken in Redang, Perhentian, Koh Samui, Bali and Ibiza.

Another pair of feet to add to the collection. I love the sun. Due to it being winter, the weather was fairly mild, hovering around 20 degrees. Maybe I was just sick – some nights it was really freezing outside but it was still definately above 15. Only problem was with it being winter, the sun starts setting at 3pm, completely dissapearing by 5pm. Still don’t want to be there in summer though as it regularly stays above 40 degrees.

They have a in-house bakery and their breads were fab! Best thing about the hotel is the croissants. If you know me, you would also know that I am not a big fan of breads. Maybe that’s in relation with the other uncooked food…

They’re very ‘into’ decorating..twisting towels into stuff. Above was part of their Christmas decoration..yeah.Don’t ask..I don’t know

The cute giant tortises living outside our room. Their grunts sounds like moos

Unfortunately they were very badly cared for – and smelt like sewage. Or was that just the smell emating from the ditches?

I must apologise for not taking more pictures. The hotel is nothing much to look at and coupled with the fact that I was sick from the first day I arrived, there wasn’t much motivation or mood left to take pictures of this place that I much rather treat like a bad dream.

No, I don’t have an elephant ass, it’s distorted!

---
You might also be interested in these :

• The one with the naked
• God told Noah it would rain for 40 days and 40 nights..
• Awesome Australia – Day 4 Melbourne & Gold Coast
• i hate weddings
• Awesome Australia – Day 7 Gold Coast – Sydney

Wanted to start bringing my ipod on my daily commute again. Took it off the dock and plugged it into my laptop. Once, twice. Unable to turn it on. Nor am I able to charge it. Put it back on the dock. Nope, still dead. I remember turning it off on my dock in early December….and nothing after that.

And so that’s it. No more. He is officially dead. I can’t really blame it though, it has been four long years and counting…I think I got it in 2004 at half price. Heehee…yes, I have connections, only paid about RM700 for it when it was retailing at RM1300+

So RIP mr ipod….

here is mr ipod chilling in Perhentian – yes, sticking it in the sand is not the world’s brightest idea. This is still one of my all time favourite pictures.

---
You might also be interested in these :

• Disco in motion
• One more time…we’re gonna fly away
• leaving on a jet plane again..
• ipod nano?
• £££££

Then a few weeks ago, the woman that sits opposite me announced that she is 12 weeks pregnant (we shall call her pregnant1). Two days later, we had someone else join the team and was sat next to me. She, is also……suprise, suprise, pregnant(we shall call her pregnant2). Not sure if this is the right word, but she is more pregnant than the one that sits in front of me. Then today, our friends in Penang welcome a cutie bouncing baby girl named Cerys.

Yesterday me and pregnant2 was up at the starbucks counter getting tea and some food to feed the one eating for two. She’s developing a taste for toast spread thickly with peanut butter, chocolate spread and butter, you see. One of our mutual acquantaince came up to us and announced that she too, is pregnant. Pregnant2′s little babe was tumbling around her tummy during lunch time and she asked me to feel it….and I realised it was really the first time I am feeling a baby in someone’s stomach for a very very long time – I think the last time I remember doing this was probably when my brother was in the womb!! I must admit tho, feels quite cool! The baby is just like…floating. No idea what I thought it would feel like to be honest. Today, pregnant2 found out that someone else she knows is pregnant. When I was out at lunch with my other, thankfully not family inclined friends, they told me that someone that we used to work with is also, PREGNANT. Oh, what a suprise.

Back to pregnant1. Her stepdaughter (!!! I know…so weird, but I swear pregnant1 is under 35 yr old !!!) gave birth to baby twins a few months ago. Further down our bank of desk, someone’s wife gave birth about 6 months ago. When I first joined the team less than 3 months ago, one of the guys were off with paternity.

Closer to home, bacon’s brother’s wife is also pregnant. Her best friend is also due to give birth in a few days/weeks time I think. Bacon’s friend’s wife is also pregnant again – they already have 3 very very annoying boys. So is my loyal reader Mrs Arskey. Pregnant I mean, not ready to deliver nor have 3 annoying boys..hehe.

OMG OMG OMG OMG. PLEASE tell me what on earth is happening to the world!!!! I am at the point now where I just go..sigh…not another one with a bun in the oven. So if any one of you is pregnant…please break the news to me now…whilst I can still take it. Not much longer..I reckon I am going to just work with single men from now onwards. Unfortunately, I also know that my soon-to-be boss has just came back from her year long maternity a few months ago.

This all is either going to make me feel broody or just turned off from having kids ever. EVER.

Still think my new god son is a cutie pie tho…stolen off his mommy’s blog

---
You might also be interested in these :

• sick in UK
• A pregnant pause
• Mini-me’s to rule the world part 2
• Home!!
• Last post about the World Cup…..

Any regrets? No. I have no regrets whatsoever rejecting his job. The only problem is that all financial services companies in the UK are now slashing down their numbers and making redundancies due to the dire state of the UK economy. So for every job out there in Financial Services, there are now at least a few candidates going for it. Worst of all is that due to the slash and burn, most financial services companies in the UK have stopped recruitment as well – those that have not made redundancies are adopting a wait-and-see methodology. With good reason.

Anyway. I am still seeking new roles internal and external. Am due for a mini-interview re a possible internal secondment, but am really unsure if I am ready for another 6 months worth of uncertainties to just be made redundant at the end of it. On one hand I will have 6 months to ride the storm out – on the other hand, I am fairly certain that I am able to find another role in a couple of months time – thus getting a new job plus my redundancy payment and bonus. Decisions decisions. I really don’t know whether I should take that secondment if I was offered it…and if I reject it does that mean that I do not get my redundancy payment and am literally being made redundant? All these questions – hopefully it will all be answered by the end of the week. At the moment there is nothing more that I can do other than continue jobsearching during office hours (it now consist of about 50% of my working day activicty). I am visiting all jobsites, career sites, vacancies site and anything else I can get my hands on via the internet. Does not help that my laptop at home has stopped working and I really need a new one!! AAAArghhh…I was initially thinking that I will wait until I am more certain jobwise before purchasing a new laptop…however, if I was really made redundant, I would need a laptop anyway to jobhunt! Either way that is another £400 outgoing that I need to shelf out in the next month.

Things are getting so dire that I am going back to selling earrings ect at arts markets….first one hopefully this weekend!

---
You might also be interested in these :

• Blogger Adsense & Paypal update
• Australia – a follow-up
• welcome home
• oh noes, no pix!
• This little piggy….

I won’t even bother apologizing, I think it’s quite understandable why I have not been blogging and my feelings at this moment in time. In the past two weeks I’ve had more conversations with myself than I care to remember. Nothing’s more fun than soul-searching conversations with yourself thinking about your immediate future and long-term plans and strategies on how to get there.

A slight update on the jobfront. They have the guts to offer me my assistant’s job. My immediate response to my boss was, ” Are they taking the fucking piss??”. And rightly so. Even boss agreed with me. I don’t think by me accepting the assistant’s job I would be doing myself any favours. I think I have done enough back-pedalling and swimming on the spot in the past three years. With the assistant’s job, there are no reduction of jobscope; they will still be getting the amount and quality of work that I am currently producing .The only loser in this situation would have been myself if I were to accept that. Obviously there is the usual HR spiel of how my job’s been reevaluated. They know that I love working with the company and would do ‘nearly’ anything to stay in it, therefore the outrageous offer. Well, this is where the buck stops. Take that demotion and shove it.

Which brings me to my self-conversations. In the bath, in the bus, whilst walking, watching tv, sleeping…

I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason. And this, I believe, is a kick up my ass. God’s way of a slap in the face. I knew that I wasn’t going to stay in this career forever, I may enjoy it, but I knew that it would only have lasted until mid next year. Now maybe it’s the time for me to do something that I want to do and will keep my interest for at least a couple of years. I’ve looked at retraining, explored other options. I don’t want to go back to doing what I have already lost interest in doing, and I guess this is a good time to move that direction.

All will become clear next week when we are given official notice that they have not been able to place me and will therefore wait for a month before giving me my redundancy notice. At the moment, anything can happen, but I am not putting much trust in it turning out to be a good outcome for me. Which is really ok. Yes, really.

---
You might also be interested in these :

• sWINEflu alert
• updates to your favourite blog
• baby daniel
• Home, sweet home
• Normality sucks

Now, as the newest member of the department, I am now also the cheapest to get rid of. This also means that I have the least experience in what we do, which will prove unattractive for hiring managers having my whole team to choose for. They have years of experience in this field over me, who have less than a year. I am suprisingly taking this quite well, due to the fact that bacon had done the maths and is convinced that we can survive on his salary alone irregardless what happens to me. This will mean no more holidays or indiscriminate shopping for me, but at least we have shelter, food and wheels. Phew. Thank goodness bacon did not listen to me and took on his current job which comes with a huge pay rise over the last.

I am working from home today as I’ve sprained my ankle yesterday running for the bus. Ahh.. the dedication of the redundant staff…I was at work from 7am yesterday and only left just before 5pm. And this is the thanks that we get. Yes, I am ok with the whole thing, but that doesn’t mean that I am not bitter!!

So now it’s back to the painful experience of jobhunting. I am looking internally as well as externally..no way do I trust the HR people to ‘skills match’ me. At least I am being proactive over it.Hey, the first person (after bacon) that I spoke to about this was my recruiter! Hahahah! Obviously they have their own interest (commission) at heart, but she got me this job which I really enjoyed, so I am hoping that she would be able to do the same again. But with the economy in such turnmoil, I think my best bet is still looking internally and hopefully someone will feel sorry enough for me to take me on. And oh, of course there is all my numerous hidden talents…I can give massages, make soaps, take photographs, make jewelry, cook up a storm….oh, the list goes on…

Self praise is indeed praise when there is no one to appreciate you!

On the brighter side, I am awaiting the arrival of smellyjoel’s little brother…he’s due this weekend:). Magges, remember to push harder ok.Lets hope for an easy labour…and remember…don’t try to be too brave ar, if you need help in pain relief, TAKE IT! Yeah, I am totally useless in pain threshold

---
You might also be interested in these :

• work sucks
• giving back
• The ganguro attacks UK
• relight my fire..
• I would cry if it wasn’t so hysterically tragically funny..

Setting up a website to retail all my goodies and yummies – thanks to the Dreymall people this is now up. Still require tweaks on it as my shopping cart is not working and my fonts are all over the place , but it’s looking better than before!

Thanks to dreybee, design on the site looks exceptionally professional, and we’re in the process of churning out branding stickers and packaging. Lookin’ good – should be sorted by next weekend. If you’d like a shopfront as well, please do get in touch with them before the end of the promotion!

Trying to formulate the perfect lipbalm. Did quite well with the first few pots of lipbalms, but seemed to be progressing backwards with more balms going Pete Tong. Argh. Doesn’t help that I’ve got outstanding orders now.

Churning out bars and bars of soap. Now, this is one area that I am getting better at…heehee. With bacon acting as the indentured slave, I manage to get quite a number of bars out, all looking adorably cute. My faves are the swirlies:

Don’t they look just edibly cute?

Work’s been maniac as well, which doesn’t help. I am writing this on my lunchbreak whilst I eat my sandwich, and I have taken to bringing notepads and pencils with me just so I can jot my thoughts down when I’m on the bus, whether its work-related or business-related. How sad is that? I even have to put a ban on myself from soaping the past two nights just because I think I am overdoing it and feeling extremely tired the day after. Thinking about making soap from scratch as well from olive oil ect, will be reading up on that this weekend, so that’s goodbye to my time on Wii Fit and bed…

By the way, as I am trying to get this off the ground, anyone with ideas for my soap designs/flavors are more than welcomed. If I do sell it, you get a bar of your creation as well .

---
You might also be interested in these :

• sorry
• The meaning of busy
• I’m still tired..
• I am not dead
• Weekend overdue

The last time this happened, I ironed my stomach.

---
You might also be interested in these :

• is anyone here?
• so how was your weekend?
• insur quote
• The discomfort…
• Running out of braincells

What sports is played in the FA Cup?
A: Doh. Football

What exams does 16 year olds take
A: GCSE, equivalent to O Levels,or SPM

What is the speed limit on normal roads?
A: 30 miles p/hr

Where is the Met Police’s headquarters?
A: Scotland Yard

PHEW. At last.

I got to the test centre at 9.30am for a 10am test. Early enough isn’t it? You would think that from 9.30am they would start registering people in for the test, making sure your name’s correct ect….

10.05am: Assign seats
10.30am: Request for payment. Facilitator went from one person to another.You gotta go to another building if you want to pay by debit or credit card.No change available as well.
10.45am: Mini lecture on Do’s and Don’t of test
11.00am: Register everyone on the main PC,one by one, checking passport for details
11.20am: Facilitator types in password in PC for your practice question. One pc at a time, checking passport for details
11.30am: Facilitator types in password in PC for real exam. One PC at a time, checking passport for details.
11.35am: I finished my test
11.37am: Got results.

You’d think that since they’ve been doing this for more than a year their process would be more streamlined and less bureaucratic!!! OMG! Test itself only took a few minutes, and what’s more, my initial PC had porn and ringtone adverts everytime I clicked on an answer! I had to switch PC, and the new PC was lagging so much it took at least 10 seconds for it to recognize that you’ve clicked on an answer.

At least its over now…so all I have to worry about is my £1,000 to pay for the piece of paper to stick to my passport announcing that I can stay and work here forever. Woo!

---
You might also be interested in these :

• food questions
• Do you know you?
• I am with job
• Leaving -again
• the jobbing blogger