And the winner is...

Dubai!

Yes, I have accepted the role and this little blogger is off to the Middle East. I don't like to blog about work too much here, but there are exceptions!

Moving to another country is definately one of those!

I looked for work in Sydney, and to be honest there is not alot out there and those companies that were hiring were siting the economic crisis to slash salary expectations. The salaries on offer, I was getting five years ago. Not a great step if you have a mortgage and if I had a Sydney job, we probably would have had to sell the house and downsize.

However, there was never a choice, with the last of my Sydney offers fizzling out at the same time I got the Dubai offer and with nothing else, it was the choice to be made.

Having said that, I did want the Dubai role and we have been spared the choice of taking the exciting but scary move or staying safe in Sydney and slugging it out and making ends meet.

For all of us, the biggest issue is the moving away and creating distance with family and friends. We will be facebooking, blogging and skyping as much as possible, but the reality is is that you're half a world away.

We do get flights back as part of the package and we will be coming home for Christmas each year and perhaps depending on the cash, in the Dubai summer break which is in July / August. We will though be taking the opportunity to see the rest of the world, mainly Europe and I have a keen sense to see India as well, which is only 3hrs away.

The next step is the uprooting and moving... I will need to be in Dubai in February sometime and will be madly prepping the house for renting before I go. Then Niki & the girls will be following 2-3 mths afterwards depending on how quickly I can set up a house, car and the visa's come through.

All very exciting and its going to be a big change....

So, I have perhaps blogged my last rant about CityRail and the like, but Lime Kettles will continue and will "On Tour" so to speak, so you will be able to follow an odd Aussie bloke's journey into the Middle East.

Niki mentioned that she would like to set up a more family orientated blog as well... so will post a cross link when (if) that gets up.

Now... where did I put that Arabic phrase book....

Big News!

Merry Xmas! Sorry for the lack of posts this week, but there is a very good reason for that...

This week, I have been on a little trip... as you may or may not be aware I have been out of work since late June and have taken some time off but have also been actively searching for a new job for quite some time.

Well, I have secured a "verbal" offer, at the back of end of my trip to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates!

The final offer has not been given and there will be some negotiation to come but at this stage, I am very likely to accept and make the move overseas. There are alot of logistics to work out such as what to take, store or sell and also what to do with the house etc etc, but its quite an exciting time for us.

So what will I be doing in Dubai? Well this video should give you a taste of the project:



The start date is yet to be determined, but will probably be in mid-Feb and Niki and the girls will follow some time after.

Job Prospects Looking Grim

After coming so close twice now to landing a great role, I am back to square one and am back at the first interview stage for two jobs, but one has already said that there has been "alot of response" to one of the job adverts.

Now this has come out in the press and doesn't exactly fill me with confidence... when I left my last company, I was happy as I managed to negotiate a payout and I would have been made redundant anyway had I stayed on... now I am starting to think "mmm... need to find something soon!".

Trust my luck to take a redundancy and have the arse fall out of the market!

Still, it has been good being at home... and I still may ring World Vision to see if they can start sponsoring me and my "unemployed" lifestyle ;-)

Still about...

Went into the city yesterday for a couple of meetings re finding a new job and whilst they went well, I still am truly a number of weeks at least away from finding something... its amazing how slow the job search process can take and today marks 2 months since being paid out at my last company.

Financially, because of the pay out, I am relaxed, but I have to say that the weekdays are starting to get a bit long and I am keen to do "something".

When I do find something and sign a contract, I will be happy and delay the start for as long as I can so that I can actually do something meaningful here...

So in the meantime, I am perusing the adverts, making calls, chasing leads and such and such... would rather be in holiday mode though!

All Packed

Here's my desk... all packed and looking cleaner than ever... Have a good weekend all!

Blaagh

I feel crap today and vented to my company's HR manager that I am sick of this hanging around waiting to know if I have a job or not and if not, when will I be paid out...

She's gone away and said she will talk to the big cheese today about it.... My stress levels at work are getting all out of wack and I would probably welcome the bullet to put me out of my misery...

I don't have a new job to go to *yet* but I am very close... should hear this week (fingers crossed). If that falls through, I don't care at present because we're off to Fiji in a week and a half and I just want this over one way or the other by then.

Sorry about the depressing post, I will revert to my crusades against child porn, McDonalds and the general pursuit of happiness and enlightenment tomorrow.

Vent... Vent... Vent...

I am Number 1!

I am an engineer... I am a manager... I am 35 and a half, so technically in my 'late' 30's.

Read the first line of this article.

Give me some shizz!

Recycling Gone Mad!

My company moves out of our office on the long weekend and we're busy packing boxes etc. However this morning, I finished my coffee and toast at my desk and went to put my rubbish (a foam cup, a brown paper bag) into my bin.

Bin is gone. Replaced with a Visy cardboard box for "paper only". OK... where do I put my coffee cup? Asked the admin lady, who points me to the kitchen across the floor. In the kitchen is a red bin (Visy logo on top) that says "Plastic Recycling". I have a brown paper bag and a styrofoam (enviro friendly apparently) cup?

I throw them in the little non-descript bin beside the recycling bin. Turns out the entire company is confined to a 1 foot tall plastic bin for non-recyclable material.

Seems odd... I have always put my paper waste in my shredder box and it gets shredded and recycled... why do I now have a separate box under my desk copying what I did before with a shredder box.

The normal waste bin was already full at 10am this morning.

And then we move out anyways!

Back in the office...

After yesterdays car troubles, which if you see the comments below looks like costing me $2.5K, I am back in the office...

Work is a bit of a drag at the moment... the company is still lurching to sell half of it off, we're all being asked to continually flog the proverbial dead horse and to be honest, alot of us (me included) have nearly finished what is required. However, there is a big hold up in doing the deal because of regulatory constraints so now we're in the position of not having much to do and waiting.

So morale in the place is a bit down. Funny thing is though is that the powers that be here were moving the company into new premises and have suddenly realised that they have more people than they should (because many were supposed to be redundant by now) and they have to squeeze everyone in!

I have been told to pack my files etc, archive nearly everything and come across to sit in a pokey desk with not much more than my laptop. The story is the same for everyone.

So, we have to work in a stagnant company, wondering if we'll be shot (and some / most of us will be) and then have to squeeze into a new building and keep going in cramped conditions.

Needless to say, people are looking else where and many people are ducking out for "meetings" in their best suits...

Work Continues to Drudge

Not sure what to blog about today... am having an "unmotivated" day at work today and am continually being pushed along by management here to deliver and work flat out but still there is no certainty of my employment here because of the sale and subsequent restructure.

This delay is being caused by the sale transaction taking longer to complete and the latest is that it will be done in the first week of May.

So in the interim, its work work work from above whilst everyone combats there own uncertainties.

My next door neighbour in the cube farm here resigned on Monday. She is moving to a rival firm in the same line of work and has given 4 weeks.

I am also aware of a couple of others who will be resigning in about a week or so pending final offer documents being received.

For me, I had a positive chat (albeit with no guarentees) with the CEO and I now rate myself a 50-50 shot at getting a seat on the new company. Having said that, I have had one interview for an external job and continue to "keep the ear to the ground".

So, we continue along in limbo... I am off to yet another meeting on the sale / split of the company and do my best to deliver things for my company that would probably see me given a pink slip as a result...

JOY

What Utter Bullshit

Facebook / MySpace access is now a "key consideration" for employees looking to join an employer. (link)

Come on people, if you cant handle not being able to receive your SuperPokes or your latest invites to be a Ninja or a Zombie, then dont work at all. I have a Facebook profile, but my company blocks it and thats fine by me.

Sheesh! Talk about catering for the lowest common denominator!

Ah, this explains it!

This explains why my Blackberry Calendar is suddenly 1hr out of sync with my Blackberry clock and my desktop calendar...

Was wondering wtf was going on!

Back to work...

Four day weekend... followed by a 4 day week. I think there is a sense of karma to that. It should be the norm!!

Unfortunately though, my work is a bit tiresome at the moment... I am going to New Zealand next week but this week is a slog of boring stuff... also, the whole half-sale / half-keep thing here at work is still going on and my long term future is STILL up in the air.

I will just keep on going and wait until the "job fairy" gets here. ;-)

Half Way Unemployed

I have been alluding to things happening with work of late and the fact that my company is being split in two.

Well yesterday, I was told that the firm acquiring half of my company has no need for my services in the future.

This sits well with me because a) I didnt think I would accept the offer as they are not Sydney based and b) I am more enthused about staying on with the retained half.

The issue is the retained portion of the company is unable to commit to anything due to the conditions of sale and therefore I (and everyone) is in limbo.

I am not alone however, most people were knocked back so its not like I have been singled out and those who have secured offers, many of them had been previously stating that they wouldnt take them... we'll now see what a firm offer does mean to those people. A bird in hand as they say...

I am also happy that that part of the equation has been resolved... the "do I take an offer if I am made one" debate has been going thru my mind and now I dont need to ask that anymore. I now have one prospect of employment with my company via the retained entity and if not, then I am on the hunt for a new role elsewhere.

I am looking though... and have had a couple of discussions, but nothing concrete and to be honest I wont heavily pursue options until I am certain I am on the way out.

That certainty will probably be on March 20 when I have a meeting with my CEO to discuss my function. He is a straight shooter, so I hope if he does shoot me he doesnt knee cap me first!

lol

Late Night Posting

Sorry, missed my post today... my day was scrambled. Trains ran late, so many work deadlines, including trying to save my own job and then meetings all afternoon.

Had to cab it into the city for a meeting at 3pm... thats cab changeover time and it was bucketing down with rain... not a good afternoon!

Now the kids are in bed, I am waiting for LOST to come onto the tele and I check my comments and realise I hadnt posted anything! d'oh!!

On another front, I have now cracked over 1000 posts on Lime Kettles... freaky when you think of that!

Job Stress

I alluded to a possible sale of my company last week and on Friday afternoon this transpired with approximately 50% of the company being sold off to a competitor.

I am more than likely to remain with the remaining business as opposed to going across to the new company but it does bring a whole degree of uncertainty to my place in the working world at the moment.

Readers of Lime Kettles would have read that I enthusiastically changed jobs last August for a bigger and better role and whilst that is the case, it has been relatively short lived!

My role isn’t under threat exactly, but it is hardly a morale boosting issue and I must admit that I have been thinking as to whether the move was in the long term the best idea.  People tell me it is because I have gained new experience and increased by pay packet, but I would really hate to be unemployed again (I was “between jobs” for 3 months in 2001/02 and it was the worst thing I have ever experienced!).  You tell yourself that you’re quietly confident of getting a new job (and the job market is great at the moment) but there is always the dark spectre in the back of your mind… how are you going to pay the bills etc etc…

Yes, you get a payout (if it happens) but its never enough for both the payment of bills and the angst and stress it puts you under.

Still, we go on… work today as been pseudo productive… I have things to do, been busy, the remaining business just won a new contract but still, there’s a lot of “water cooler” talk as well….

Will keep you posted… sorry for being a bit of an Agony Aunt today :-)  Look at the pretty pictures below…. Hehe.

The Working Year Commences!

Greetings from the desk of Clay!

I have returned this morning, one week after most other people and have gotten through the first couple of hours with some light catchup of emails / mail, some chats to colleagues about holidays and the cricket (India are being girly idiots is the concensus) and a long chat to my boss about his break (lack of it) and the issues that have continued to bubble along during the holiday period...

So, its almost Coffee Time and I thought I would let you all know that I am back here and ready to tackle the inane issues for the year ahead.

In passing reference, I have been continuing to read the papers during the holidays and would have liked to have commented on the Bhutto Assasination, the Indian Test Cricket shenaningans, the early days of the Rudd Gov't and the ongoing US Presidential Campaign, but really I dont think I should begin by going over old ground.

So I will look forward now and focus on the events in the world coming rather than wasting time going over old ground... besides it has been a slow news month anyways!

Also, this is the 5th year of Lime Kettles and its previous incarnations! How time flies!!

(For the record, my train ride was on time, smooth and uneventful...)

Non Election - Off to Melbourne This Arvo

Well, another week and another business trip.  Am off to Melbourne this afternoon to escort one of our London brokers around one of my companies work sites... I deliberately not mention were I work etc because I know people in internal corporate affairs in all companies routinely Google their own companies and the last thing I want is to have my name, my blog and my work all linked.  (I bet they also blog their own names, the narcissistic bastards!)

So when work is busy, it becomes hard to write posts!

 

But I will be in Melbourne tonight where it is apparently wet and cool... as opposed to the 35+ degree heat here in Sydney.

 

Home - At Last

Yes, made it back! Had a great trip... work went very well, we got a good result for our efforts and the socialising was good as well... busy, but good.

A few snapshots of my trip:

Me at Stamford Bridge just after full time... my seats were right there! Fantastic crowd and atmosphere. No goals though :(


My street where I stayed in London... my hotel is down the right side near those trees... Harrods is in the background on the cross street at the far end. The buildings on the left are normal apartment houses... very rich to live in Knightsbridge. The Capital Hotel was small, quaint, but reasonably priced and the staff were excellent.


Speakers Corner on Sunday morning... a Muslim man was speaking about how Islam is misunderstood and two American Jews were counter-pointing him. The guy with the hat (obscured) and his son (?) holding the bible aloft were criticising Islam for their "death to infidels" stance. The Muslim man countered that Infidels were only those who entered Muslim lands for "raping and pillaging"... travellers of faiths are always welcome... It was a good debate which I listened too for a good 10 minutes.

Mid Flight Posting

Am in Bangkok... actually slept pretty well and I think I got about 10hrs sleep!  It was a bit fits and starts, but overall the 15hr flight felt like 4hrs only... which is good.

 

Problem is its 4pm now in Bangkok and I have just had breakfast!  Means when I get to Sydney, it will be dawn and I will feel like dinner...

 

I presume that Qantas will serve dinner soon into the flight  to Sydney to try and get us to adjust... I dont feel like Bacon & Eggs and then dinner so quickly in between.

 

My mobile phone died as well... seems as though it turned itself on during the flight - Blackberry's have some odd "auto on" feature and when I landed it was humming away... that scares you because they say to turn off mobiles etc!