It's been forever
since I last wrote in this thing
or had a real thought.
Bills, bills. I actually need to work now, instead of wanting to work. And it sucks. It sucks hard. Blah.
Perceptions and Reality
14 years ago
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
What a World
So, I've been laid off, as of 2 days ago. A friend pointed out that it's like being dumped by a work, which has never happened to me before since I ALWAY end things on my terms. I guess it's the abruptness that hit me more than anything.
I come to work at 3pm, and am out by 5pm same day. They have my final check for me, count my bank, take my hotel-affiliated possessions, and send me on my way after I say goodbye to all my collagues. One cries, but most are just stunned. They eliminated my position at work, which means that the other person with the same title (who had been at the hotel for 14 years) was also gone. However, my severance check is SIGNIFICANTLY lower than his, since it's 2 weeks' of pay per year of service, and I've only been there for 1.5 years.
I still have to return to the scene of my career de-pantsing one more time to complete a severance contract. But this happening to me? I'm still stunned. Those who know and have worked with me know that when I'm on the clock, business is business and I definitely take care of mine. I'm told that it's not based on performance, that I will get unemployment benefits, and there is opportunity in the future, but that doesn't make it any better. It's actually worse. It's like saying, "we're not firing you because of something you did, but in spite of your service to the company." Great.
What's next? Who knows? I'm almost certain LA isn't in my future, but I have to figure out what is. Going back to school for my Master's? Going back to Vegas for more hotel madness? Doing something completely unrelated?
This is one of those rare times for me when I'm left with no direction to go, no path to pursue. I've had a plan since senior year of high school, but now I'm stagnant, lost, confused. But, it may be the push I need to get where I'm going (wherever that may be).
Maybe I need to stand at a busy intersection wearing a sandwich board that lets people know I need a job, and let chance determine my next move. Until then, it's summer break like back in the good old days!
I come to work at 3pm, and am out by 5pm same day. They have my final check for me, count my bank, take my hotel-affiliated possessions, and send me on my way after I say goodbye to all my collagues. One cries, but most are just stunned. They eliminated my position at work, which means that the other person with the same title (who had been at the hotel for 14 years) was also gone. However, my severance check is SIGNIFICANTLY lower than his, since it's 2 weeks' of pay per year of service, and I've only been there for 1.5 years.
I still have to return to the scene of my career de-pantsing one more time to complete a severance contract. But this happening to me? I'm still stunned. Those who know and have worked with me know that when I'm on the clock, business is business and I definitely take care of mine. I'm told that it's not based on performance, that I will get unemployment benefits, and there is opportunity in the future, but that doesn't make it any better. It's actually worse. It's like saying, "we're not firing you because of something you did, but in spite of your service to the company." Great.
What's next? Who knows? I'm almost certain LA isn't in my future, but I have to figure out what is. Going back to school for my Master's? Going back to Vegas for more hotel madness? Doing something completely unrelated?
This is one of those rare times for me when I'm left with no direction to go, no path to pursue. I've had a plan since senior year of high school, but now I'm stagnant, lost, confused. But, it may be the push I need to get where I'm going (wherever that may be).
Maybe I need to stand at a busy intersection wearing a sandwich board that lets people know I need a job, and let chance determine my next move. Until then, it's summer break like back in the good old days!
Monday, February 23, 2009
As I Promised...
A recap of 3 very interesting days. Let's start with Thursday.
Thursday:
7:30am: It is morning, and I've just gotten off work. I look forward to 2 days of Shay's Best Man competition, followed by his ceremony and the reception. But, I'm tired, so I go home to nap first. I text Shay: Wake me up at 11 so I can pack, hit the road, and get to Vegas in time for the 6pm start.
8:30am: Sleep.
12:00pm: Shay calls to wake me up. I pack a suit, 2 shirts, 4 ties (I like to have options in case I change my mind), my computer, my camera, and I hit the road at 12:30pm, after 3.5 hours of nap. I am powered by 1 Red Bull, 1 Booty Sweat, and 1 club sandwich.
4:30pm: I arrive in Vegas and go home to relax before leaving for the competition.
5:20pm: I leave for Shay's house.
5:25pm: My work calls me in an emergency. The guy covering for me has gotten into a vehicular collision, leaving him in the hospital. Out for an undetermined number of days, my boss pleads with me to come back and work for a very busy (sold out) Oscar weekend. "As soon as you can; tomorrow, Saturday, anything," he says. I say I will call him back. I mull it over as I drive, and I decide to return tonight. If I’m not going to be at the wedding, there’s no point in this.”
5:40pm: I arrive at Shay's house and tell him (and the group) the bad news. Everyone is disappointed, but understands. Shay gives me my shirt as a souvenir: Best Man Competition on the front and back, and my number is 3.14. Haha. I hang out with everyone until they leave for the first contest.
7:00pm: After fueling up, I leave Vegas to drive back to LA. I stop only for McDonald’s, and even then I did drive-thru and ate on the road.
11:30pm: I arrive at work after going home to shave. I am dead tired at this time, but don’t sleep. I’ve got work to do.
Friday
7:30am: I leave work. I go home to get much, much, much needed sleep.
2:41pm: My boss calls me. He thanks me for coming back, and offers to fly me to Vegas for the wedding on Saturday. Only catch is I have to be back on Saturday night for work. Sure, I says! That could be fun, and make for a great story down the road.
9:00pm: I buy my ticket. Since I want it to be a surprise, I rent a car as well. I get dressed in an ensemble that is suitable (haha) for both work and the wedding.
11:00pm: I’m at work. I conserve energy for the long day ahead. I order a sandwich from room service, but I save it for later.
Saturday:
8:00am: I leave work and head straight for the airport. I park in a remote lot and take a shuttle bus in. Annoying, yes, but I don’t feel like parking at the airport for $30.
9:55am: I paid $45 out of pocket to get bumped to first. In a suit and with a rolling carryon only, it’s the only way to fly. Flight departs. I sleep for half an hour, get a ginger ale, and eat that sandwich.
11:00am: I get to McCarran. Shuttle bus to the rental car center.
11:30am: I leave the rental car center. I booked a midsize, but get upgraded to a Premium. That’s right, one of the new Avalons, and boy howdy that’s a sweet ride. Unfortunately, I had to pay a $25 underage charge, so my rental goes from $40 to $65 for a 5 hour rental. I go home to relax and straighten myself up.
1:00pm: I arrive at the Flamingo. I see Dick and Josh right after I parked my car, and we go in together.
1:30pm: My boy Shay becomes a man. And an American citizen.
2:30pm: After a plethora of pictures, we leave for the reception, all the way up at 95 and Durango!
3:00pm: I arrive at the reception. I have some vodka and 7UP, a hot dog, and lots of chips and guac. I chat it up for a while with everyone.
4:30pm: I leave the reception to take care of everything before I leave town.
5:03pm: I return that sweet rental car. Shuttle bus to the airport.
6:40pm: I paid $45 out of pocket to get bumped to first. In a suit and with a rolling carryon only, it’s the only way to fly. Flight departs. I sleep for half an hour, and get a ginger ale.
7:45pm: Flight arrives at LAX. Shuttle bus back to find my car.
8:30pm: I get home and sleep for a little more than an hour. Then, it’s shower and shave, and more work.
10:45pm: I go to work. I close my eyes for about half an hour when it’s slow because I have lost some motor functions at this time.
Sunday
8:30am: I leave work, go home, and sleep until 9pm the next day.
So, you now understand why I had to type all this instead of texts. This would be a ridiculous amount of texts. While I had to work all 3 days I was supposed to be off last week and now am 2 days away from completing a 13 day stretch, I 1) got to fly round trip first class for essentially $90, 2) got a really nice car for 6 hours, and 3) get paid a buttload of overtime and double time. This paycheck will be a-very nice.
Oh, and this stunt has casted me into Legen-hope-you’re-not-lactose-intolerant-because-the-next-word-is-dairy status at work. Woohoo!
Thursday:
7:30am: It is morning, and I've just gotten off work. I look forward to 2 days of Shay's Best Man competition, followed by his ceremony and the reception. But, I'm tired, so I go home to nap first. I text Shay: Wake me up at 11 so I can pack, hit the road, and get to Vegas in time for the 6pm start.
8:30am: Sleep.
12:00pm: Shay calls to wake me up. I pack a suit, 2 shirts, 4 ties (I like to have options in case I change my mind), my computer, my camera, and I hit the road at 12:30pm, after 3.5 hours of nap. I am powered by 1 Red Bull, 1 Booty Sweat, and 1 club sandwich.
4:30pm: I arrive in Vegas and go home to relax before leaving for the competition.
5:20pm: I leave for Shay's house.
5:25pm: My work calls me in an emergency. The guy covering for me has gotten into a vehicular collision, leaving him in the hospital. Out for an undetermined number of days, my boss pleads with me to come back and work for a very busy (sold out) Oscar weekend. "As soon as you can; tomorrow, Saturday, anything," he says. I say I will call him back. I mull it over as I drive, and I decide to return tonight. If I’m not going to be at the wedding, there’s no point in this.”
5:40pm: I arrive at Shay's house and tell him (and the group) the bad news. Everyone is disappointed, but understands. Shay gives me my shirt as a souvenir: Best Man Competition on the front and back, and my number is 3.14. Haha. I hang out with everyone until they leave for the first contest.
7:00pm: After fueling up, I leave Vegas to drive back to LA. I stop only for McDonald’s, and even then I did drive-thru and ate on the road.
11:30pm: I arrive at work after going home to shave. I am dead tired at this time, but don’t sleep. I’ve got work to do.
Friday
7:30am: I leave work. I go home to get much, much, much needed sleep.
2:41pm: My boss calls me. He thanks me for coming back, and offers to fly me to Vegas for the wedding on Saturday. Only catch is I have to be back on Saturday night for work. Sure, I says! That could be fun, and make for a great story down the road.
9:00pm: I buy my ticket. Since I want it to be a surprise, I rent a car as well. I get dressed in an ensemble that is suitable (haha) for both work and the wedding.
11:00pm: I’m at work. I conserve energy for the long day ahead. I order a sandwich from room service, but I save it for later.
Saturday:
8:00am: I leave work and head straight for the airport. I park in a remote lot and take a shuttle bus in. Annoying, yes, but I don’t feel like parking at the airport for $30.
9:55am: I paid $45 out of pocket to get bumped to first. In a suit and with a rolling carryon only, it’s the only way to fly. Flight departs. I sleep for half an hour, get a ginger ale, and eat that sandwich.
11:00am: I get to McCarran. Shuttle bus to the rental car center.
11:30am: I leave the rental car center. I booked a midsize, but get upgraded to a Premium. That’s right, one of the new Avalons, and boy howdy that’s a sweet ride. Unfortunately, I had to pay a $25 underage charge, so my rental goes from $40 to $65 for a 5 hour rental. I go home to relax and straighten myself up.
1:00pm: I arrive at the Flamingo. I see Dick and Josh right after I parked my car, and we go in together.
1:30pm: My boy Shay becomes a man. And an American citizen.
2:30pm: After a plethora of pictures, we leave for the reception, all the way up at 95 and Durango!
3:00pm: I arrive at the reception. I have some vodka and 7UP, a hot dog, and lots of chips and guac. I chat it up for a while with everyone.
4:30pm: I leave the reception to take care of everything before I leave town.
5:03pm: I return that sweet rental car. Shuttle bus to the airport.
6:40pm: I paid $45 out of pocket to get bumped to first. In a suit and with a rolling carryon only, it’s the only way to fly. Flight departs. I sleep for half an hour, and get a ginger ale.
7:45pm: Flight arrives at LAX. Shuttle bus back to find my car.
8:30pm: I get home and sleep for a little more than an hour. Then, it’s shower and shave, and more work.
10:45pm: I go to work. I close my eyes for about half an hour when it’s slow because I have lost some motor functions at this time.
Sunday
8:30am: I leave work, go home, and sleep until 9pm the next day.
So, you now understand why I had to type all this instead of texts. This would be a ridiculous amount of texts. While I had to work all 3 days I was supposed to be off last week and now am 2 days away from completing a 13 day stretch, I 1) got to fly round trip first class for essentially $90, 2) got a really nice car for 6 hours, and 3) get paid a buttload of overtime and double time. This paycheck will be a-very nice.
Oh, and this stunt has casted me into Legen-hope-you’re-not-lactose-intolerant-because-the-next-word-is-dairy status at work. Woohoo!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Mini Post
I'm just going to write a couple of words in my groggy state before I collapse into bed. Firstly, I created a flickr account for some of my pics at
http://flickr.com/photos/doctorjackwang/
Second, nothing has happened to me recently. I work, save money, and try to find creative ways to exponentially increase my money. You know how that goes.
Third, Shay gets married this weekend, and before the ceremony there is a 2 day Best Man competition. Wish me luck!
Lastly, I found one of my old journals online (as in 2003-2006). It's true; nothing ever dies in cyberspace. After reading it again, I have to apologize to everyone ever mentioned in that thing. I can see now that I was a pretty big douche in my former years. I did and said things that were pretty unnecessary, and I'm pretty embarrassed about some of the stuff I wrote on there.
I also figured out I was pretty bad at relationships. I am still bad. But, while I blamed Steph, Amy, Lauren, and others on their inevitable failures, I never claimed my responsibility. I can now accept that. Is it a step forward? I hope so.
http://flickr.com/photos/doctorjackwang/
Second, nothing has happened to me recently. I work, save money, and try to find creative ways to exponentially increase my money. You know how that goes.
Third, Shay gets married this weekend, and before the ceremony there is a 2 day Best Man competition. Wish me luck!
Lastly, I found one of my old journals online (as in 2003-2006). It's true; nothing ever dies in cyberspace. After reading it again, I have to apologize to everyone ever mentioned in that thing. I can see now that I was a pretty big douche in my former years. I did and said things that were pretty unnecessary, and I'm pretty embarrassed about some of the stuff I wrote on there.
I also figured out I was pretty bad at relationships. I am still bad. But, while I blamed Steph, Amy, Lauren, and others on their inevitable failures, I never claimed my responsibility. I can now accept that. Is it a step forward? I hope so.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
In the spirit of the marriage season...
In traditional Chinese society, there are three major ways to dissolve a marriage.
The first one is no-fault divorce. According to the legal code of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), a marriage may be dissolved due to personal incompatibility, provided that the husband writes a divorce note.
The second way (義绝) is through a state-mandated annulment of marriage. This applies to when one spouse commits a serious crime (variously defined, usually defined more broadly for the wife) against the other or his/her clan.
Finally, the husband may unilaterally declare a divorce. To be legally recognized, however, it must be based on one of the following seven reasons (七出):
- The wife lacks filial piety towards her parents-in-law (不順舅姑). This makes the parents-in-law capable of breaking a marriage against both partners' will.
- She fails to bear a son (無子).
- She is vulgar or lewd/adulterous (淫).
- She is jealous (妒). This includes objecting to her husband taking an additional wife or concubine.
- She has a vile disease (有惡疾).
- She is gossipy (口多言).
- She commits theft (竊盜).
Obviously, these reasons can be stretched quite a bit to suit the husband and his family. However there are three clearly defined exceptions (三不去), under which the unilateral divorce is disallowed, even if some of the above seven reasons exist:
- She has no family to return to (有所取無所歸).
- She had observed a full three-year mourning for a parent-in-law (與更三年喪).
- Her husband was poor when they married, and now is rich (前貧賤后富貴).
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A new era of photog...for me.
My new camera! Yay!
Took my camera to the pier, and found a Corvette. Also played around with shadow and saturation options on Picasa 3.
Also found stagnant gross sewer water which reflected the sky on the beach. Cropped this one only.
Many, many more to come!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Very Quick Update 2
Hello friends! Happy New Year's to all, hope your's very eventful (in a good way). I'm in a 580 bed hostel in Amsterdam at the moment, heading off to Paris early tomorrow. The vacation has been exhausting and taken it's toll on us both, but I can just see the days slipping away until work resumes. Boo.
In the past couple of days, we've been to Stonehenge, Windsor, Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, and Westminster Abbey in London, while also taking a 2 day trip to Inverness and hunting down Nessie in the Loch Ness. Also went to the Heineken Tour again here in Holland, and made this ridiculous video:
http://heineken_james.bitmove.tv/bitmove/cgi/receive.jsp?uid=F47EBF166F14F8098C8F33F776B5EEF2&format=wmv
I've been picking up little things here and there for friends and family, but the zipper busted on my duffel bag and my backpack weighs as much as Asia (the person, not the country) so the shopping's slowing down. Oh, and btw, traveling with money is infinitely more fun (and delicious) than traveling dirt poor at the end of a 6 month study abroad trip.
I'm also very sorry I haven't been posting stupid remarks in all your journals lately, I'll make up for it when I'm home.
In the past couple of days, we've been to Stonehenge, Windsor, Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, and Westminster Abbey in London, while also taking a 2 day trip to Inverness and hunting down Nessie in the Loch Ness. Also went to the Heineken Tour again here in Holland, and made this ridiculous video:
http://heineken_james.bitmove.tv/bitmove/cgi/receive.jsp?uid=F47EBF166F14F8098C8F33F776B5EEF2&format=wmv
I've been picking up little things here and there for friends and family, but the zipper busted on my duffel bag and my backpack weighs as much as Asia (the person, not the country) so the shopping's slowing down. Oh, and btw, traveling with money is infinitely more fun (and delicious) than traveling dirt poor at the end of a 6 month study abroad trip.
I'm also very sorry I haven't been posting stupid remarks in all your journals lately, I'll make up for it when I'm home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
