LongLong's OL Blog - 容容 的洛城OL隨記

要去Vacation 了.  原本要休一整個星期, 不過忙不過來.  看來星期四回來後, 又得進公司了.  唉........
走之前就讓我抱怨一下幾個月前請的菜鳥吧.  請這小鬼, 真的是我接這份工作後最大的mistake.........
二十初頭的有錢少爺, 六尺多, 南加大畢業.   彬彬有禮, 看起來家教不錯.  當初hire 他時最主要就是覺得個性不錯, 可以和同事相處.
幾個月下來同事相處是很融恰,  不過.... 這小孩實在太懒又沒動力.
可能是我老了吧.  Y 世代的小孩好像線線的.  有點好高兀原遠.  要人牽著才肯學.  我記得自己以前剛出道時很賣力.  哪有像這小孩三點不到就想開溜. 

9:00pm, it's another late night at work.  It has been my straight 80 hours work week for the past two weeks..... 
I tried to convince myself, one more week then it will get better. 
I turned on the TV, watched the re-run of Greys' Anatomy while wrapping few more things up.  Just as I thought things couldn't get worse, the building alarm went off...........................
Okay - what now?   I hope this is a false alarm...
"This is your building security, This is a drill, repeat, this is a real drill, please go to your nearest stairway and reach to the plaza level as soon as possible.  Again, please go to the plaza level as soon as possible.  We are investigating possible emergency in the building". 

Today is Monday, another work week.., so let me kick off the work week for you with a visit to my office.
Here is my little crib. 
It's still quite empty.  I still try to live in a bit more.  HR lady next door has been asking me to fill up the room a bit so it doens't look like I can pack up and go anytime.
I do have the big indoor plant....  Oh. Wilson brought from the other office, so I kind of inherit it.  Oh, speaking of Wilson, he is the guy who works for me and who used to have this office.  They kind of kicked him out when they hired me.........Wilson is not his really name...it's my code name for him...becuase he reminds me of Mr. Wilson from Dennis the Menace...the  grumpy old man (Well...this will worth another blog to write...)
I don't really have a view from my office - my view is my boss's office.......  I can see the good view of LA through his office window - but it's more fun to watch VIP who walks in and out of his office, and eavesdrop on the conversation.......
Oh...I do have a flat screen TV with cable. i don't really turn it on that often.  Even if I do, It's on CNBC ....hey, need to look like I am into business and finanical market, right?
So which offices do you like it better???  The old one (left) at Wamu or the current one? (right)

I went to NBA game on Saturday night  - Lakers vs. Cliper at Staple Center.
 
My group has a suite at Staple Center mostly for clients entertainments.  From time to time, there would be some open slots-  since I sit close by my boss & the project manager who distrbutes tickets- I would often get free tickets .   I am not the big sport fan, but do enjoy watching the game once awhile - especially in the suite setting with tons of food & drink. 
The game started at 7:30pm.  I left home a bit after 6pm and planned to arrive before the game to hang out at AMEX arena club........Well, I was super lost and stuck in traffic.  By the time I arrived around 8pm at the suite - Half of my co-workers there were already at alcohol happy mood .  Don't worry - I quickly caught up with them.........The suite is nice  - couches, little bar area, and then extend out to small areana balcony sitting for about 12 people (sorry I didn't take pictures - next time)
The best part (for the non sporty me) is the Dessert Cart !! - tons of pastries to choose from:  Chocolate Cake, brownies, cheesecake, cookies, and etc.....
We all had a wonderful time -not sure if it's the effect of alchol, sugar or excitment of NBA game.
I wasn't quite following the game.....I just knew Lakers won. 

I drove up to Santa Barbara for a meeting last week.  Although it's only a day trip, but an opportunity to visit my college down is great.  
I left house a bit after 6am and brought Mom's breakfast with love.  It's great living at home, Mom prepared me breakfast to go every day:  a bag of fruit, and toasted bite size PB&J.  Thank you, Mom!
Santa Barbara is one of the most beautiful cities in California - and I'm so lucky to live there for four years.  
I enjoyed the drive to Santa Barbara (beside the traffic during rush hours).  Beautiful scenery - mountain on right and ocean on left.  Even after years, I still get so excited the moment I see the first glance of the ocean on HWY 101.  
Santa Barbara office located right in the heart of downtown.  The moment I entered the parking lot, I recognized the building - we used to wait for the bus here during UCSB years.  It's a historical spanish building right next to SB Court house.- I would never guess then that years later I would work for this company.
After my meeting I walked around State Street, not much changes since my college year - Simple & worry free.  I just love this town.  

I haven't seen men who wear cuff links for a long time.  In NYC, especailly in I-banking, men loves to wear cuff links.   During my weekly regional meeting this morning, as our boss went on and on about how screw up our compensation plan is for the 10th times, I tried to find things to entertain myself.  Suddenly I noticed all the men in the conference room wear cuff links  - this is so rare for California.  Cuff links represents classic and old school, it's hard to link it with morden & relax So. California.  But I guess banking is old school......
My boss had the traditional black and gold cuff link, with his initials on it.  I notcied he also had his initial on his white shirt.  Regional manager from Beverly Hill had a silver knot cuff link- it looks like Tiffany's - I wonder if it's white gold.   RM from westlake village wore a simple silver square one.  The other manager had a titanium one on.  Just as women secrectly check out each others outfits, shoes, jewelry, and even manicure during meetings - these men seem to have some kind of secert competition on cuff links.  I wonder next time who will come in with 5 carats diamond cuff links to the meeting.....
Maybe I should bring out my pearl cuff link for the next meeting and join the men's club.......

I've started my new job today.  Although it's only my first day, I feels like I've never left this place.....
I arrived to the office a bit before 8am since my new boss is usually in around 7am.  He was on the conference call when I arrived.  I said hi to him, and just went directly to my office myself.  I figured it must be my office since there is no name tag, there are key, office supplies and HR booklet with my name on it, so I knew it's my new office.  My new office is nice, it has a flat TV screen on the wall.  I don't think I will watch much TV since I am sitting across from my boss office with glass wall. .   I did feel a little strange because indirectly I kicked out the old finance manager from his office, and he moved over to the cube.
I spent my first 2 hours on Planning conference call already.   I heard a lot of familiar voices, not much has changed.  My day was so busy, and I was working already , it's going to be crazy for the next few weeks.  I kind of excpet needing to clean up a lot of mess, but the mess turns out to be bigger than I anticipated.  I was suprised how behind we are in planning process.  The first pass of the budget number is a mess, the process is all over the map, and we only have less than a week to fix it before the presentation.  Based on my insider conversation with my old buddies in SF, they are expecting us to re-do many stuffs.  It's a little frustrated, beucase the planning process has started almost a month ago.  I've tried not to act too judgemental the whole day, but I have no idea what the other person has been doing in the past few weeks or how the process went last year.....
Oh well, I just need to be more focus for the next few weeks.  I think I can do it, beucase if I don't, I will need to suffer from the bad budget for the whole next year.
I can't believe I am venting on my first day .  It's going to be better after the budget season is over.

It's finally over - my last day at WaMu.  I feel relief, but I know I will miss the people here, the nice & clean campus, and for sure my casual work outfits. 
The first time I visited this WaMu Irvine campus, I immediately fall in love with this place.  The casual atmosphere, outdoor water fountains, and lots of trees.  It's a beautiful campus.  
I will also miss my simple office- the place I spent many hours in the past year, my hiding place during work hours.
Mostly I will miss all my friends here.  It has been a great ride.  Although my WaMu job didn't turn out to be the way I hoped, but I have no regret.  I am very lucky to meet a lot of new friends and some of them I know we have become a life long friends.  
Farewell WaMu, I will miss you all.

Today is my last day at Wamu, and so far I've only been to the office for less than 15 minutes and I am alreayd pissed off and ready to leave.
First, my badge was disactive already that I can't get to my basement parking space.  Okay, if you want to disactive my badge at 8am of my last day, then you shouldn't except me to come into work at my last day.
I've only walked into my office for less then 10 minutes, stop bambarding me with questions.  Why do you need to wait till the last day to ask my question.  I've been sitting around the office for two weeks doing nothing, you should have try to learn during that time..... don't wait till the last few hours.  
Here is my vent so far, and more to come......

I was sitting at my office doing nothing this morning, suddenly I heard click click sounds coming from the cubicle in front of me.  "Hmmm... that sounds like someone is doing xxxx....No, it can not be."  The sound continued for a while.  "It really sounds like someone is doing xxxxx".   Being bored and nosiey, I walked out of my office and pretended to walk by.  Alright, someone is really Cutting her Nails.  The sound continued for 10 minutes since she neeeds to cut all her 10 fingure nails.  I hope she didn't need to cut her toe nails as well, it might be bit hard to lift her feet on the table......  Wow,  I guess she really feels like home at this office.
I started to think about all the strange cubicle/office behaviors that I saw in the past years.
- Cutting Nails
- Painting Nail polish (I am sure everyone can smell it)
- Taking a nap
- Making coffee with a coffee machine (yes, one of my co-worker in NY, actually brought her own coffee pot.  Well, I enjoyed it since I benefited from that pot of coffee as well.)
- One of my old co-worker really wanted to have an office, he decided to create a door for his cubicle with a cardboard box.
- Depressed guy fell asleep in his cublice during the conference call.
Can you think about any from your office experience?