Chronicle 85 - Old thoughts revisited

"Hello, may I speak to MC please?" That was the voice of a headhunter that was looking to poach my colleague to another competitor. Of course, how could I have known then? I simply passed the phone over. Now after SQ and SO left, I made a pact with MC, to give each other ample notice and that we should be the first to know of each other's plans. She was pretty honest and informed me of the call. That competitor's name came up pretty often in meetings and is often the subject of the usual competitor bashing. All in the name of good fun, I encouraged her to go for the interview just to "play play". One thing led to another, and long story short, they offered her a contract with a pretty attractive package. Classic case of "玩过火". She was uneasy and did consult me about it. Of course, I was pretty shocked at the escalation of the whole thing. But I did pause and asked myself: "who am I to prevent her from accepting a better offer?" And so she tendered. "!@#$%"

Of course, after the initial shock wore off, it got me thinking. After all, I have seen through the departures of SQ, SO, TW, PC, and PL among others. What exactly am I doing here? Should I be pushing for progress here? Or is it time that I move on? Until today, I could never really understand why I've stayed as long as I did here. Going by my track record, I should be long gone.

The analyst from London, CB, was scheduled to leave at the end of the month but was told that he actually had to stay on for an additional two weeks. I feel kinda sorry for him as it was clearly against his wishes and some of his prior plans had to be disrupted. The management was basically concerned regarding the two weeks where MC would have left and I am on reservist, and whether our new hires, LT and LAB - who are fully competent in their own right - will be able to cope. I share those concerns but am also of the opinion that CB should not be obligated nor be told to stay on.

Anyway, I had a little chat with my boss on my preference for the redistribution of MC's responsibilities, particularly who I wanted for my work partner. I choose LT over LAB for a particular client for various reasons, but won't go into specifics here. That little chat extended to my plans and I tried to be as honest as possible regarding my lack of direction and that I am seriously considering options. She then proceeded to suggest another deal to me and asked that I consider for a few weeks. Basically, that proposal involves shifting me to another part of the business which they are intending to introduce to Singapore, and help with the initial start-up, involving training, targeting etc. I do not see it as a particularly attractive prospect though.

On a more light-hearted note, I have failed to organise a badminton session for the analysts yet again. This notion has been ongoing for a very long time but something also seems to happen to detail those plans. It's a curse, but I have not given up yet. Anyway, as sort of a farewell dinner for both CB and MC, we are thinking of having a dim sum dinner, possibly at Swee Choon. Let's hope this happens.

The long SG50 weekend went by pretty quickly even though I spent most of it chilling at home. Rest never seems to be enough at the moment.

Anyway, I was chatting with MC over dinner and just talking about what my plans for the future might be. She then later raised the idea of me setting up a tuition centre. This idea isn't new as a few of my University friends, most notably J, has raised it before. However, it was always in a light-hearted manner and quickly dismissed. This time, we explored the idea in more detail and now, I can't seem to get it out of my head.

[Quotes]
"You can't outwit fate by standing on the sidelines placing little sidebets about the outcome of life. Either you wade in and risk everything you have to play the game or you don't play at all. And if you don't play you can't win." - Judith McNaught

"A ship is always safe at the shore - but that is NOT what it is built for." - Albert Einstein