They’re Here

It was Friday afternoon at 5 when another sister company moved in to the other wing. Some of their employees were around on the weekend just to settle in.

When I came in today (I was off Monday), the place was still a mess. There was office equipment everywhere. (A bar fridge was even along the walkway. I don’t know whose that was.)

Loud music was also playing in the old IT room. Even if the door was closed, we could still hear the thumping of the bass.

I just hope we all get along fine.

Packing and Moving Day

The movers came yesterday and hauled all our extra stuff here in the office, from the computers chairs down to the steel drawers. They worked so fast, they were done a little after lunch and were off to Toronto by 3 p.m.

It was partly moving day for me, too. I moved my bookshelves and files to my new office, which was 25% larger than my present office. It had one of the best views in the floor. Unfortunately, I lacked office furniture as usual. I was hoping to get the sofa or the matching chairs or both for my new office, but they were already destined for Toronto.

I still haven't moved the rest of my stuff because there are no Internet and phone connections yet. Norris, the IT guy from Toronto, is here to help us set up with the connections. By the way, the small Wendy and I got new computers.

Half-day Vacation

I had three remaining days left from my 2008 vacation; so, I decided to take all of them this month. I decided to take one last Friday to do some personal errands in preparation for my upcoming July holidays in Asia.

I was having a relaxing lunch at the airport when my cell phone rang. It was Cathy calling. She was wondering if I could have someone in Toronto work on the files I was working on previously as her client had already chosen a design and wanted it on Monday. Since I didn't want my creation outsourced to Toronto, I said that I could be there by 2 p.m. and take on her client's requests. Besides, I would have a hard time explaining what to do over the phone if Cathy insisted that the files be sent to Toronto.

I arrived a quarter before two and worked on the project for more than two hours. Cathy was pleased with my showing up and the fruits of my labour. She said she owed me one and thanked me profusely. And to make up for my lost hours in my day off, she said that I could come in late on Monday and would inform Wendy about it.

I took her up on her offer and I reported for work at 11, and lo and behold, there were four boxes of premium chocolate-covered biscuits from Cathy on my table! (She knew I liked this kind.) These were for a job well done and for reporting for work even when it was my day off.

Early June Updates

Things are still slow; so, I might as provide some updates.

1. I have recovered from my eye infection although they still get red or become itchy from time to time.
2. I spent Friday and Monday dismantling the old work stations, removing the legs from the Ikea office tables and wrapping them in packing tape, disassembling shelves, and packing stationery items in boxes.
3. I was very disappointed that the buckslip I originally created for a client in English was used by the guys in Toronto for the French and Chinese versions. I was hoping to lay out those myself since I was the designer of that marketing material.
4. Cathy realized the importance of quality assurance when a Toronto-designed brochure's copy was missing a word. Needless to say, the client was pissed. I would like to share in the responsibility, but it never passed by me.
   

Battling Eye Infection

I don't know how I got this, but two weeks ago, my eyes began to itch. Now, it has turned to a full-blast bacterial eye infection according to my family doctor. It's not exactly pink eye or conjunctivitis because that's viral; mine is just itchy and watery.

I thought it was a bad case of allergies, but when my eyes are covered in gunk (mucus) when I wake up in the morning, I knew it's worse than allergies. Plus, my eyelids felt sandy when I scratched them, irritating my eyes more and making them watery and red.

I think the infection is beginning to subside, thanks to the antibiotic eyedrops I'm using. However, the medication left my eyelids and the surrounding skin leathery with some skin irritation around the corners. I'm wearing sunglasses in the office just to cover my eyes and protect them from the sun and bright lights.

I just hope this infection goes away completely next week because I'm going to a networking soirée and I don't want to wear shades.