Andrew's farewell party (30th April 2010)
Today was Andrew’s last day in the office – after years of slogging in his role at Telecom, my friend and former manager has decided to take on a new job in sunny Brisbane that will be taking him places, with Chile being his first destination. I think it’s about time that Andrew takes on a new adventure – he’s been working too hard and long hours, I do not recall him having a life outside work! He’s a great guy, always kind at heart and I have him to thank for getting me a foot in the door at Telecom. Thanks so much, Andrew! Best wishes in your future endeavours and keep in touch!!
And as the nice guy he always is (and a Brazilian trapped in a Kiwi man’s body), he threw a Brazilian-themed farewell party after work today – a loud, colourful and memorable exit for him as well as to boost the team’s spirit. The morale of the team has been down due to the changes happening in the company; it didn’t help that we were all told today that we may potentially lose our jobs and/or have to contend for new positions created. Not exactly how I had hoped to start my weekend knowing I may not have a job next week AND we only find out the outcome on Tuesday! But there’s nothing we can do till then so life continues on as usual, even though I’m sure many are struggling to continue work without a niggling worry at the back of their heads.
Andrew had Brazilian friends Andrea and Roberta dressed up in carnival costumes dancing samba at the main Telecom Centre foyer, accompanied by 7 senior members from Wellington Batucada playing in the background. What a crowd we had downstairs – we had our team members wearing colourful wigs and masks, some of us taking photos and best of all, seeing Andrew dance! That has got to be the highlight for me because Andrew, as Brazilian as he is, just shies away from any dancing at events. And I’ve got photos to proof!
After an hour of dancing and music, we all headed back to the office for nibbles and drinks. I ‘donated’ my 2 bottles of cachaça for Ashvin to make caipirinhas and boy, can he make a mean drink! Said my goodbyes to Andrew and left the office for home around 6pm. Photos taken at Andrew’s farewell party: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8070917@N05/sets/72157623871297379/detail/
Spent the rest of my evening packing up the first lot of my stuff into boxes and moving them over to Jono’s place in Newtown. About 2 weeks ago on a Sunday chilling out at his place, he asked his usual “Guess what?” question (he would ask me to guess what he’s currently thinking about and chances are I would not get the right answer but I just play along with his game) and very casually went "We should move in together". What???? “We should move in together,” he repeated and then continued on saying that I can think about, no pressure, take my time etc, probably worried that I might just run out the door at his suggestion. He added that he had been meaning to tell me about it a week ago but I was already stressed out with the Miss Burlesque NZ competition so waited till it was over before bringing it up (he’s so considerate!). I was just so surprised no words came out from my mouth and he must have noticed my shocked look. Oops! I guess I hadn’t seen it coming – I mean we’re very happy in our relationship but I didn’t think 6 months into the relationship and the fact that he hasn’t said the L-word would bring up the moving-in discussion. “Of course I do love you – I wouldn’t have asked you to move in, would I?” he grins. Aww… :) Well, I suppose my answer is a YES!
Since then, we’ve tried looking for a place of our own within Wellington inner city but have not found any that suited our needs and budget so decided that I would move into Jono’s flat for now. I’m looking forward to this new phase of our relationship (and of course, a little nervous too because it feels like a big step) – there’s going to be quite a bit of change, including me learning to take the bus to and fro work. Like our 5-week trip overseas, it would be a good test to see if we do live together well. Exciting!
By the way, remember my job seeker Rosette that I’ve been helping as part of my voluntary role as a job mentor? She has got herself a permanent job! SO happy for her :) We caught up at Deluxe Café yesterday so she could give me all the details about her new job and update on her life. It has been a wonderful journey helping her find this new role that suited her level of experience better than her current role. You’ll have to tell me how it all goes when you start, Rosette! With Rosette now moving on and no longer a job seeker, I’m now taking a break from being a job mentor for the Job Mentoring Service. Mum’s going to need me as her job mentor when she turned up in a few months. This doesn’t mean it’s the end of my relationship with Rosette; we’ll still keep in touch as friends :) Might look into getting myself another job seeker once Mum’s all settled down.
And as the nice guy he always is (and a Brazilian trapped in a Kiwi man’s body), he threw a Brazilian-themed farewell party after work today – a loud, colourful and memorable exit for him as well as to boost the team’s spirit. The morale of the team has been down due to the changes happening in the company; it didn’t help that we were all told today that we may potentially lose our jobs and/or have to contend for new positions created. Not exactly how I had hoped to start my weekend knowing I may not have a job next week AND we only find out the outcome on Tuesday! But there’s nothing we can do till then so life continues on as usual, even though I’m sure many are struggling to continue work without a niggling worry at the back of their heads.
Andrew had Brazilian friends Andrea and Roberta dressed up in carnival costumes dancing samba at the main Telecom Centre foyer, accompanied by 7 senior members from Wellington Batucada playing in the background. What a crowd we had downstairs – we had our team members wearing colourful wigs and masks, some of us taking photos and best of all, seeing Andrew dance! That has got to be the highlight for me because Andrew, as Brazilian as he is, just shies away from any dancing at events. And I’ve got photos to proof!
After an hour of dancing and music, we all headed back to the office for nibbles and drinks. I ‘donated’ my 2 bottles of cachaça for Ashvin to make caipirinhas and boy, can he make a mean drink! Said my goodbyes to Andrew and left the office for home around 6pm. Photos taken at Andrew’s farewell party: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8070917@N05/sets/72157623871297379/detail/
Spent the rest of my evening packing up the first lot of my stuff into boxes and moving them over to Jono’s place in Newtown. About 2 weeks ago on a Sunday chilling out at his place, he asked his usual “Guess what?” question (he would ask me to guess what he’s currently thinking about and chances are I would not get the right answer but I just play along with his game) and very casually went "We should move in together". What???? “We should move in together,” he repeated and then continued on saying that I can think about, no pressure, take my time etc, probably worried that I might just run out the door at his suggestion. He added that he had been meaning to tell me about it a week ago but I was already stressed out with the Miss Burlesque NZ competition so waited till it was over before bringing it up (he’s so considerate!). I was just so surprised no words came out from my mouth and he must have noticed my shocked look. Oops! I guess I hadn’t seen it coming – I mean we’re very happy in our relationship but I didn’t think 6 months into the relationship and the fact that he hasn’t said the L-word would bring up the moving-in discussion. “Of course I do love you – I wouldn’t have asked you to move in, would I?” he grins. Aww… :) Well, I suppose my answer is a YES!
Since then, we’ve tried looking for a place of our own within Wellington inner city but have not found any that suited our needs and budget so decided that I would move into Jono’s flat for now. I’m looking forward to this new phase of our relationship (and of course, a little nervous too because it feels like a big step) – there’s going to be quite a bit of change, including me learning to take the bus to and fro work. Like our 5-week trip overseas, it would be a good test to see if we do live together well. Exciting!
By the way, remember my job seeker Rosette that I’ve been helping as part of my voluntary role as a job mentor? She has got herself a permanent job! SO happy for her :) We caught up at Deluxe Café yesterday so she could give me all the details about her new job and update on her life. It has been a wonderful journey helping her find this new role that suited her level of experience better than her current role. You’ll have to tell me how it all goes when you start, Rosette! With Rosette now moving on and no longer a job seeker, I’m now taking a break from being a job mentor for the Job Mentoring Service. Mum’s going to need me as her job mentor when she turned up in a few months. This doesn’t mean it’s the end of my relationship with Rosette; we’ll still keep in touch as friends :) Might look into getting myself another job seeker once Mum’s all settled down.
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