its been a nice week not working but i must admit i do get bored at christmas with the bank holidays and everything shutting down (my gym) and just stuffing my face with food. am sure if i was busy at work i would cherish the 4 day weekend, but i was off anyway, so it doesnt make a difference to me. it was the usual routine of revising and studying for my vcp exam. am really getting tired of it now but there only a few more days to go and then on thursday i am going to cali baby!. its so close and i so badly need a break.
the gym was open these last 3 days and i have gone everyday. i noticed i wasnt studying as hard on days i didnt go to the gym. my concentration was low and nothing was soaking into my brain. am not very clever as it is, so any reduction in mental capacity is a concern. lifting weights clearly triggers something in my brain because i can study harder afterwards.
thats all folks. have a belated merry xmas and a very happy 2012.
today i have mostly been listening to ben howard - the wolves. i could have posted the official vidoe but this is much better.
Friday 30 December 2011
Tuesday 20 December 2011
niki and the dove
have been enjoying not going to work this week. lays ins, in the morning are sooo good. its been a week of interviews (no news), gym and study for my exam. at one stage it looked like i might have to reschedule my exam as i didnt feel like i would be able to cover all the material i would need to, but things are looking better after a few long days of study.
got a letter from the tax office this morning. they said i had paid too much tax and that they were refunding me £720. it coincides with paying a bill of £320 for my hotels on holiday, and i also had to buy a washing machine for my flat as my one died. that cost £300. perfect timing. The tax office have just paid off the remainder of my holiday and bought me a washing machine. merry christmas.
today i have mostly been listening to niki and the dove - the drummer. wicked tune.
midnight city
had a telephone interview with a large outsourcing company that is working with a government client doing a project and i had an interview with a large brokerage that is going through bankruptcy but needs to be wound down in an orderly fashion by the administrators. i got calls back from both of them and both of them offered me jobs, and upon reflection i turned both of them down.
this afternoon i got email directly by a recruiter for a role at a hedge fund which looks like exactly what i want to do. i didnt apply for the job but she must have been searching people who have worked at hedge funds in linkedin, and my profile came up. they are paying good money and it looks like a long term contract. also i have a second interview at the asset management company i went to see last week and that was also good money and a long contract.
the job with the outsourcer was ok, but they wanted an answer today and i told them that i had these other 2 things going on, and if they could wait a week or two i might be able to do it if i got turned down, but seeing as they needed to know today and i told them no. the brokerage role looked like a nightmare. an office of 800 people has been reduced to 300 in the space of 2 months. there are offices in chicago and new york and japan and the infrastructure is spread across the globe. i would have been the senior guy in london and was told that i would be getting a few days hand over from the current senior guy, before he jumps ship and starts a new job, and that after that i would be on my own. i would be responsible for AD, messaging, DR, archiving, security, support, and pretty much anything else.
it sounded like a nightmare. relevant parts of the infrastructure would then need to be brought back to london before they were switched off in other parts of the world. a few weeks ago the connectivity to new york was switched off with out notice. the primary DNS servers for some zones used by applications in london was in new york, and so lots of stuff stopped working. i dont need that kind of hassle. i dont want to sit in an office trying to reverse engineer the network and applications trying to find out why shit was not working. i would not have any prior knowledge of what it looked like orginally. i told them i would pass but if at the end of january they were still in trouble, and i was available, i would be happy to try and help out. part of me wanted to do it because it would have been a challenge, but the sensible part of me knows how big a hassle it could be and i dont really want that kind of hassle.
hopefully the hedge fund comes back to me. thats my no#1 choice and would be the perfect job. if not i would take the asset management place i am seeing tomorrow. if i get neither i may feel a little silly for turning down these 2 jobs, but hey, thats life.
today i have mostly been listening to m83 - midnight city. they are playing in so cal when i am there but its sold out. am not a big fan but this is a good tune.
this afternoon i got email directly by a recruiter for a role at a hedge fund which looks like exactly what i want to do. i didnt apply for the job but she must have been searching people who have worked at hedge funds in linkedin, and my profile came up. they are paying good money and it looks like a long term contract. also i have a second interview at the asset management company i went to see last week and that was also good money and a long contract.
the job with the outsourcer was ok, but they wanted an answer today and i told them that i had these other 2 things going on, and if they could wait a week or two i might be able to do it if i got turned down, but seeing as they needed to know today and i told them no. the brokerage role looked like a nightmare. an office of 800 people has been reduced to 300 in the space of 2 months. there are offices in chicago and new york and japan and the infrastructure is spread across the globe. i would have been the senior guy in london and was told that i would be getting a few days hand over from the current senior guy, before he jumps ship and starts a new job, and that after that i would be on my own. i would be responsible for AD, messaging, DR, archiving, security, support, and pretty much anything else.
it sounded like a nightmare. relevant parts of the infrastructure would then need to be brought back to london before they were switched off in other parts of the world. a few weeks ago the connectivity to new york was switched off with out notice. the primary DNS servers for some zones used by applications in london was in new york, and so lots of stuff stopped working. i dont need that kind of hassle. i dont want to sit in an office trying to reverse engineer the network and applications trying to find out why shit was not working. i would not have any prior knowledge of what it looked like orginally. i told them i would pass but if at the end of january they were still in trouble, and i was available, i would be happy to try and help out. part of me wanted to do it because it would have been a challenge, but the sensible part of me knows how big a hassle it could be and i dont really want that kind of hassle.
hopefully the hedge fund comes back to me. thats my no#1 choice and would be the perfect job. if not i would take the asset management place i am seeing tomorrow. if i get neither i may feel a little silly for turning down these 2 jobs, but hey, thats life.
today i have mostly been listening to m83 - midnight city. they are playing in so cal when i am there but its sold out. am not a big fan but this is a good tune.
Friday 16 December 2011
dream on
finished up at the hedge fund on wednesday and went for a drink with the people on my project in the evening. had a relaxing week at work and did hardly any work, although unlike the chancers, who are also leaving at the end of the month, i didnt go missing for for hours at a time and sit back and yap all day. its just not the done thing. just because you are leaving, others are not and also you dont have to take the piss.
i did apply for a couple of jobs that caught my eye, even though i was not really planning on doing so, till i get back from california in mid janaury. anyways, one of the places, an asset management firm called me in for an interview yesterday and today i got a call saying the wanted to see me again next week. i also have an interview on monday at another place. will see how it goes, but i dont feel any pressure just yet. am concentrating on sleeping and revising for my exam and then my holiday.
today i have mostly been listening to depeche mode - dream on
i did apply for a couple of jobs that caught my eye, even though i was not really planning on doing so, till i get back from california in mid janaury. anyways, one of the places, an asset management firm called me in for an interview yesterday and today i got a call saying the wanted to see me again next week. i also have an interview on monday at another place. will see how it goes, but i dont feel any pressure just yet. am concentrating on sleeping and revising for my exam and then my holiday.
today i have mostly been listening to depeche mode - dream on
Monday 12 December 2011
almost done
As i suspected i got told today that my contract was not going to be renewed. they didnt renew the guy in the SAN team who had been there a couple of years after saying they would and so its not a surprise they didnt renew me either, even after saying they would a couple of weeks ago. no bother. i was counting on 2 weeks off to study for my exam at the beginning of january and then i have my trip to cali.
i bought a ticket to for the lakers game at the staples center on jan 6th. its the same day the other 2 guys from football fly in from australia and their plane gets in at 7AM. what with the massive jetlag and everything, i figured they would be too tired to go to the game that will finish around 10pm that night and so only bought 1 ticket. i sent them the link in case they wanted to go to it as well, but 10pm will feel like 7am in the morning for those guys.
i also heard from another friend of mine who moved to sydney about a year ago and he mentioned on facebook he was going to san francisco. i mailed him and he will be there same time as i go, so i will meet up with him one evening. its going to be a busy few days of all the good things in life. meeting friends and travelling and watching sports and getting some culture and enjoying life. i cant wait.
when i get back i will apply with haste for new contracts. i have an interview on thursday, and i got a call about another contract today as well. as usual at this time of year, its going to be me moving onto something new.
today i have mostly been listening to eminem - wont back down.
i bought a ticket to for the lakers game at the staples center on jan 6th. its the same day the other 2 guys from football fly in from australia and their plane gets in at 7AM. what with the massive jetlag and everything, i figured they would be too tired to go to the game that will finish around 10pm that night and so only bought 1 ticket. i sent them the link in case they wanted to go to it as well, but 10pm will feel like 7am in the morning for those guys.
i also heard from another friend of mine who moved to sydney about a year ago and he mentioned on facebook he was going to san francisco. i mailed him and he will be there same time as i go, so i will meet up with him one evening. its going to be a busy few days of all the good things in life. meeting friends and travelling and watching sports and getting some culture and enjoying life. i cant wait.
when i get back i will apply with haste for new contracts. i have an interview on thursday, and i got a call about another contract today as well. as usual at this time of year, its going to be me moving onto something new.
today i have mostly been listening to eminem - wont back down.
Friday 9 December 2011
college 84
around 3 weeks ago, when i got told verbally that i was going to be given a new contract, one of the guys in the storage team got told the same. everyone thought he was really good at what he did and that he knew his shit. a couple of days ago i bumped into him on the train and we got talking and i congratulated him on getting his new contract. he replied that he had only had 3 weeks left on his current contract and that he still hadnt got a contract to sign and that he was becoming less and less confident as time went by that he was going to be renewed.
..........yesterday morning he got told he was not being renewed after all. in the last 3 weeks he turned down a couple of potential roles on the word that he had been given about being renewed. basically, they fucked him.
my contract expires on wednesday. i have not heard anything since they verbally told me i was to be renewed. if they were planning on renewing they should have done it by now. am pretty certain there wont be a renewal now, despite what they told me, especially after what they did to the guy in storage who had spent a couple of years working for them. some other guy in another dept also got let go, this morning, and he had been there nearly 3 years.
no bother. am studying for my vcp5 and i had booked the exam in just over 3 weeks, under the assumption that i would be free from work for 2 weeks and would have time to revise. am also going to cali the day after my exam, and i also have an interview this thursday. no news from that hedge fund i saw a couple of weeks back but i have seen the job still being advertised. fellas, you aint going to find someone who is an expert on Hyper-V and compellent SANs and also does SQL and windows 2008 and Linux. you can advertise it all you like. it just aint going to happen. you are making yourselves look silly now.
today i have mostly been listening to timo maas feat brian molko - college 84. wicked song.
..........yesterday morning he got told he was not being renewed after all. in the last 3 weeks he turned down a couple of potential roles on the word that he had been given about being renewed. basically, they fucked him.
my contract expires on wednesday. i have not heard anything since they verbally told me i was to be renewed. if they were planning on renewing they should have done it by now. am pretty certain there wont be a renewal now, despite what they told me, especially after what they did to the guy in storage who had spent a couple of years working for them. some other guy in another dept also got let go, this morning, and he had been there nearly 3 years.
no bother. am studying for my vcp5 and i had booked the exam in just over 3 weeks, under the assumption that i would be free from work for 2 weeks and would have time to revise. am also going to cali the day after my exam, and i also have an interview this thursday. no news from that hedge fund i saw a couple of weeks back but i have seen the job still being advertised. fellas, you aint going to find someone who is an expert on Hyper-V and compellent SANs and also does SQL and windows 2008 and Linux. you can advertise it all you like. it just aint going to happen. you are making yourselves look silly now.
today i have mostly been listening to timo maas feat brian molko - college 84. wicked song.
Sunday 4 December 2011
gym and study
you know what happened already. i had a run in with chancer pm. i worked friday night and saturday as well. had one day off today and went to the gym and did my laundry. still not heard about being officially extended at my current place, or any news from the other hedge fund either. same old.
actually at the gym today i was getting changed and noticed that my t-shirt felt baggy. i have shrunk right down after only going once a week for the last 3 weeks. use it or lose it, as the saying goes. this week normal routine should start from now till i go away in january. am going to force myself to go after work at least one day in the week. next weekend might, or might not be, my last weekend at work as well. can get some condition back before i go on holiday.
have also booked my VMWare VCP 5 exam as well for the day before i go on holiday. its almost exactly 1 month away and i will study every day. laziness has affected my study and its because i havent been to the gym. when i am working out phyisically its good for my mind and i am more focused and can concentrate. that might be rubbish, but i feel better when i have worked out in a week.
met up with one the guys i am supposed to be meeting up with in LA. his plane lands at 6:40am at LAX. arrghhh!!!. told him it would take him a while to get through immigration and stuff like that, and that he should text me as soon as he touches down. in the 45-60 minutes it will take him to get through the airport i can grab some breakfast and drive down and pick him up. am sure it will be all fine.
thats all folks. i should get some news this week about my contract. if i get renewed and i pass my VCP exam i might treat myself to one of these. everyone, and i mean everyone at work has an ipad. not me. i dont do apple. quad core ice cream sandwich for me please.
today i have mostly been listening to trent reznor and karen O (nine inch nails and the yeah yeah yeahs), - immigrant song. have been listening to it on minidisc. i dont do what everyone else is doing.
actually at the gym today i was getting changed and noticed that my t-shirt felt baggy. i have shrunk right down after only going once a week for the last 3 weeks. use it or lose it, as the saying goes. this week normal routine should start from now till i go away in january. am going to force myself to go after work at least one day in the week. next weekend might, or might not be, my last weekend at work as well. can get some condition back before i go on holiday.
have also booked my VMWare VCP 5 exam as well for the day before i go on holiday. its almost exactly 1 month away and i will study every day. laziness has affected my study and its because i havent been to the gym. when i am working out phyisically its good for my mind and i am more focused and can concentrate. that might be rubbish, but i feel better when i have worked out in a week.
met up with one the guys i am supposed to be meeting up with in LA. his plane lands at 6:40am at LAX. arrghhh!!!. told him it would take him a while to get through immigration and stuff like that, and that he should text me as soon as he touches down. in the 45-60 minutes it will take him to get through the airport i can grab some breakfast and drive down and pick him up. am sure it will be all fine.
thats all folks. i should get some news this week about my contract. if i get renewed and i pass my VCP exam i might treat myself to one of these. everyone, and i mean everyone at work has an ipad. not me. i dont do apple. quad core ice cream sandwich for me please.
today i have mostly been listening to trent reznor and karen O (nine inch nails and the yeah yeah yeahs), - immigrant song. have been listening to it on minidisc. i dont do what everyone else is doing.
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