Protected: I Feel Like I am Scaling Buildings in a Single Bound

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The ATIENZAs in EUROPE

WHAT: Operation White Christmas 2008
WHO: The whole Atienza clan, 9 adults and 3 kids
WHERE: Frankfurt, Michelstadt, Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Passau and Paris
WHEN: 16 December 2008 to 08 January 2009

2008 Atienza tour is hosted by the Atienza-P and the Atienza-B kiddos
2009 Atienza tour will be hosted by U-Atienza kiddos and will be held in Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore

Previous Atienza tours were jointly hosted by LoloA and LolaT in North Greenhills and U-Atienza kiddos in East Greenhills with sidetrips to Subic, Boracay and Tagaytay.

sponsored by The Atienza Foundation and JJRM

Nuerenberg Messe

It was near the end of the 2nd day and some of us just spent the last hour hamming it up for the camera. There are tons of other pics, some sillier than the others, but I prefer to keep those private.

Yup, we do this kind of thing a lot whenever we travel in groups. Fun!

Next week: Training for the new guys at our Swiss branch

Protected: My two cents about the ambitious one

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Working Hard in Amsterdam

Since a big part of my responsibilities include Stock Planning and Forecasting, I am required to attend the yearly inventory/audit of our warehouse in Amsterdam.

I’ve always travelled with one of my bosses for the past 8 years but this year was different. This time, I had to be the “responsible” one… and part of this includes paying for dinner and making sure that all hotel rooms are paid for. hehe

I like trips like this because I get to bond with more people. Apart from working side by side, we also spend our free hours together so we get to talk a lot. As you can see from all these pictures, we didn’t just work, we also had fun.

Friday with JP

Traveling for work means, obviously, lost time with my boys. To help manage work/life balance, I usually arrange for an extended weekend by asking them to follow me to wherever I would be and we spend the weekend there. If that is not possible, due to time constraints and/or distance, I take a day or two off from work after my trip. I spend these days off bonding with my boys.

Last Friday, Maxi had some special activities with his class and J had several meetings in the afternoon so I had JP solely to myself. He got a haircut and we browsed the store for some last-minute Halloween costumes for him and Maxi. For lunch, we met up with J at Sushimoto for some Chirashi Sushi, Steak Yakiniku and Udon. After which, we stayed at our favorite cafe where reclined leather seats allow you to slouch and even, if you wish, sleep. JP and I just lounged around and talked about everything and nothing. An hour after, we were joined by my youngest sister, who works a few blocks away.

Unfortunately, our American friends in Giessen are back in the US so we didn’t really do much trick or treating in the evening. The German style is just not as fun, no matter how much they try. Understandable since it is not a part of their culture. I could have pencilled in my name when AWTC gave us the club’s schedule for some American-style Halloween but I didn’t because I thought that my trip to the Amsterdam would be extended until Friday.

But, we had fun nonetheless when we went to our friend’s house unannounced. We had delicious Thai take out for dinner and tons of candies for the kids.

Weekend at Home

Since I have three business trips coming up, we planned to just spend the weekend at home and veg out together. We planned to watch the conclusion of the Avatar on DVD, read, play Wii, play with toys, gorge on bad food, etc.

But we couldn’t NOT go out at all. J and I are basically the type of people who just could not stay in. We like outdoor activities too much. So, we dragged our pajama clad selves out of bed this morning and changed into something warmer so that we could explore the back part of Bad Soden.

For more photos -> click here.

This kind of weekend is exactly what I needed to get my mind off work.

Office Politics

“Be careful whose toes you step on today because they might be connected to the foot that kicks your ass tomorrow.”

It’s barely a kick, more like a nudge. But today, I put the office Machiavellian in her place. Because, as of yesterday, I am back in the game.

It’s not worth the elaborate kwento. So I suggest you head over to my Sister’s LJ instead for some entertainment. She’s a hoot and a half; if you like people with dry humor, that is.

H is the new letter

A few months ago, I had a series of interview over at M. I was so psyched about transferring there but when it was time to discuss the contract conditions with the HR Manager, we didn’t really find a compromise. And at that time, F’s management decided to give me a promotion and raise my salary. So, I decided to stay at F.

A week after that decision, I regretted it. But it was too late to change because the resignation notice window only comes 4 times in a year. And if I want to leave F, my next possibility would only be end of December 2008.

A few weeks ago, a headhunter called and emailed me. And H, a tech giant, came into the picture.

H is ideal because it is located in Eschborn, which is very near my place; plus, it would be a chance for me to learn a lot because the work deals with both the Technical Department and the Suppy Chain Department.

The first interview was scheduled on a Monday at 9:30am. But the day previous to that, I got really sick and had to cancel. They asked me to come on Friday instead. By that time, I didn’t really care if I was still sick. So with 39° fever and dressed in my newest suit, I went to the interview. It lasted for 2.5 hours!!! The first interview was with the Department (foreign and local) managers. It was in English. After an hour, they said their goodbyes and in came the HR manager to interview me in German. Half an hour later, she asked me to stay in the room and wait for 10 min because she and the 2 other guys will have a short meeting. Either she will come back in to let me go or someone else will come in to interview me. 10 minutes later, the door opened and the Technical Director came in. We talked for an hour.

By the time I came out, the effects of Alaxan (ibuprofen and paracetamol combi drug) had worn off and I had a headache. But I felt good about it.

Today, I received 3 phone calls while I was in a meeting. I got the job at H. And they are willing to wait for me until January 2009.

But, there’s a catch. Last April, I got promoted and received a hefty raise from F. This month, my salary level was raised again. At H, I would be taking a salary cut. It will be 5000Euros less per year, in comparison to F.

I soooo want to take the job at H. But I would have to give up a lot of money, my shiny new title, my 4 precious underlings and the fact that I dictate my own travel schedule. But H is sooo challenging. I will be doing something that I have never done before and I will be learning a LOT; whereas at F, despite all the responsibilities and stress, it feels a lot like my brain is stagnating.

Ugh! I am soo stuck. And I need to make a decision by Monday.

F is great. I basically can do whatever I want and I have already earned the respect of my European and Japanese bosses. However, I just cannot forget about that massive resignation brouhaha which has affected me a lot. I cannot even sleep right because of that. Like what J said, I have lost my inner peace.

And now that I have a chance to go, I am balking at the thought because F has been my comfort zone for the past 7 years. And I know that I can really climb up the career ladder at F. But I have lost my personal faith in F. And I have the feeling that I really really need to do something different. The only question is, would I be ready to risk everything that I already have for something that I am not really sure about?

Office Guardian Angel

FrauB and I have a very good relationship. I am one of the lucky ones at work who never get to see her whenever her claws are out and instead, she usually lets me see her efficient yet soft side. We call her the Queen of F since she is one of the first European staff hired when F established the headquarters in Frankurt, after going independent from its earlier partnership with Siemens.

She is very influential. To have her on one’s side is a very big advantage.

To those who have read my roller-coaster emotional entries about work know that I have been stuck for forever in my “should I stay or should I go” phase. And without my 2 co-worker/gal pals to confide in, I have turned to FrauB for some solid advice. I emailed her about the gamut of emotions I have been feeling about F and about my doubts of me ever recovering from all the previous chaos which affected everyone. A day later, she called me from France, where she is vacationing. Her conclusion? Burnout.

She has already briefed my big boss and has even scheduled a meeting to make sure that my concerns are addressed. However, I seriously have doubts that my current feeling will be solved by an “it will be all okay” kind of talk. My other colleague, who I also have a good relationship with, has already done that. He gave me all sorts of good examples as to why F will be good. However, I still just cannot get out of this funk.