2 years already?

i just celebrated my 2nd anniversary with this client. can't believe i just said that, as if it's like a birthday to look forward to, or a special event that needs to be marked in the calendar.

while a lot of consulting projects end within a few months, it's not unusual for clients to extend the tenure of their consultants. my previous supervisor did say it's a sign of trust. either that, or they're just comfortable with you and makes it easier to continue with the same resources.

i guess it means a little more than just a project because there was quite a bit of effort put into it in the initial stages, and i see the fruits of our labour. we helped set up the shared service centre from scratch with really no background in this sort of work (don't tell that to the client!), and today it's filled up on 2 floors, with IT professionals in niche skills you'd wish you had studied for.

it feels a little like a mum giving birth after those months of care, nourishment and attention. the kids are the new people joining us every month, whom i know better than my own colleagues sometimes! not surprisingly, i identify more with the client and its culture than with my own company.

well, we just had confirmation that i, together with most in the team, will be rolling off in less than a month. i don't know how to feel. i guess it's like giving your kids away to adopted parents after all that months of work and labour.

there's a mix of feelings i suppose. quite delighted that there's a bit of closure to some of the work that i've been doing. abit apprehensive about the next client because as my previous supervisor said "better the devil you know". definitely also sad because i think this is one of the better clients we have.

i shall miss the views i have from my privileged seat - the view of the lake gardens is a sight for sore eyes, and i wished i had done less work and more day dreaming!

i shall miss the people i've come to call my friends - though i've always had this thing about drawing the line between work and personal.

i shall miss the supply of food in the pantry and the occasional treats from the client - they're from a more prosperous industry.

i don't know what the next client will be like, but i hope they be kind to me!

november already?

Can't believe it's November already! I suppose I should be glad that the project is reaching its end, and yet it doesn't feel like it's ramping down. On the contrary, there's still a steady stream of activities to keep my team busy until the very last few days, and I suspect, this may turn into more work as we have yet to find proper owners to handover to.

It's very strange that I'm getting used to working long hours and even on weekends. Though I wish I could go back to those days where I could leave the laptop in the office and switch the mind off work without having to go through a mental list of to-do's all the time.

It's very true then the recent report about Malaysians are too hardworking - I am guilty of being one of them.

I used to agree with people who say there will always be another day to finish up work, and work will always pile up, so no point rushing to finish what you have. Well, now I beg to differ, more so because of the industry I'm in.

Lessons learnt, I hope if I get to be on another client, this should be something I have to change. If not, some thing's gotta give.

For now, let me go get my sleep because accumulated sleep deprivation has proven to be quite disastrous in many ways. I shall not elaborate, because my bed is calling!

Oh, a side note because it is good news after all : The AA cheque finally cleared (after 1 month!) so I hope that kinda covers the astronomical phone bill I had and all the unnecessary expenses for not getting my luggage back on time. It's a small relief, but nevertheless clears that nagging item on the to-do list.