A DISASTER IN THE LOOMING



Typhoon Reming (international code Durian) is expected to hit Manila on Friday morning. I'm not taking any chances and have stayed home as early as Thursday. Hee.

And ever the worrier, I've also stacked up on Winston Lights, beer, and chips. Hindi natin alam, baka hagupitin ng bagyo yung pabrika ng Fortune Tobacco tsaka San Miguel, diba? Nagkakagulo sa grocery kanina. Panic shopping ang mga tao. Pati sa Nike, Bayo, at People Are People, ang haba ng pila. Matindi nga yata itong bagyong 'to. Hmm... Makababa nga uli at matingnan kung may GSM Blue pa sa grocery.

UNTITLED

The last time this happened, you took away someone I love so dearly.

The waiting is killing me. I can't think straight. The day passes as a blur and all I do is stare into blankness. Unable to move. Unable to speak.

So please. Tell me now.

DOES SHE KNOW?

Just finished a very long one on one meeting with my boss here in Hong Kong. I wonder if she has any inkling that I'm entertaining thoughts of moving to another company? We were talking about plans for fiscal year 2007, what my long term plans are as far as my career is concerned, all that. A lot of what I would be doing, of course, depends on how much longer we will be engaging China Subcon #1. That has been bulk, almost 75%, of what I have been doing for 2006. Now that the qualification activities are over and we're finally doing production builds, we're starting see what we have dreaded for the past three quarters. We're having a lot of issues with China Subcon #1. Process control is almost non-existent. The people who decided to relocate to China from Hong Kong are now disillusioned and a lot are thinking of resigning, or altogether have resigned already.

Instead of answering my question directly, she dangled what I would think is carrot. How would I like to be part of the team that will engage the new subcons? Hmm, this has always been what I would think to be the ideal job. But why is she giving me my ideal job? Something smells fishy here...

Anyway, interview with the second German company will be this Friday evening. It's gonna be a tightrope. We're leaving China on Friday afternoon, the probably have dinner somewhere in Hong Kong, then off I go to the meeting. I hope I don't get too drunk. Better skip the alcohol during the early part of the evening. Celebration or otherwise, I'd do the drinking after the interview.

DOING THE ROUNDS AGAIN

I just finished an interview a couple of hours ago. About early October, a headhunter based in Berlin emailed me and asked if I was interested in working for a semiconductor company based in Germany. Of course I am. So after a couple of emails and a phone call from this headhunter, I was hooked up with a strict sounding German guy by the name of Mr. Wagner (I know, so typical German!). We talked for about 30, 45 minutes. I think I did okay. It seems like I fit the bill for whoever they were looking for, but I'm not about to say I did really well in that interview. You never know these Germans. You just don't know what they're looking for.

Next week, I'm also having another interview for the same German company but with a guy from another business division. Thing is, I didn't tell this second party that I'm already having discussions with someone from the same company. Should I or shouldn't I? I have a feeling I shouldn't, since there hasn't been any solid offer laid out so far. Never hurts to keep that extra ace card up my sleeve, right? Then again, was that the right thing to do?

I don't even know why I'm even entertaining all these guys who wants to interview me. This reorg is beginning to scare me. The announcement was supposed to have been done November 1st, but we still haven't heard even a peep from anybody what's it going to be like. Best bet is that my boss' boss is on his way out. Too bad, he was really such a nice guy. Fatherly figure, he was more of a mentor than a boss. Now, in the case of our boss... It's like you want her to go but the thought of someone I'm not comfortable with replacing her is making me balk at that idea. I just want this reorg done and over with. Let's go. Let's move on.