An Unpleasant Finance Person

This morning is started with a very unpleasant way. My office colleague (I still don't want to call him my friend) with a very distasteful way has refused to assist me to pay an overdue invoice which the company has purchased through me as the contact person. His reason is very unreasonable. Since today there's a company meeting at a certain hotel, he would not come to the office just to send one small email to initiate the payment process. If his house is far away from the office and the hotel where the meeting was located, and there's no one going to the meeting from the office at the morning, I might still be able to understand it. But in this case, if he just drop by at the office, send the mail to initiate the payment, it will not take more than 10 minutes. And further more, there are a lot of people (including myself) who drop-by at the office before going to the meeting place.

if this issue just started this morning, I would not be this angry. But the problem was started last Friday (now it's Tuesday). On Friday, the payment to my vendor was bounced back. I trace the cause with this 'finance guy', and it happen that the name of the account owner is not precisely match the one on the data that we send to the bank. This alone has annoyed me a bit, because if we trace through our company's system, the account was used before, with the same data, and it went allright. Okay, than we have to modify the data. Since the one who creates the vendor data is not me or my department, I have to ask my other friend, 'the vendor creator' to change it and asked for her supervisor's approval. That's all has been done on that Friday. Okay, we can understood if the finance could not make the payment on that day. our expectation was it would be done the next working day (Monday/yesterday).
Monday morning, the whole company had a company meeting (for two days) at a hotel with a travel distance no more than 10 minutes. I and the 'vendor creator' dropped by the office first before going there. There's no message, not an email notification. Calmly and happily we go to the meeting place. There we met this 'finance guy'. When I asked him about the status of the payment for this vendor, he just answer easily that the process would not be done that day, since he's not coming to the office, so he could not send or receive any email, including the one to initiate the payment process, period. He gave us no suggestion or solution. That's it. And for the whole day me and my friend, the 'Vendor Creator' got called by the vendor asking for the payment. in the afternoon I didn't have the chance to meet this 'finance guy', so I send an SMS to him, ask for his assistance to make the payment tomorrow (this Tuesday). I even ask him is there anything that I can do to help him. No SMS replied to me.
This morning I purposely came to the office a little early. Fro the office I tried to call the 'finance guy', but his cell phone is not active. Until the time I left the office, he's not showing up. then off we go to the meeting place. When we get there, then there he was, sitting calmly wthout any guilty feeling once so ever. When I asked him why he wouldn't come to the office to initiate the payment, offhandedly he asnwer that he go directly to the hotel. No excuse, no appology, no regret, no other explenation... that's it, "I go directly here" he said. I could not say anything more. I just turn my body, and slammed my bag at another chair. If I spend a second longer in front of that man's face, i might just as well hit it right between the eyes.
Being in IT person, I tried to connect to his mail account (by asking his permission first, of course) from the hotel, but since the connection was not very good, it failed. During the time I tried that, he just walk around, having fun, and eat. No concern, guilty remarks, even a question of what I was doing came from him. Once I failed to do what I intended to do, I don't know what else to do, I just walk to my supervisor, report the situation, and ask him to clear this up with the supervisor of that 'finance guy'. I don't want to step the line and report to her directly. I want my supervisor know what I've been trying to do and what kind of 'support' that I received.
After lunch break, I'm getting more irritated. His other friends from the finance department, even his supervisor left the meeting to clear up some pending item, while this 'finance guy' just sitting calmly attending the meeting. What makes me edgy is the fact that the meeting material is not concerning him and don't have any clear relation with his task. if there's no pending item waitng for his action I wouldn't care less if he's there, I might even miss him if he's not there. And if this pending item is only affecting me myself or the company internally, I might not feel as iritated as I'm feeling right now. But this issue is affecting the company externally. We affect other company. The company's reputation is in stake. My reputation, my friend 'the vendor creator' name is in stake as well.
After the supervisor of this 'finance guy' came back to the meeting, she told me that he already verify the data change, and he just haven't start the payment process. The supervisor already taking over the issue and initiate the process, but it still will be effective tomorrow. For me (perhaps becouse I'm still angry at the first place) I don't care what steps that hasn't been done. The point is this 'finance guy' knew the problem that I'm having, and he gave me no help once so ever with this kind of action, or non-action. Honestly, I've been asking for his help what else that can I do, I already reminded him since Monday...

There's a saying in my country, "Because just one drop of a tree poison, a whole bowl of milk is becoming useless". This 'finance guy' was initially one of the person that I can trust in the office, I consider him as a friend that can be getting along and have fun together. I even ask him to be one of the member for the office's Award dinner tomorrow. But know, I don't even want to talk to him if there's nothing important. He said that he couldn't come to tomorrow's Company Award Dinner. THAT'S GOOD...!!!!

(Not) The First Time

After so long not blogging - so long that I forget that I've made a blog account before, so now I forgot both the account name and the password - I'm starting blogging again. Don't know how long it will last, but the most important thing is to give it a try first, isn't it?

The main reason to blog is simple.. there's so many stories to be told, but sometimes we have to choose to whom we want to tell the story. And also sometimes there's too many ocassion too good (or too bad) to be left forgotten without any written record to preserve them. I hope I'm not getting bored to write in this blog (and/or forgetting the user name and the password again.. hehehe...)

Anyway, the title of this blog is (Not) The First Time.
Besides as an introduction that this is actually not my first blog, but this entry is also my first in the new account.

But in the last few weeks I got the same events happening in my live. Last week is not my first time that I'm having a blind date. it's not the first time also that I make a preliminary approach through a cell phone. But honestly, last week blind date is starting form a first timer for me.. I've been asked to be a girl's boyfriend that I just know through the SMS and never met. At the end, it's obvious that we don't have any compatibilities (yet), so she withdrew her proposition and choose to be just friend. The excuse that I got is not the first one either. She said that I was too nice for her. It makes me ask myself, is that statement/excuse is a standard excuse from women that want to get away from a man without hurting his feelings (and take advantages of his friendship relation), or is it trully that I am so nice up until people are afraid of me. Anyway, to make a long story short, there goes one opportunity to beat my best friend to the wedding ceremony.

These weeks are also not the first time that I involved in a commitee for office event, but this time is my first to head such a committee. if everything is normal, this committee should not take to much time and effort. the problem is, I just found out about the appointment just 2 weeks prior to the event. And then, the big honcho at the office approved only a small amount of money to be use for the event. Can you imagine that he cut 20% of the initial budget that was initially said that can be use for the event ? I got a temporay panic attack when he told me that. luckily a co-worker have a very good relationship, and Thank God we can finally going to make it, even it will not be as good as we hope. I may tell you what is the outcome later...

Other story worth to be noted..

• I Got information that there will be a big reorganization at the office. One of the informer said that there will be an opening for a technical support, which, according to the informer, is very suitable for me and will greatly support my career here. She could not make any promise that I will be the one chosen for the position, but she said (or is it just my imagination jumping to conclusion) that I am one of the strong candidate to fill that position. I should starting to learn more about lubricants and my company's products
• One of my ex co-worker that already left for a supposed to be a greener pasture called and informed me about a job opening at her office. Not very much IT operation related, the opening is for the Section Head of Data Management. I've sent my CV, but no new news so far.
• My boss also give an update regarding our jobs. he told me that there's a big chance that our department will be absorbed to a new corporate spin-off company, with a new facility and compensation packages that's way better than we have right now. All of this offers confused me somehow. If I take the first offer, one of my manager told me that the carreer path is very promising. What still not clear to me was that the path that she told me is an ideal one. What if the company's business in my country is not growing. is it possible to move to other country? Is the ability that I get from this position will be sellable? if I choose offer nomber two, and move to a big local company, can I adapt to the new company culture. Honestly, I'm rather reluctant to make new big adjustment. And if I choose option number three, and stays in IT, can I reach for the top from there? Honestly speaking, in my corporation, which is not an IT corporation, they don't give us much credit, so the chance for a great carreer is not as big as the fellow from sales or exploration. I think I will see where's my company going during this year kickoff meeting next monday.
• Other news (not job related). My co-worker will introduce me to her roommate. From her picture in my friend's cell phone, she's kind of cute. She (my friend's room mate) is already saw me once, when I was going to ride the Busway. I don't know her comment yet, and haven't been making any plans. Maybe after the office event finish... Whi knows I might get lucky...

That's all for now. I have to hit the road again since it's starting to get late.