Hard to say goodbye

I handed in my resignation letter today, requesting for a shorter notice instead of the standard three months.

It was a sad moment and this was done with an MD whom I wasn’t close to (he's responsible for the welfare of the staff). I couldn’t imagine how it'd be had it been done with someone I worked closely with.

About 4 years ago I joined this place. I wanted to try something new and despite knowing I had to build new set of skills, it didn’t matter. I was willing to take up the challenge. The offer alone helped to improve our quality of life. My 1st job in this city was reasonable as it was already above London's average salary but raising a child with that amount single-handedly was tough. It was a relief to be getting the increment.

Despite working 50 to 70 hours per week, ad hoc travelling including leaving home at 530am to catch the 730am flight to another European city, specialising in two highly regulated sectors, ridiculous deadlines and managing expectation of different parties, I truly enjoyed working here. It is probably the best workplace I ever had. I love my job and my colleagues and superiors are warm and cool. An MD loves to hide things of another MD, which included his bicycle. One practices his golf swings on our floor. One prefers wearing bright shirts to work; pink, red, blue and green! One talks about his daughters' passion of handbags which thankfully they were only DKNY equivalent. Wait until they start asking for Mulberry or Channel. The senior PA who shocked me for driving a Cooper is like a sister and we often share our crush on McDreamy. When I was looking for a ring, a male senior colleague gave me a tutorial of the perfect stone; from colour to cut. Suffice to say mine was a triple X. *wink*

It is also a place where my skills were groomed to (almost) perfection and my talents were appreciated. I was given many opportunities and collectively, they moulded me. One of them included a chance to manage a deal originating from another European country, with participation from teams from two continents. Of course it also meant we had to work on shift to manage the different time zone.

All my hard work was recognised and paid off. The promotion which was given two years ago with a substantial increase in pay was welcomed with open arms. It gave a sense of pride to be noticed among thousands of people in London alone, especially when it was given during tough times. It meant I could save more towards the young lady's education fund, as well as investing in handbags and shoes (I should not forget to pamper myself, no?).

Good things must come to an end, so does this chapter of my life. It is time to move on. With a heavy heart, I am bidding farewell to the firm.